Questions About Starting Saltwater Reef Tank Soon - Page 3

[Jesterrace]

You could, but a lot of the fish you have on that stock list tend to be more assertive and might try to possibly pick on a smaller more timid fish (yes, the pistol shrimp will protect it to an extent) the other problem is that it may not have a lot of visibility, only moving a little outside of it's cave and darting in and out. The stocking list I mentioned above will maximize visibility and activity for your tank. Trust me when I tell you that one of the things that will drive you nuts is a bunch of fish that are timid and hide all the time. I dealt with this in my old 36 gallon bowfront, where I had 4 fish and I would only see one fish on the bottom (Diamond Watchman Goby) on a regular basis, the rest were 50/50 or less. At that point the fish becomes nothing more than an unwanted source of nitrates, because you don't see it much. Oh and as for the Blenny, I would go with a Starry Blenny if you want Algae Removal. The other nice thing about it is that all of the fish I mentioned above can definitely push back if another fish gets assertive with them. Aggression is a MUCH BIGGER factor with saltwater than freshwater.

*EDIT* Be aware, that the Cherubfish may nip at corals when you add them later, although they do tend to do better than your average pygmy or dwarf angels. Personally I would do Euphyllia Corals if you get one as they tend to be less nippy with them (ie Torch, Hammer, Frogspawn). Here are some examples of them:

 

[abarb]

Do I only need the aquaclear 110 and some powerheads or wavemakers for the 40 gallon?

 

[Jesterrace]

As long as you don't overfeed and stick to cleaner food sources (ie Frozen LRS Reef Frenzy) and stay with weekly partial water changes.

 

[abarb]

Should I feed any pellets? What should be their staple diet? Can I feed them hikarI frozen bloodworms every once in a while?

 

[Jesterrace]

You can but, pellets are a dirtier food source for the tank and frozen foods are considered best overall. Yes you could feed the other two but there really isn't a need.

Here is everything reef frenzy has in it:

 

[abarb]

Can I use an ac30 for fuge and ac20 for mechanical/biological filtration?
I calculated the cost for everything besides live rock and fish, inverts, corals, and light. It is $200. Is there a way for it to be cheaper?

 

[Jesterrace]

You could but if you are doing a 20 long, I would bump it up to an AC50 for regular filtration and then use a AC30 for a fuge. That will maximize filtration for your tank. For HOB on saltwater tanks it's generally recommended to go at least double the capacity on the tank.

 

[abarb]

If I do ac 50 and 30 I will have 350 gph. If I have 1 1600 gph adjustable powerhead is it enough?

 

[Jesterrace]

Are you doing a 20 long or 40 breeder? Plenty for a 20 long and just enough for a 40 breeder.

 

[abarb]

I’m going to do the 20 long first then 40 breeder. Ac 50 and 30 is enough for the 40 breeder?

 

[Jesterrace]

Combined I would say it is.

 

[abarb]

How long will it take to completely stock the tank assuming nothing goes wrong with qt?

 

[abarb]

Is 800 gph with the ac 30 and 50 enough?

 

[Jesterrace]

Corals or no corals? As for stocking the tank it is recommended to go a couple of months MINIMUM for QT'ing a fish and doing no more than 2 at a time (to avoid potential cross contamination of parasites). So go from there. I recommend going least aggressive fish first then progressively moving on to more aggressive fish.

 

[abarb]

I'll do fowlr first then corals after a while. I can buy 2 800 gph powerheads. Do I need to qt any of the cuc? Do I need to qt corals or just dip them?

 

[Jesterrace]

Technically you should QT everything as it is possible for parasite eggs to hitchhike on inverts. The other issue with QT'ing corals is that you want to make sure they don't have any unwanted hitchhikers (ie Aiptasia) as they can spread quickly and overrun your tank and corals.

 

[abarb]

How long should I qt inverts and corals?

 

[Jesterrace]

I would do the same amount of time.

