Red Deer & Area Reefer's

[ponokareefer]

Originally Posted by claymax

how many fish am i going to be able to keep in my 72 gallon if i had round 70 lbs of live rock? and what about dragonfish? what should my salinity be at? can i measure this with a gravity hydrometer? if i get LR from an established aquarium, and throw it in there quick will there be die off? is there any point in buying live sand out of a bag? the trace elements are helpful, and which ones are hurtful? im pretty set on regal tangs, and a pair of clowns, maybe some yellow tangs, what kind of price do these usually go for? what is the best way to introduce new fish to an established tank, i know i know alot of questions

1. depending on the fish you get, you could get more small ones, or a few larger fish
2. I don't know a lot about dragonfish
3. natural salt water is at 1.26. Some people deviate from that.
4. You can use a gravity hydrometer, but they can be known to be quite inaccurate. A refractometer is a much better way to go.
5. there will be some die off, but it is still your best bet.
6. this is a debatable one about sand.
7. a regal tang in that size of tank will start to pace due to the lack of space over time and then you will need to get it to a larger set up. clowns are usually good. what kind are you considering? Some can get very mean. I saw a tomato clown in a tank with a lionfish beat up the lionfish. If you are considering getting more than one tang, make sure you do it all at the same time to lessen the fighting. Prices vary quite a bit, depending on the retailer, or if from a fellow canreefer.
8. It is best to first quarantine new fish so that if they have a disease, all the fish in your tank don't get it. When you are adding a new fish to a tank, you first float the bag in the tank to equalize the temperature, then it is best to drip water in over at least an hour.