1st SW tank- build/feedback thread

crobo

crobo

New Member
So i recently move and long story short i was sitting here with an empty 36g bow front( recently vacated by my African chics who moved to my 55g). I noticed a coworker with a 6g nano on her desk d we got to talking. The LFS I frequent did the whole setup for her and she hand had to touch it since, 3 months later.
So I went down to the shop and got to talking, and after a few days of reading up, I now have this in my room:

36 bow
2x powerheads
HOB filter( from FW)
200w heater( from FW)
hydor nano ( the bigger one rated to like 65g i think)
40lb live sand
10lb aragonite(already in there)
I have all of the FW transfer stuff soaking in a white vinegar and water bath to get the FW salt and calcium off of them. I sprayed out the tank pretty well and wiped that down with white vinegar as well.
Getting ~20lb of liverock and 50g of RODI from the LFS and they are going to come by and assist with the setup this weekend. The liverock is cured( they grow it in the display reef tanks and sell it straight from there) so im hoping the cycle will be a bit quicker especially with the addition of the live sand. They seem to think that once the tank comes up to temp I should be good to add live stock. I'm inclined to believe them because of the success with the nano at work, but I'm probably going to wait a week, check ammonia and go from there.
Once the tank is well and cycled I'm going to pick up a pair of false perc clowns and let them settle for a while ( maybe a feather duster too depending on what get on the liverock). The eventual goal being the 2 clowns a jawfish, CUC, and anemone or two. Once I see what load that has on the tank I may add a Royal Gramma and possible a few wrasses. Well down the road a mandarin dragonet would be great but I don't know if will be able to keep enough pods in the tank without a sump.
The lighting is looking like a challenge right now, I'm working with this:

I'm hoping I can find a HO bulb that will be enough for the anemone.
That's about where I stand right now. I've been lurking around and the community here seems great and helpful. I'm posting here so I can keep track of the build, and to hear feedback from those who know much more than I about this stuff.
Am I headed down the right track? And gross oversights on my part, any common mistakes I can avoid before I get too far in? Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Greg
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Hi Greg and welcome to the site...
No way will those lights be enough for an anemone....LEDs or Metal Halides
I'm glad you are not falling for the add a fish the same day thing. Cycle your tank with either pure ammonia or a piece of raw shrimp. Considering the amount of money spent, it is worth it to not take the shortcut. If the tank is all that ready, the raw shrimp won't cause a spike in ammonia....and you know it will.
Take your time, you will be very glad you did. Other than the lights you seem to have what you need...I see the test kit in the picture....Good.
Figure out that one fish you want and build your stock around it...don't just settle for one that looks pretty for the moment. Stay away from damsels, they are so aggressive that they kill all more timid fish than themselves. They will also bite you drawing blood when you put your hand in the tank, as they mature.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
looking at what you want to stock - way tooo much for suc a small tank.
Jaw fish require a little deeper sand bed and some small rubble to make a den.
Even one anemone may over power the tank.
Mandrin require a steady supply of pods to survive. With no sump you would have to replenish them at least once a week.
In that tank I would do
a pair of clowns
royal gramma
bi-color or other blenny
and maybe a small fairy wrasse - this may be pushing it
clowns dont need anemones - things like mushrooms, leathers and xenia would work, heck, mine sleep in the crook of a fuzzy rock.
T
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Mandrin require a steady supply of pods to survive. With no sump you would have to replenish them at least once a week.
If you are really set on a mandarin I would recommend one of the ORA captive bred that are sold on this site. You may need pods for a while, but my experience with them is that after a few weeks they will begin to take prawn roe and you won't have to worry about maintaining a copepod population. I expect that eventually my current mandarin will graduate to other, larger, foods but it is still a small juvenile.
 
crobo

crobo

New Member
Noted on the anemone, I guess I can get a few soft corals once I get the tank going and settled down.
As far as the mandarin goes, those are things I knew, which is what prevented me from getting one right off the bat. It certainly seems like I will need to be a bit more experienced before I even think about crazy fish like that.
Can anyone recommend a CUC for this tank?
I see people saying "no hermit crabs" everywhere but I don't know why. Most of the sites selling CUC packages include 5-10 hermits in the package, so I'm really uncertain what to do there. I do know I don't want a CB shrimp as I've read horror stories about them munching fish after fish.I do want a bristle star, preferably a colorful/interesting one.
Right now I'm thinking
1x bristle star
5x turbo snails
2x peppermint shrimp
5x nassarius snails
2x cleaner clams
(hermit crabs?)
Does this sound about right? Most packages include 20-40 hermit crabs along with all of this, that just seems like ALOT of animals in such a small tank.
Cheers,
Greg
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Cleaner clams typically die within 6 months. Bristle star?? I am going to assume that you mean brittle. These guys get big and I would not recommend them for a smaller tank.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I am not a fan of hermit crabs. They like to kill snails for sport and IMO don't add that much of a benefit to a CUC.
 
crobo

crobo

New Member
tank is filled and live rock is in. found a few hitchhikers, only one of which is concerning from researching
Looks like aiptasia :( Looks like some type of polyp coral next to it?

another aiptasia i think :'(

looks like a coraline hermit

and this white fuzzy stuff, not sure what it is but it doesn't looks to harmful.
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Welcome to the Aptasia wars! That's what you have. While they are small you could probably control the problem with a peppermint shrimp or two. Try to stay ahead of them - they have a way of sometimes growing out of control. Peppermints won't usually bother larger Aptasia, so if they do grow large you can inject them with kalkwasser ( I make it up in a concentrated paste and inject that).
 
crobo

crobo

New Member
Snake that is amazing the phrase " shut up and take my money" comes to mind.
I added some raw shrimp to start the cycle and ammo is up to .5 ppm, i pulled the raw shrimp after 3 or so hours because i didnt want the levels to get too high. nitrates are still reading 0. should i wait to see the nitrites jump and the ammonia drop now? and then the nitrites drop and nitrates jump?
From my understanding the purpose of a cycle is to ensure you have sufficient ammo and nitrite eating bacteria. so that when livestock introduces ammo to the system it will be metabolized into nitrates that can be removed via PWCs or through macroalgae growth.
So my question is... if I just wait now, and if the system processes the ammonia does that mean my tank is cycled or should i dump the shrimp back in for a longer period of time?
Any feedback on my understanding of the process is welcomed as well.
 
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