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20gal Nano Reef/Sponge ID 11/21/2008
Good day Scott V/WWM Crew,
<Hello Adriel, Mich here.>
Thanks
for all your help!!!
<On behalf of Bob and the crew, you are
welcome.>
I have a couple more questions. I've enclosed a picture
of a sponge (I don't know what kind it is) just purchased recently.
<Very few sponges can be positively identified without examining the
internal skeletal structures. Sponges like yours are typically quite
challenging to keep alive.>
The sponge is the only livestock
(apart from a purple tang from my 150gal FO).
<Oh, I'm hoping
you don't plan on keeping the Purple Tang in the 20 gallon for
anything other than temporary quarantine.>
I was wondering if the
sponge would be better off in a separate 25 gal that houses only
Tubastrea?
<The problem with sponges is, they can die and take
out the other inhabitants of the tank with them.>
Is any light
required at all?
<Not typically.>
Would placing it in a well
lit sump/refugium (150w MH 5200k) of a FOWLR be a better option?
<Better be placed in the dark in a high nutrient environment, again,
sponges are often very difficult to keep sustained in the home
aquarium.>
Thanks for any help that you can offer,
<Hope this
is helpful.>
Adriel
<Mich> |  
|
New Fish For Larger Nano
One More Fish...But Which One? (Stocking
Decisions) 11/19/08
(Sorry if this is a resend. My
computer didn't have full access last time (I get broadband from an
access point), so I'm not really sure if it was sent or not.)
Hi
again,
<Or again, if it is a re-send. Scott F. in today!>
I'm
looking for a nice fish for my 24g.
This is what I have in here right
now:
1 Green Chromis
1 Saddled Blenny
1 Potter's Angel (I
mentioned this in an earlier e-mail- if the fish store accepts
refunds/exchanges, I will probably be sending this one back. It's
healthy and eating(grazing), but, just to be safe...)
<Yes...needs
more physical space than this aquarium can offer.>
1 Red Prawn
(soon) @ least 1 Peppermint Shrimp (for Aiptasia control)
And also:
Around 29lb of live Tonga rock (thinking of getting a bit more live
rock...
like a few small pieces of high-quality Fiji branch rock to
"top it off", and maybe some turf rock...(hoping to get a little bristle
worm ^_^))
Several dark red mushrooms
A Ricordea
A micro
brittle star
A Banded Brittle Star
A Hair or Spaghetti Worm, and,
1 Horseshoe Feather Duster (came on the rock with the red mushrooms)
Plus red encrusting sponge, and...
Well, you get the picture.
Anyway, I was wondering if you could recommend a good fish for me. Right
now, my choices are:
A pair of Helfrichi Firefish (I love these guys,
though they're a bit on the expensive side... Is it true that they're
the least hardy of the firefish? Or does it not matter as long as
they're eating and have been at the store for at least a week or so?)
<Yikes! Kinda pricey, IMO! I'd stick to the more "common" species,
myself.
And I'd only add one in this sized aquarium.>
OR
A
pair of "regular" (orange) Firefish (There were some at the dealer's
that may still be there. Although I don't know if they're an actual
mated or even a male/female pair, they HAVE been together in the same
tank for quite some time now. So, not only are they likely to get along
with each other, but they're ALSO probably well adapted to life in
captivity.)
<Interesting, but this dynamic can change in a new living
situation. I'd still opt for a single specimen and always quarantine
first!>
OR
A Yashia Goby and Shrimp pair
<Interesting, but the
shrimp could be in peril with your other tankmates.>
OR
A
Rainford's Goby
<Hmm...I'd be inclined to pass on this one because of
its need to forage on a near constant supply of small crustaceans, which
this small aquarium can only support
Which would do best in my tank?
Both with the angelfish and without (in case I can't find another home
for it/the store won't take it back)? Could I keep more than one
(Helfrichi and Yashia, or orange Firefish and Rainford's Goby)?
<Umm,
not in this sized aquarium, IMO. Play it safe and add just one more
fish. I'm leaning towards the Firefish. Hope this helps!>
Thank you!
<My pleasure! Regards, Scott F.> Mystery Wrasse vs.
Longnose Hawkfish for 24g Reef Tank 11/15/08
Hi,
<<Hello>>
Umm... Am I supposed to type the title like that?
<<Perfect>>
You can delete it if you want.
<<Nope will use it
thank you>>
I look on this site all the time for info, but this is
the first time I've sent an e-mail, sooo...
(I'd also like to ask if
you received this e-mail, but that's a bit pointless, isn't it?)
<<Unless you're psychic [grin]…or until this gets back to you>>
Anyways, here's my question: Which is less likely to eat shrimp, a
Mystery Wrasse or a Longnose Hawkfish?
<<If we are talking about the
ornamental shrimp species most often kept by hobbyists would say the
Hawkfish to certainly be the more likely of the two to partake of a
snack re. Although this will have much to do with size differentials
and/or how any new shrimp are introduced to the tank (i.e. � �dropped
in� like food>>
Also, will either of these hawrasse (this is just a
very, very, VERY bad pun to conceal the fact that I can't seem to
spell..."that word" at 10:42 PM) my Red Cave Shrimp (Parhippolyte
uveae)?
<<No more than any other similar sized ornamental shrimp>>
I understand that it may not necessarily be the best idea to even try,
but I love both these fish and don't have any smaller shrimp at the
moment. Besides, who knows? Fish are individuals to-- maybe I'll end up
with one that prefers vegetarian South Beach cuisine! (Ok, maybe not.)
<<Indeed>>
By the way, these are my current "fishie babies":
1
Green Chromis
1 Saddled Blenny
1 SMALL Potter's Angel (Which might
be moving to a larger tank once it gets bigger/once I get a bigger
tank-- probably like a 150g or something, if I can pay for it with my
$10 per week income for doing nothing in particular(read: allowance).)
<<Mmm, yes a bigger tank is definitely in order for this fish and goes
for your two proposed new additions as well, in my opinion>>
Oh, and
after the fish, do you think I could squeeze in a Golden Dwarf Moray
Eel?
<<You're kidding, right?>>
Or is that overpopulation of
enormous-mutant-nuclear-blue-whale-plus-three-giant-squids-going-through-puberty-and-their-subsequent-acne
proportions?
<<Ah! Yes indeed>>
Anyways, thanks for the help.
<<Happy to share>>
Oh yeah, any detailed info on my shrimp? I have a
very helpful LFS dealer that told me it would work well in my tank, and
it did.... But just out of curiosity? Since I can't seem to find
anything online.
Thanks again!
<<This species is fairly widespread
throughout the Indo-Pacific have a look here:
http://www.tamug.edu/cavebiology/fauna/shrimp/P_sterreri.html. Cheers,
EricR>> 37 Gallon Saltwater Community, stkg.
10/22/08
Hello, I have emailed you guys in the past and have
gotten great advice in return.
<Welcome back.>
Mostly about my
cichlid tanks. Right now my issue is the 37 gallon saltwater tank I have
set up. The tank has about an inch of sand in it and is being filtered
by a canister filter that is able to filter a tank up to 55 gallons in
size.
<Do be aware that in saltwater where nitrate is more of an
issue these filters need to be cleaned very often, at least weekly.>
It has only been set up for about 4 days now. One issue I have is live
rock. I was wondering if l could substitute the large portion of rock
for something such as a large ornament, like I sunken ship, castle, etc.
<Could, but is not really a substitute for live rock, does not have the
surface area or low oxygen areas that live rock does.>
I would like
to make this decision ASAP for obvious reasons such as the bacteria
growth of the tank. The second issue I have is my livestock
compatibility. I would like to stock the tank with the following. 1
royal gramma Basslet, 1 ocellaris clownfish, 1 blue or yellowtail
damselfish, 1 Sailfin blenny and 1 six line wrasse. Compatibility charts
say all these fish can be kept peacefully but I wanted you consult an
"expert". Thank you for your previous replies.
<I would probably
choose either the clown or the damsel. Keeping both very well may lead
to quite a bit of aggression between the two. Overall I would not add
more than 4 fish to this sized tank.>
<Chris> Ornate
Goby and Three Firefish... sm. SW stkg. 8/18/08
Hello
Crew!! Thank you for this amazing conglomeration of fantastic
information!!
<Welcome Deanna>
I have an established tank, about 9
months old, 30 Gallons, and I have been having some trouble introducing
new fish. When I first established the tank, I was a little cocky (I
have a degree in Marine Biology, but I am quickly learning that does not
make me a good aquarist).
<Heee! Oh yes>
I let the tank cycle for
two months with some live rock and live sand. Then I got some hermit
crabs, two percula clowns, and five chromis.
<!>
There was a
weekend when I let my Fiancée feed my fish and he overfed and so I was
down to three Chromis, one
clown and I kept all my hermits. Then I
introduced some small snails to clean the brown algae out of the tank
and a small scooter blenny. He did well and is still alive now. I then
tried introducing a pair of canary blennies.
<Mmm, not enough
room...>
They strived for a while and then there was a week where
they started hiding more and eating less. One of them died that week,
the other was in serious decline after that. Its been about four months
since the canaries died. Everything has been fine, water has been
stable, everyone gets along. So I thought I would get some more fish. I
wanted a nice small school and another sifter for my sand. I went to my
LFS and talked to a guy there and I got three Firefish
<What
species? Most microdesmids need about two square feet of bottom per
individual...>
and a pretty big ornate goby, about 3 inches.
