Wanting to add mushrooms or sponges....

[saltypatti]

I have not posted here in a long time, but I am now needing some help to keep going on getting my reef tank where I want it to be. This is what I have:
55 gallon glass aquarium
Penquin 330 with dual biowheels
sea clone protein skimmer
heater set at 78 degrees
60 pounds of live sand
70 pounds of live rock
standard 48 inch bulb(came with tank)
For my critters:
Pajama cardinal
bi-color angel
bar goby
fox face
sergent major damsel
sand sifting starfish
a few scarlet hermits
a few blue leg hermits
about four turbo snails
This tank is 1 1/2 years up and running. What I want to know is can I add any other fish or inverts? What types of corals, sponges, or mushrooms can I get. I want the easiest to take care of. I do have a 10,000K coral life light, but I have not put it in. Just bought it today. I had a real algae problem. I hope I solved today, but scrubbing all the rocks, doing a 25% water change, using RO water and I ordered a cleanup crew of snails and hermit crabs. I also am going to cut down on how long my lights are on. I accidentally left them on for a week while on vacation. Algae was nasty. So much better now.
I read the post about the sand sifting star, I have had mine for 6 months, so I am going to monitor it for the next 6 months. I hope that it does not starve. If if does, I will not get another one.
I am also looking into getting a powerhead. The LFS is a little pricy, so I will have to wait for a few months or so.
I mainly want to add color to my tank so I can enjoy it more. I would like to have a few more starfish, a few more colorful and active fish and some very colorful sponges, corals, and mushrooms. So where do I begin? I do not want anything that would be agressive and possibly kill any of the fish. I am not crazy about anemones. I also would like to have clams and scallops. I know that I may need better lighting so I can wait on this.
Here is the water parameters:
PH 8.0
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 0
temp 78
I also have a quarantine tank that has basically the same levels. It is a 20 gallon tank with basic filtration and basic lighting.
I figured it was easier to make a long post and tell you everything I have since I think that it would help in answering my questions. Any suggestions and how to move forward would be helpful.
Thanks!!!

 

[gati]

i would look to see if bi-color angels are reef safe, I'm not sure off the top of my head. a lot of angels aren't, so that would mean no corals. my only other thing is the pj cardinal. you need to see if they are compatable with inverts. I have a bangaii and he is fine with all of mine. i'm at work, so don't have any of my books with me.
if they are invert safe, get an arrow crab. mine is one of my favorite things in the tank. decorator crabs are amazing too.

 

[mbrands]

Originally posted by saltypatti
[BI do have a 10,000K coral life light, but I have not put it in. Just bought it today. [/B]
Check the packaging, but I think the bulb you bought is only 40 watts. You will be extremely limited with that lighting. Maybe some low light mushrooms, thats all I know of. I'd take the bulb back for a refund and look into purchasing some higher powered lights. If you are happy with mushrooms and soft corals, you only need PC, not MH.
Powerheads shouldn't be too expensive, but I guess it depends on how much you can spend. Have you looked at major retailers like ***** and Petsmart? I've found, at least in Arizona, that they usually charge less for hardgoods/equipment than the smaller specialty LFS do. You could find them even cheaper through an online retailer.
Congrats on keeping your tank up and running so well for 18 months! You water conditions sound great.

 

[saltypatti]

He does not really pick on any of the inverts. I have never seen him pick on them. He has a tendency to fight with the other fish, but usually only if he is bothered. He mostly hovers and minds his own business. The LFS that I bought the bicolor angel from said that it is reef safe. I see it pick at the live rock, but since I do not have any coral, I will not know for sure if it will damage them. Do you know if it will eat mushrooms or sponges. What do you think about urchins???
I am going to check the lights I got and see if I need to get higher powered ones. I mainly wanted to know what kind of critters I can add and what kind of light they might need. What is best for a beginner.
I am happy to have had my tank up and running for 18 months. I did have a wipeout and some sick fish, and I wanted to give up but I stuck it out!
Thanks for the advice.
Patti

 

[ophiura]

Typically, the standard light on a tank will really not be suitable for corals of any sort. Even if you could, IMO, it would be pretty marginal. Even a dual strip would be better, but I agree, just adding some power compacts would open up a lot more opportunities.
Lighting has got to be one of the biggest topics on these boards. Lots of info out there, and it is also one of the biggest investments.
If you look at a few pictures, see some corals you like, that may be a better way to go rather than get a bit more lighting and then want to get more animals and need to upgrade again. Seems like your real patient with things...I would look around a bit and see what you like.

 

[saltypatti]

I have a 48 inch hood. Can I buy two 24 inch hoods and put two different power compacts in there. I like the actnic blue light.
As for the animals, I really like the different color sponges, mushrooms and corals. I would like to find some that are great for beginners. Preferably the hardiest and easiest to take care of. Also, I don't want corals if I have to worry about them stinging the fish. Is this a problem. Would it be better to get things like kelp, maiden's hair and shaving brush???
I mainly just want color. I will take back the light I bought and I will make sure to get a better one. The light is only 40watts.
Thanks,
Patti

 

[saltypatti]

If I get power compacts, it sounds like I have to have a ballast to run that??? How much are those usually? The lighting post that was put on for new hobbyist suggests that VHO is actually a better light for corals. What is a good price for these and do they also have to a ballast to run them?
What kind of lighting do the plants need like the maiden's hair, kelp or shaving brush??? What about feather duster's do they need light???
I forgot to also ask, is it just corals that need better lighting or does the mushrooms and sponges need better lighting too??
Any information is helpful!
Patti

 

[mbrands]

Originally posted by saltypatti
If I get power compacts, it sounds like I have to have a ballast to run that??? How much are those usually? The lighting post that was put on for new hobbyist suggests that VHO is actually a better light for corals. What is a good price for these and do they also have to a ballast to run them?

The debate is never ending on here between what lighting is best, but more powerful lighting will require a different ballast. I would suggest doing more research on previous threads using the "search" function to decide what you'd need. Once you have it narrowed down it is easy to search online retailers to find the best price.
Originally posted by saltypatti
What kind of lighting do the plants need like the maiden's hair, kelp or shaving brush??? What about feather duster's do they need light???
None of those require higher powered lighting that the standard flourescent (sp?) that you currently have.
Originally posted by saltypatti
I forgot to also ask, is it just corals that need better lighting or does the mushrooms and sponges need better lighting too??

Corals and mushrooms will require "better" lighting. I don't know much about sponges, but from what I've read they don't require as much light. I think it is best to keep them under an overhanging piece of LR. I'm sure someone will correct me if thats wrong.