PLEASE check out your intended fish purchases here first!

[MOOSE1504]

thanks guys for the new site info and thanks for clearing up all the bs i got from that other site.

[CHRIS NEILL]

4ft by 2ft with 2.5ft sump 69kg live rock will get corral none as yet
2 clown fish 1 bicolour bleeney.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by MOOSE1504

http://www.aquacon.com/saltwater_fish_aquarium.html

This is a web site that I just found and have been looking at the fish on to get a idea of what I want my tank to have. I'm not tiring to chap any ones a$$ here I am wanting to learn from other mistakes to save the heart ache

Google "Aquacon reviews". Good way to learn something.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by CHRIS NEILL

4ft by 2ft with 2.5ft sump 69kg live rock will get corral none as yet
2 clown fish 1 bicolour bleeney.

So far, no problem. But I hope that live rock is distributed between your display tank and your sump. It sounds like a lot for your sized tank. What kind of corals do you plan to keep? And W E L C O M E . . . T O. . . R E E F . . . C E N T R A L !

[CHRIS NEILL]

yes it is between the sump and dt also the australian reefing frourms sugest that i need about another 20 kg of live rock

the fish i plan on having so far are the 2 clowns
bicolour bleeney
scribbed rabbitfish
kole tang
6 line wrass
coral beauty
sand sifting goby

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by CHRIS NEILL

yes it is between the sump and dt also the australian reefing frourms sugest that i need about another 20 kg of live rock

the fish i plan on having so far are the 2 clowns
bicolour bleeney
scribbed rabbitfish
kole tang tank is a bit small
6 line wrass Highly aggressive
coral beauty
sand sifting goby will deplete your beneficial sand critters and starve

[Phuster]

20 gallon tall mixed reef aquarium
Aqua Remora C skimmer
30 lbs of live rock
3" deep sand bed

Current fish:
Banggai Cardinalfish
Ocellaris Clownfish
Six-Lined Wrasse
Yellow Watchman Goby..

Thinking about getting Blue Spot Jawfish....What do you guys think?

[Toddrtrex]

Originally Posted by Phuster

20 gallon tall mixed reef aquarium
Aqua Remora C skimmer
30 lbs of live rock
3" deep sand bed

Current fish:
Banggai Cardinalfish
Ocellaris Clownfish
Six-Lined Wrasse
Yellow Watchman Goby..

Thinking about getting Blue Spot Jawfish....What do you guys think?

I would pass --- already, IMO, at the stocking limit for that sized tank. Not sure the Yellow watchman would like the new addition. Almost positive that the 6 line wouldn't. Blue spots, besides being jumpers, have an awful track record of survival.

[Angel*Fish]

Originally Posted by MOOSE1504

SAND STAR
This peaceful omnivore will effectively clean even the largest home aquarium of detritus and left over food.
Description: The Sand Sifting Sea Star efficiently consumes mass amounts of detritus and uneaten food. A great addition to any reef tank, this nocturnally active sea star will move large amounts of sand as it burrows into the substrate in its search for food

LINCKIA STAR
These Stars feed on algae found on aquarium glass, rockwork, and substrate. They are completely reef safe and are a must have for anyone with either a fish-only or reef tank.
Diet:If introduced to a large well established aquarium, very little needs to be done to supplement Linckias. The bacterial film that comprises the mainstay of the Linckias diet usually appears in abundance in well established and seasoned aquariums.


IF THESE INFO IS WRONG PLEASE LET ME KNOW

Here's a little more explanation about the sand sifting star. I found this on another site. Greenbean is also here and very knowledgeable.

Poster: I have a sand sifting starfish, in a thirty gallon tank with only about an inch of sand. And I hafta say he's been great! He's the one critter that's been in my tank the longest, just over a year now.
Greenbean's response: This is the kind of thinking that makes them so popular in the hobby. However, people don't realize that inverts have pretty weird biology. These stars are theoretically immortal, but in the hobby they rarely last much longer than 2 years. The fact is that they can go about 12-18 months without eating anything before they finally show any outwards signs of ill health. Couple that with a few months of actually feeding off the infauna, and you get the normal captive lifespan.

[Angel*Fish]

On Linckia stars -- here's an informative RC post from this thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=linckia The poster is a marine biologist who specializes in stars.

Ophiuroid: Couple of things. We know A LOT about these animals. We know most of them die, and we know why. They die of acclimation shock or starvation.

But exposure to air/skin causing death is an old wive's tale. As long as they do not dry out, this is not causing them harm. Handling at the LFS is certainly not the primary cause of death.

The disintegration noted is entirely due to osmotic/acclimation shock which sets in within a MONTH of introduction or major disturbance (eg large water change or salinity swing, temp spike, buffering accident, etc). The overwhelming majority of Linkia or Fromia sp stars will die of acclimation shock within a month, either due to the hobbyist, the LFS or initial supplier.