I
thought I had finally gotten the tank to calm down enough that I could
finally introduce something gorgeous. I introduced them, after
rearranging the tank (since my clown likes to show everyone who is
boss),
<He is here>
and everything seemed alright. The clown was
leaving the Firefish alone, the Firefish hadn't settled anywhere near
the clown's home and the very large ornate goby didn't swallow my
scooter blenny, who I didn't realize was so small. I watched them all
day and the Firefish even ate right away, which I thought was pretty
strange according to the research I had done. I turned out the light,
went to bed, and when I woke up the next morning, I could only find two
Firefish.
<Mmm, yes>
I checked all day long, and there was no
body, and no Firefish. I counted it as a loss. I went to bed and the
next morning when I turned on the light, same thing, one of the Firefish
was missing. So now I was down to one Firefish and I noticed the top of
his spine was gone and one of his pectoral fins was pretty badly maimed.
I figured the two Firefish didn't get along and so they fought and he
won. But there was still no body, which I just attributed to my crabs.
This morning, I awoke, expecting to find my chromis, my clown, my
Firefish, my goby and blenny. No luck. My Firefish, or
half of him,
was lying on the bottom of the tank. I am perplexed by the serial killer
style in which my fish are dying and who is the culprit. I don't want to
introduce any more fish till I figure out what is going on. Can you
please help me??
<Mmm... likely just mis-stocking for the most part.
Turns out that thirty gallons really isn't much space psychologically,
nor physiologically... in the way of being able to provide optimized,
stable water conditions. I might do a bit of look-seeing with a
flashlight at night to see if indeed you have a hiding predator of some
sort (see WWM re), but really, you need to read re what can fit in such
a small volume, AND get along with each other. Thus far... your choices
have been iffy to poor. Bob Fenner>
Deanna Fairy
wrasse in a nano tank, not 10/4/08
Hello
there!
<Hi!>
Great site, can't repeat myself enough.
<Thanks>
I have a year old 10G nano reef tank, with a medium CPR refugium loaded
with Caulerpa and Chaetomorpha macros. I have 15-17 lbs of live rock,
corals-mostly softies, very few sps. 2-3 hermits. maybe 2 Nassarius
snail and 3 turbo snail. No fish.
Parameters are: Amm 0, nitrate 0,
Ph 8.2-8.3, alkalinity 8-9 DKH, calcium 440 ppm, magnesium 1280-1350
ppm, Temp 77-80 F
I run a Outer Orbit MH 150W 14000 Kelvin light
system. All my corals and inverts seem very healthy and growing fast.
The system free of nuisance algaes of any kind. ( Wasn't an easy
progress though..:-)
Here's my question. I'd love to keep either an
exquisite, Scott's or blue sided fairy wrasse in my system. That would
be my only fish. Please let me know if it's possible in such a small
system? Did you know anyone who had success with them in a nano tank?
<Very rarely... these fishes need much more room to move, feel safe...
am wondering if there isn't "footage" on "YouTube" or such re how
Cirrhilabrus make their lives in the wild... For the most part they live
in shoals that roam around a large territory together, "playing off"
each other... with one alpha male, an assortment of lesser fe/males,
undifferentiated individuals... W/o the social component, the males
alone don't act or stay very spectacular... in such small volumes they
basically go "stir crazy"... Really need a hundred gallons plus...
others of their own kind...>
Your time and hassle truly appreciated,
Sonny
<James Lawrence/Microcosm, told me ayer that they're coming
out with one of their pocket guide books on livestock for nanos... I
believe you're a candidate. Bob Fenner> which shrimp? No
reading... 10/3/08
Which shrimp is best suited for a 10
gallon tank and how many shrimp would be optimum for that size tank?
<...>
I am thinking about the possibility of a Cleaner shrimp, Fire
shrimp and a Sexy shrimp combination for this 10 gallon nano tank.
Would this be too many shrimp and what are the pitfalls of three shrimp
together?
Other pertinent information is the further stocking of the
tank.
Included would be snails (I'm not sure which snails and how
many).
There would also be a pair of /Ocellaris Clownfish.
Wayne
<Too small for all the above... Please, no, no please. Follow directions
before writing us. Answers to this absurd list of questions are posted,
over and over. Bob Fenner> 29 gallon reef and fish
compatibility/choices 10/1/08
I have a 29 gallon tank.
It's dimensions are 30" long x 18.25" high x 12.25" deep. I have 35
pounds of #5 sand (total of 2" depth across entire bottom) and 38 pounds
of live rock. For filtration I have a Millennium 2000 filter (floss and
charcoal) (160 gallons per hour) and an Aqua C Remora skimmer w/ a
Maxijet 1200 powerhead (can't quickly find a spec for the gallons per
hour for this). For water flow/circulation I have a Hydor Koralia 400
powerhead (400 gallons per hour) (front top left corner aimed at front
bottom right corner), a Maxi-jet 900 powerhead with the Sureflow
modification (approximately 1600 gallons per hour) (at bottom left
corner aimed across back of tank behind live rock stack) and a Maxi-jet
600 powerhead (160 gallons per hour) (top left middle aimed up to make
ripples). For lighting I have two (2) Current Satellite 3065 power
compact light fixtures w/ fans. Each fixture has a two (2) sided bulb
with a 10,000K side and a 7100K (blue) side.
<Sounds/reads very nice>
The tank parameters have been fairly stable for about 2 weeks now. The
measurements are as follows: water temp - 80° F ±, specific gravity
(using a refractometer) - 1.024, pH - 8.1-8.2, ammonia - 0, nitrite - 0,
nitrate - less than ten (10) (lowest scale on my tester), alkalinity -
3.0-3.5 mEq/l, calcium - 375-450 ppm (It's hard to know with my current
test kit. I am looking for a better test kit.)
Since the parameters
stabilized I have had a diatom bloom and now a hair algae bloom. I have
done two (2) weekly 4 gallon water changes, and I have added a clean up
crew consisting of the following. Five (5) Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
(Clibanarius tricolor), four (4) Red Tip Hermit Crabs (Clibanarius sp.),
two (2) Turbo Snails (Turbo flucuosa), two (2) Cerith Snails (Cerithium
sp.), and two (2) Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp.). I also have two (2)
Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) because I think they
are interesting.
<Me too>
I am currently getting information
together to buy some fish. My local fish store will hold my fish in
quarantine to make sure they are healthy before coming into my tank.
<Mmm, my usual cautionary remark here re doing this yourself>
This
quarantine will give my tank additional time to age as well. I'm
thinking 4 to 6 weeks for quarantine. My first additions will be an
Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) (My wife says we have no
choice, we have to have this fish.) and either a Citrinis Clown Goby
(Gobidon citrinus) or a Fridmani Pseudochromis (Pseudochromis fridmani).
I've read the goby eats Acroporas in the wild, but can be fed mysis
shrimp and other meaty foods.
<Usually yes>
Four (4) to six (6)
weeks later I would then add which ever fish wasn't added above and one
of the following; a Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosus), a
Dwarf Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loriculus), or a Banggai Cardinalfish
(Pterapogan kauderni). My wife would really like to get the Coral Beauty
and I really like the Dwarf Flame, but I'm afraid they are too big for
our tank.
<They are>
I've also thought about adding a Lawnmower
Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
<Mmm, this also... see WWM re Salarias,
systems...>
and a couple of peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni).
<The other Lysmata may consume them. I would not attempt>
How much
bioload do the blenny and the goby count for? Do they count the same as
a normal fish, or do they count less due to their size and inactivity?
<A bit more for the Blenny (is a VERY active species)>
Will the
peppermint shrimp and the cleaner shrimp get along?
<No, not likely>
I've also thought about adding an Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp.) or a
Red and Black Sea Star (Fromia milleporella).
<I would not try these
either... this small volume... is too unstable>
Now on to the corals.
I'd like to add some of the following Dwarf Feather Dusters (Bispira
sp.), Christmas Tree Worms (Spirobranchus Porites), Evergreen Starburst
Polyps (Briareum sp.), different colors of Chalices (Echinophyllia
aspera), different colors of Zoas (Zoanthus sp.), different colors of
Ricordeas (Ricordea yuma and Ricordea florida), Glove Polyp (Clavularia
sp.), Lavender Mushroom (Rhodactis sp.), Orange Tree Gorgonian (Swiftia
exserta), Rusty Gorgonian (Gorgonia sp.), Pipe Organ Coral (Tubipora
musica), or Pom Pom Xenia (Xenia sp.).
<Quite a mix... need to take
care here in order of introduction, start with small "pieces", mix water
twixt quarantine... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/cnidcompppt.htm
and the linked files above>
My wife also wants an Anemone for the Clownfish.
<Mmm, not
compatible... Please do read re on WWM... IF you try the anemone, skip
other Cnidarians here>
We were looking at the Bulb Anemone (Entacmaea
quadricolor), but I don't think I have room for it in this small tank.
<Really... this is the case>
Please help me narrow down my list by
what is appropriate for this tank size and what will get along with
what.
