Help me build a kid's tank!

[novahobbies]

I've been given the opportunity to work with a kid and help him reboot his aquarium. He let it go to pieces, and it's been lying fallow for months now.....all it has in it is hair algae. I told his mom he needs to start from scratch, and she gave me the go-ahead. It's not a big tank, just a 26 gallon bowfront, with a biowheel HOB filter and 130 watts of PC lighting, 12000K & Actinic.
I'm gonna strip out the crushed coral bed, scrub out the tank, and replace it with maybe pink fiji sand or plain white sugar. There's one single sad little pice of LR in the tank which I'm going to scrub down to remove hair algae, but I don't know if I'm going to add more LR or if I'm going to go with Tufa rock instead. Either way, we're going for about 20 lbs of rock. And since I have some control over the setup, I'm also getting control over WHEN the tank is ready for livestock to be added!
So here's where I need opinions: what would you put in this tank? Here's your guidelines: whatever goes in must be easy to care for, relatively hardy, colorful and/or uniquely shaped, easy to care for, and relatively hardy. And if I said two of those requirements twice....it's because this is a kid's aquarium.
So what would you do? He wants some kind of coral, so I'm thinking some simple zoos or palys would de well under this light. Maybe some large red mushrooms? I'll add 4 nassarius snails, a turban or two, and maybe a mexican turbo snail for a CUC....should I have him do a small serpent star down the road?

For fish, I was considering 4-5 small animals. I want some dimentional appeal to the tank, so there should be some benthic fish as well as pelagic. I know he doesn't like damsels....and I don't blame him...so they're out. I'm thinking.....:
Watchman Goby for the bottom dweller
Carpenter Flasher Wrasse
2 PJ Cardinals
......maybe a purple firefish?
This is just a preliminary outline, nothing is set in stone....and of course it's all subject to the kid's approval! I think I'm pushing it with 5 individuals, but I'm trying to focus on keeping the tank as active as possible w/o stressing out the fish. It's a delicate balance, and I keep swinging back to just 4 fish. I just don't know.....
So, anyway, what would you do? Post your lists....think of this as a clean slate! I need ideas!!

 

[rebelprettyboy]

Hectors Goby
2 Clowns
and ur wrasse
and coral
Just some leathers and zoas. and a nic Brain or some kind of show piece LPS...

 

[rebelprettyboy]

and see if he wants crabs or snails.
If snails (of course not all at once unless tank can supply food for them
10 NASS
10 cERITH
4 Turbos
1 Margarita
If crabs I guess they got some nice olored dwarf ones lol....
U can add some cool shrimp
A fire shrimp
3-5 sexy Shrimp
Pom Pom crab.
Thatll give him a lot to look at

 

[ilovemytank]

seems like you already have a great grasp on what to do with the tank. Keep up the good work.

 

[scottallert]

colt coral, mushrooms rics, a pair of clowns cleaner shrimp

 

[big]

Nova, Why not Aragonite for the substrate in place of sand for the substrate. A bit more buffering ability in a small system. Good Luck with your worth while progect!!

And I have a Purple in my 72. Has been a good and pretty little guy that stays small too. Good choice in my opinion. Had him for I guess about 18 months now. He would hide some at first, now he hangs out front and center all the time.

 

[novahobbies]

Originally Posted by big
http:///forum/post/2800037
Nova, Why not Aragonite for the substrate in place of sand for the substrate. A bit more buffering ability in a small system.
THANK you! I didn't think of this, and you're right. I was just thinking about getting the CC out of there!

 

[novahobbies]

Originally Posted by rebelprettyboy
http:///forum/post/2800004
Hectors Goby
2 Clowns
and ur wrasse
and coral
Just some leathers and zoas. and a nic Brain or some kind of show piece LPS...
I like the Hector's Goby! The clowns are too "typical" for him, he's already nixed those...

I'm looking at a Brain (goodness knows I need one) but I'm on the fence with any LPS. I don't want to be schlepping over there every couple days to be checking calcium, alk, and magnesium, but at the same time I don't want to be responsible for a dead coral. He's never going to test for more than the basic 4, I just know that about him.
OTOH, a classic favites brain like a pineapple or something similar might not be too bad.... hmm....
Great ideas, all! Keep 'em coming!

 

[novahobbies]

Any more strokes of brilliance? I'm going to get his water and arragonite tomorrow, maybe some of his tufa while I'm there. I'm also going to list some fish for him, so he can start thinking it over. Any other suggestions would be helpful!!

