Reef idea

[WannaBeReef]

Some things have changes in my plan after researching more Just want a runby from you pros
25lb Fiji Live Rock
20lbs of Live Sand
15lbs of Crushed Coral Sand
AquaClear 300 powerfilter
2*55watt CP lighting
1*150GPH powerhead

*CORALS
1 Bubble Coral, 1 Open Brain Coral, 1 Button Polyp, 1 Star Polyp, 1 Bullseye/Trumpet, 1 Yellow Polyp.

*Inverts
3 Feather dusters, 1 Red Tree Sponge, 2 Spiny Urchins, 1 Britle Green Starfish, 5 Mexican Turbo Snails, 2 Coral banded Shrimps

*Plants
5 Shaving Brush

*Fish
1 Coral Beauty Angel, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Blue Yellow Tailed Damselfish. I will add the Damsel first(kind of as the pioneer) then the Gramma and later on when the tank is much more established the Angel.

This tank is kind of my experiment with limited space, pecos and time of a college student, and my dorm really needs some color.LOL! I plan to fertilize with Micro Vert, use Reef Crystals Salt, and add the occasional Iron Supplement, and some Calcium. Do a 10-15% weekly waterchange and only run floss in my filter since I think my bioneeds will be met with the sand and rock. Is this oK :?:

 

[wombat1]

Just my thoughts: Don't use the crushed coral or the filter floss. I run all my tanks with no mechanical filtration except for the LR and filter feeders. You want a very fine sand like sugar for your sandbed so all your critters can crawl through it and turn over the sediments. Also, you probably will need more than 5 snails, green brittle stars can be predatory on fish, and coral bandeds will fight to the death if not a mated pair. How big is your tank? Your lights might need to be brighter for your hard corals... Do a search on this site of Berlin, DSBs, lighting, and the corals you plan on keeping. Did you mention a skimmer? Essential piece of equipment.

 

[WannaBeReef]

Its a 20G Long(30"*12"*12"). Ok...I was planning on aragonite(sugar sized) before the live and it seems like it may be the best. Is there a good starfish that wont predate on my fish? Thanks for the tip on the shrimp. I will get some pepermint shrimp instead How many turbos are recommended? No I was told that a skimmer wasnt necessary in such a small tank. I can get a skilter filter if a skimmer is needed.

 

[Anonymous]

you may also want to add the damsel last :wink:

 

[danmhippo]

and skip on the sponge. They seldom lasts in captivity.

 

[tanzy]

I'll skip the Skilter and get a CPR Bak Pak or an Aqua C Remora.
A Blue Linkia is a nice starfish to get.
An aquarium can make a fair bit of noise, especially with a skimmer. Are you sure you will be able to sleep with that thing?

 

[WannaBeReef]

Thanks Are damsels really as nippy as they say, I wanted the blue yellow tail because I heard they were milder manored(and a nice color contrast to the other fish). Thanks for the tip on sponges If skimmers are that noisy could I do without one? How vital is it? I have heard that they arnt needed, they do a little, and that they are a must. Seems like everybody has a diffrent opinion on the skimmer matter. Also for diet on the fish, would frozen mysis shrimp, marine pellets(nutrafin), tetra nature delicia, and frozen bloodworms do? With the addition of sea veggies and lettuce. When algae isnt available for the shrimps, snails and so on what do they eat? Thanks, and sorry for all the questions. Just dont want to throw 5or600 bucks into a tank for it to fail I assume that 2*50/50 55watt tubes is enough for it then? Or could I get away with 4*20watt fixtures, 1 daylight, 2*50/50, 1 actinic(420nm). Since the tank is only 12" and the corals wont be more than 8or9" under them.

 

[Anonymous]

My opinion: use Instant Ocean salt, and not Reef Crystals.
5 turbos in a 20 gallon should be fine. Don't get Astrea snails. Trochus, and Cerith are good.
Add the gramma, the coral beauty, then the yellow tail damsel. Should be fine.
The dwarf angel just might pick at corals, so be careful. Probably will eat fan worms like featherdusters.

 

[hossfly]

I had a "skilter" one time for about an hour. noise will drive you crazy real quick. I'd only use the filter floss while cleaning the algea off the glass and then remove it next day. use the virgin poly found in the fabric dept of walmart or anyother type store. lots cheaper.. same stuff.

 

[WannaBeReef]

Thanks Ok....what could I use as filter material for the tank then?

