20 Gallon Long Reef Tank (NEW)

yannifish

Active Member
Looks great!
Do you plan on adding any more rock? It looks great now, but I think a little more rock combined with the awesome stuff you have right now could result in a really nice aquascape.
I like your fish list!
 

csvengal

Member
Hey thanks Yannifish! Well, I wasn't planning on adding more rock, there is 30lbs in there now. I was going to add a orchid dottyback, but I think I am good with what I have now. Currently I have a group of 8 small blue-legged hermits, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 decorator crab, 1 porcelain crab, 6 turbo snails, 4 nerite snails, 6 cerith snails, 1 serpent star, 1 bicolor blenny, 2 clarkii clownfish. I feed the fish new life spectrum grow formula and they gobble it up right away, the peppermint shrimp get a few pieces too. I put in a hikari algae tablet once or twice a week and the hermits, shrimp and blenny all go for that. I dose the DT phytoplankton every other day, and use the new life spectrum reef chili powder a couple times a week. I feed the anemone, the decorator crab & serpent star a small piece of shrimp or krill twice a week. My Nitrates were constant at around 20, but since using the filter bag with chemi-pure elite, and dosing the water with instant ocean biopolymer nitrate reducer they are easing down. I still have the brown algae growing that I have to clean off the glass every couple of days. I top off the tank with freshwater every other day, and change out 3-4 gallons of water with fresh saltwater every 7 days. Almost at the two month mark, and everything is going well so far (crossed fingers) Really happy with how it has turned out
 

yannifish

Active Member
I love the first one! It is a great shot!
I need to upgrade my lighting so I can get coral and other cool photosynthesizing inverts...
 

csvengal

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by yannifish http:///forum/thread/384710/20-gallon-long-reef-tank-new/40#post_3383541
I love the first one! It is a great shot!
I need to upgrade my lighting so I can get coral and other cool photosynthesizing inverts...
Thanks yannifish! That clown in the first pic that you like, I have noticed something recently. He/she is kind of a bully.
They are both approximately the same size, there were only some other ones that were really really too big to pick from, so I got the smallest of the bunch. The other clownfish stays on the far left of the tank (opposite side) The fish that hosts the anemone is bullying the other clownfish. The fish will dart across the tank and bump the other one a few times, then go back. They eat together and don't fight for extended periods of time, and neither one of them messes with the blenny, he just swims all around them now. (Blenny was scared of them at first) If the other clownfish that is being bullied doesn't end up with the other one in the anemone, then should I take it back? I read that they kind of fight like this, but the other one doesn't fight back, and is rather submissive to the other one. There are no visible wounds or fin damage to the submissive clownfish. The one in the anemone doesn't seem to want the other one to get near the anemone. I guess what I am asking is does all of this sound normal for a pair?? SW forum clownfish expert help needed !
 

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by csvengal http:///forum/thread/384710/20-gallon-long-reef-tank-new/40#post_3384056
Thanks yannifish! That clown in the first pic that you like, I have noticed something recently. He/she is kind of a bully.
They are both approximately the same size, there were only some other ones that were really really too big to pick from, so I got the smallest of the bunch. The other clownfish stays on the far left of the tank (opposite side) The fish that hosts the anemone is bullying the other clownfish. The fish will dart across the tank and bump the other one a few times, then go back. They eat together and don't fight for extended periods of time, and neither one of them messes with the blenny, he just swims all around them now. (Blenny was scared of them at first) If the other clownfish that is being bullied doesn't end up with the other one in the anemone, then should I take it back? I read that they kind of fight like this, but the other one doesn't fight back, and is rather submissive to the other one. There are no visible wounds or fin damage to the submissive clownfish. The one in the anemone doesn't seem to want the other one to get near the anemone. I guess what I am asking is does all of this sound normal for a pair?? SW forum clownfish expert help needed !

The one that is bullying is asserting dominance and will likely become the female.
 

yannifish

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemmy http:///forum/thread/384710/20-gallon-long-reef-tank-new/40#post_3384105
The one that is bullying is asserting dominance and will likely become the female.
+1
This is perfectly normal. It should stop in a week or two (at least it did with my Ocellaris clowns, but I'm pretty sure it will happen with yours too). As Gemmy said, the one clown is just becoming the female, and with time she will accept the male and the two will be buddies. You'll probably notice that when the female clown goes after the male, he will turn on his side and start vibrating. This is his way of showing submission, and is perfectly normal. It is quite fun to watch a pair of clowns once they are getting along. The female will always be in charge, and will nip at the male every now and then, but there should be no major problems.
 

csvengal

Member
thanks to both of you, all of this is still kinda new!
I am happy to hear that all sounds like normal behavior :)
They are already really fun to watch!
 

gemmy

Active Member
They are neat to watch. My female rarely lets the male into her anemone but she will intrude in his fake anemone AKA leather. The male takes the abuse like a champ.
 

yannifish

Active Member
My female won't let the male leave the rock they "host". If she swims across the tank for some reason, and he follows, she chases him back to the rock. In and around the rock there is little to no aggression though. The only time she allows him out is feeding time.
 

1guydude

Well-Known Member
why not they host rocks, other corals that arent even anenomes, and even just spots LOL stupid fish
 
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