 

[abarb]

Can I qt them at the same time as fish? If I buy 2 fish or a fish and some inverts from the same tank/store can I qt them together?

 

[Jesterrace]

It could work. Just keep an eye on them.

 

[abarb]

Is 800 gph and the ac 30 and 50 enough for a reef (no sps)?
Which fish is the least aggressive from tangaroa goby, clown goby, and royal gramma? I’m also looking for something instead of pink streaked wrasse because they are kind of expensive and 3 of my lfs don’t have them.

 

[Jesterrace]

It should be enough for reef although just personally I would like it closer to 1000gph for corals even with no SPS. Of the list that you have the Royal Gramma is likely to be the most assertive. As for the Pink Streaked Wrasse, they can be a bit on the spendy side and a little hard to find at times. If you are looking for something in the Pink to Red Spectrum then perhaps one of the more unique cardinalfish would fit the bill:





FYI not sure why the last one was listed as aggressive. It can be very aggressive towards other Cardinalfish but not towards different species. Either way those fish range on Live Aquaria from $15-$22 each instead of the $45 pricetag of the pink streaked Wrasse.

 

[abarb]

Maybe I will use a 1300 gph powerhead. Would 2 800 gph powerheads be better or too much?
I don’t really care about the color of the fish. I am just looking for fish that will not be hiding a lot and preferably under $20-30

 

[Jesterrace]

The cardinalfish should be fairly visible. For the powerhead I would say that two 800 gph would be a bit much. The 1300 should be plenty.

 

[abarb]

link removed..
Is this one enough?

 

[Jesterrace]

That should be plenty and could work as long as it's magnetically backed.

 

[abarb]

It is magnetic. Where should I direct the water flow?

 

[Jesterrace]

For a 20 Long I would put it right in the middle of the back of the tank and this should circulate water just fine throughout the tank. Although given the lower height of the tank I would stick it in the middle length wise on the back but near the top of the tank so you aren't blowing sand.

 

[abarb]

Where should I put the filters? On the back near the sides?

 

[Jesterrace]

On the back is usually the ideal place for them. It also depends on where you have the holes for your top/screen.

 

[abarb]

I will be building a lid so I can cut the hole for the filter anywhere. How small do the gaps between the lid and filter be? Less than 1 inch?

 

[stella1979]

I'd highly suggest putting your HOB on a short end if you can make that work with a tight-fitting lid. The reason for this is so the surface agitation your HOB will provide isn't cut off a short distance away on the front glass, and will instead extend as far as it can when directed across the long width of the tank.

As for gaps... make them as tiny as you can. You wouldn't believe what a flighty fish can fit through.

 

[abarb]

Is it ok to put the 2 hob's on opposite sides (short sides)?

 

[stella1979]

Sure! In fact, I'd go so far as to say that would be better, as long as it looks good to you. Two HOB's will offer more surface agitation, as well as more intake flow down low in the tank. I'd imagine that, with the powerhead placement like Jester explained above, the addition of two HOB's on the short sides would give the tank great overall flow.

 

[abarb]

Would it be enough flow to keep sps if I had a good enough light? What light should I buy for the 20 long?
Do I need to dose things if the salt already has nutrients/minerals?

 

[Jesterrace]

SPS are arguably the most difficult to grow, so you can't go cheap on the lighting. For most corals I recommend the Chinese Black Box for starters but for SPS Reef Breeders would be the entry point and it will likely take a pair of them. Same for AI Prime HDs. If you kept the SPS Corals towards the center then a single AI Hydra 26HD might work.

 

[abarb]

I will probably not keep sps. What light for soft corals and lps?

 

[Jesterrace]

It will be a bit of a stretch since technically it's only designed for a 24 inch spread but if you keep the softies on the edges (usually the least demanding corals) you could probably get away with 1 Mars Aqua Chinese Black Box for about $110:

 

[abarb]

I keep soft corals on the sides and lps in the middle? What about this light

 

[Jesterrace]

Current is great for programming but weak for coral growth (and to be honest they just look dull and dI'm by comparison). Their IC Pro line isn't bad but it's significantly more expensive.

