No filter setup...possible to self-sustain?

joez

joez

Member
I am just finishing up bulding a 23gallon tank with a 7gal built in refugium. I'm going to put the following in the tank:
2 Gold Stripe Maroon Clown Fish
1 SFE
1 Puffer (not sure what type yet)
I'll also have about 5lbs of live rock and around 30lbs of base rock hoping to turn that into live rock as well. Along with live sand, will the refugium be enough (considering it's 1/4 the size of the overall tank) to filter for these 4 things living in the tank or will I need to put something else on?
 
moorishidol

moorishidol

New Member
small powerhead perhaps? for water movement. Need oxygen! I highly recommend eclipse tanks for this small of a tank. Mainly because of the built in bio wheel filter. You just need to understand that fish crap and what are you going to take it out with? leave it in and you get ammonia which in turn kills. I would go with eclipse or buy a bio wheel fo it. You might be able to get away with a powerhead with a sponge filter attached. I doubt it but hey, you never know.
 
demosthenes

demosthenes

Active Member
Sorry, but you just cannot keep a SFE in a 23G tank, especially not with the bioload the Puffer and the Clowns will add.
 
joez

joez

Member
The SFE is small right now and I'll be moving in 6 months so he'll get abuot a 200 gal tank then. Right now I have a PVC pipe he *loves* and hardly comes out of calling it home.
Sorry for not being specific enough before...as for water movement, I will certainly have a powerhead of atleast 150gph just to flow some water...but I'm wondering if I need another filter besides the refugium. If it would, I'll add a skimmer to the mix.
Moorish, I already have the tank built (nearly complete, atleast) so what ever is to be done must be custom built.
 
jlem

jlem

Active Member
MoorishIdol, the refugium and the live rock will work for biofiltration so a biowheel is not needed. The whole purpose of rock and the refugium is biological filtration. Did you think that ammonia would build up and kill the fish if a biowheel was not present. A biowheel does not instantly reduce ammonia and nitrite. The biowheel has to cycle as with all biofiltration methods.
Are you new to the hobby Moorish, I don't mean to be insulting but you should know the basics of the different types of biological filtration methods before you give advice on filtration.
Joez, with a new tank and that bioload you probably should daily check your ammonia and nitrite levels to avoid to big spike. If you notice ammonia or nitrite building up then do some good water changes to knock the levels down.
 
fshhub

fshhub

Active Member
I definitely agree that the sfe would be pushing it, but so would the rest of the stocking plan, thsi is one that should be rethought well, before continuing. That would be a heavy load for that tank. Unless they are juvies and the term would be 6 months or less. and maybe even then.
 
cjburden

cjburden

Member
This fish is very agressive against other clownfish. It shoud be kept singly or bought as a mated pair. They are very hardy, and will happily live in various large pacific anemones.
right, so unless you're getting a mated pair, than don't get 2 of them because they won't get along. I've heard maroon clowns are VERY fussy, and keep in mind they are quite large as adults for a clown species. I believe around 6" is the average adult. The rule of thumb for a freshly established tank under 6 months is 1 inch of fish per 4 gallons (roughly of course, taking into consideration overall shape of a fish). After 6 months it can be UP to 1 inch per 2 gallons, but you shouldn't go more than that. 2 adult clowns in an established 23 gallon tank would put you at JUST about your limit, and you also want a puffer, so you might want to rule out the puffer, or decide on a different species of clownfish. I didn't mention the SFE because you said he'd be moved anyways.
 
joez

joez

Member
Those who are trying to help, thank you.
This tank is setup only for a mated pair of maroon clowns. I don't plan on keeping them in any longer than 6 months, and will purchase as juvi's. The SFE I want to add in there because my mother enjoys it and would like to put it out in the livingroom where I'm putting this tank. He, too, is small, being only about 8".
I figured putting a puffer would push it too much, so that is why I was asking.
Basically I just want the tank for the SFE and a mated pair of gold stipe maroons. I also would like to add a buble tip anomone, but will wait to insure tank is stable first. If the levels do get erratic, I'll put a protien skimmer on it with bioballs.
 
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