55 gallon for peacock!!!!11!1!

[Josh_Canada]

if i were to establish a cleaning crew before it arrives; could they multiply, temporarily stocking my tank? Also, if i introduced some damselfish before hand, would the mantis be humbled by the new tank and have less of a likelihood of going after his feisty tankmates? Lastly, what do you guys think of fake coral? I was watching a youtube video of someones FOWLR tank, but they also kept fake coral, i didn't even know it was fake. They sure have come along way, especially when those t8's can't quite get the job done.

thanks,

Josh

[olemiss reb]

What part of the cleaning crew are you expecting to multiply? I kept blue devils in my peacocks cube and only lost one. I kept a steady supply of snails and hermits in the tank and the damsels seemed to know to stay away. peacocks do not do well in intense lighting so fake corals are not a bad idea if you like there look. I have read that they need frequent cleanings due to algae. A 55 will make an awesome peacock tank. If it is not setup yet, I'd recommend setting up some pvc tunnels under the sand.

[Josh_Canada]

I was just planning on a few red legged hermits, assorted snails, an maybe a CBS or a few emerald crabs

[Josh_Canada]

A tunnelway would be pretty cool

[sjmantis]

Sounds like you need to do a lot of research before you setup any salt water aquarium. Not trying to be mean, but these tanks take so much time and effort. Good luck

[Josh_Canada]

i've researched for over a month, i know what parts i need, how to cycle it, and how much substrate and live rock i need. i am just adding temporary cleaners, as a peacock will take some time to aquire, and i think i can chance 3 for $20 damsels. I have heard of mantis living with them peacefully, as i have also researched they(mantis) go after food least dangerous and easiest to aquire, which would be the snails and supplemented frozen whole tiger shrimp, which there will be an abundance of. i am also still considering damsels; in a hypothetical sense. Also, I am struggling to find good information on damselfish care; could they survive off of an automatic dispension of flake foods, and feedings of shrimp along with the mantis? If i sound bitter, it has nothing to do with the above post, and i respect your opinion, after reading over my original post, I leave alot of things unclear.

Thanks,

Josh

[lionbacker54]

josh-

this is just one hobbyist's opinion, but i think your plan is fine. just take your time. don't put time limits on. start with the tank cycle using live rock and a deep sand bed. i like around a pound per gallon. i like about two inches for the deep sand bed, and use the carib-sea live aragonite. it's cheap, readily available, and buffers the pH for you. it costs no more than regular aragonite to, at least around where i live. i like to cycle new tanks with a piece of raw shrimp, and test until the ammonia is zero.

you can then remove the shrimp, and put in the clean up crew. they will not multiply, but they are a good first inhabitant. watch for spikes of ammonia or nitrites. if clear for a week, put in a damsel if you like. just know that the mantis may kill it. i think you are right that there is less chance of this if the damsel is there first.

after a month, the tank will be ready for the mantis shrimp. all in all, a new tank cycle (for me) takes about three months. the addition of animals slow allows the tank's bacteria population to adjust accordingly to handle the bioload.

damsels are fine with auto dispense flake food as well. they will not be able to eat the tiger shrimp you feed the mantis. frozen cubes of mysis shrimp are good too, and something the mantis can eat as well.

[Josh_Canada]

Originally Posted by lionbacker54

josh-

this is just one hobbyist's opinion, but i think your plan is fine. just take your time. don't put time limits on. start with the tank cycle using live rock and a deep sand bed. i like around a pound per gallon. i like about two inches for the deep sand bed, and use the carib-sea live aragonite. it's cheap, readily available, and buffers the pH for you. it costs no more than regular aragonite to, at least around where i live. i like to cycle new tanks with a piece of raw shrimp, and test until the ammonia is zero.

you can then remove the shrimp, and put in the clean up crew. they will not multiply, but they are a good first inhabitant. watch for spikes of ammonia or nitrites. if clear for a week, put in a damsel if you like. just know that the mantis may kill it. i think you are right that there is less chance of this if the damsel is there first.

after a month, the tank will be ready for the mantis shrimp. all in all, a new tank cycle (for me) takes about three months. the addition of animals slow allows the tank's bacteria population to adjust accordingly to handle the bioload.

damsels are fine with auto dispense flake food as well. they will not be able to eat the tiger shrimp you feed the mantis. frozen cubes of mysis shrimp are good too, and something the mantis can eat as well.

thanks alot, as far as a bigger tank goes would a chromis, yellowtail damsel and royal gramma all get along?

[Josh_Canada]

reccomendations for a clean up crew? getting mixed feed-back on how many/what kind of snails and hermits. Blue leg hermits are cool but i hear thet will kill snails, even when given spare shells.

[lionbacker54]

reefcleaners.org contains good profiles on a whole slew of different CUC members.

personally, i've never had a hermit kill a snail.

as for the fish, put the most aggressive fish in last, and the most timid fish in first. i believe the grammas are the most aggressive of the ones you've listed.

[ritter6788]

Originally Posted by Josh_Canada

if i were to establish a cleaning crew before it arrives; could they multiply, temporarily stocking my tank? Also, if i introduced some damselfish before hand, would the mantis be humbled by the new tank and have less of a likelihood of going after his feisty tankmates? Lastly, what do you guys think of fake coral?:

No cleanup crew will reproduce in a tank of any significance. You will have to replenish snails and hermits in a mantis tank yourself. I have lost a couple of damsels to a mantis, even a very small mantis. Both instances the mantis was already established and the damsels weren't doing very well to begin with. I think the mantis can sense the weak or struggling, (just my opinion). It would be better to let the fish settle in before adding a peacock. Problem with fake coral is that it will need to be cleaned A LOT. I suggest finding interesting pieces of live rock and make a nice aqua scape.

Originally Posted by Josh_Canada

thanks alot, as far as a bigger tank goes would a chromis, yellowtail damsel and royal gramma all get along?

In a 55 gallon, should be ok. Maybe some chasing but they shouldn't be scrapping over territory.

Originally Posted by Josh_Canada

reccomendations for a clean up crew? getting mixed feed-back on how many/what kind of snails and hermits. Blue leg hermits are cool but i hear thet will kill snails, even when given spare shells.

Add as many as you want but plan on adding more as needed because the mantis will eat them when it want's to.

Originally Posted by lionbacker54

personally, i've never had a hermit kill a snail.

as for the fish, put the most aggressive fish in last, and the most timid fish in first. i believe the grammas are the most aggressive of the ones you've listed.

I've never actually seen a hermit killing a snail but they end up with the shells one way or another. Probably taking advantage of a dying snail or one that can't right itself like the turbos. Royal Grammas to me can be aggressive but it's more defending it's small territory. They don't really chase fish around the tank like some others will. The problem with a gramma in a mantis tank is that a gramma doesn't venture too far away from the rocks most of the time so that puts it in closer proximity to the mantis. Open water swimming fish would be a better choice like the chromis you mentioned. Also the grammas are my favorite fish and I would never risk one in my mantis tanks.