Just a few questions

[Luvthekeys]

Thanks to all. I will hook the wave maker to the power heads included in the JBJ 28. It is included in the package so why not try it. If it starts to splash out of the tank or up towards the lights I will remove the wave maker from the equation. I bought the tank from Drs Foster and Grant so the stand came included.

Now that is another story, almost everything I read brings up the point of it being shall we say, not that strong in the strength department. I am not the most mechanically inclined man so one of my friends will help me put it together. He also will decide if we should strengthen it.

I am also going through Chemo Therapy and this project is a great way to put my mind in a better place. I am very lucky that I have many friends who do a lot for me and ask for nothing. I am also finding out what a great community this forum has.

 

[flower]

Well, you just earned one prayer mention each day until you are 100% and no longer need Chemo. I hope this project is everything you hope for.

 

[pegasus]

Wow... you're definitely on the prayer list. We'll do our best to make the learning curve as easy as possible, and to assist you in getting up and running. One less stressful thing to deal with is one less problem to deal with. Best of luck with the Chemo, and please be sure to keep us posted as to your progress...

 

[Luvthekeys]

Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes. When I see a five year old with cancer under going Chemo and he or she has a big smile on their face who am I at 68 to not do the same. Trying something I always wanted to do is great therapy. I know I will succeed in this hobby with all the help I have been receiving here. Hopefully I will start to upload photos as I go. As for status I had my fifth round today. Will do a total of six and then most likely on to one of the immune system drugs. Already did Radiation several years ago. Lost my sense of smell after that. So I will have to ask someone to keep their nose ready for any bad odors. Yes I do have designated smellers who tell me if my house stinks.

Back to the subject we are all here for. I have another question in the future when the tank cycles I am looking at the cleanup crew packages that you can get from the affiliate of Drs Foster and Smith. They seem to have a lot of stuff for a thirty gallon tank. I suspect everything is very small. Is it normal to have a sizable number of hermit crabs and snails and other clean up creatures..

 

[lmforbis]

Initially that is probably too much as you won't have much to clean up yet. An assortment of creatures especially snails is good though. I'd ask here when you have a specific list and there will be plenty of input. We all have our preferences.

 

[flower]

Hi,

Some people like hermit crabs, they are entertaining, but they kill and eat the snails. The CUC is usually large enough to keep the tank clean, but if you add too many at once in a new tank, they may not have enough to eat, and starve. Personally, I say build your own CUC, and get what you need as you need it. A variety of snails (Cerith, Turbo, Nerite, Nassarius and Astera is a good combo). Then I get a couple of shrimp, cleaner shrimp are really entertaining, but peppermint shrimp will eat aptasia (pest anemone). I also like the serpent and brittle stars (not green, they get mean and hunt fish when they grow too large).

Later on, if you have lots of algae...I do mean LOTS... an urchin will mow it down in no time.

For the Algae film that develops on the front glass... get a gizmo called a Mag float. It is a magnet, one part goes into the tank, and the other attaches to the outside, works like an eraser.

 

[Luvthekeys]

Thanks. Good advice from both of you. Since most likely it will be weeks before the tank cycles, hoping less because of live rock I see the wisdom of slow additions. My plan is to have mostly invertebrates, coral and two or three fish. I definitely want a Goby and most likely one or two clown fish. They are not my favorites but i Plan to have a few anemones. Are these are the only fish that go into the anemones? I wanted a Frogfish until I read about them in a small tank. any ideas for a couple of fish in that type of tank. I think two or three is the max for 28 gallons. Imforbis I will ask once I decide on the first of my clean up crew several weeks from now. That is if the tank does not leak when it arrives. Flower always there with help and good advice.

 

[flower]

Hi,

JMO...Anemones are beautiful fish killers. In a small tank the fish can't get away from them. They eat anything dumb enough to get too close. They have no brain, no eyes...just a mouth and an anus. They follow the flow of the water, which means they have a tendency to get sucked up into the power heads. You have to cover all power heads, and intake tubes...they clog fast when you cover them, and it makes for a constant job to have to do to keep them clear, or they will burn up. They can't be placed, they find their own happy place...sometimes way in the back of a rock where you can't see it, sometimes right on top of a coral stinging as it goes.

