# my first salt set up



## sublime guy (Mar 28, 2009)

this week im getting a used 40 something gal tank from this guy i know. im going to put sea grasses in there instead of corals.im going to cycle it with a few molies. some fish that i would like in there would be a dwaf lion, a manderin, cobys clowns and other little community fish. dose any one have any suggestions or advise with setting up or the fish involved?


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

dwarf lions will eat every other community fish that is under 4"


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## Fishhorder (Sep 21, 2009)

All lionfish will eat small fish and shrimp. They will even try eating something as big as them. I have experienced this first hand. Trust me, the last thing you want to see is half of another fish hanging out of his mouth.


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## sublime guy (Mar 28, 2009)

ok great guys anything else i should know


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## SouthernBelle23 (Mar 24, 2009)

Mandarins need mature tanks...like after its been setup close to a year. They don't always eat frozen foods...so they can be hard to keep alive, especially for beginners.


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## flamingo (Nov 5, 2005)

Do you know what type of "sea grasses?"
If your going to a do a set-up around this, you'll have to plan carefully. Some are easy to maintain, others will need deep sandbeds+higher lighting....


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## Tallonebball (Apr 6, 2009)

Sea grasses are going to be a pain in the butt for you to keep alive. 
No lionfish for you, even a dwarf one.
Why do mollies? they are the exact same as the freshwater mollies just saltwater, if you want those you may as well just do a small freshwater tank.
You need a colony of copepods living in your tank before you add a mandarin goby, they rarely get used to other foods.
I would start off with a clown fish, and maybe some chromis for a couple weeks and see how your tank does, this is an expensive hobby to just dive right into lol


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## jrm402 (Jan 21, 2010)

Mandarin fish sift through sand generally to feed. Make sure you have a sand bed, or small enough substrate to flow through its gills. It's pretty amazing watching these fish feed.

The dwarf lionfish might pose a problem for you though. I've had a hard time getting them to feed, and after they just die. Make sure to ask your LFS how long they have had their dwarf lion and if it eats and what it eats. Don't let them feed it as this will stress it on the ride home.


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