20 gallon tank

[jourdy]

I've been monitoring this message board for quite some time now, and just recently have i registered for this site.
here is a picture of my tank:
What do you think?
I started it July 30, and gave it 2 weeks to cycle before putting the inhabitants.
It contains:
14 kilos of live rock.
1 green goniopora
1 elegant coral
1 brain coral of some sort
1 colony of dull green zoanthids with about 90 polyps
1 hard coral which i dont know what kind (upper right of the pic)
1 philippine feather duster
1 black clown goby, 1 midas blenny, and 1 lawnmower blenny
2 turban snails
1 live rock full of small feather dusters and some sort of mushrooms which have weird bubbles-like shape in it's head.
is the bioload too much?

 

[jourdy]

oh.. here's the pic

 

[nero]

IMO you are going a little too fast. (the average cycle is about 6 weeks and you started 2 weeks into it) I would recommend keeping up with your weekly water changes and not adding anything else for a while. Also, keep an eye out for high nitrates, that will really impact all of your corals. I hope everything goes well, btw, your tank is beautiful!

 

[obarrera]

Edit: responses with foul language will be edited. Please refrain from using such language on these forums.

 

[ivanfj]

Very nice tank. You are going a little fast IMO as well, but I've seen some people went faster and in a smaller tank too. I believe most goniopora don't last long since they don't have a long lifespan. Keep up the good work.

 

[jourdy]

thanks for the info
i was told by the lfs that 2 weeks should be the cycle time.. so i i followed them.
anyway, im not planning to add anything more in the tank.. and if i do, it'll be in a long time and it would be a coral.
BUT
I just want to add 1 more fish. any suggestions? preferrably one that isnt shy, is colorful, and easy to feed.

 

[jourdy]

and by the way..
are turban snails and common hermit crabs enough as a clean up crew? they are the only cleaners available here..
if so, how many of each? (remember, only 20 gallons). thanks.

 

[crazy4reefs]

ok, like everybody else i suggest that you slow down and start monitoring your water for the usual PH, ammonia,nitrate and nitrite. you also need to test for calcium and alk.. they are important for your corals health and growth. if your nitrates are high i suggest you do water changes to bring it dowm since you already have corals in there. while you are taking it slow maybe you could research and find out what exactly you have for corals in your tank and find out what they need to thrive. i would not suggest adding any more fish. 3 is probably pushing it in a tank that is so new. if you run into problems you might want to actually take one of your fish back to the lfs for credit until you tank matures more. again i would suggest you get test kits and monitor your water carefully. also what kind of lighting do you have ? hth, goodluck.

 

[jourdy]

ok, i wont add anything then. ive been making 10% water changes.
i forgot to mention, im using a powerhead-overhead filter, and a skimmer. and im planning to add a HOB filter in which to put carbon with.
as for the lighting, it's 125W blue. i also have a spare fluorescent bulb. whats better to use? the blue or the fluorescent?
thanks.

 

[jourdy]

and uhm, im thinking of exchanging the midas blenny for something else. it doesnt appeal to me, actually. it also doesnt eat anything else except for baby brine shrimp.. and im getting tired of hatching a new batch everyday.
whats a good replacement for it? something that is easy to feed, and isnt shy.
i want to stay away from wrasses, damsels, clowns, blennies, and gobies.
a cardinal maybe?

 

[kablamo]

Just from what Ive read so far, I think you don't have enough light for those corals,
correct me if I'm wrong

 

[jourdy]

oh! i dont?
the lfs told me they'd do very well under a 125.
hmm, you think i should go buy another 125 to make it a total of 250?
the lighting is directly on top of top of the aquarium glass.. so it covers the whole tank,, just a FYI

 

[crazy4reefs]

what are your lights ? pc, vho or mh. i just have never heard of a single 125 light the was power compacts or any of the others but i could be wrong. the 125 i not a regular flouresent is it ? i cant help you with the fish because you dont want most of the one i like.

 

[jourdy]

uhm, sorry to say.. but i really dont know what kind my lights are. the lfs really doesnt care to tell me, and they dont know either. all i know is that it is blue.
the reason why fish equipment is hard to come by in here, is because im from the philippines. most of you probably never heard of it.
there is a lack of variety in terms of equipment. so, the only lighting i could find is a 125w which comes with a NO fluorescent. Ive changed it into a blue one, however i dont know what kind.
crazy4reefs, any suggestion would be taken into consideration the reason why i dont like clowns is because i dont want them to host in my corals (i dont want an anemone.. hard to keep, and my tank wouldnt be fit for it anyway). not gobies or blennies because i already have them. i dont like damsels because they tend to be aggressive.. and as for the wrasses.. i just dont trust them. i forgot to mention.. but i have a peppermint shrimp about an inch long.. and IMO wrasses are unpredicatable. in other people's experiences, they become aggressive and may nip at the snails.
thanks! -jourdy

 

[jourdy]

here's the rock i was tallking about. are those some sort of mushroom? they "look" evil, and they are spreading all over the rock. are these harmful for my tank? because if it is, id remove it right away..
i cant find any information on these. the closest look alike ice seen is ricordea.. but... it cant be it!
thanks! -jourdy

 

[crazy4reefs]

ok, again i could be confused but if you light is a NO (normal output) fluorescent than just putting in another bulb will not make it any stronger and i am afraid that your corals will die off from the lack of sufficient light. i am not trying to be mean i am just trying to help you understand what you need to keep your corals happy. since you are in the philippines i can not direct you where to find the right lighting but i can suggest that you try to do an internet search for name brands like JBJ i cant think of the other brands right now but you can also do a internet search for PC (power compacts) VHO (very high output) or MH (metal hailed) to see if you can find any sites that will ship or dealers near you. if you want to keep a reef tank you need to have good lighting, after all corals are not cheap to buy. just my 2 cents.
as far as fish i do like clowns, they are colorful and very friendly. you do not have to buy a anemone for them they are fine with out it. there is a chance they would host some of your coral. also i love yellow watchmen gobys, they have a lot of "personality" and are just fun to watch and also i love firefish. but there are plenty more fish out there. just look at the swf.com store and look at the other kinds of fish available.
ok as far as the ID, it does look alot like a ricordea mushroom which are a good hitchhiker. well hope all this helped you some..

 

[jourdy]

thanks a lot! that really helped. ok.. so i have to go to the lfs and search for pc, vho, or metal halides..
as far as the corals.. they sell it here actually cheap. just 50 pesos for any kind. 1 dollar = 56 pesos. thats the reason why a student like me managed to get some. hehe.
okay, i think ill be adding a clown.. or a firefish.
whatever i see in the lfs! thanks! :happy:

 

[crazy4reefs]

glad to help. heres some more info for you, with the corals you have now they are not high demanding corals so you could get PC's or VHO's which will be cheaper than MH's. the MH's are usually used for higher demanding corals like sps and clams, so if you dont want those corals than the PC's and VHO's will do fine. just to let you know there are always exceeptions to the rule though. also another quick note, i just want you to know that some fire fish are known jumpers so if you do not have glass on your tank or anything there is the possibility that they will jump out probably due to stress like from another tank mate.. hth

 

[crazy4reefs]

also, wow thats a great price for corals !! if your lfs cant help you with the lights you can maybe do a google search on the internet to find places that sell in your area or will ship. ---- is also a site you could find lights on but i dont know if they will ship to you.

 

[blitz99]

start selling corals on e bay.... 1 dollar per coral????? wow.