I loved the beauty of my anemone, I had it for a few years...but after it ate 5 shrimp, 3 lawnmower blennies and killed a copper butterfly fish, (just stung it to death and released it). I would never put another one in my tank, and I don't think a 28g is good to hold a couple of them, and expect any fish to evade it.

A 28g is a very, very small SW tank. A dwarf angelfish would be a great addition, they like to swim in and out of the rocks, are very active, and strikingly beautiful. A small goby and a firefish maybe.

 

[pegasus]

Clown gobies would be great for your tank. They're small, cute, and quite comical. I have a pair of yellows, and they seem to have bonded. They eat out of my hand, perch on the rocks, or stick to the side of the tank... somehow. Completely non-aggressive, but will stand their ground. Ask my McCosker's Flasher what happens when he tries to bow up to them... lol! Firefish are also good fish for small tanks, but be aware... they're jumpers. The tank will need to be completely covered because if they get spooked, they tend to do one of two things: dart into the rocks, or jump out of the water. Too often it's the latter.

I second that... no anemone(s) in a 28 gallon tank. You can find small anemones, but the problem is... they get big. When they get big, they get hungry. Lighting is another factor. They require adequate lighting as they house a symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae which provides them with sugars that keep them nourished and healthy. This photosynthetic diet can provide the majority of their diet, yet they never pass up a meaty meal, either. Small fish, in a small environment, with an anemone can only end in tragedy.

 

[Luvthekeys]

Okay I see the logic I will not try to put an Anemone in my tank. I do like the dwarf angelfish I see a lot of them grow to six inches. Would that be too big for my 28 gal. tank. One that stands out that would be small in the multi-colored angelfish 3 1/2 inches max. however it is much more expensive then the lemonpeel angelfish which I like better but grows to six inches. What can be the problems with clams? I also would at least one shrimp to hopefully bond with the gobie. I also like sea slugs and sea stars, problems? Following is the lighting; Tank size 18 inches wide 22 inches long 22 inches high

Lighting Specifications
Light CycleLED WattageColorCurrentHoursLumens per LED
Daylight25 x 3W14K700mA50,000120im
Dawn/Dusk4 x 3W466nm700mA50,00033im
Moon2 x 1W456nm350mA50,00015i
How will this work with the different type of corals?

Thanks again already saving me money and aggravation.

 

[flower]

Okay I see the logic I will not try to put an Anemone in my tank. I do like the dwarf angelfish I see a lot of them grow to six inches. Would that be too big for my 28 gal. tank. One that stands out that would be small in the multi-colored angelfish 3 1/2 inches max. however it is much more expensive then the lemonpeel angelfish which I like better but grows to six inches. What can be the problems with clams? I also would at least one shrimp to hopefully bond with the gobie. I also like sea slugs and sea stars, problems? Following is the lighting; Tank size 18 inches wide 22 inches long 22 inches high

Lighting Specifications
Light CycleLED WattageColorCurrentHoursLumens per LED
Daylight25 x 3W14K700mA50,000120im
Dawn/Dusk4 x 3W466nm700mA50,00033im
Moon2 x 1W456nm350mA50,00015i
How will this work with the different type of corals?

Thanks again already saving me money and aggravation.

Hi,

The Lemonpeel was my all time favorite fish after the seahorse, I've had two over the years. A dwarf angel doesn't need too much swim space, they like to go in and out of the rock work, so make some caves. They only get to be about 4 inches, I have never seen one 6 inches...maybe in the ocean. Many fish just don't get that big in captivity, maybe we don't feed them enough during their young growth years because it pollutes the tank. The only drawback of any dwarf angelfish is that we can only keep one per tank...otherwise I would have a tank full of them.

LED lighting is not something I can help with, I got out of keeping a reef about the same time they came out, so I really don't know anything about them. There are so many folks on this site that can guide you on lighting so don't worry about that. However do get the best lighting you can afford if you want coral. Just remember, there is a coral for every type of lighting, from super strong to none at all.

Clams need really strong lighting, however angelfish nip at them, so you can't keep clams with the any angelfish. A cleaner shrimp will take rides on the fish, cleaning them as they go. IMO, Shrimps in general are just entertaining.