My "Fishlist", Your Experience with this Site, and Their Protein Skimmer

[darkslide820]

Hi people. As I said in another thread, I got myself a 55-gallon tank and have to wait a couple months to get it running. So I have ample time to get ideas for my fishies. Here's the list of what I'm checking out. Throughout my research I think that these seem to be pretty good matches, except for a few notes that I've included below. If anyone has any thoughts on these, let me know so I don't end up having an unfriendly tank (I've suffered enough of that with my freshwater tank).
Definites:
Flame Angel (this site says it should be peaceful w/o other angelfish)
Regular Orange False Percula Clownfish (of course)
Blue Hippo Tang (I eventually found out this is also in "Finding Nemo." Ugh)
Mandarin Dragonet - Green (site says it should be peaceful)
Blueleg Hermit Crabs (because hermit crabs are friggin awesome)
Royal Gramma Basslet (site says peaceful so long as it's the only basslet, which it will be)
Maybes:
Blue Damsel, Yellowtail Blue Damsel, or 4 Stripe Damsel (aggressive?)
Yellow Tang (maybe, website says it's "Bold" but anytime I see it in a pet store it doesn't fight other fish; I've even seen in it a tank w/ the Blue Hippo Tang)
Black & White False Percula Clownfish (fish looks great, but I think two different types of clownfish don't mix)
Purple Lobster (I love this thing, but site says "bold" and I already have a nocturnal lobster that I never see)
A question I have related to getting the fish is if it would help me to get them from this website. Reason I ask: the 101 guide on the message boards suggests to put your fish in a quarantine tank for 3 weeks to monitor its health and parasites. This site claims it takes excellent care of the fish while they're in storage and the active message board indicates to me that it should be a reputable company. So I think it would help me out if I knew ordering fish from here would save me time from not having to quarantine them. Anyone here actually order from the site before and can share experience?
Last question: I have a Aqua Clear 110 gallon filter for the tank and would like to avoid a crazy setup. I don't want to skimp on equipment, however, and then be stuck doing water changes every day and losing fish. I found an in-tank protein skimmer on this site (Red Sea Berlin Air) for a 90 gallon tank for only $38. I wanted to know if having these two items would be sufficient for the tank (again, it's 55 gallons) or if there's any other filtration equipment that I would really need.
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[gio28]

sounds pretty good...as far as the fish, i dont think 1 let alone 2 tangs in that size tank would be a good idea. they both need some more swimming room IMO, to make them happy. the mandarin cant be kept unless you have a fuge to provide pods for it. also damsels are evil, you will regret it probably, and two clowns in the tank is a no no.
SWF is a very good place to order anything from

i have only ordered inverts so im not sure about the whole QT fish thing.

 

[jetskiking]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3139173

sounds pretty good...as far as the fish, i dont think 1 let alone 2 tangs in that size tank would be a good idea. they both need some more swimming room IMO, to make them happy. the mandarin cant be kept unless you have a fuge to provide pods for it. also damsels are evil, you will regret it probably, and two clowns in the tank is a no no.
SWF is a very good place to order anything from

i have only ordered inverts so im not sure about the whole QT fish thing.
I agree on everything but the clowns. Two pairs in that size tank is probably a bad idea but I believe that a 1 true perc and 1 B/W ocellaris could be kept together.

 

[aquaknight]

Agreed on the tangs. Unfortunately a 55gal is not just big enough for either of them for any extended period of time.
Same with the mandarin. You won't be able to have enough rock in a 55gal to sustain enough pods for the mandarin without a remote refugium. However with the refugium, there has to be an established population of pods for them. This takes typically 6 months, and is the suggested wait time before adding a mandarin.
Filtration, as long as you keep the bioload reasonable, you don't need crazy filtration. That Red Sea Berlin is a bit of a joke when it comes to skimmers. In the world of "you get what you pay for" its 9about forever true with skimmers. If you want a good skimmer without a sump, look into the AquaC Remora Pro.
Yea, not 100% sure on the clowns either, but indeed two different pairs of clowns in the same tank will not work, but one standard ocellaris (regular orange false percula) and one B/W ocellaris will probably work out okay. Ask for small ones.
Quality fish, and disease free, have very little to do with one another. Quality fish means just that, fish that are fat, healthy, and alert. This is why it's strongly suggested you practice a good QT procedure for 3 weeks, since many diseases take that long to "show up" on a fish. The average retailer only has the fish in their possession for a couple days. Enough to see if it's a good fish, but not nearly long enough to guarantee for diseases.
What about something like this for a fishlist?
Ocellaris Clown
B/W Ocellaris clown
Flame angel
Mandarin (only with a refugium, and the waiting period)
Blue Reef Chromis (instead of the damsels to avoid aggression)
Royal Gramma
Cleaner shrimp (instead of the lobster)
Hermit crabs

 

[gio28]

i agree on that fish list.
if you want a real cool looking fish try a McCosker's Flasher Wrasse...you will need to make sure it dosent jump out by adding a netting lid or something, they are beautiful fish.

 

[eric b 125]

if you have a couple months before your floors get done, why dont you work on adding a sump/fuge into the mix? getting equipment is all part of the fun, IMO (even though it's not always pocket-friendly).

 

[small triggers]

also, i think people are forgetting that you may want a lobster, great animal, though its gonna kill your fish in the middle of the night to eat them... You need to be looking at smaller fish (when full grown that is unless you are planning to upgrade in a few years). Tangs are out, the dragonet can be done but you are going to have to wait atleast 6-9 months and check your pod population in the dark of night a few times before attempting one. One of each kind of clown should be fine, the flame angel is wonderful, and i love the basselet but he should be added last, becuase they can be territorial. Other than that, you may want to look into cardinalfish, gobies, smaller reef safe wrasses, blennies or maybe a small hawkfish... GOOD LUCK and planning ahead eases so many headaches that impulse buys cause...

 

[small triggers]

and dont forget to check C-list, the bay and how to make home-made equipment,,,sump/fuge's are fairly simple and inexpensive if you make rather than buy...
SO what do you have so far???

 

[darkslide820]

Dang. Thanks for all the input guys. Wasn't expecting this much opinion already.
I don't know if it makes a difference to what you guys had in mind but the size of my tank is 48 long deep, 12 inches deep, 18 inches tall. Don't know if this makes a difference when you're talking about it not being big enough for tangs, but oh well.
Thanks for the input on the lobster, but like I hinted at in my first post I don't think I'm going for it anymore. I already have a crayfish in my fw tank that I spent $22 on and I barely see him, so I don't think I'm gonna get one for the sw tank. But damn, it looks good!
I looked up the Cleaner Shrimp and the Blue Reef Chromis (thanks AquaKnight). Looks good.
Good to here that a few of you think the Orange clown and the B/W clown would work.
What I have so far is the filter I mentioned before, a heater, and that's it. The guy who had it before me used it for fw.
[Edit]
If I'm getting the clownfish, I'll prob get a couple of anemone for them. Does this sound like a problem for the other fish I'm looking to put in there?
And if I want to put sand in the tank as the substrate, is this a problem for any fish? I've heard that some fish don't do well with the sand (doesn't make sense to me, though, because fish live in the ocean with sand)

 

[gio28]

i would add some powerheads if you dont have any already. also, if your tank is that long adding a tang might be ok cause although i dont own one, i know that they like to swim the length of the tank. but i would only add one.
cleaner shrimp are very cool, and they love to clean everything, including your hand. mine is always out and about so i see him all the time.

 

[gio28]

an anemone needs an established tank and great water quality...later on you can ad done for sure.

 

[darkslide820]

Regarding the mandarin dragonet: I found on the website that they sell copepods for $13. Cool?
And, yes, I think I do have a powerhead from the guy who used to have the tank. Nice!

 

[gio28]

you would have to keep on replenishing the supply...unless you have a fuge (they will breed in there are maintain their population safe from the fish)

 

[egill]

Originally Posted by gio28
http:///forum/post/3139514

i would add some powerheads if you dont have any already. also, if your tank is that long adding a tang might be ok cause although i dont own one, i know that they like to swim the length of the tank. but i would only add one.
cleaner shrimp are very cool, and they love to clean everything, including your hand. mine is always out and about so i see him all the time.
Tangs should have 6' of tank to swim in. I have 2 small ones in my 75 but will be transfered to my 240g when they grow a little more.

 

[darkslide820]

Originally Posted by small triggers
http:///forum/post/3139458
and dont forget to check C-list, the bay and how to make home-made equipment,,,sump/fuge's are fairly simple and inexpensive if you make rather than buy...
SO what do you have so far???
If I get a sump, does that minimize how often I would have to do a water change?

 

[xcali1985]

Originally Posted by Darkslide820
http:///forum/post/3140137
If I get a sump, does that minimize how often I would have to do a water change?
No in fact it increases your overall WC volume. By adding a sump you can take all the equipment out of your DT and into that. Giving you the ability to use the entire tank for rock formation. I personally do not use powerheads anymore. What I did was take whats called a spray bar on my return.
It has about 20 nozzles sticking out of it and you can turn and aim them in any way. its right below the water line, IE: minimal siphon. Youll need to buy a very high rated return pump as I did to get a powerhead type feel to the water flow. With the black background its almost completely invisible.
Ill take some pictures if you have trouble understanding what im talking about just let me know.

 

[darkslide820]

Nah, I think I get it.
So I guess my next question is this:
With the filter I have and live sand, with the fish listed above, about how often should I expect water changes? And to avoid buying tons and tons of sea salt, how can I minimize this?

 

[gio28]

i go by every week i do a 10% change. im not sure on this...but it really depends on if you need to keep your params in check and the fact that your saltwater needs to have its elements and such replenished. for a 55 maybe do 5 gallons every week or every two weeks do at least 10. thats what i would do at least. someone please correct me if im wrong, but IMO i think that with 40% of your water changed every month you should be fine unless you are having trouble keeping params in check

 

[xcali1985]

Your WC would depend on whats in the tank, If you have corals, snails, etc. or anything that uses a lot of minerals quickly then I would go with weekly or biweekly. I personally do 5 gallons a week on an 80. Thats 25% a month which I think is fine without corals.
BTW, skimmers, carbon, etc. all remove minerals that will need to be replaced.

 

[darkslide820]

Which of my fish would use a lot of minerals?