Most of those that survive will die in 9-12 months of starvation.

In order to keep them, you must start with a healthy specimen from an LFS or supplier that keeps their invert systems at high specific gravity (1.025-1.026) and acclimates the stars. These stars should be acclimated for a minimum of 4 hours, using a drip method, and keeping temperature at tank temperature. Any white spots, mucous, etc is a bad sign and the animal should be avoided.

The tank should be no younger than 6 months old with pristine water conditions, including specific gravity in the 1.025-1.026 range. These stars are incredibly sensitive to fluctuations in pH, alk, and salinity.

A minimum tank size, IMO, for a best chance of success with a blue Linckia is 100g with 150lbs of LR. The larger, the better...the smaller, the riskier and rarer it is to succeed.

Keep in mind that these animals CAN NOT be spot fed, so adding algae, squid, shrimp etc will do nothing. They eat microbial/bacterial films, encrusting animals (sponges, bryozoans) or otherwise, but NOT nuisance algae or detritus. When something has such a specific narrow diet, you must provide a lot of surface area of LR for them for best results....much of this can take time to regrow as well. It is best to have only one of these types of stars, as competition can be fatal.

Fromia sp stars like Sri Lanka stars seem to have an even more dismal survival record, with most dying in 9-12 months. Their diet, though unknown, is thought to consist of sponges.

The 'hardiest' of the Linckia sp stars is the smaller Linckia multiflora which will reproduce readilt in captivity via arm drops. It has done so in tanks as small as 29 g, assuming there is a lot of LR. This species does come in a blue morph and is most likely that which survives in smaller tanks. True blue Linckia are very large, and survival in tanks smaller than 55g for more than a year is quite rare, and quite unlikely. For best results, keep blue Linckia in much larger, very mature systems. If healthy and happy, the star will reproduce through an arm drop, which is the best way, IMO, one should acquire two of these stars.

The orange Linckia, which is more likely a Henricia, is typically somewhat easier to keep, as is the 6 armed burgandy Linckia (Echinaster luzonicus). Nonetheless, all belong in large, mature tanks after a long acclimation, and preferably without other competition from stars. They have similar dietary needs to a blue. The purple Linckia, most often Tamaria stria, is sometimes accused of being predatory, but I am not convinced of this.

BTW, not all brittlestars and serpentstars are known predators. There is no biological difference between brittle/serpentstars. The green brittle/serpent Ophiarachna is a known predator in the wild, and there are reports of other species showing predatory behavior in captivity....but in no way can one make the generalization that they are all predatory.

In short, these is a huge stress placed on Linckia sp stars from this hobby, and the souvenir trade (go into any shell shop, in any beach resort, and look at the ugly dyed versions). Please only keep them if you truly stand a chance of providing a long term home. Please accept that we KNOW it is rare to keep them in tanks smaller than 55 g. Chances increase over 100g with loads of LR.

Success over a year must be considered the standard for them; anything less is too soon to know, though growth is a good sign.

Healthy true Linckia (blues) should have very stout cylindrical arms. If they seem to be flat, or with a groove down them on the back, that could indicate a problem, as does white or mucousy spots or 'guts' coming out the mouth.

Linckia may also carry a parastic snail on them, usually along the grooves on the bottom of the animal, so look for that in any specimen.

[MOOSE1504]

Thanks Angle for taking the time to look that up.

[Angler7]

This is what i would like for my first 5 fish. Does this order sound ok.

CUC
Foxface Rabbitt
2-Clowns- True Percs
Orchid Dottyback
Lawnmower Blenny (will he disturb cuc to much?)

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by Angler7

This is what i would like for my first 5 fish. Does this order sound ok.

CUC
Foxface Rabbitt
2-Clowns- True Percs
Orchid Dottyback
Lawnmower Blenny (will he disturb cuc to much?)

Look good to me. If your tank is immature, I would add the Foxface a bit later.

[Angel*Fish]

Originally Posted by MOOSE1504

Thanks Angle for taking the time to look that up.

You're welcome!

[Jake622]

I have a pair of maroon clowns in a 350g display. I know they are aggressive but wondering if I could add a pair of false clowns without issue. Is the tank large enough that they will have enough space or is this a bad idea?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Toddrtrex]

Originally Posted by Jake622

I have a pair of maroon clowns in a 350g display. I know they are aggressive but wondering if I could add a pair of false clowns without issue. Is the tank large enough that they will have enough space or is this a bad idea?

Thanks for your thoughts.

As I said in your other thread,

Originally Posted by Toddrtrex

Others have had luck -- and the size of your tank would help -- but this is something that I wouldn't suggest/attempt. It might work in the short term (( 2-3 years )), but that could all change when/if one pair starts to spawn. Maroons, in general, are pretty mean/aggressive, as far as clowns go.

And the kicker, what if it does go wrong -- do you have a back up plan to place the clowns after you catch them, which wouldn't be fun in that sized tank.

