3 gallon advise

jmerk

jmerk

Member
I want to get 2 3 gallon mini-reefs (10 3/4 wide X 8 7/8 deep x 8 inches tall) that have (both) 80 gph filter and 50/50 lighting. I figure that I can put a court jester goby in one and 2 catalina gobies in another. I decided to get two of them because all the packs of live rock, sand, and mushroom coral come in large packs. I figured that if I got two I could fit it all.
Here's where I need advise, as most people know, catalina gobies like to live in colder water and court jester gobies like it warm. Now, I was thinking about getting a sump and combining the two but I realized I couldn't
because of the water temp. difference. The reason I was going to get a sump was becuase I know where to get a good protien skimmer that would do both aquariums with no difficulty and becuase the skimmer is quite big, it wouldn't work in a small tank like the one I want. So, now I am looking for some ideas for the skimmer to work and I am also looking for little skimmers that I can put right in the tank (I would get 2 of them, one for each).
So I am planning on getting mushroom corals, live rock, and one court jester (tank 1) and 2 catalinas (tank 2) or in tank 2 I will accept new stocking suggestions for warm water too (I like firefish, basslets, and certain clown gobies). If some people think that I could simply combine the 2 species' water in a sump that would be great news too (but I won't get my hopes too high).
Thanks
Jmerk
P.S. I just realized that mushroom corals like to be warm too (I was planning on getting mushrooms for both tanks but if mushrooms can live colder than plz tell me :joy:
:happyfish
:jumping: :jumping:
 
reef noob

reef noob

Member
hi jmerk
sounds good look at AquaC remora nano skimmers.
also for a sump i would get a 10 gallon tank silicone 2 pieces of glass in the middle with a insulator in the middle with 2 100 gph returns (look at pic)
 
jmerk

jmerk

Member
Excellent Idea! Now, I know that reef noob and i share the lfs (we live close 2 eachother) and do u know if they sail the insulators and glass pieces? If not than can u tell me where 2 get them?
BTW: Do u know if mushrooms can live in colder water (68 degrees)
 
reef noob

reef noob

Member
sure, u couldnt find the lfs (which is an hour away) with out me

just use a good heat cold disipater (old cotton shirt or other cotton cloth]wash first of course)
u can get glass silicone at lowes or hd
srry dont know about the shooms, prolly not though
 
jmerk

jmerk

Member
by lfs i ment the one 15 mins away. Anyway, I guess someone else can tell me the shooms stuff. is there some kind of insulater that isn't clothing?
 
reef noob

reef noob

Member
could use any thing that will effectivly dissipate the heat so there wouldnt be heat transfer would work.
(p.s. petsmart doesn't count as a lfs)
 
jmerk

jmerk

Member
Petsmart sells fish though.
I have changed my mind. I will go with only warm water because if I didn't I would have to get 2 skimmers and I don't have a ton of $$. So what I will do is get the 2 3 gallons, 10 gallon sump, the protien skimmer I planned on, and in one tank I will get 1 Court Jester goby with a red stripe goby (in the same tank) and the other still thinking. Would a Royal Gramma work? Maybe a Fire fish?
Thanks
Jmerk
 
clay12340

clay12340

Member
A gramma would need more space than a 3 gallon. I would try to stick to fish that spend nearly all their time on and within the live rock. Those small tanks will have very limited swimming room, so any fish that spends much time in the water column seems like a bad choice.
The red striped goby will probably work out, although ***********.com says you need to feed them twice daily. The court jester should wait until your setup is very mature. They require a good supply of small crustaceans to graze on and that takes time to build up.
You might consider replacing 2 of the 4 fish you plan on keeping with some sort of decorative shrimp or crab. They will add less to the bio-load and keep your system as a whole healthier. I think my new favorite are the glass anemone shrimp.
 
jmerk

jmerk

Member
Ok, here's what I will start with: in tank one I will just get a redstripe goby to start with and later I will add a court jester to the same tank. In tank 2 I will get either 1 purple firefish and 1 firefish or 2 purple firefish or 2 firefish (only if the biolode can handle it, but I think it will be ok because of the 10g sump I'm planning on). If I can't get 2 firefish (any kind) than I will just get one regular one (please tell me if I can) . I am also planning on getting a mushroom coral pack (7 corals). I will divide it the best I can. I am also getting 16 lbs of L.R. for it. If someone says that is too much than I will get 12 lbs (from saltwaterfish.com) and in each tank I will get 1 turbo snail and 1 scarlet reef hermit for each tank. I like sexy anemone shrimp, maybe I can get one along with my other inverts for each tank too but you tell me.
Please tell me if this setup will work.
Thanks
Jmerk
 
jmerk

jmerk

Member
Ok, now that I have my stock list made up, what kind of food should I get
-1 Court Jester goby
-1 Red Stripe goby
-Red or Purple firefish (might get just 2 reds but tell me the purples too :joy: )
thanks
:jumping: :jumping:
Jmerk
 
jmerk

jmerk

Member
I just found out that firefish will jump out of an open tank and the tanks I am getting are open top. So, I have made a new stock list for you. Please tell me if it will work and what I should feed ALL the fish. Here goes...
Tank One
-1 Red Striped goby
-1 Court Jester goby (buy after tank is matured a little)
Tank Two
-1 Yellow Clown goby
-1 Black Clown goby
Remember, I am planning on getting 16 lbs of LR (8 lbs for both) and I want to know what these fish eat. Please tell me if this will work.
Thanks
Jmerk
 
clay12340

clay12340

Member
Nearly any fish will jump in some instances and it is much more likely in a small tank, so you might want to devise some form of lid. You will also want to buy your rock before the livestock and get everything set up and cycled.
As to the amount of rock it depends on the type you're buying and what role you want it to play in your system. Put enough in each of the 3 gallons to give you the desired visual effect and then dump however much extra you want in your 10 gallon. Rock and macro will make a great pod breeding ground and should help with nutrients as well.
As to food with such a small number of fish I'd go for something like Rod's Food . It is a mixture of frozen meaty foods. Fish seem to go nuts for it, but it is expensive if you have to feed a lot. A single package will probably last you a few months at least.
 
reef noob

reef noob

Member
probably
but its not the most nutritious (sp.) stuff
got this of a site:
The Clown Goby's diet should consist of a variety of brine shrimp, frozen mysid shrimp, table shrimp, and frozen food preparations for carnivores.
 
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