 

[abarb]

Can I use mars aqua 300w? How high above the tank would it have to be?

 

[Jesterrace]

You could but be aware that is one very intense light and over a 20 Long that would likely be the equivalent of putting plants in the sahara desert in terms of brightness and intensity. I would say 18 inches to 2 feet above a 20 Long. Personally though I would go with the Ocean Revive Arctic T247B for a 20 Long though if you are wanting full spread for softies and LPS without having a light to simulate the effects of being too close to the sun:



It also has a bit more programmability than the Mars Aqua and a Built in Timer.

 

[abarb]

Could I use mars aqua 300w with 2 tanks (20 long and 29 gallon) or is it not enough if I have it around 20 inches above the 20 long? 29 gallon will be fowlr.

 

[Jesterrace]

It's not enough as the 300 watt is only good for about a 38 inch spread in terms of coral growth. I suppose it could light one tank and then do sort of ambient lighting for a FOWLR if they are right next to each other but IMHO the FOWLR won't look the greatest. I would just go with the Ocean Revive light for the 20 Long with corals (will be plenty for that) and then get a cheap LED light bar for the FOWLR. You will be happier with the results.

 

[abarb]

29 gallon is not available for saltwater anymore (36 gallon tank leaked).

On another forum people said 5 dwarf hermits and 5-10 snails was too much. Can I have nassarius snails?

 

[Jesterrace]

For a 20-29 gallon 5 hermits and 5-10 snails is NOT too much. The idea is actually considered 1 snail and hermit per gallon of tank. Obviously few can reach or maintain that level but it gives you an idea of where you should be. You can have nassarius but a Single Conch will do far more work for you. Is Petco still running their dollar per gallon sales?

 

[abarb]

Should I just have trochus and astrea snails or some other ones? I might buy 3 of each and nassarius. My lfs has all for $1.99 each. Is this a reasonable price?
Petco still had the sale last time I went (on Saturday to buy seaweed clips).
Lfs has ro water for 69 cents per gallon but I have to buy a $13 5 gallon jug to buy their water. I’ll make my own water. Lfs has instant ocean and red sea. Red sea is more expensive. Should I use instant ocean reef crystals?

 

[Jesterrace]

People have different opinions, Instant Ocean generally works fine. So does your LFS make you buy the jugs from them in order to buy their water? If so that's pretty shady. I bought my 5 gallon jugs from my local grocery store for just over $6 each. Trochus and Astrea will be fine for a 20 gallon long but you will want a sand sifter if you have a sand bed (ie Nassarius or conch). The conch is much more effective though. A single one could clean your sandbed for you.

 

[abarb]

People have different opinions, Instant Ocean generally works fine. So does your LFS make you buy the jugs from them in order to buy their water? If so that's pretty shady. I bought my 5 gallon jugs from my local grocery store for just over $6 each. Trochus and Astrea will be fine for a 20 gallon long but you will want a sand sifter if you have a sand bed (ie Nassarius or conch). The conch is much more effective though. A single one could clean your sandbed for you.

The lfs does make people buy their jugs. The first fill is free but still cost too much. Some of their fish are kind of expensive though but that is the only store within 40 minutes (there are two of the same store, not a chain). I will have sand (2-3 inches because of goby and pistol shrimp). Could I have nassarius and a tiger conch?

 

[Jesterrace]

You could but the nassarius might starve since the conch will eat everything the nassarius will and they are much faster. I agree that if the LFS makes you buy their jugs then you should definitely make your own as that is just outright robbery for prices. My LFS actually told me which grocery store to go to to get the best prices on the jugs and then gives me RODI for free and does RODI/Saltwater Mix for 75 cents a gallon.