29 Biocube--A Work in Process

[blueram]

Originally Posted by AZReefGirl
Thank you!
I was really wanting a Royal Gramma, but I've been reading that they can be kind of aggressive, so I'm rethinking that one. I'll probably get a Clownfish (can't have a saltwater tank without Nemo!), a Firefish, and possibly an Orchid Dottyback (instead of the Royal Gramma), but I don't know too much about them, so I'll need to do a little research first. I may consider a Sixline Wrasse instead of the Firefish.
I am glad that you are not getting a Royal gramma. I had one and he created problems as soon as I put him in the tank. He claimed the whole tank and harrassed the other fish. I know that some people have a Royal Gramma and haven't had a problem. But I would personally stay away from them. There is doubt that the Royal is a stunning fish but thanks to him I had to redo my aquascape when I had to get him out of the tank for being a bully.
I don't have a Sixline Wrasse but I read that it can be agressive towards small fish, snail and incertebrates so I would do more research before buying one. The thing is, once you put it in your tank, it is not easy to get it out.
I found this information .......check www.***********.com you will find information about this fish.
Behavior: The Six Line Wrasse may act semi-aggressively toward other fish
General Notes: Pseudocheilinus hexataenia or Six-Line Wrasse is harmless with corals and clams but will eat small crabs and other crustaceans and small snails. Also known to prey on bristleworms, Pyramidellid snails and commensal flatworms. May attack smaller tankmates and is best kept with larger or more aggressive fishes. May shred fins and remove scales while harassing smaller fish with it's large canine teeth. Best kept singly.
Why don't you get a Bicolor Blenny instead of the Sixline? It is a great addition to any tank. It it very active, funny and has great psersonality. My favourite fish for sure! :happyfish

 

[azreefgirl]

Thanks for the info! I like the Bicolor Blenny, but I'm not sure if there would be any territory issues between it and my 4WD Goby--that's something I'd need to check out first. And also, if they hide out most of the time I'm not sure I'd want one at this time--I don't want to have a whole tank full of fish that hide most of the time and only come out at feeding time! I'd like to have a couple of fish swimming around so I don't have to hunt for them everytime I want to look at one!

 

[blueram]

I have a Yellow Watchman Goby and a Bicolor Blenny and they get along very well. They never fight and in fact, sometimes they share the same cave. My Blenny is super outgoing and he is the most interesting, funny fish I have in my tank. There are 2 Clowns and 1 Goby and the Blenny is by far my favourite fish. My Blenny is swims all over the tank and he goes crazy when I get close to the tank because he thinks that he is going to be fed. And when I put the Turkey Baster in the tank or he sees it he goes wild and takes bites at it.
If I could I would get a second Bicolor Blenny or some other type of Blenny but I have been told many times that I should only have one in my tank because Blennies are territorial with their own kind. .......
cheers

 

[azreefgirl]

Thanks for the info. I will now put the Bicolor Blenny onto the list of fish I'm considering!

 

[ser_cyclops]

Originally Posted by blueram
I have a Yellow Watchman Goby and a Bicolor Blenny and they get along very well. They never fight and in fact, sometimes they share the same cave. My Blenny is super outgoing and he is the most interesting, funny fish I have in my tank. There are 2 Clowns and 1 Goby and the Blenny is by far my favourite fish. My Blenny is swims all over the tank and he goes crazy when I get close to the tank because he thinks that he is going to be fed. And when I put the Turkey Baster in the tank or he sees it he goes wild and takes bites at it.
If I could I would get a second Bicolor Blenny or some other type of Blenny but I have been told many times that I should only have one in my tank because Blennies are territorial with their own kind. .......
cheers
if you dont mind me asking how big is your tank?

 

[blueram]

It is a 29 gallon tank....no skimmer, I just do water weekly changes . Let me know if you have any more questions.
cheers

 

[mrsgoose]

Originally Posted by blueram
It is a 29 gallon tank....no skimmer, I just do water weekly changes . Let me know if you have any more questions.
cheers
Hi - I also have a 29g w/o skimmer that I set up about 6 weeks ago. So far I have a few hermits, snails and one peppermint shrimp. I'm ready to add my first fish and was researching when I cam across this thread. I'm thinking about 2 perc clowns and some kind of goby, maybe watchman, and either a royal gramma, sixline or bicolor blenny. I have 30 lbs live rock, and a nice sand bed. I also would like fish that tend to be visible. The tank is in our dental office. Any suggestions of what to stock first?? Thanks!

 

[azreefgirl]

Originally Posted by mrsgoose
Hi - I also have a 29g w/o skimmer that I set up about 6 weeks ago. So far I have a few hermits, snails and one peppermint shrimp. I'm ready to add my first fish and was researching when I cam across this thread. I'm thinking about 2 perc clowns and some kind of goby, maybe watchman, and either a royal gramma, sixline or bicolor blenny. I have 30 lbs live rock, and a nice sand bed. I also would like fish that tend to be visible. The tank is in our dental office. Any suggestions of what to stock first?? Thanks!
Stock the least aggressive/least territorial fish first. Since gobies are fairly shy fish, I'd recommend putting the goby in first, then the clowns, then the royal gramma or sixline.