<I have done my preliminary best here... your turn. Bob
Fenner> Re: 29 gallon reef and fish compatibility/choices
10/1/08
Bob,
<Mmm, yes>
Thanks for the quick reply and
for confirming my suspensions re the fish. I will remove from the list
both Dwarf Angelfish, all starfish, the Peppermint Shrimp, and the
Lawnmower Blenny. I think I read on your site that Pseudochromis in
general can be aggressive.
<Yes... some species much more so than
others... and... Oh I see we'll address this below>
So a follow up
question if I may. Will the Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris),
the Citrinis Clown Goby (Gobidon citrinus), the Fridmani Pseudochromis
(Pseudochromis fridmani)
<I'd look for, secure a tank-bred
specimen... place it ahead of the clowns... should they go in first (or
not) they will/may demand all of this small volume as their fish
territory>
and the Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogan kauderni) be okay
together?
<The Cardinal is a, forgive the expression, "wild card"...
may go here or not... IS a social species, but only really does well as
such in large-enough volumes...>
If not or if I need to narrow my
choices down to 3 fish, would the Pseudochromis or the Cardinalfish be
better with the other two tank mates?
<Mmm, if I may skip ahead, I
suspect they will prove "too boring" to you, your spouse>
Or perhaps
might you recommend a colorful and interesting reef safe small fish that
will get along with the Ocellaris and the Clown Goby?
<... I'd really
just stick with the two (tank bred) clowns here... perhaps look into
another goby, blenny or such of small size as time goes by... as it is
wont to do>
Thanks for the link to more information about the corals.
I do plan to do more research before adding any corals and will be
adding the ones I choose slowly over the course of a year or two or
more.
<Good>
I don't really plan to include all that are on the
list. I just wanted to give a large representation of what I might add
to ensure the fish would work with those choices.
<Understood>
This is very addictive and I can already see that when my wife and I buy
our own home (hopefully in 3-4 years), I will certainly make sure there
is room for a 75-150 gallon tank, and my current 29 gallon tank will
probably become the refugium/frag or quarantine/hospital tank.
<Ahh!>
Thanks again for the feed back and the wonderful site full of
information.
<We share! BobF> Flame Hawk vs. False
Perc, mis-over stocked, Sm. 9/25/08
Hi Guys,
<Hello>
I have a 24 gallon reef tank stocked with 2 clowns (false
Percs, in the tank approx 9 months) and a Coral Beauty (added 5 months
ago).
<The Centropyge will need a tank at least twice as large.>
I
added a small 2 inch flame hawk 5 days ago and the larger clown has been
acting very aggressive toward him, chasing him all around the tank and
nipping at him constantly.
<That tank is all claimed by the clowns
most likely.>
The hawk either swims away or nips back and seems to be
holding his own, but I was wondering if eventually the clown will stop
being so aggressive.
<Perhaps, but in this sized tank I'm not sure.>
Does it think the flame hawk is another clown trying to take over as top
female?
<It thinks it is invading it's territory most likely, which
it is.>
I should mention that the hawk still has a healthy appetite
and shows no signs of physical injury but is very, very annoyed by the
clown bully.
<Watch that this aggression does not escalate.>
This
new tank aura seems to have spilled over to the coral beauty who is now
acting a little stressed even though he is not involved at all in the
drama.
<Too much activity in a tank that is too small for it is
probably causing stress.>
Please help! Did I make a mistake in adding
the flame hawk? Nothing I read said he wouldn't be compatible with false
Percs!
<It is a small tank, and the clowns are pretty aggressive,
most likely they view the entire tank as theirs.>
Any insight you can
add would be a great help!
Thanks,
Todd Wisniewski
<The Coral
Beauty will definitely need a larger tank sooner rather than later. As
far as the clowns and hawk are concerned only time will tell if they
will be able to coexist.>
<Chris> BioCube stocking
9/25/08
Hello Crew,
<Michele>
Thanks as always for the
advice and the great website! I have a stocking question regarding a
nano tank and apologies ahead of time if this is well covered in the
archives and I missed it. We have a 14 gallon BioCube with upgrades
(auto top off, Maxijet powerhead, 10 gallon fuge, bioballs removed, mesh
to prevent "jumping" to the back compartments) with about 1 1/2 inch
slightly coarse sand (one size up from fine) and about 10 pounds live
rock in the display. The tank was used as a QT and has since sat fallow
for about 8 months. It's amazing to watch the growth in the tank without
fish predation!
<Ah yes>
We harvest macroalgae from the nano for
our tangs in our larger tanks. A small green clown goby (Gobiodon
atrangulatus) was added about a month ago because a fight broke out in
our 90G. We mistakenly thought we had lost our goby and ordered another
one. The first one appeared and WWIII broke out!
<Oh yes>
Question 1: Is this a sufficient home for a clown goby?
<Mmm, can
be... in the wild, on an Acropora patch, this can be about all the space
one is "allotted">
There is a large Zoanthid colony and a few
mushrooms, but obviously no SPS for this fish.
<Have seen Gobiodon
kept w/o>
We have other tank options for the fish, but leaving him
would certainly be the easiest. Question 2: The original plan for this
tank was to add a shrimp goby pair. Assuming weekly water changes and
basic husbandry, is this tank large enough to support a pair of
Stonogobiops nematodes with their shrimp?
<Mmm, could>
Would a
pair of Stonogobiops yashia be a better choice?
<About the same...
in terms of hardiness, space requirements. IME S. nematodes settles in
easier>
Question 3: If you give approval for the goby pair, would you
move the clown goby or am I still ok bioload/psychologically?
<Could,
would see if they learned to live with each other here. Likely the
Gobiodon stays, will stay "higher up" in the system than the
Stonogobiops>
Question 4 (last one I swear!): I have a massive
population of some pretty big bristleworms in the tank now....is this a
concern with any of these tiny fish?
<A possible one, yes... I would
trap out, remove large species, specimens>
Thanks again!
Michele
<Thank you for sharing, writing so well. Bob Fenner>
Saltwater tank, small, "enemies", mis-stocking 9/13/08
HI
I'm Shannon Karabaic
I'm 10 years old and I have started a
salt water tank
I am getting a clown fish soon. I have a bio cube 8
tank. I have a bubble enemy it keeps going in the back behind the rock
what should I do?
<Mmm, this system is too small for this animal (an
Entacmaea quadricolor)... it should be returned to the store, or moved
to adequate quarters. Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/bubbletipanemones.htm
and the linked files above>
I also have one more question i have a
shrimp enemy and i feed it with a turkey baster like the guy told me to
do and the shrimp backs a way but he go's for it and the food pops to
the top to quick for it. What should I do?
<It should be returned as
well>
please respond ASAP
thank you
from,
Shannon
<These
animals won't live long or well in this set-up... it's too small,
unstable. Bob Fenner> Pom Poms and Croceas 9/9/08
Hi there guys,
I have a nano 10 gallon with a 175W Metal Halide on
it.
<"Giant steps are what you take, walking on the moon/sun">
It
has a 2.5 gallon sump/fuge with mangroves growing in it.
14.5 pounds
live Rock, 10 Pounds Live sand, assorted sps and LPSs plus Zoos and
Palys, Established tank, 9 months old.
Ok, so my question is this.
Stinging corals, especially LPSs, can harm clams very easily if they get
too close. But can
anemones do the same?
<Yes>
More
specifically, I want to get a pom pom crab because I think they are very
interesting, and
well, just plain cool, but would this Crab hurt my
clam. My porcelain crab and my emerald crab both love to climb over
everything and make a mess. Could this be problematic with a pom pom and
a clam?
Thanks,
Andrew
<Some chance, but most Lybia avoid the
mantles of clams... The real issue here is going to be "just
size/volume"... When, not if, "something" goes awry here, there is going
to be very little "wiggle room" or reaction time to prevent a complete
melt-down. Bob Fenner> Crab compatibility, reef life period,
Sm. sys. 8/31/08
My reef tank has been running 3 yrs. 32
gallons w/15 gal. sump. Lighting is 150 watt halide, I think it is a 20k
but it might be a 14k (I can't remember for sure) with 2 65 watt pc with
actinic bulbs. E.T.S. skimmer and I run a magnum 350 with sea gel in it.
All water parameters are good, with the possible exception of a little
lower ph than I would like, it stays around 8.1.
<This is fine>
I
have lots of mushrooms, a leather, feather dusters, purple corky finger.
My question is. I want a Bubble coral
<A Plerogyra may "fight" with
the established Cnidarians... could be disastrous>
and have a good
spot for it. I would like to get an anemone crab and/or an anemone
shrimp as I have read that they will live in the bubble.
<Some
species>
Is this true and will it hurt the bubble?
<Mmm, not much
likely>
My second question is. I have 2 clowns and one cleaner goby,
2 cleaner shrimp, a few scarlet hermits and snails. Will the clowns eat
the small shrimp and/or crab?
<They will try to eat the shrimp, the
crab may eat them>
Will the crab hurt my cleaner shrimp or feather
dusters?
<Possibly, yes>
Will the cleaners hurt the small shrimp
and/or crab?
<If hungry, yes>
Since I'm writing I would also like
your opinion on bulbs. I've read that a lot of people think Ushio
halides are the best, is there really a difference?
<Ushio and
Buschkes are my faves>
Thanks for your help. I looked around your
site a lot and could not find the answer to this question.
Debra
<I would NOT place this Euphylliid and its symbionts here myself... too
likely to be too much negative interaction. This small volume is topped
off stock-wise. Bob Fenner>
Re: Crab compatibility 9/1/08
Thanks I guess I will skip the
crab and small shrimp.
