Need some advice from people who have more experience than me.

[tangyreefer05]

Hello
I recently setup a 30g (36" long) as a species only tank for a fish or mantis shrimp. I then changed my mind and wanted a community tank with upgraded lights (250w MH) and have it setup with inverts and try to grow some sponges, maybe a coral, anemone, and not add fish until at least 6+ months. I sat down and thought about my tank today and I am getting carried away because I don't think it can ever be a small 'reef'. I know it will lead to trouble and lost $, correct.. I don't want to put money into this tank to be honest because I want to build a reef setup the right way when I get a house.

30g 36"
20lbs live rock as my biological. I can add more than 20lbs if needed
Now here is what hurts - NO sump and NO skimmer or UV.
I am running a magnum 250 canister which is a mechanical filtration pad wrapped around a chamber holding a marine based carbon and a chemi-pure bag, which is cleaned weekly.

Now what ever choice I go with I think I need to buy a H.O.T. skimmer. I know that the corals will probably starve from no sump supplying food, so a fowlr would be my best route if they are not reef fish. I am worried if I do a community tank it won't work and the critters will starve, the shrimp and things(is this right?) I would be happy with a anemone and a pair of clowns... It's pretty hard to decide but I know I am limited with my setup. Maybe I should just keep it a species tank and when I get a better setup for a reef in a year or two, this could be a matured tank for breeding cardinals or use as a QT tank maybe.

So should I make it a mantis tank? fish only with live rock like a frog fish? or do you think I could get away with housing a variety of crustations and maybe some anemones, zoos, a few hardy corals with proper lights.

anyway, thanks for any advice you can give

[dc_909]

You do not need a sump to have a reef tank. This is my 80, it has been running for 5+ years with no sump. I haven't had a skimmer on it in years. Uv is also not needed.

[RedEyeElf]

if you keep your fish bioload low, with LOTS of LS and LR, you can get away with no skimmer, just test often and do water changes

I got my latest CPR skimmer for $25-30 on RC used equipment forum
you will spend more than that on snails

[RedEyeElf]

oh, and wait ATLEAST 6 months before trying a anemone
they need a mature system, I would say 8-12 months

[Scuba_Steve]

UV is absolutely not necessary, forget about that for that small of a tank. More LR would be good, at least 10 more lbs, 20-25 more if possible. You could use a hob skimmer, or a hob overflow so you can get a sump. a sump doesnt feed your corals btw, it is just a place to keep unsightly equipment, and add more water volume. A refugium on the other hand, often included in a sump, helps export nutrients, and provides a safe place for pods to thrive. These will feed your fish more than your corals. Corals will get food, especially if you feed some things that are made for them, like cyclopeze.

[tangyreefer05]

Good info thank you. What kind of cleaner crew should I get, and when.? I was going to shop online since my LFS around here doesn't seem like a good place to get a lot of inverts. Right now i have a few brown polyps that appear kind of purple when shrunk. They have pretty long tentacles and get pretty large and I am wondering if they are good or bad, sadly I don't have a camera. I can try to find one to borrow off someone.

[tangyreefer05]

This is the best resemblance of what I think I have. Mine are smaller, however my brother has much bigger ones where mine came from.. He has a lot of them and they are spread out everywhere, some on the glass, powerheads, skimmer, lots on rocks. Since I just setup my tank I only see 2 of them on my rock, then 3 others that I took from his tank (opps??). We got our live rock from the same source from different times.

[drummereef]

Aiptasia. A pest for sure. I also run a 40 gallon reef tank w/o sump. I do have a skimmer though. Balance is key. Keep the bioload low and keep up on water changes and you'll be fine.


dc_909 - Beautiful tank!!!

[dc_909]

Thank you

[tangyreefer05]

What is the best method for removal of my Aiptasia?

[dc_909]

Peppermint shrimp along with kalk blasting.

[tangyreefer05]

Easy enough, I can get a peppermint shrimp. Will one be okay? I tried searching for kalk blasting but no luck, what does it mean?

Thanks, btw nice tank

[dc_909]

Mix kalk and RO water ( in high concentration) and suck into suringe. Blast teach aiptasia with the mixture.

I have 1 pep in my 80 with no aiptasia

[sjj80]

Try Joe's Juice for Aiptasia, it worked good when I had Aiptasia in my tank.

In a tank as small as yours you can find nano skimmers that are small and HOT, nano fish, and nano coral packs. For a refugium there are small in-tank refuges that are fairly inexpensive, or since your tank is 36" you could buy a HOT refuge.

I would definitely reccommend purchasing a skimmer and stay on top of water changes.

Good Luck!!!

[melev]

Originally posted by dc_909
You do not need a sump to have a reef tank. This is my 80, it has been running for 5+ years with no sump. I haven't had a skimmer on it in years. Uv is also not needed.

Nice tank!

[Sk8r]

Pretty tank!

And no, I've run a 30 long with a penguin filter and lower grade light and had softies [buttons, polyps, mushrooms] and small fish, no problem. Lot of hair algae, but those were the days BE [before equipment.] I have a reef and don't use a UV. I do have a sump and skimmer. Look into used equipment: don't pay through the nose, don't mod it, don't abuse it, and you can probably sell it on for about what you paid for it when the time comes to upgrade. I would get about 10 more lb of live rock: run 1 lb per gallon of tank. Keep to cigar-shaped fish of low mass, low impact, run mostly softies, which don't mind the skimmerless condition: they actually rather like a slightly nutrient rich tank; and if you just keep the nitrates down [get some strips and test often, run carbon one day a week, do a 10 % water change once a week to replenish nutrients as well as to keep the nitrate down, and you'll have a great little tank.

[danceswithfish]

I have bunch of Aiptasia in my tank too and I was feeding them shrimp untill I found out that they can spread like crazy lol. They are still there and I am having a hard time convincing myself to kill them because they look so cool.

[melev]

Originally posted by danceswithfish
I have bunch of Aiptasia in my tank too and I was feeding them shrimp untill I found out that they can spread like crazy lol. They are still there and I am having a hard time convincing myself to kill them because they look so cool.

Then enjoy them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Some people like tanks that are filled with tiny Majanos. I bought some from the LFS (local fish store) because I thought they were cute. I had no idea I'd be spending hours erradicated those tribbles one day.

[tangyreefer05]

Well I purchased a peppermint shrimp. The first night he took out 5 Aiptasia. Then after the 2nd night the biggest and last one was gone. Then today I noticed the bigger Aiptasia shrunken down half the size it was, at the base of a rock, apparently harassed out of its hole . I am going to take it out.

Job well done by the peppermint!

[dc_909]

Sweet