 

[kmc]

Originally Posted by mrsgoose
Hi - I also have a 29g w/o skimmer that I set up about 6 weeks ago. So far I have a few hermits, snails and one peppermint shrimp. I'm ready to add my first fish and was researching when I cam across this thread. I'm thinking about 2 perc clowns and some kind of goby, maybe watchman, and either a royal gramma, sixline or bicolor blenny. I have 30 lbs live rock, and a nice sand bed. I also would like fish that tend to be visible. The tank is in our dental office. Any suggestions of what to stock first?? Thanks!
From personal experience I can tell you that the sixline could be a problem after a few months. Ours went psycho one day and started killing everything. I took him back to the LFS. I have heard that the royal grammas can be territorial also. You might want to consider a pygmy aka cherub angel. We had one that didn't bother anything and constantly swam around the rocks. Cool little fish. Sixline got him and we are looking for another. I will also suggest a clown goby. They don't swim around as much as the percs and the angel but they are very peaceful.

 

[azreefgirl]

Originally Posted by kmc
From personal experience I can tell you that the sixline could be a problem after a few months. Ours went psycho one day and started killing everything. I took him back to the LFS. I have heard that the royal grammas can be territorial also. You might want to consider a pygmy aka cherub angel. We had one that didn't bother anything and constantly swam around the rocks. Cool little fish. Sixline got him and we are looking for another. I will also suggest a clown goby. They don't swim around as much as the percs and the angel but they are very peaceful.
I thought pygmy angels needed a minimum of 40 or 50 gallons?

 

[kmc]

The information I had said 30 gallons. Ours was a small one and he seemed perfectly healthy and happy until the wrasse got him. We have 30lbs of LR and he spent most of his time swimming in and out of and picking at the rockwork.

 

[azreefgirl]

Discovered that my shrooms were covered with flatworms, so Saturday was spent getting rid of them. I must have siphoned over a hundred of them out with a turkey baster before adding Flatworm Exit to the tank, then probably got another 50 or so that were dead or dying. After that I did at 25% water change to get out the toxins released by those boogers as they died. And if that wasn't enough for my Saturday, I also had to replace the pump in my tank because it was spitting out a lot of air (and yes, there was plenty of water in the compartment the pump sits in!). So I installed a MaxiJet 1200 and my yellow polyps and Hummer (my 4-Wheel Drive Goby) are a little upset at me because the new pump puts out an additional 50 gph over the stock pump. Today I installed the air control valve on it to make the tank inhabitants happy.
And to make me happy, I went out and got a new camera today! It's a Panasonic DMC-FZ7 and I have a lot to learn about it. But I did manage to take a few pics. I'll post more when I have some more pics worth posting. Maybe I'll have more tomorrow--LFS gets their coral shipment on Mondays and I'll be dropping by after work!

 

[eaglewonj]

I have a DMC-FZ20, they are great cameras!

 

[azfishgal]

Tank is looking great! :cheer: Is that third picture a type of zoo? I like it, would love to know the name.

 

[azreefgirl]

Originally Posted by azfishgal
Tank is looking great! :cheer: Is that third picture a type of zoo? I like it, would love to know the name.
Thanks!

They're called Yellow Polyps. They were in with the zoos at About the Reef, but I'm not sure if they're classified as zoos--I'll have to check into it. It's really neat to watch them eat. I'll squirt some mysis shrimp into their mouths and their tenacles will close up and push the shrimp in. Because the polyps' bodies are translucent, you can see the shrimp's eyes inside them while they're digesting. Kinda morbid, but still kinda cool to watch!
I forgot, are you doing a FOWLR tank, or are you doing a reef tank with fish? If you're doing a reef tank I'll figure out how to frag them and give you some!

 

[azfishgal]

Originally Posted by AZReefGirl
Thanks!

I forgot, are you doing a FOWLR tank, or are you doing a reef tank with fish? If you're doing a reef tank I'll figure out how to frag them and give you some!

That would be fabulous!!!! I am doing a reef tank, but will take it slow as I don't want to mess anything up. I was going to do a FOWLR and then eventually get into the corals way down the road, but the corals are calling, so must get corals.

 

[agent-x]

Originally Posted by AZReefGirl
So I installed a MaxiJet 1200 and my yellow polyps and Hummer (my 4-Wheel Drive Goby) are a little upset at me because the new pump puts out an additional 50 gph over the stock pump.
I just bought the maxi jet for my Biocube 29. I can't see how it will fit, so I have yet to use it. How did you make it work? Any pictures of how you made it work?

 

[azreefgirl]

I'll post pics later. I'm at work--far, far away from the comfort and sanity I experience when gazing at my tank! It took a couple of tries at configuring it to fit properly, then I had to take it out and figure out how to install the air control valve, but it seems to be doing its job now. The instruction manual provided with the pump is basically worthless unless you're installing an undergravel filter!

 

[ahmoser]

I'm confused why you need the air control valve if you are just using it to pump the water? You couldn't be more correct about the instruction maual! I have a 600 as additional water movement in my biocube, but I did not understand how to hook up the air valve, so I just didn't do it. Do I NEED to?

 

[azreefgirl]

No, you don't need to hook it up, I just did it to decrease the flow in the tank. I went from 243 gph to 295 gph, and in a tank the size of the Biocube, that's a large, noticeable difference. My poor Goby was holding on to the sand for dear life and my Yellow Polyps were almost blown onto the next rock, so I decided I needed to do something. I'll post a pic within the next day or so that shows how I set up everything. It wasn't difficult, just a little bit of trial and error.