First marine tank planning. Help.

[Org.Chem.Dan]

Hello my name is Daniel and I've been in the aquarium hobby for 15 years. I've only done freshwater to this point and I want to dive into the deep end of the pool.

The tank I am using.
I have a marineland 38gal curved. I will be using and setting up a refugium in the stand. Thinking of using a 29 gal as that is the largest I can fit into the stand.

So here is what I am wanting for sure if possible. As for other fish and suggestions I am definitely open.

Banggai cardinalfish 3 possibly.
I was told at ***** that would be fine but sometimes their advice can be questionable so I thought I'd ask here.
Also want shrimp of some kind and a sea anemone. Maybe a tube worm or two.

 

[lmforbis]

welcome to the world of salt water.

a 29 gal may fit in your stand but is a poor choice for a sump/refugium. It is way too tall and very difficult to work in. ome of the great things about a sump (only one section would be the refugium) is that you can hide equipment in it like a protein skimmer and heaters. You need to be able to get into it easily to maintain those things. I did a 29 gal sump in a stand that was taller than average and it was a pain in the but to work in. keep in mind your refugium/sump will not be full maybe 1/2 to 2/3 full because you need to account for back flow from the display during power outages or times you turn off the return pump. If you don’t account for that you will have a flood.

in that size thank I’d only do 2 cardinals. Once your tank has cycled and stabilized with fish, a few months, shrimp and tube worms are fine. Unless you are ready to invest in very intense reef lights an anemone is not going to work for you. They are one of the highest light demanding species in the ocean. As for other fish shrimp gobies are fascinating to have. A clown fish or 2 (a pair only if you buy them small and at the same time).

i would strongly suggest purchasing a small (10 gal) tank to set up as a quarantine tank. You would need a small heater, a sponge filter and some PVC connecters for hiding places. It should be bare bottom. I don’t even use a light, just ambient light. SW fish are frequently infested with parasites and you can’t treat them in the main tank like you can with fresh water. It is best to quarantine all fish for 30 days, longer if something pops up. You can just observe them and treat if needed. The quarantine doesn’t need to be set up all the time. The great thing about sponge filters is you can put the sponge in the sump until you need to set up the quarantine tank. When you are done sterilize it and all the QT equipment with a 10% bleach solution (make sure it isn’t the bleach that has surfactants in it) and air dry until you can’t smell the bleach, usually 24 hours. Pop the sponge back into the sump and in a couple weeks you are ready for the next time.