help with reef tank...fish, inverts, corals

gio28

gio28

Active Member
im new to saltwater but im ready to start a reef tank in my 36 gallon bowfront i've had for 4 months now. but i have a few questions and things id like an opinion on...
FISH:
the fish i currently have in my tank are:
-a misbar clown
-3 blue/green chromis
the fish i have on my stocking list:
-a flame hawk (i have already ordered)
-a midas blenny
-a sixline wrasse
-coral beauty (as kind of a showcase fish for the tank) (and i know its hit or miss with a reef)
i know these are alot of fish to add to a 36 gallon and a reef tank but if my biological filtration is good would it be ok? or if not which of these in your opinion would you choose?
INVERTS:
i have:
-a sand sifting star
-assorted snails
-cleaner shrimp
-hermits
-emerald crab
-a sebae anemone
does this seem like a well rounded cleanup crew (excluding the anemone) that could help maintain a reef tank? or anything i should add or take out?
CORALS:
i dont have any yet but my water is pretty good to start...my lighting is 130 watts for 36 gallons (30 with rock taking up some space) so about 4.3 watts per gallon
nitrate- some 10-20 (they are getting lower)
nitrite- 0
ammonia- slight, like 1
salinity 1.023
calcium- 440
ph and alk- i dont remember but lfs said it was perfect
any suggestions for beginner corals? or ones you like in particular? and i know corals need zero nitrates so i'll fix that before i get any...
anything else i should know about or do? thanks alot for any input you have to give...
im 15 and addicted to this hobby already...
 
fishkid13

fishkid13

Active Member
What are you asking? How mature is your tank? You need to have a mature tank for sand sifting stars. What kind of lighting do you have also? You need powerful lights for anemones.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
sorry i should have been more clear...im asking about opinions about the fish i have planned to add to my tank, the inverts, and good corals to add to my reef tank. like if there are too much fish i plan on adding or if a sandsifting star is bad for an unmature tank. or if my lighting is good for a variety of corals and if my water parameters are good for them
 
worrballer

worrballer

Member
Answers in red
Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3071546
im new to saltwater but im ready to start a reef tank in my 36 gallon bowfront i've had for 4 months now. but i have a few questions and things id like an opinion on...
FISH:
the fish i currently have in my tank are:
-a misbar clown
-3 blue/green chromisIf you want more fish get rid of these guys
the fish i have on my stocking list:
-a flame hawk (i have already ordered)You won't be able to have any shrimp once he is in the tank
-a midas blenny
-a sixline wrasse
-coral beauty (as kind of a showcase fish for the tank) (and i know its hit or miss with a reef)
For these fish I'd drop the coral beauty and midas. Both get pretty big and need a lot of room to swim. Look into some of the smaller blennies, I recommend the tailspot. Royal Gramma, most of the gobies, another clown, just to name a few.
i know these are alot of fish to add to a 36 gallon and a reef tank but if my biological filtration is good would it be ok? or if not which of these in your opinion would you choose?
Your biological filtration won't be able to keep up. You have to think "balance" for a reef tank. What equipment are you running?
INVERTS:
i have:
-a sand sifting starThat star is going to die soon
-assorted snails
-cleaner shrimpthe hawk will eat this guy
-hermits
-emerald crab
-a sebae anemoneShould have waited to put this in there.
does this seem like a well rounded cleanup crew (excluding the anemone) that could help maintain a reef tank? or anything i should add or take out?
How many snail do you have? It should be 1-2 per gallon. Personally I don't like hermits cause they irritate and knock over corals. Other than that it is a good CUC
CORALS:
i dont have any yet but my water is pretty good to start...my lighting is 130 watts for 36 gallons (30 with rock taking up some space) so about 4.3 watts per gallon Watts per gallon doesn't really mean anything you have to think output and PAR ratings (very complicated if you go in depth) But your lights are good for now.
nitrate- some 10-20 (they are getting lower) Get it to 0 and you'll be good
nitrite- 0
ammonia- slight, like 1 needs to be 0 also
salinity 1.023
calcium- 440
ph and alk- i dont remember but lfs said it was perfect
any suggestions for beginner corals? or ones you like in particular? and i know corals need zero nitrates so i'll fix that before i get any...
Start with some easy ones like zoanthids, muchrooms, and hardy softies.
anything else i should know about or do? thanks alot for any input you have to give...
im 15 and addicted to this hobby already...
Upgrade your light when you have some extra money. T5HO will work perfectly for that tank. Also what filtration do you have now? You'll need a protein skimmer for that many fish. Or you can mod a HOB filter into a fuge many nano reefers have had great success with natural filtration.
For now focus on your filtration and get rid of that ammonia and nitrate. Once that goes to 0 you can get your first corals.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
i was gonna get an octopus hob skimmer (cause all i can have is hang on stuff) i heard these are great...and i was also thinking of getting a small hang on fuge to give some more filtration and grow algae to keep it out of my main tank. right now i have an aquaclear 50 with a sponge filter, chemi pure, and biomax in it. im prob gonna end up getting an octopus hob w/ the filter space in it so ill just put the stuff from my aquaclear in there. then when i make enough money set up a small fuge that i can put on the side of my tank. is all this a good idea? or should i do something different?
and im gonna watch my flame hawk with my shrimp carefully and ill have to trade in one or the other if there is a problem. i heard est shrimp can be better off with hawkfish since the shrimp are est. first.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
IMO, your specific gravity is quite marginally low. I would go for 1.025-1.025 but no lower than 1.024 on a reef tank.
I concur that the hawk will likely eat the shrimp eventually. The sand sifter star is not likely to live beyond a year, and will probably die of starvation.
I do not feel that you have to or even will get nitrate to 0 (at least not unless you want SPS corals). If you can get them to 10 or less and hold steady, you will be ok, IMO.
8 fish is too much for this tank for sure. I have a 45 - for years the tank was dominated by a sixline wrasse and I had little success with other fish. Now the sixline has passed and I am getting to add more. A pair of clowns, a coral beauty, a chalk bass and probably a filament/flasher or similar wrasse will be the end of it. A coral tank tends to have fewer fish that it could logical sustain due to the impact on water quality.
If you hope to keep SPS corals, then your fish list, IMO, should decline even further as they are more picky about water quality than soft corals or to some degree LPS.
 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
how much liverocks do u hv? if its very few, then coral beauty angel wouldnt do well. ammonia should be at zero, as stated above. nitrate at 10-20 isnt too bad. if it fits into the hawkfishs mouth, the hawk will eat it. try adding a fuge and more rocks b4 adding more fish.
 
gio28

gio28

Active Member
i have a little live rock...most is base rock. the coral beauty i planned to get way in the future cause i know it needs live rock for grazing on.
my specific gravity is at 1.024 now
im also def gonna return the star next time i visit my lfs
ophiura, was your sixline a bully? are most this way?
i might pass on the hawk now cause i really like my cleaner shrimp and i havent got the hawk yet.
i kinda reconfigured my stocking list to be:
-a midas blenny
-a sixline (if they are not bullys)
-coral beauty or a flame angel (last addition when my rock will better suit its diet)
plus my 3 chromis and clown i already have should def tie up my tanks fish selection.
could someone also tell me if my post above on my filtration plan is good?
thanks
 
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