<I do think this is best. Very interesting
animals/association, but tenuous in small, already established settings
as yours. Cheers, BobF>
Fish stocking and coral feeding for 30G cube 8/22/08
Hi:
<Hello>
Thank you for your site. It stands out as much different
than a lot of the advice I see on other sites;
<Really?>
but
your advice seems well grounded.
I read through all the stocking
FAQ pages for small system setups but didn't seem to find an answer
that made me feel confident, so I'm sending you my question.
<Ok>
I have a 30 G cube (20"x20"x20"). I only run a skimmer part time (at
night) so that I don't have to look at an ugly hang-on skimmer. I am
very conscientious about 20% water changes / week.
<Love that
adverb>
My current fish list (in the order of my love for them in
case you tell me some of them have to move out) is:
Pygmy Angel
(centropyge argi)
Firefish
<Mmmm, really need more room...>
Percula Clown
Rainfordi Goby
<And a Microdesmid is not likely
to get along with an Amblygobius sp. in such a small volume>
Neon
Goby
Bi-color Blenny
<Nor possibly either with an Ecsenius
sp.>
Clown Goby
Other:
2 emerald crabs
<Mmm, I'd skip>
15+ blue legged hermits
5 tiger hermits
<Ditto on most all
hermits... see WWM re>
I never see any squabbles between these
fish, but it seems like more than I see recommended in the FAQs
section of your site. Is this too much fish for this aquarium?
<Yes... too much disparate, likely troublesome interactions to suit
me>
My nitrates are consistently low, but I do have some red hair
algae. But I noticed that the algae started once I started daily
feeding of the corals
<Oh!>
(phytoplankton and Cyclopeeze).
My corals include about 50 Ricordea florida,
<! A treasure... I'd
be selling some>
one maxima clam, one crocea clam,
<... too
much for here>
about 100 polyps of various Zoas,
<Yikes... and
selling>
1 chalice coral. My LFS recommended twice a week coral
feeding.
<This is right about right>
Can you please suggest a
good coral feeding routine for these corals?
<Mmm...
actually...>
I typically feed the fish mysis, Spirulina or
formula one (vary for variety).
Thanks!
Matt
<You're a
prime candidate for "moving on up" to a much larger system... If I
could "do the Vulcan mind-meld" with you here, I'd be looking at how
much space you have period, a good location... and getting as large
a tank as possible... converting the present one either to a
"holding" system for acclimation/quarantine, possibly treatment...
or it or other container to a living sump, aka refugium... for
"feeding your corals" and so much more... I would not add any more
life to the present system... It would be very easy to have a fatal
cascade incident here... losing most all quickly. Do consider my
words, idea... and keep reading. Bob Fenner>
Re: Fish stocking and coral feeding for 30G cube 8/23/08
Hi Bob:
<Matt>
Thank you so much for the answers!! I really
wish I could get a bigger aquarium, but our condo is not big enough
(and I'll be out on the street if I street if I tell my significant
other I want a bigger tank, not everyone shares the reef love).
<Mmm, perhaps that significant others couch, other living space
could be better utilized... Heeeee!>
I took four of the fish back
to my LFS today, as well as the emerald crabs and most of the hermit
crabs.
<Ah, good>
I still have the Pygmy Angel, the Clown, and
the Firefish.
<Which species is this last?>
I've also decided
to make this all Ricordea with a clam (or two) and the chalice coral
for variety. The Zoas are going back to the LFS.
<Ahh, very good>
I'm sorry to be a pest, but I have two more questions. I'm not sure
I understand about the clams: is a crocea + a maxima too much clam
for a 30G?
<Yes... read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/HighInvertInd.htm
scroll down to Bivalves:
Tridacnid articles, FAQs files... Too much metabolism here for too
little volume to stay sufficiently stable...>
Also, can I really
not keep my Firefish (I think you said it needs bigger space). I've
read so many times that they are OK in smaller aquariums.
<...
Matt, please... read what is posted before writing... This is
covered as well: http://wetwebmedia.com/dartfish.htm
and the
linked files above...>
I'll take him back if I have to, but I
want to be sure before I do it. I LOVE this fish -- he eats
regularly, is out all the time, and is so colorful. The clown and
pygmy completely ignore him.
Thanks for your help!
Matt
<The more popular Microdesmid species are social... all require
about two square feet of bottom... BobF>
Re: Fish stocking and coral feeding for 30G cube – 8/25/08
Thank again for your help. I guess the maxima clam goes back to the
LFS....
Thanks,
Matt
<This is best. BobF> |
Re: Small tank lighting follow-up... actually stkg. 08/15/2008
Hi Andrew
<<Ranjith>>
Regarding the pods and mandarin
There
will be 50 kg.s of rock taken from and existing tank with a good pod
culture. The display would be bare but will have a 12inch deep sand bed
refugium of 24L by 20W by 18H.
Will this not be enough for one
mandarin?
<<After seeing a lot of these die in captivity, I'll stick
with my previous statement...Leave the mandarin alone. Please do read
more here and the linked articles and FAQ's
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm >>
If not the chromis, the
would one of these work?
1. Two perculas, one orchid Dottyback and
one yellow tang and a mandarin.
<<Too small for the yellow tang>>
2. One royal gamma (light shy?) One watchman goby, two percula clown and
one mandarin.
<<Taking the above into account, no mandarin, rest are
fine>>
3. Two dwarf lionfish. No shrimps then.
<<Would only put
one dwarf lion in a tank this size>>
4. Two perculas, one orchid
Dottyback and one mandarin and one watchman goby.
<<Minus mandarin,
yes fine>>
5. Two perculas one mandarin and 2 orchid Dottybacks
6.
Two perculas and 2 firefish and one mandarin.
<<5 and 6 fine, minus
mandarin>>
Sorry for this long list.
Cheers
Ranjith
<<Please
do spend some more time looking at other species of fish to keep,
including here, fishbase.org, LiveAquaria.com ...Thanks for the
follow-up. A Nixon>>
Candy Canes/Caulastrea... Allelopathy In A Nano Tank 8/13/08
Thanks Mich.
<Welcome! I'm very sorry for the long delay. I'm
away from home.>
I got rid of the star polyps a while ago because
of what I read here.
<Smart.>
Also started using carbon a
couple months ago.
<Even smarter!>
I do change 1 gallon a
week.
<Good, you could do 2 gallons if you wanted.>
As far as
feeding the sick Caulastrea I am not sure if I can. So far I have
not seen it send out any tentacles.
<You don't need tentacles,
just the mouth. You should temporarily shut off your circulation, It
may take an hour or so.) and gently place very finely chopped food
(I would try mysis shrimp soaked in Selcon.)
on the mouth and
hopefully the mouth will expand and accept the food.>
I have not
fed them in the past but am reconsidering.
<They would benefit.>
One of the Caulastrea that I bought recently from a fellow hobbyist
had over 50 heads and they were really
big. Most were two and
some with three mouths with many heads bigger that a quarter.
<Sweet!>
He said he did feed them once a week. That colony was
way to large for me so I broke it up and kept just 8 heads. It was a
shame to break it up but no one else wanted to buy the colony from
him.
<Well hopefully all will thrive!
Cheers,
Mich>
Re: Candy Canes/Caulastrea... Allelopathy In A Nano Tank,
Cyclop-Eeze fdg. to corals 8/13/08
One more
question, please.
<Of course!>
I use freeze dried mysis and
Cyclop-eeze for my fish. Can these be fed to corals or does it have
to be fresh or frozen.
<These can be used, if it were me, I would
soak the mysis in Selcon.>
Thanks
<Welcome! Mich> |
Mini Mini Micro Reef, stkg.
Hey guys, still doing a great job on
the site, and I am still learning a lot from it. ;)
<Thanks! I'm glad
to hear you gain from the work here, and apologise up front for my tardy
reply to your inquiry!>
I have a 2.5gal (yes that small) mini reef on
my work desk that has supported some button polyps and a very very small
coral banded shrimp for over a year now. It also houses 4 hermits and 2
bumblebee snails.
<WOW...that is a very, very tiny tank!>
I run a
rather large protein skimmer off the back of it, adding another 1/2 gal
to the water volume and doing a great job keeping the water in good
shape. I have an 18w actinic light above it also and one small power
head for more water circulation.
I am able to do tank maintenance
during work hours (I have a kind of flexible job) and so it gets about
two 10% water changes weekly with R.O. water. I also clean the stones
and skimmer and what not on a regular basis.
<Sounds good...where can
I fill out an application for your job, and would the desks hold a 75?>
With all this being said, are there any small fish I can put in this
tank that will not jump out (open top)? Most of the gobies and others I
have read about that are small enough to be happy are jumpers.
<I
really don't know of any, Gary. Some could be 'squeezed' in, but
ultimately they and the ecosystem would suffer for it.>
It would be
really nice to see some more movement in the tank besides the shrimp.
