Caring for these beautiful creatures

Is your tank at least 6 months old?

The tank above is my 125 gallon tank on day 2 of setup.
I used water from other tanks to set this up so the water was used.
But the sand was new and so where the rocks, most of them at least.

The above is the same tank, less then a month old.
You can see a slight green tinge to the rock but it is no where near old enough to add fish
to if you did not use water from another tank or live rock from another tank.
I was fortunate to not loose any fish that I put in this tank from the tank that the water and some
of the rock came from,
But I new to keep the water temp and flow identical to the old tank that all of the fish came out of.
I did not have a cycle in the tank and that was great.
And within a few months had great algae growing below the water line under the sand and loads of pods
in the rock, that were in the rock when moved to this tank.
All of the fish and rock (not the new rock) came from my overstocked 75 gallon tank.
No new corals were added to this tank , only from other tanks with the same exact water and conditions
as this tank to minimize the loss.
Which was none.
You can see this tank now under 125 gallon tank.
The main reason everything survived is because everything was identical from where it came from
to where I moved it.
And I also have the experience to watch for any problems I might have had moving everything to this
tank with new sand and dead rock.
So, if you have the opportunity to buy a tank already set up and over a year old, go for it, move everything, water in buckets
leave the sand in the tank undisturbed. Place the corals and fish in buckets in the water from the tank and just move it.
Set it all back up as it was and you won't have any problems.
Just be sure to move it fast to keep the water over the sand from over heating as well as the livestock.
It works great and I have moved many tanks and bought some already set up and they did great.
I highly recommend buying a tank that has been up and running for over 6 months and many times you can
get a great deal on them because of the cost of upkeep or lack of care or time to keep it up and the owner wants
to just get rid of it, so watch for these in your area.

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If you tank is  not  6 months old , it is NOT ready for a Rose or Green Bubble tip Anemone.

Your tank needs to be at least 6 months old and stable before introducing a BTA

or any Anemone for that matter into your tank.

A stable system, knowledge of how your tank is running and the in's and out's of taking

care of it are what is  needed for their care.

You need to know how the water changes effect your tank.

How the lights effect the tank etc.

I know it's hard to pass up  those pretty Roses in the fish store , but trust me.

 If you buy one before your tank is stable,
 and you know just what is going on in there,

how to maintain it and what any problems are you will

loose it for sure.

Never ever impulse buy any saltwater creature before waiting.

Doing research on that animal and making sure

your tank is ready for it to thrive and live a long happy life.

Many people get in way to big of a hurry to get their tank

set up, slap some lights on it, usually what came with the tank.

They are NOT saltwater lights.

Add the saltwater, stir, dump in some sand.

Spend a good $50.00 on a water test kit and after a few days.

All looks well, the tank is nice and clear of sand floating in the

water, the sand is nice and pretty and clean, white as can be.

Now what could possibly go wrong with such a clean pretty tank

you ask?

EVERYTHING!.

 A newly setup tank is not a healthy tank by any means.

It needs to have live rock added, cycle through an algae

stage where it will look dreadfull for at least a week and sometimes

longer.

Well, I won't get into a long drawn out thing about what needs

to happen before you plop that pretty red blob into the tank.

But just read about setting up the tank, and please.

Take everyones advice, including mine, and wait until the 6

months have past, all of the cycling is over, all of the rocks are settled in, life it growing in your sand.

Your getting a nice red or green algae growing just under the sand

right up next to your glass .

Get a cup of live sand from someone that you know that has

a tank set up for over a year and you will be amazed at the life

that it has in it, the animals in it  will reproduce, adding to the diversity of your

new tank.

when lights are out, you're on your way..

When you see sponges growing under rocks, critters scurrying around on the front of

the glass after lights out it is getting more stable.

Now you  are well on your way to a healthy tank.

( Take a flashlight and look  around the rocks and on the sand after lights out).

Signs of lots of life are great for a Rose tank  .

At six  to 8 months, you're ready for your new BTA.

If you have been really good and waiting patiently, and you have had your setup going

for 6 months,

Go to the,

" Buying your first BTA "

section and lets get you started on living with one of these beautiful

Animals.

By the way.

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