 

[ilovemytank]

Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/2801323
Any more strokes of brilliance? I'm going to get his water and arragonite tomorrow, maybe some of his tufa while I'm there. I'm also going to list some fish for him, so he can start thinking it over. Any other suggestions would be helpful!!

at the risk of sounding ignorant, whats Tufa rock ? does it just have a different look than fiji or base or lave rock ? thanks for taking the time to educate me.

 

[n8ball2013]

the brain is very low maintenance though and if you can get him to do a 10% water change every week then he should do fine with it. Also what about a bubble coral. everyone who sees our tank notices that thing way before any of the other stuff in there.

 

[spanko]

Euphyllia are always nice with good movement in the current. A frogspawn or torch would be nice.

 

[dennis210]

Great ideas and great mission.
Kids tank corals - red mushrooms maybe ricordia also. Simple zoanthids and palys. For a center piece a nice toadstool. This would keep it simple yet very cool for a youngster.
For the fish - yellow watchman goby, sailfin or algae blenny, hectors goby,
royal gramma, neon goby (blue). All hardy utilitarian fish easily kept but stunning.
6 turbo or astrea, (8 nassarius, 8 cerith, if sand used), 6 marginetta, 6 red legged hermits, 1 emerald crab, and 1 scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp.
Just suggestions for a child's tank that would be easy yet inspiring!
Dennis

 

[novahobbies]

Tufa rock is dry base rock......I don't know any other name for it, except it looks a LOT like coquina rock, just less dense. purchased dry, it has a reddish-tan color. It colonizes with bacteria from live rock really quickly, and doesn't take long to become "live" rock with coralline algae and colonizing amphipods.

 

[novahobbies]

I'm lovin' all these suggestions, BTW. We got pushed off a little for his project (too much schoolwork -- for him and myself!) so I'm getting the water tomorrow, and we're starting the project on wednesday.

 

[cedarreef]

I would say some fire n ice zoos or other very colorful ones, pulsing xenia (though that would probably have to be fragged often once it takes off), and green star polyps for coral. For fish, I would say a LMB, pair of Bangaii (sp?) cardinals, sixline wrasse, and maybe a pygmy angel since they are colorful and mostly reef safe. Inverts- cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, serpent star, CUC of your choice, feather duster worm or coco worm, and possibly a blue tuxedo pincushion urchin. Those should keep the little guy satisfied!

 

[teresaq]

sounds good so far, if you google florida base rock - I found it for 89 cents a lbs. that would be good for the kids tank. Also several differant colored shrooms would look nice. For fish, what about a watchman, purple firefish, and a pair of either clown gobies or neon gobies??
Good Luck
TeresaQ

 

[novahobbies]

Originally Posted by CedarReef
http:///forum/post/2802568
I would say some fire n ice zoos or other very colorful ones, pulsing xenia (though that would probably have to be fragged often once it takes off), and green star polyps for coral. For fish, I would say a LMB, pair of Bangaii (sp?) cardinals, sixline wrasse, and maybe a pygmy angel since they are colorful and mostly reef safe. Inverts- cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, serpent star, CUC of your choice, feather duster worm or coco worm, and possibly a blue tuxedo pincushion urchin. Those should keep the little guy satisfied!
OK, I have a question. When he and I started this, he asked about a flame angel, and I nixed the idea. I thought even dwarf angels would be too much for this sized tank. When you say "pygmy angel" do you mean the pygmy cherub angel specifically, or any pygmy, or dwarf, angel? He'd probably be over the moon if he could have his flame angel.
Totally off topic, but I have to ask. I've never noticed that little cherub pygmy angel. It's cute!! What are the chances, do you think, of a cherub angel getting along with a coral beauty angel in a 110 gallon tank? The Coral beauty has seniority. I'm thinking if I introduced the cherub along with another larger fish, say at the end of my fish-adding with a larger fish to keep the coral beauty busy.....

but if they're gonna fight I'm not going to bother. Not THAT cute.

 

[teresaq]

I have a pygmy in my 150. In the begining it would always picka fight with my female clown Even though it was bigger and would chase it all around. They have settled down now though.
T

 

[cedarreef]

I would think that the two angels would fight especially since the pygmy angel would probably be considerably smaller and a new addition. If you were to mix these angels, I would say to have the pygmy in there before the coral beauty but that's not possible now. A flame angel is a possibility, but they generally have a taste for coral. I heard they really like softies n some zoos. You can test it, but I would think the kid would be a bit disappointed to see it eat all his corals.