<Perhaps trying to intentionally collect small macrofauna? Micro serpent
stars, mysis shrimps, etc could add interest to the tank.>
Thank you,
Gary
<Benjamin>
Sudden death...Please help
Sudden death/Reading 8/7/08
I
have been through several forums trying to figure out what just
happened without any answers. I have a 20 gallon saltwater setup
that has been running for about 3 months. Last week we had 2 live
rocks, 3 feather dusters, a pink tip anemone, a turbo snail, a coral
banded shrimp, a scooter dragonet, a three striped damsel, a yellow
tailed blue damsel, a domino damsel, some button coral polyps, and
two bladed plants that have been living in the tank for the past
month.
<Way too much and inappropriate livestock for a 20
gallon.>
On the Friday of that week, I added a flame angel, an
orange fan sponge, a lettuce Nudibranch, and a sally lightfoot crab.
<...>
Two days later, the tank was doing well and I added a 160
gph power head into the tank to add water current for the sponge (I
already had a 100 gph bio-wheel filter that hung off the back of the
tank). I added the powerhead at 1PM on Sunday. At 5PM, the tank was
still doing well so I left for 3 hours. Upon my arrival, the angel
and three damsels were not doing well. The angel was upright and
stuck to the filter, and the 3 damsels were sitting on the floor on
their sides. Within minutes, after turning off the powerhead, they
were all dead.
<Too much for a 20, too fast for a tank five times
that size.>
Could the excess current have killed the fish?
<Not even close.>
The powerhead did not stir up the sand, it only
bothered the feather dusters which I fixed by directing the current
into the wall of the aquarium. What happened?
<Stated above.>
I checked my water immediately after finding the sick fish. The
dragonet was acting weird for a while but today (Wednesday) is
looking normal again.
<He WILL perish in this system in time.>
Everything survived that was on the bottom of the tank, but none of
the swimming livestock.
Attached is a picture of the tank.
Water temp - 81 degrees
Ph - 8.2
Nitrite - 0
Salinity - 30
ppm
Specific Gravity - 1.023
Alkalinity - 2.2
Thank you for
your help!
<Some reading required re stocking and water quality:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/small.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/watrqualmar.htm
Welcome, Scott
V.> | 
|
What to do with 6 gallon nano?, Marine Stocking 8/6/08
I got my
first saltwater tank a few months back, a 12 gallon nano cube. I had a
rough start but things are going great now (I'm an expert! Yeah,
right!).
<HeeHee>
So great, that I want more (bad me, bad! I have
no room or time for another tank.). In that time, I've pulled an emerald
mithrax crab and a tiny unknown crab out of the 12 gallon and kept them
in a 3 gallon Eclipse tank. I really can't stand the 3 gallon tank since
I can't maneuver to do anything, and all that grows are diatoms since
the lighting is weak.
<Such small tanks are very difficult to
maintain.>
The 6 gallon nano cube was on sale so I ordered one. The
tank will have the two crabs, live rock, and live sand for sure.
<Will probably have the same problems.>
What else can I put in there?
<Nothing in my opinion.>
I will try a few snails but no hermit crabs
(since there are already two crabs of potentially grabby disposition).
<A few snails will overload it, I would not add more than 1, although at
some point it may very well end up crab food anyway.>
I would love to
have a fish.
<Too small.>
What fish will do okay in that small a
tank?
<None>
I want an active fish.
<Definitely too small for
any active fish.>
Since they're cheap and small, what about a single
damsel?
<Gets too big, too active.>
I know people recommend a
clown goby but they're small and probably hide.
<Or end up starving,
or crab food.>
I also don't want the crab to pester the fish.
<Crabs love small fish that have no where to run.>
I'd also love a
shrimp. I can't have one in my 12 gallon for fear he'd eat my feather
dusters (all hitchhiked worms). Is there any shrimp that would get along
with the crabs, or are they just likely to attack each other as I'd
guess?
<If the crab can catch it it will eat it.>
Finally, with
the new light, I thought I'd try a few mushroom or polyp corals knowing
that the crabs may one day eat some. This tank is for the crabs first
unlike the 12 gallon so I will forgive them if they eat everything else.
<Stick with the mushrooms, most other corals are too sensitive for such
a small, dynamic environment.>
Grabby (mithrax) is about an inch
across while Scary (unknown hitchhiked crab) is
less than half a
inch.
Thanks.
<Scary may end up in Grabby's stomach if given the
chance.>
<Chris>
Nano tank questions, stkg, inherent limitations 7/12/08
Greetings WWM crew
<Hello Sean! Benjamin here!>
I have a question
about chemistry, and also lighting for a Crocea clam.
But first some
background: I am a bit of a crazy jerk, with what I think is a WAY
overstocked 20gal long nano: 2 ocellaris, 1 bicolor Dottyback, 2
peppermint shrimp, large brittle star, sand sifting star, 2 Tonga
fighting and one queen conch, about 10 Ceriths,. 5 Astreas, about 5 or
so blue leg hermits, about 1.5sq foot surface area of my live rock is
covered in Zoanthids, 2 small finger leathers, one 9 inch deresa (got
him when he was only 3 inches - he may soon go back to LFS store for
trade/credit - TOO BIG now - if he slams his shell, it ejects water from
the tank and sometimes hits the lighting) and one 3 inch crocea. Various
sponges (blue and white encrusting types mostly)
The above is not TOO
badly overstocking (except the deresa), But...
Get this: a *yellow
tang*.
<Another victim of yellow tang mania...poor fish>
Yep, in a
20 long. For two years now. Believe it or not, he's fine and happy (he's
small, though) Eating well, good color. He acts more like a puffer
(personality wise) than a tang - he actually greets me when I come to
the tank, will eat Nori right out of my hand... I got him when he was
only 1.5 inches long. LFS tells me he was collected off of Christmas
island. Now he's about 4 inches. Eventually (soon!) he WILL need a
bigger tank, of course. Which will likely mean I trade him back to LFS
for a new baby 1.5 inch tang.
<Trade back for something else...health
wise, a 1.5" tang should really have just as much space to live as a
full-grown one>
Or I may just bite the bullet and get a "real" tank.
<Now you're speaking my language...>
Things are lit with a single 150
watt AquaLine AB HQI 20000K bulb (yes, I know, 10000K or better yet a
6500K would give better PAR, but I like blue!)
Aqua C nano remora
skimmer with the stock MaxiJet 900 replaced with a 1200.
JBJ nano
chiller. 2 MaxiJet 1200's for circulation, alternating between the two
on a 15 minute timer. (which means I have a total of 4 MaxiJet 1200's in
that little tank - 1 for chiller, one for skimmer, 2 for circulation) I
have a 4.5 inch sandbed, and about 10lbs live rock
Water parameters:
Specific gravity 1.025
Temp is kept around 77F.
8.1-8.4PH (and its
LOWER in evening!?! I'll explain my theory of the swing presently)
8-10dKH,
calcium 380-400.
All nitrogen waste stuff is 0 or close
enough that my SeaTest kit can't see any (including nitrates) Phosphates
don't register on my SeaTest kit either.
I lose about .25 to .33 gal
a day to evaporation. I top off twice daily with RO.
<Buffered, I
hope?>
About the swing... those parameter swings are DAILY! What bugs
me is the reverse of normal for the PH swing: Lower after the lights are
on all day?
My theory is: the swing seems to be due to a combo of
factors: the big Deresa in a tank with so little water volume? (figure
maybe 12 gals total actual water in there) -- Calcium and carbonates
seem to get sucked out fast -. Although there may be some anoxic
chemistry in the sand bed driving down the PH as well -- denizens are
awake and making more nitrogenous waste during the day, drive the
anaerobic bacteria more... also the evaporation can't be helping. Things
drop, and I add 2 part (b ionic) and bring it back up each day. I have
to take a bit of water out and replace it with RO to compensate so the
salinity stays stable. (or more correctly, the specific gravity, since I
use a hydrometer for testing) I noticed I can get a bit less swing if I
dose a little magnesium and try to keep dKH more close to 12 and the
calcium nearer 400.
Don't want to move to a calcium reactor because I
have PH drops enough as is. Tried Kalkwasser for a while, (manual drip)
but 2 part seems easier.
Short of getting more water volume (which is
the correct answer of course) do you have any suggestions? most 20 long
tanks seem to be all tempered, so drilling so that I can add a sump is
no good. And of course hang on overflow boxes can lose their siphon, jam
up, and my landlord would NOT appreciate the contents of even a small
sump being on my floor.
<Do make sure your RO contains appropriate
buffer to pH adjust, and to match the alkalinity your tank loses through
the day. A small tank will tend to have larger alkalinity loss- and very
rapid, to boot>
On to the lighting question:
I used to have a
CoraLife 14000K HQI over the tank. Before that I had one 10000K 65w PC
and one actinic 65w PC (CoraLife) With the PC's I had good coralline
growth. When I switched to the HQI, all the coralline that was in direct
light turned white on me within 3-4 days. (stuff in more shaded areas
was OK) I switched to the bluer bulb, and it came back. I had gotten the
HQI so that I could keep a nice little blue crocea in there. He liked
the 14000K. He does NOT seem to like the 20000K as much. He has less
color now.
<Yes....20K bulb is about 1/2 or less the light (lumens
AND PAR) of a 10K>
Question: since the tank is only 12 inches high
anyway, and the bottom 4.5 inches is sand, he is only in 7.5 inches
depth when I have him on the substrate. Would moving him up another 4-5
inches make much difference?