 

[Anonymous]

Why would you need filter material?

You have live sand and live rock to handle the biological filtering.
Maybe you'll want to run some carbon at some point. I advise you to just run the carbon, no floss.

 

[aquarist=broke]

the yellow-tail damsel that I had was added first. All that I got out of that was one fish that bullied anybody that was put into the tank after him. I will also note that the other fish I added were smaller. I had to give him away to a friend. He was added last to that tank and bullies nobody.

 

[WannaBeReef]

Strong believer in the more filtration the better I suppose :lol: Ok, I will just run carbon and maybe a sponge thats what comes with an aquaclear anyway. Thanks all!

 

[Anonymous]

A sponge in the Aquaclear? Unless you clean it all the time, it will just spew nitrates into your tank. The waste will get trapped there and various micro-organisms (m/os) will go to work on it. All except the m/os that make the final step in our nitrogen cycle.
Biological filtration will work. Don't just trust me, do some research.

 

[clwnphish]

Do some research on supplements, there are lots of ways to maintain you calcium/alk. It wont be as important since most will be softies, but if you want lots of coraline and to keep and stonies you should. Also I have used micro vert and didnt like it, and it can pollute the tank easy if you use too much. I would use Dt's or other another phyto supplements instead. Also your tank may be too small for an angel, especialy a coral beauty since they do get fairly large. If anything I would get a pygmy angel because of there size. Instead of the any angel I would get a small clown or some type of goby instead. Just a fish that would bei nteresting to watch. Iam not sre if you mean longspine urchins but I wouldnt suggest one becase they can get very large, two of them could take up half your tank if they get big enough.

Sorry if I rambled on there but hope it helps
Clwn

 

[Anonymous]

A sponge in the Aquaclear? Unless you clean it all the time, it will just spew nitrates into your tank. The waste will get trapped there and various micro-organisms (m/os) will go to work on it. All except the m/os that make the final step in our nitrogen cycle.
Biological filtration will work. Don't just trust me, do some research.

I understand how a sponge filter might not work as well as a floss type, but my floss type cartidges in my Penguin are very clean. They are home to a large number of shrimps and pods. I do pull them from time to time and look at them, very clean, the only restriction is from the number of lifeforms in the filter cartidges. So if they are home to many critters, the same as any sandbed or substrate, how are they considered nitrate factories? Can they not compliment a tank using multiple methods of filtration?

 

[Anonymous]

A sponge in the Aquaclear? Unless you clean it all the time, it will just spew nitrates into your tank. The waste will get trapped there and various micro-organisms (m/os) will go to work on it. All except the m/os that make the final step in our nitrogen cycle.
Biological filtration will work. Don't just trust me, do some research.

I understand how a sponge filter might not work as well as a floss type, but my floss type cartidges in my Penguin are very clean. They are home to a large number of shrimps and pods. I do pull them from time to time and look at them, very clean, the only restriction is from the number of lifeforms in the filter cartidges. So if they are home to many critters, the same as any sandbed or substrate, how are they considered nitrate factories? Can they not compliment a tank using multiple methods of filtration?

they are nitrate factories because they harbor a far larger proportion of nitrifying bacteria, than DEnitrifying bacteria-your sand bed also produces nitrates, but then breaks them down, in the deeper layers(the 'critters' do other things) the water flow and relative thinness of the filter media are not conducive to the environment needed to support the denitrifying bacteria(too much O2),so it only produces nitrates, and a good amount of phosphates, as well.

the idea is to have the right proportion of different types of bacteria present-the filter will tip the balance over further to only one side.

hth

 

[Anonymous]

OK, now I think I am begining to understand. It is the proportion of the different types of bacteria that are in a type of filter that makes the difference. My power filter and ungravel filter are not completely bad or wrong, they do work, but since I have so much water movement, water changes become more important and that is also why I see the slightest Nitrate amounts when I test. Because I simply do not have a place for the numbers of denitrifying bacteria that I need.

This may have gotten away from the original posters question, so I will ask some more questions in another post.

How is it I see quotes in a box, when people reply, but when I copied and pasted in my last post it looked as though it was all my writing. How do I get that quote box.

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

use the 'quote' button you see at the top of the post you wish to quote.

fwiw- your undergravel, because of the huge amounts of nitrate it produces, and its relatively high inneficiency in the other areas, can be considered to be 'bad', or 'wrong', -given the other, far better options :wink: