new 30 gal. reef
- Thread starter greggy
- Start date
fab71
Member
Hello and welcome to the board. Though I'm a newbie myself I'll help you with some of the basics and hopefully someone else will jump in and fill in anything I missed. I started a 30 gallon about 6 weeks ago and so far everything is great. You'll need a hydrometer, heater, salt mix, filter(optional), good protein skimmer, power heads( I have four), a good testkit, live sand(4-6 inches) and live rock (1.5-2 lbs per gallon). The live rock and deep sand bed will provide for the biological filtration. Start the cycle with this instead of live fish. You can upgrade your lights or build your own and the types you want depend on what kind of coral you want to keep in the future. There's much more info but these are the basics. The clean up crew can probably be added after 1-2 months depending on your water parameters. I'm receiving mine tomorrow from this site. I shopped around and they have the best prices, free shipping and you can pick what you want. I would wait a few months before adding any coral and 6 months before trying out any anemone's. Do a lot of research before beginning and read a couple of recommended books. This hobby takes a lot of patience and preparation. Good luck and welcome aboard.
fab71
Member
I'm just starting out and don't have much experience but I'll tell you what I have and will be getting from the info I've read so far. My favorite fish is the percula. He's very active and hardy and the color is fantastic. I wouldn't go with damsels because they can get nasty with other fish, especially in a small tank. Royal Gramma, lawnmower blenny, and firefish are high on my list for reef tanks.
As far as inverts I'm getting 10 scarlet reef hermits and 10 blue legs (scavenger and algae eaters), 1 emerald crab (bubble algae eater), a pepermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, 5 trochus snails and a serpent star. There's more but these were at the top of my list.
I've read that mushrooms are one of the hardiest and good for beginners. I'll probably add a few of these and wait 3-4 months before adding anything else. Make sure to research each coral before buying it to find out eating habits, lighting and water current preference. Corals are best to add after a few months(6) after your cycle. You will find tons of lifeforms on your live rock and sand to keep you busy. The reef crew will definitely keep you entertained until then. Don't put anything in your tank before doing the research on it.
As far as inverts I'm getting 10 scarlet reef hermits and 10 blue legs (scavenger and algae eaters), 1 emerald crab (bubble algae eater), a pepermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp, 5 trochus snails and a serpent star. There's more but these were at the top of my list.
I've read that mushrooms are one of the hardiest and good for beginners. I'll probably add a few of these and wait 3-4 months before adding anything else. Make sure to research each coral before buying it to find out eating habits, lighting and water current preference. Corals are best to add after a few months(6) after your cycle. You will find tons of lifeforms on your live rock and sand to keep you busy. The reef crew will definitely keep you entertained until then. Don't put anything in your tank before doing the research on it.
karlas
Member
fab 71 is on the right track if you get enough ls an lr you can skip on the mechanicla filter. but as far as the skimmer that is optional or can come later, thats based on preference.
as far as clean up crew that depends on the person also some people go with crabs and snails, just crabs or just snails. turbos, trochus, stomatellas are great for alges. nassarious, bumblebees, and conchs help clean the sand and help eat the left over junk. and maby a starfish.
scarlet reef hermits are supposed to be the least aggressive of the crabs.
damsels are very hardy but get really aggressive with age and can harrass other fish. perculas and firefish are great beginner fish and are both very hardy. also green chromises and bangaii cardinals are also. cleaner shrimp are very good and help prevent against ick.
as far as corals they shouldn't be put in a tank less than 6 months and anenomes less than a year. also anenomes should only be kept by experienced people they are very very hard to keep
as far as clean up crew that depends on the person also some people go with crabs and snails, just crabs or just snails. turbos, trochus, stomatellas are great for alges. nassarious, bumblebees, and conchs help clean the sand and help eat the left over junk. and maby a starfish.
scarlet reef hermits are supposed to be the least aggressive of the crabs.
damsels are very hardy but get really aggressive with age and can harrass other fish. perculas and firefish are great beginner fish and are both very hardy. also green chromises and bangaii cardinals are also. cleaner shrimp are very good and help prevent against ick.
as far as corals they shouldn't be put in a tank less than 6 months and anenomes less than a year. also anenomes should only be kept by experienced people they are very very hard to keep
fallensynner
Member
fish-- yelow stripe cling fish, harptail blenny, yellow head jawfish, pistol shrimp/goby partnership, panda goby and more...
inverts-- fire shrimp, pom pom crab, maximus clam, marble starfish, lettuce nudibranch, 1 emerald crab, pistol shrimp/goby partnership and more...
corals-- giant green polyp, yellow button, brown button, white pompom/pusating xenia, blue/loipop tunicate, alveopora coral, big polyp blasto coral, neon pinn. tree coral and more...
good luck with ur tank
inverts-- fire shrimp, pom pom crab, maximus clam, marble starfish, lettuce nudibranch, 1 emerald crab, pistol shrimp/goby partnership and more...
corals-- giant green polyp, yellow button, brown button, white pompom/pusating xenia, blue/loipop tunicate, alveopora coral, big polyp blasto coral, neon pinn. tree coral and more...
good luck with ur tank
coral keeper
Active Member
lol, did you even look at the date of this thread?
greggy Last Activity: 12-31-1969 07:00 PM
lol...
greggy Last Activity: 12-31-1969 07:00 PM
lol...