<Not much...with this spectrum>
I
could do this, but then he'll attach to the rock, and then it's a pain
if I have to move him. He's so small the standard "put him an empty
shell and let him attach to that" is not practical IMO - he and the
shell will likely get knocked off the rocks. Substrate is the preferable
location if he can get enough light there, IMO.
-Sean
<Benjamin>
Tuxedo Urchin for 29 gallon tank
7-11-08
Hello all,
<How goes it? Mike here this afternoon>
I recently purchased a tuxedo urchin to help combat my growing hair
algae before it became a problem. I understand that keeping my water
conditions under control is the best way to combat this problem but I
seem to be loosing ground and the algae is still spreading. I'm also
having difficulty eliminating Cyanobacteria but the problem seems to be
better under control than before.
<As always, excess nutrients are
the main factor here, and too little water flow with regards to the
Cyanobacteria>
I refuse to put any strange chemicals in my tank and
I'm unsure where to draw the line with things like activated carbon.
<Chemicals are not the answer; though chemical absorbents (activated
carbon, and synthetics like Purigen, Poly Filter, and various phosphate
'sponges' are very helpful, and should be used. I hope you're also using
a protein skimmer!>
Here is some history on my tank.
Up and
running since end of February
29 gallon BioCube w/ stock pump,
Stock lights (35 watt PC day light, 35 PC actinic, LED moonlights)
Hydor Koralia #3 power head
Hydor Koralia #1 power head (got this to
help eliminate the Cyano)
<Just make sure the flow is as random and
turbulent as you can make it - laminar streams are always a bad idea>
37 lbs LR in tank
6 lbs of LR in filter (bioballs removed)
20 lbs
LS
Livestock
2 true percula clowns
1 orange spotted
watchman goby
1 six line wrasse
1 emerald crab
1 cleaner shrimp
1 anemone crab
2 medium size brittle stars (one came as a surprise
with a coral)
mixed CUC of red and blue leg hermits, margarita
snails, and Nassarius snails.
Corals
Mixed Zoas
Mixed
mushrooms
Wellsophyllia Brain coral
Frogspawn
Candy Cane
Bubble Coral
<I like LPS too>
SG 1.025
pH 8.4
amm 0
trite
0
trate 5ppm
phos 0
cal 450
KH 161 ppm
<All good>
7
gallon RO (maybe DI... I get the water from my LFS) water change
weekly...never go longer than 7 days.
<Excellent>
A few months
back my nitrates got up to 20ppm because I was taking water from my QT,
which had high amm, trite, and trate (I made a poor assumption that the
water levels were good...never assume, I know), and putting it in my
display tank. I suspect this might have been the start of my hair algae
issue.
<Most likely>
Needless to say that I immediately stopped as
soon as I determined the problem. I finally got my nitrates down to 5ppm
when I changed my tank over (My BioCube sprung a leak, oceanic
graciously sent me a brand new tank).
<They have been good to me, as
well>
The tank change over brought my nitrates back up to 20 ppm but
other levels remain good.
I did water changes every 2-3 days for a
little over a week and levels finally dropped to 5ppm.
<Good - keep
on top of those water changes with nitrate free replacement water, and
the nuisance algae should slowly recede>
Unfortunately I have little
money and don't have a skimmer (I know oceanic makes one for my tank but
I have yet to hear if it is any good or not).
<Any skimmer is better
than no skimmer, and you need a skimmer>
Ok I think that is more than
enough background. Sorry for being long winded but all these factors I
believe contributed to my hair algae.
So this leads me to the tuxedo
urchin. I have always liked the way they looked and when I heard they
ate hair algae I thought great. When I bought him I knew he would eat
coralline algae, I figured this was acceptable to a certain degree. Also
most of my corals are fairly well glued/wedged in place so I thought I
would take the risk on the bulldozer affect.
I regularly post on a
website forum and when I mentioned I had a tuxedo urchin a few people
started warning me about how these guys can be an issue... got me
nervous. Did I totally under estimate how much of a pain in the butt
this guy is going to be?
<A ~3" tuxedo urchin will slowly starve in
an aquarium that size...I've seen them slowly starve in well maintained
aquariums twice as big as yours due to lack of algae to eat.
Miraculously, you actually received somewhat good advice from a forum.
Who would have though? Reefcentral and the like are a plague to this
hobby, IMO>
Ultimately here is my question. Is the urchin doomed to
die in my tank?
I know the size is smaller than most reef owners
would recommend but I couldn't find any information on what a minimum
tank size for a tuxedo urchin is. Also is this cool looking guy going to
just start reeking havoc on my tank? I'm wondering if I should bring him
back to the LFS and just deal with the hair algae the old fashioned way
(what ever that is exactly).
<Avoid the urchin, for the sake of the
animal's long term health>
Anyway thanks for any help you can give!
<Anytime. I was patient and answered all of your questions here, but
realize that all of the answers to these simple questions could be found
via a 10 minute perusal of our archives. Please take advantage of our
search function in the future>
Best regards,
Sean
<Anytime -
M. Maddox>
What do you think about my tank, Marine Setup 5/2/08
Hello my
name is Sony Onatte and I am a newbie in terms of saltwater tanks,
although I have had a freshwater tank for about 2 years.
<Hello>
I
started my saltwater tank around mid January 2008. I have a 30 gal long
Aqueon (all glass) tank, 20lbs of live sand, at least 40lbs of live rock
and an extra 4 lbs of live rock rubble in an AquaClear 110 that only has
the rubble and ceramic holes in it. Although they said it couldn’t be
done; my filtration system is made up of (2) AquaClear 110’s (500gph)one
with just rubble and ceramic and the other with one foam pad ceramic
hole and a Chemi pure pad with a prefilter pad on the entrance to both
intakes. I have an AquaC remora with a MaxiJet pump 1200 (295gph) with
prefilter box, and have modified it by connecting a tube to the cup and
draining it so the skim never falls back into the tank due to overflow.
1 AquaClear 70 (400gph) and a Hydor Koralia 2 (600gph) power heads. My
lighting system is a Current USA power compact with Dual Daylight Lamp
(6700K & 10,000K), 1 Dual Actinic Lamp (420nm/460nm) and 3 Lunar Lights.
Which the actinic turn on at 8am – 10pm and the daylight 12pm – 8pm then
the lunar’s turn on.
<Ok>
I have 2 small black Amphiprion
ocellaris and 2 small orange Amphiprion ocellaris,
<Chances are one
pair will kill off the other in this sized tank.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnfishart2.htm >
1 small flame angel,
<Needs a larger tank
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/angels/Centropyge/loricula.htm
>
2 small engineer goby’s,
< Pholidichthys leucotaenia? They get
huge. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pholodichthyidae.htm >
and 1 green
spotted dragonet.
<Also needs a much larger and mature tank,
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mandarins.htm .>
20 – 25 scarlet crabs and
zebra’s. 15 snails, 1 lettuce slug, 2 scarlet shrimp, 1 camel and 1
peppermint shrimp,
<the camel has been known to get aggressive.>
1
two in maxima clam and a 3 in crocea clam, 1 sand sifting starfish
<the star needs a larger tank and will clean out your live sand bed,
making it not so live.>
and at least 2500 cope and other pods. As for
corals I have a 3in Mycedium sp, 3 in encrusting purple Montipora
nodosa, 4in Trachyphyllia radiate, 3in Turbinaria peltata, 4 stalks of
pulsating xenia, 3in hammer coral pink, 3in green frogspawn, 3 stalk
grey frogspawn, orange and pink Zoo’s and green Zoo’s, 2 different
species of trumpet corals and tiny Actinodiscus sp.
<You have a lot
of life in a new tank, need to slow down here.>
I supplement the tank
with Kent marine: ZooPlex, iodine, Xtreme garlic, and marine C.
Brightwell aquatics: zooplanktos S, zooplanktos m, zooplanktos L,
alkaline 8.3m and liquid reef. I also feed marine S and new life
spectrum, brine shrimp, mysis, and squid. My nitrate, nitrite, ammonia
are all at 0. My ph is at 8.2, DKH 11, and calcium 470. I started to add
fish in Feb because my tank cycled fast since I used live water, live
sand and live rocks.
<Cycling is not all that happens, new tanks are
prone to rapid shift is water parameters, not all of which are
measure/tested.>
Everything was at zero and ph was stable before I
added fish though. All my corals are doing fine and have been for a
while and some have actually grown in these few months. Now that this is
all been said I just wanted to know if my lighting is insufficient for
my inhabitants and what you thought of my set up. I know this might be a
little crowded even though everything is very small now. I’m planning to
upgrade to a bigger tank in a year or so. Also if you had any tips or
recommendations for a beginner like me let me know.
Sony M. Onatte
<I would think about removing all the fish except 1 pair of clowns, the
others are not appropriate for this sized tank. Also, while you have
chosen generally hardy corals you will most likely run into problems
with allelopathy with so many corals in such a small tank. Frequent
water changes will be necessary to keep these chemicals in check.>
<Chris>
Nano Tank Fish Stocking Options 4-19-08
Hi crew,
<Yunachin
here.>
I would really like some ideas for a fish that would get along
with a purple firefish [slightly aggressive] and it would be in a 12g
nano tank. I've tried a bi-colored blenny and a neon goby and both ended
up dying. I was considering a clown goby or a green damsel, but there
seems to be conflicting ideas about these fish as far as ease of keeping
them happy and healthy in my set up. I'm quite confused and any good
ideas would be appreciated. Thanks so much!
