New Tank

Ok so i'm new to the hobby. Saltwater tanks at least. I've had and maintained a freshwater for some time now and everything is going great with it. i want to get a mantis shrimp and enjoy watching it rip things to shreds. So i bought a ten gallon tank with a back hanging filter that filters 80 gallons per hour. I got live sand and live rock and stuck it in there. So I was told by a local fish store that damsals are great fish to help cycle your tank. So i bought them on the second day of having my tank and put them in there followed by some bacteria to help speed up the cycle process. Currently both damsals are dead and were dead within a few hours. I was told that with the bacteria added it could cycle quite quickly. So why did my fish die? And how will i know if my tank's ready for my mantis? Salinity levels are fine. I haven't checked the amonia or nitrate levels or anything. Any tips to get this show on the road so i can get my mantis shrimp?

 

you can rush i and buy a few or you can take your time and buy just one to enjoy slow down let the cycle take it's course and you have that mantis soon enough.. I would also toss a piece of shrimp form the market in the tank not seasoned nor cooked just a Piece of raw shrimp and leave it in for a few days. and test test test.....

 

I waited 30 long days to drop in my fish, and spent 6 months buying the system and whatnot.

I wouldn't just buy live things to add bacteria..go with above post and add a dead shrimp to speed things up..IMO


Good luck,
Mike

 

thank you mike. I'll try that. I added in some fish food to start off the amonia. Good idea or no? and im also wondering on my filter. it's a little top fin ten gallon filter. it moves 80 gallons per hour. Is that enough for my little ten gallon and one future mantis shrimp?

 

btw any advice for a new new newbie is very appreciated. hit me with everything you got. I'm like a sponge at this point. I want to learn all i can. my tank is brand brand new. What do i need and what do i need to do?

 

new to salt

You still need IMO, a power head maybe 2.

you'll need to turn your water for a while man, there's no short cut to this that i know of. yes you can add bacteria and or a dead shrimp but you still must wait for a while IMO..

if you ask and read info around this site you should be able to get started and maintain your world in a tank..

Have fun,
Mike

PS a skimmer is a must,no other filter will do the job a skimmer will do.

 

Is a ten gallon tank big enough for a mantis shrimp? They're burrowers. Which means they don't get "out" much. Only to feed. So why would it be necessary for anything larger? If he's the only thing in the tank won't a ten gallon be fine?

 

I figured out pretty quick that anything I was about to ask has already been covered at some point by someone else. Search and read as much as you can find and be patient. As far as your filter / equipment. It all depends on how much money you want to spend and how often you want to do maintenance. Search for people with similar set ups and see what they have and what they would change and or do different. Good Luck

 

I just traded in my pansy filter for a submerge able filter that moves around 275 gallons per hour. I put the filter in my tank about halfway. Maybe a little less and aimed the stream up toward the surface. Moves the water quite nice. Will that be enough to oxygenate the water?

 

Depending on the mantis it will be plenty. Also to answer your previous question about tank size, it depends what species mantis you get. For a Rock Mantis it 10 gal is plenty, for a peacock it is way to small. Also a peacock will be capable of breaking the glass on a ten gal.