Planning a Dottyback setup   3/28/06  
Dear WWM crew,
   I miss not having my reef tank! When I moved from Rhode Island to the SF bay area I switched to a FW planted tank since I've never done one and FW seemed less risky than SW in an earthquake prone area. Having lived here for almost a year now, I do not think such paranoid thoughts on a daily basis any more!
<Ahh! Human nature as the label goes>
So I'm in the process of slowly (over 4-6 months) planning a setup that will house...
1. A tank bred mated pair of Orchid Dottybacks,
2. Frogspawn and Hammer corals,
3. Feather Duster worms,
4. A Lysmata debelius
5. A smallish brittle star and
6. Misc snails
...in that order of must-have-it-in-the-tank...
   I'm currently researching aquarium sizes. Due to space considerations, I'd like to stick with a 36" tank, and due to weight considerations I'd like a 50 gallon tank, size 36L x 15W x 20H with about 45#s of Tonga branched live rock and a 4" DSB. I don't know if I will have a sump or be sumpless -sumpless, I calculate about 35 gallons of water.
I know this would be plenty for a single Dottyback, but is it adequate for a pair?
<Yes>
If yes, just marginally so or...? Sorry for asking such a vague question...
Thank you,
Narayan
<Sounds like a very nice set-up thus far. Bob Fenner>