<I would try a Percula
clownfish as they can tolerate the small space and can hold their own
when it comes to a more aggressive tank mate. Also 6 Line Wrasse are
another good option, just make sure you have a secure top as they have
been known to be jumpers. --Yunachin>
Re: Nano Tank Stocking Options 4-22-08
I love the six line
wrasse but was told that it would be to aggressive with the other fish
and would attack my cleaner shrimp and snails.
<None that I have had
were aggressive but you are correct about the shrimp.>
Also , most
sites recommend 20 to 30 g tanks to house them in. The clownfish are
cute, but I've had them for years and wanted something new for my reef
tank. Any other ideas or do you still think the six line would work?
<You can try the 6 line but he could "taste" your shrimp. You can also
try Banggai Cardinals, they are peaceful and have great coloration for a
small nano reef. They also like to be out in the open so you can enjoy
looking at them. --Yunachin>
Pregnant Pom Pom Crab? Stocking errors in small SW volume 4/13/08
Hello,
You guys (and girls) rock! I just bought a Pom Pom Crab. I
have done a lot of research about them on the web and they looked like a
great addition to my nano ten gallon tank, which is currently holding my
fire/dart fish, a black brittlestar, and a sexy anemone shrimp, with a
few coral frags. He (or she?) is acclimating right now as I type. When I
placed the bag into the tank I could see the little guy a lot better and
I noticed a mass of red eggs on the stomach. They look just like the
eggs of a glass shrimp, but they are red and a little smaller. I was
wondering if indeed they are eggs and if so is there any possibility of
me being able to hatch and raise these awesome little guys?
<Mmm,
yes>
I know a lot of crabs go through a free floating
"zooplankton"-like phase.
<A few actually>
Is it the same with the
Pom Pom Crab?
<A variation on the theme, yes>
Also I was
wondering about my fire dart fish.
<Microdesmids need more room than
this... Nemateleotris is a social species...>
He used to be in my
larger tank with a yellow tang, an ocellaris clown, and a starry
dragonet. The ocellaris clown fish picked on him mercilessly over the
past week to the point that I pulled him out into my nano tank. It was
my belief that the ocellaris clown fish was more peaceful then others in
the clown fish family. Is this not true?
<Are territorial...>
Im
I not feeding enough or maybe not the right food (Formula 1 from ocean
nutrition)? Thank you for all your help!
Sincerely,
Michael J.
<Mmm, please see WWM re the care of the species you list... you've got
some errors to correct. Bob Fenner>
Attacking peppermints?
Aggression, a symptom of overcrowding (marine nano) 3-24-08 & to Sm.
SW stkg...
Hello all!
<<Hello.>>
I've had my 20 gallon
nano for about 3 years.
<<Not a bad run for a nano.>>
All
running great till now.
<Uh-oh.>>
1.025, 4.5 Alk mEq,
undetectable ammonia, nitrite, 5ppm nitrate.
<<Acceptable.>>
Inhabitants are 3 peppermint shrimp, 4 hermits, and an emerald crab
(picked up as a hitch hiker a year ago),
<<Just keep a close eye
on the latter.>>
tomato clown, blue damsel, and scooter goby (I
know small tank, but for some reason I have a lot of tiny inverts
growing the scooter eats...I see them on the glass and sand. My tank
never seems to run out.
<<Yes but how long have you had the
dragonet? This is still not an ideal environment for him, especially
with the two other tankmates which will compete for said
microcrustaceans as well.>>
Which is another reason I'm scared to
move him into the 150gallon.
<<Depending on the specifications of
the 150 gallon, it certainly sounds like a more desirable niche for
him based on size alone.>>
Anyhow I've had him for 2 years and he
gets bigger and bigger...I'm sure he'll be moved at some point).
<<I just hope you realize that you are an exception to the rule and
that others SHOULD NOT follow suit.>>
Okay onto my point. Being a
nano the tomato and damsel are now in the 150gallon as they are too
big for the little cube.
<<Agreed good move.>>
I bought 2
ocellaris and one fire fish, about 2 inches or less each for the
nano.
<<Too many fish.>>
The new fish were great in
quarantine. When I moved them into the nano all appeared easy
breezy. 2 hours later one of the ocellaris fin was ragged. So I'm
thinking the 3 new comers are no longer friends. Next morning the
clown is dead and being devoured by all, hermits, peppermints, green
emerald.
<<Normal behavior for said detritivores.>>
I've since
replaced the clown but now the fire fish looks stressed. So, Here's
the deal. At night, with lunar lights on, the fire fish wants to lay
in its hole or on the sand but the peppermints chase it. The
emerald, with claws up is trying to catch him as well. So I remove
the emerald (his old mates were too big to touch but it seems the
new guys aren't).
<<Now you know what the phrase opportunistic
omnivore means.>>
I'm thinking Friday night fights are done...not
soooo! All the peppermints are actively chasing this poor fire fish!
What's the deal?
<<Shrimp can be territorial as well, you have
too many denizens vying for space in this small tank.>>
They are
going at him like wolves, following him and jumping on him. Fire
fish has been moved back to quarantine to recover. Have you seen or
heard of such behavior?
<<Yes, though it is amplified in small
closed systems.>>
Do you think the peppermint know if a fish is
stressed and go after it or they just really like him a lot and want
to give him a good cleaning?
<<They don’t want him in their cave
(space).>>
oh yeah peppermints have been in the nano for 2 years.
<<They are in effect “rejecting” the newcomers. Time to evict some
tank mates my friend.>>
Thanks a bunch!
<<Anytime, - Adam
J.>>
Re: attacking peppermints? 3-24-08
Definitely agreed about
being an exception to the rule.
<<Hey at least you know...all to
often people encourage their bad habits to be copied.>>
I'm
wondering if the buried oyster shells is the source of the tiny
delicious dragonet buffet.
<<That and porous live rock.....I'm
only assuming.>>
He will be moved once the 150 matures a bit
more.
<<Good to hear it.>>
Anyone have an Aiptasia
problem...lol my guys devour'em!
<<Yes unfortunately, they also
pick on other cnidaria life as well. You may want to consider this
before moving them to the 150...that is if you plan to.>>
Now the
hard part...catching them.
<<Shouldn't be to hard in a nano,
drain half of the water...remove some of the rock.>>
I will try
the all mentioned avenues, first attempt...bottle and food (for me
and the shrimp...;>). I figured my problem was aggression due to
overcrowding...just needed to hear from the guys and gals of a very
trusted site!!!
<<Good luck, - AdamJ.>>
Re: question, Shrimp / goby / Fireworm 03/25/2008
Thank you
for the advice. Sadly, the non-eater has died. I found him yesterday
morning. The other one seems OK for now, but that's what the QT is
for, isn't it?
<<Sorry to hear this...Yes, for sure, that's what
its there for...Good luck with the other>>
Thanks again, Mandy
<<A Nixon>> |
Stocking/Compatibility Questions, sm. reef 3/20/08
Hi guys
<Hi Ben>
Ben here from Sydney Australia.
<And James from Michigan,
USA.>
I own a 35 gal reef tank. Consisting of a home made sump with
wet\dry filter (sump 20 gal}. And am also running a protein skimmer, and
a canister filter, and carbon in my overflow box.
Live stock consists
of 2 small hammer corals, 2 small cataphyllias, 1 Fungia (plate), 1
toadstool (leather), 1 purple xenia 1 pulsing white xenia. 3 small
Trachyphyllia, And some daisy polyps. Also have one sand anemone and 5
very small native waratah anemones. The little waratahs hang out in the
cover of darkness under my rocks just like they do here in the wild in
oz. And have so far posed zero threat to anything at all. I don't
believe they need any real lighting also.
<I believe you are
incorrect here. Read here. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/coldanemfaqs.htm>
Also got 6 black Nerite snails and 6 zebra trochid snails. And a
considerable number of little brown starfish which came on the live rock
I bought. Also the starfish are multiplying!! Much to my happiness
<Good!>
I have one fish so far as well which is a teardrop sleeper
goby (Valenciennea strigata). He's great, goes around sifting and doing
a brilliant job. Had him for just over 2 months now.
Ok so down to my
questions. So far my tank has been running for 5 months. Now recently
I've had a tiny outbreak of green algae on some of my rocks. Are turbo
snails any good?
<Yes, most all snails available in the trade will
consume algae, diatoms, excess food, etc.>
Should I purchase some?
<I would, two or three should be enough.>
And are there any good
clean up crews that wont harm my star fish or eat my xenia?
<Blue
legged hermits are my favorite and no threat to others. Do read here and
linked articles/FAQ's above. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marscavart.htm>
Also I wish to add maybe a few more fish in given time (no rush though).
Any thoughts on how many fish or what kinds for my set up?
<All
depends on size. Again, do read here and related articles/FAQ's.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/reeflvst.htm>
Also I was thinking of maybe
one lone lion fish. What do you think? But I would be more then happy to
have a few other fish if no to the lion.
<A good waste producer and
tank is too small.>
Would a blue tang be ok as well with my goby all
is my tank to small for a tang?
<Too small, need much more swimming
room than a 35 can provide.>
I'm very sorry to ask so many questions
but I love learning more and think you guys have the best info site
around.
