Frequent Aquarium Questions

• 20 gal. rectangular aquarium FO with Emperor 280 filter and Seaclone 100 protein skimmer but no power head with 2 Damsel, 1 Percula Clown, 1 Lemon Butterfly, 3 hermit crab and 2 snails. Is my filtration enough to handle the load?
  
  
• I recently bought a Spotted Sailfin Blenny for my tank. It does not eat, and I was wondering if there is anything specific to feed it.
  
  
• How long does it take for 2 Percula Clownfish to pair off?
  
  
• I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank. Is there a species of stingray that could be kept in a tank this size?
  
  
• I recently bought a new Regal Tang which has been hiding for the last week. There is only a clownfish in the tank with him. Is there something I can do to get him to come out?
  
  
• How often do you have to feed a lionfish with prepared foods?
  
  
• I just bought a cleaner shrimp and my royal gramma was nipping at his legs one day. When I woke up the next morning, I found the cleaner shrimp on the bottom of the tank dead. Was the Royal Gramma the culprit?
  
  
• What should I do if I have dead animals in my marine tank and I cannot find them?
  
  
• I am getting ready to put a blue dot stingray in a 125 gallon aquarium. What are his eating habits and how often should he be fed? Can anything else be placed in the tank with him?
  
  
• I am trying to establish a marine tank with local macroalgae rather then coral as a background. What lighting spectrum is most appropriate?
  
  

• 20 gal. rectangular aquarium FO with Emperor 280 filter and Seaclone 100 protein skimmer but no power head with 2 Damsel, 1 Percula Clown, 1 Lemon Butterfly, 3 hermit crab and 2 snails. Is my filtration enough to handle the load?
  
  Your filtration is as good as can be expected for a small marine tank, but in our opinion, it is or will soon be over-crowded as the Butterfly grows. We hope it's a small one.
  
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• I recently bought a Spotted Sailfin Blenny for my tank. It does not eat, and I was wondering if there is anything specific to feed it.
  
  Unfortunately, the Spotted Sailfin Blenny feeds almost exclusively on the polyps of Poecillipora corals in the wild, and rarely accepts substitue foods. This fish should not be purchased for the home aquarium due to this reason.
  
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• How long does it take for 2 Percula Clownfish to pair off?
  
  Assuming that you have a male and female, pairing is by chance and may never happen for your fish.
  
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• I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank. Is there a species of stingray that could be kept in a tank this size?
  
  No. Keeping marine stingrays should only be attempted by very experienced aquarists with large aquariums.
  
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• I recently bought a new Regal Tang which has been hiding for the last week. There is only a clownfish in the tank with him. Is there something I can do to get him to come out?
  
  Give it more time. Sometimes the introduction of another non-aggressive fish that swims in the water column will elicit the fish to come out.
  
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• How often do you have to feed a lionfish with prepared foods?
  
  Most experts will recommend that you feed large predatory fish 2-3 times a week to satiation. If you want to feed everyday, you can feed the lionfish with 1 moderate feeding.
  
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• I just bought a cleaner shrimp and my royal gramma was nipping at his legs one day. When I woke up the next morning, I found the cleaner shrimp on the bottom of the tank dead. Was the Royal Gramma the culprit?
  
  This is not usually normal. You risk a greater chance of this situation if your tank is a marine fish-only setup vs. a pure reef environment.
  
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• What should I do if I have dead animals in my marine tank and I cannot find them?
  
  You try stocking the tank with some scavengers, like hermit crabs, that can consume the missing animals.
  
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• I am getting ready to put a blue dot stingray in a 125 gallon aquarium. What are his eating habits and how often should he be fed? Can anything else be placed in the tank with him?
  
  As a keeper of many types of rays for years, I would strongly advise not purchasing one. You do great in captivity for a short time and then they suddenly start to break down, even in ideal conditions.
  
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• I am trying to establish a marine tank with local macroalgae rather then coral as a background. What lighting spectrum is most appropriate?
  
  You can use full spectrum(daylight and actinic) power compact lighting at 3-4 watts per gallon.
  
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