[trivan]

Hi and thanks in advance for the help/input.
New 45 gallon cube
Set up for a mixed reef
50 lbs of Marco rock
Swc skimmer
Led lighting
About 1 1/2 inch sand bottom

Week 4 of the cycle and all the parameters are in line. 0 for ammonia and nitrites and 2 nitrates prior to water change yesterday, ~8 ph and 9 alk.

The cuc will hopefully be going in this weekend and the plan for fish/inverts are as follows:
peppermint/fire/cleaner shrimp - I like shrimp
Yellow watchman goby
Purple firefish
Pair of clowns - probably the ocellaris
Anthias - not sure which one, I have to look up which one I've seen in the past
Wrasse - open to suggestions

I'm looking to have more small fish then large. How does the bioload seem- high/low. Can more be added? Suggestions are more then welcome.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by trivan

Hi and thanks in advance for the help/input.
New 45 gallon cube
Set up for a mixed reef
50 lbs of Marco rock
Swc skimmer
Led lighting
About 1 1/2 inch sand bottom

Week 4 of the cycle and all the parameters are in line. 0 for ammonia and nitrites and 2 nitrates prior to water change yesterday, ~8 ph and 9 alk.

The cuc will hopefully be going in this weekend and the plan for fish/inverts are as follows:
peppermint/fire/cleaner shrimp - I like shrimp
Yellow watchman goby
Purple firefish
Pair of clowns - probably the ocellaris
Anthias - not sure which one, I have to look up which one I've seen in the past
Wrasse - open to suggestions

I'm looking to have more small fish then large. How does the bioload seem- high/low. Can more be added? Suggestions are more then welcome.

Sounds like a nice tank. Your tank is a bit small for a group of anthias (you need about 125 gallons for a group) but anthias as a single would be a great choice. Keep in mind they require frequent feeding (2 times per day minimum). If it were my tank, I would skip the clowns. Down the road, they present more problems than they are worth. Instead of clowns, you might consider a pair of flasher wrasses (your tank size is marginally acceptable for those) All else seems fine. 5-6 smaller fish would be about all you could handle with your biological capacity.

[trivan]

Originally Posted by snorvich

Sounds like a nice tank. Your tank is a bit small for a group of anthias (you need about 125 gallons for a group) but anthias as a single would be a great choice. Keep in mind they require frequent feeding (2 times per day minimum). If it were my tank, I would skip the clowns. Down the road, they present more problems than they are worth. Instead of clowns, you might consider a pair of flasher wrasses (your tank size is marginally acceptable for those) All else seems fine. 5-6 smaller fish would be about all you could handle with your biological capacity.

Great, thanks for the advice about the anthias. I'll have to think about that a little more. What are the problem with clowns you are referring to? Would 1 be easier? As with many people, they would be added for the kids.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by trivan

Great, thanks for the advice about the anthias. I'll have to think about that a little more. What are the problem with clowns you are referring to? Would 1 be easier? As with many people, they would be added for the kids.

Well a pair of clowns will sexually mature. They will then pretty much take over your tank and greatly limit your options going forward. But if you don't care about that, clowns and kids seem to go well together.

[trivan]

So getting 1 clown would be a better option here?
Thanks again.

[TheFishMan65]

IMHO they can be pretty territorial also. I have percula and she does not like to share her space.

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by TheFishMan65

IMHO they can be pretty territorial also. I have percula and she does not like to share her space.

I have to agree. And A. percula is one of the least aggressive. But my perspective is one of wanting the most interesting tank rather than having a specific agenda I am trying to fulfill.

[isawill]

Hello,

I have a 135G 6ft long tank that currently has a smaller foxface and a spotted blenny (along with the usual CUC). The tank has plenty of open swimming room with about 150lbs LR.

Below are the fish I am considering. Could you please comment and adivse on order of introduction?

Banggai Cardinal
Firefish
Coral Beauty
Diamond goby
Hippo tang MUST
Clownfish MUST
Mandarin (After I set up my refugium and see pods crawling everywhere...)
Maybe a wrasse and/or Anthias

I plan on mostly LPS/Zoas
Thanks

[snorvich]

Originally Posted by isawill

Hello,

I have a 135G 6ft long tank that currently has a smaller foxface and a spotted blenny (along with the usual CUC). The tank has plenty of open swimming room with about 150lbs LR.

Below are the fish I am considering. Could you please comment and adivse on order of introduction?

Banggai Cardinal
Firefish
Coral Beauty
Diamond goby
Hippo tang MUST Unfortunately the RC recommended tank size is 240 gallons; can you envision a one foot fish in a six foot tank?
Clownfish MUST
Mandarin (After I set up my refugium and see pods crawling everywhere...)
Maybe a wrasse and/or Anthias Well I would suggest a flasher wrasse pair

I plan on mostly LPS/Zoas All of the above would be safe for these corals except the coral beauty
Thanks