<Best way to learn is by reading. Do search our site, tons of
info is available therein.>
Hope you can shed some light on my
questions. Thanks in advance. Hope to hear from you soon.
<You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Will this setup work... SW... bonsai city! -03/18/08
I have
recently purchased a small 4 inch snowflake moray. I have been keeping
it in a small separator in my 33 gallon tank which houses a 2 inch
frogfish and a 3 inch Picasso trigger. I am planning change the tank to
a 75 gallon tank when the eel grows bigger. Will this work?
<Hmm,
probably not... and you will need a MUCH bigger tank for the trigger in
any case. Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/triggers/index.htm>
Because
I have read many articles that eels can and can't be kept with frogfish.
<Perhaps, but not so much in a 75g tank. Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/snowflakemoray.htm
Best,
Sara M.>
Nano SW stkg. 3/12/08
Thanks for all the help and the
great website. I am planning a nano tank and wondered if you could give
me your opinion before I make any mistakes! The tank is a 14 gallon
BioCube with an eight gallon fuge/sump. Upgrades over the stock tank
include a Maxijet 900 and an auto top off. The tank has been set up for
three months as a QT tank for one of our other tanks. The water
parameters have remained quite stable (Ammonia, nitrIte: 0, nitrAte:
less than 10, SG: 1.025, Temp. 78, pH: 8.1) despite QTing a rather large
fish for two months. The tank has been running bare bottom with about 5
pounds of liverock. Clean up crew is assorted snails/crabs that
hitchhiked on the liverock which came from our established reef. I plan
to add liverock for a total of 15 pounds, about 2 inches of aragonite
sand with a handful of crushed coral thrown in, a DSB in the fuge, and
Gracilaria and live rock in the fuge. I have not been able to find much
on Gracilaria on WetWeb.... is it an acceptable macroalgae for a small
fuge?
<Oh yes>
The tank will have eight gallons of water AFTER the
addition of the DSB. I thought Gracilaria would provide a treat for our
tangs in our other tank. For livestock, I would like a pair of high fin
gobies (Stonogobiops nematodes) with their pistol shrimp. The liverock
will be stacked on the glass to allow as large an open sandbed as
possible. The plan with corals would be a few (3 to 4) colonies of
mushrooms. Does this sound ok assuming diligent water changes?
<Should work>
So...am I pushing it if I added a small frogspawn with
the mushrooms (too much allelopathy)?
<Too likely so, yes>
Also, I
have a four inch rock covered in Palythoas in the tank b/c it was an
extra from our reef. Should this be moved back to the other tank to
avoid allelopathy or am I ok here?
<I would at minimum carefully
acclimate (by cross-mixing waters twixt systems over months) these two
groups>
So, basically, is the tank big enough for the pair of gobies
and the shrimp and am I ok with mushrooms plus either a small frogspawn
or large rock of Palythoas? Thank you!
Michele
<Welcome. Bob
Fenner>
1 gal mini reef... stkg. 03/12/2008
Dear Sirs,
<<Not
Sir, just Andrew>>
Again I will praise and thank you for all the
past, present and future help you have given me via this site!
<<Thank you for the kind comments>>
I have a 2 (yes TWO) gallon
mini reef at my office on my desk that has been established for over
a year now. It has a few pounds of L.R. and Live sand, a very
efficient functioning external protein skimmer, automatic heater,
18w Power compact light and small pump for water flow. The
parameters of the tank fluctuate a bit because of the high
evaporation over the weekends, but the nitrates/ammonia/nitrites/etc
are all well within reef acceptable parameters. Until now I have had
only small coral polyps, some bumble bee snails and 5 hermits. I add
food for the coral every week or so and it seems fine. And I know
your wondering, but I keep this tank going by doing 2-24oz water
changes a week. (I am lucky my office has a Reverse osmosis filter
for our drinking water)
I would really like to put something in
the tank with some movement, and wanted to know if there were any
fish that you could recommend? I was hoping for a Pistol shrimp/
goby combo, but worried that the goby would outgrow the tank or jump
out the top. I just thought it would be fun to watch their
relationship all day at work (eh, instead of working) Any advice or
other suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you for the help
and keep the great site going, Gary
<<Unfortunately, i would not
recommend putting any fish in a tank this size. Your best off
sticking to small coral and inverts>>
<<thanks for the questions.
A Nixon>> |
|
Firefish addition & ... stkg. small SW
Hi, I have been pouring
over your site for a couple of months and it was invaluable in helping
me set up my tank, thanks very much to your wonderful crew!
<Welcome>
Background on my tank: it is a BioCube 29; still using the bio balls and
stock filtration, but with a skimmer on the way; 34 pounds of live rock
and 20 pounds of live sand. Inhabitants are: 1 Coral Beauty,
<Needs
more room than this... by far>
1 Gold Head Sleeper Goby, 1 Red
Spotted Scooter Blenny, 2 True Percula Clownfish (tank bred), 1 bubble
tip anemone,
<Dangerous here...>
1 Firefish Goby, 1 Scarlet Skunk
Cleaner Shrimp, and various hermits and snails.
I set up my tank and
allowed it to cycle for two weeks, then began adding the cleanup crew of
hermit crabs and snails. Noted large numbers of copepods and feather
dusters coming out of the rock. After 3 weeks I began adding the current
inhabitants.
My question involves my Firefish. Since he has been
added, he has been hiding in the back of the tank behind the live rock,
<... this species needs a minimum (of the stated on WWM...) two square
feet of bottom... to itself... and is not a solitary...>
only
venturing out rarely (only seen him come out into the front of the tank
once in 3 weeks) or slightly more frequently hovering over the rock. I
would like to introduce another Firefish in order to maybe coax it to
come out more often. Now I have read you should only keep 1 male per
tank. I am not sure whether I have a male or female, how can I tell?
<Mmm, not easy w/o the animals being "side by side"... best to have a
group, let them sort themselves out... or buy as "pairs">
I tried
searching WetWebMedia and the Internet and all I have found is this, "It
is hard to tell the difference between male and female but the length of
their dorsal fin may be different.". Also, if I can determine if I have
a male or female, as they were not introduced at the same time, will
introduction of another Firefish at this time be hazardous?
<... this
system is too small for Nemateleotris, or Centropyge... had you read...>
Oh and in case you are wondering, the scooter is doing fine, grazing all
the time, and although I no longer see copepods running all over the
tank, they are still present when I closely inspect my rock, and he has
been taking some prepared foods. I have some Cyclop-eeze on order that I
have seen others have had success in target feeding scooter blennies,
just hope I can wean the scooter onto it, it will make me feel better. I
was not aware when I got him how slow, methodical, and finicky eaters
they are.
Thanks much,
Karl
<Save up for a larger system;
return the two fish... Bob Fenner>
Mixing Fish, sm. SW, Pomacentrids... 03/04/2008
Dear
Crew,
<<Hello, Andrew today>>
I have a 20 gallon marine
aquarium with one blue devil damsel. The water parameter is 0 for
ammonia and nitrite. Also, the pH is 8.1. There is
a canister
filter on the back set up to polish the water. There is also several
pieces of 3-6" wide live rock in the bottom middle portion of the
tank. What I want to know is, is it possible to add a clownfish to
my setup?
<<As clownfish and the damsel are part of the same
family, in such small confines, i would be tempted to not add these
two together. The damsel will of taken the tank as its territory and
will not be best pleased with the addition of the clown>>
I have
a hunch that adding anymore fish with a blue devil is a bad idea
(esp. in a 20 gallon),<<I agree>> but some people say I can.
Thanks You.
<<Thanks for the questions, A Nixon>>
Re: Mixing Fish 03/04/2008
EDIT: Forget clownfish. I read
several previous emails describing how the two won't mix well.
However I would like to add another fish if at all
possible and
will a bi-color Pseudochromis live peacefully. If no, will a male
blue devil damsel work?
<<I would be tempted to add another
damsel to keep a little harmony there..>>
Thank You.
<<Regards, A Nixon>> |
39 reef bow tank, Stocking
and Nitrate 3/2/08
Hi, my name is Chris, I want to thank you in
advance for any help you may give me on this issue I am having with my
reef tank .
<Hello Chris, glad to help.>
I’ve had this tank set
up for about 6 months now and am experiencing some problems, not major
problems but I want to control what I can before it becomes a major one
.
<OK>
Parameters are as follows: Alk 9.8, ph 8.2, amm 0, nitrate
is between 10-20 ppm, and is controlled with water changes weekly but a
day or two after the change it creeps back up .
<A sign of something
amiss.>
I am running a 10 gallon sump with about a gallon of bio
balls in it, a Prizm skimmer and two power heads in the tank; and I am
down to feeding only once a day if that. I only feed what is consumed in
two to three minutes and if the nitrates go up I may skip a day.
<Be
sure the food is consumed as it is added. You can easily add too much
food that appears to be consumed in three minutes, with much going
elsewhere.>
The feeding varies from frozen to pellets daily and the
live stock is as follows: mostly soft corals , polyps and mushrooms and
a leather coral and one open brain , fish are a tomato clown , six bar
goby , basset , small yellow tang .
<Your tank is too small for this
livestock.>
Should I remove the bio balls .
<If you have enough
live rock (25-30 lbs. In this system) I would.>
Thanks for the help.
<A few links for further reading are included below for you. Welcome,
Scott V.>
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zebrasom.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm
|
|
