Newbie; Setup Advice?

[teddscau]

Okay, so my dad's decided he's going to finally get a saltwater tank, so I've been spending the past several days planning everything (I don't have any personal experience with saltwater tanks, but I feel I'm far more informed than the avaerage first-time saltwater tank owner). Oh, and this might be a long post since I'm so excited!

Anyways, the tank is going to be at least 75g, we're buying 1–2 lbs/gallon of man made live rock from Eco Live Rock, I want moderate lighting (need recommendations since I don't really know about lighting), moderate flow (I found these awesome random flow generators), 6" of 1–2mm sand for copepods and whatnot to live in as well as nitrate control, pH of 8.1(?), temperature of 72°F... I don't think we're buying protein skimmers or anything like that. It's going to be understocked, if anything. Right, so onto the critters I want (my parents insisted on clownfish -_-):

Fish:
4(?) Dragonface pipefish
2–4 Firefish
5(?) Banggai cardinalfish
2 Ocellaris/false percula clownfish

Coral:
Sun coral
Cynarina sp. aka "button coral"
Caulastrea curvata (commonly known as a Trumpet coral)
Nemenzophyllia turbida (commonly known as a Fox coral)
Xenia
Caulastrea furcata (commonly known as a Candy Cane coral)
Toadstool/leather coral
Acan

Other Sessile(ish) Invertebrates:
Feather duster worms, fan worms, and Christmas tree worms
Giant clams

Mobile Invertebrates:
Brittle star (Ophiopholis kennerlyi) NO GREEN OR YELLOWS!!!!!
Tuxedo urchin
Blue-legged hermit crab
Scarlet reef hermit crab (Paguristes cadenati)
Lysmata amboinensis aka "cleaner shrimp"
Fuzzy chiton (Acanthopleura granulata)
Black Ribbed Limpet (Lottia leucopleura)

For seeding:
Macroalgae
Copepod culture
Amphipod culture
Phytoplankton culture
Rotifers


I know that sun coral and dragonface pipefish (and the fancy worms) are finicky, so I won't be adding them until I've become an "expert" at caring for the other critters. I'm hoping to breed all of the fish I chose, including the dragonface pipefish. I know captive breeding hasn't really been done with pipefish in general (I know that there's been a bit of success, however few attempts have been made as it's not very profitable), but I would definitely like to try. I think the problem is that many species that "don't" breed in captivity are likely kept in less than ideal conditions, i.e., intimidating tankmates, too much competition for food, inadequately sized schools/shoals, not big enough of tank, etc. I've taken several courses on animal behaviour, enrichment, psychology, training, etc., so I'm hoping to apply what I've learned to create a "natural", stimulating, stress-free environment for the tank's inhabitants.

I've chosen non-aggressive critters (you'll notice most most of the corals I chose are very docile), as I don't want anyone to feel stressed. I'm prone to injuries, so I've tried to choose "safe" inhabitants that won't jab me with a switchblade, bite, pinch, sting, release mustard gas, etc. If any of the corals I mentioned have palytoxin, please let me know.

I chose a number of different invertebrates for their usefulness in controlling nitrates, eating microalgae, and services they provide directly to fish (for example, the cleaner shrimp I've chosen not only grooms fish, but they also provide additional food for pipefish when they release their yummy larvae into the water).

I'm hoping to teach the pipefish to accept frozen foods, although this will take a lot of patience. Ideally, I'd like to try to get dragonfaces who have been kept with seahorses who were taught to accept frozen foods, as learning to eat frozen foods from observing others would be far less time consuming. If I were able to breed the pipefish, I'd try to teach the fry to accept pellets in addition to live and frozen foods. This would be an amazing step in improving their survivability and health in captivity, as relying solely on live and frozen foods can easily lead to nutritional imbalances. Although, I do have a trick up my sleeve when it comes to convincing aquatic critters to eat pellets. The trick is soaking their food in freshly squeezed ginger. All freshwater critters (shrimp, snails, loaches, otocinclus, bettas, glass catfish, cory, emerald rasbora, etc.) go absolutely crazy over ginger. Garlic...not so much.

Oh, right, back to business. The thing that drives me nuts (but for some reason nobody else seems bothered by it) is when a reef tank is lit using blue lighting. I just hate it. I mean, so what if the corals fluoresce differently under it? I've been scuba diving on a number of occasions, and I can tell you that everything underwater isn't tinted blue. It just feels dark and gross to me. I mean, I'll have blue lights on at dawn and dusk for 30 minutes to transition the tank, but that's it. I want the lighting to be bright, clear, and "warm". I'm thinking 12 solid hours of such lighting. Okay, so, what would you guys recommend in terms of moderate NOT BLUE lighting? I'm thinking of LEDs, but I wouldn't know a thing about brands or models or anything like that. I mean, I'd like to be able to transition the lighting throughout the day (in terms of brightness?) to mimic nature a bit more so the inhabitants can have a more natural day and night cycle.

Oh, right, I'd appreciate your thoughts! I don't know anything about saltwater tanks, so I'd love your advice. Oh! I actually have a few mangroves that might like to help control nitrates once I've grown their roots out. Sorry about rambling!

[Valentini89]

First let me say I agree with you on the blue lighting. I don't get it. Second, you never said what SIZE tank you wanted to go with. You would do better off with a sump and skimmer although it's not necessary. You need plenty of flow in the tank. A good strong powerhead on both sides of the tank pointed in different directions would take care of that. Clams are going to need a lot of light. Look into a reefbreeders photo v2 or similar LED. 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon, but the more live you have, the quicker the cycle. Live costs more though and you run the risk of pests. It's all in what your priorities are. I set my 150 up with mostly live rock and had basically no cycle. Running carbon is always a plus. If you have a sump you don't have to get a carbon reactor. I recommend an inkbird temperature controller for your heater. I run two on separate tanks.

[teddscau]

DOH! Sorry, I could've swore I told you guys how big the tank's gonna be. We're getting at least a 75g tank. The live rock we're getting is pest-free (it only has good hitchhikers), made from man-made stone, kept in large indoor tanks for up to two years to let critters colonize it, and all profits are given to conservation. It's something like $3.50 a pound with free shipping on orders over $75. Oh, and thanks for the advice!

For water flow, I was going to buy at least two random flow generators from Vivid Creative Aquatics. They look awesome! Hmm, do you think 75g is an okay size for a tank with the animals I mentioned? I want it to be roomy enough for them, as well as large enough to provide them with various places to explore. Although I don't think that matters quite as much for saltwater critters, as I heard they're constantly fighting over real estate, so I doubt they'd want to wander too far from their territory.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like blue light. It makes the tank feel like a cold prison cell for them.

So, apparently my dad wants one of those Red Sea tanks, but that means we'd be getting a puny 54g. I mean, go big(ger) or go home, right? I want at LEAST a 75g tank.

[Sk8r]

The pipefish require very low flow, the clowns and nem higher flow. And the clowns might do in the pipefish on general principles. The rest are generally ok, but get the firefish as a pair and limit yourself to 2. They'll kill each other. I'd recommend a pink margin wrasse or royal gramma as a peaceful addition. Likewise maybe a blenny or goby. I'd also recommend a Gyre for in-tank flow if you have the need to deliver food to non-photosynthetic types.

[teddscau]

Okay, thanks. I was wondering about the firefish. I put this list together after only a bit of quick research on critters that won't maim me, other fish, coral, or other inverts. Oh, and what do you mean about the clowns taking out the pipefish? Well, okay, I get the idea behind it, but in what way/why will they hurt them? If it has something to do with anemones, I can tell you this will be an anemone-free tank. Don't need one of those critters climbing all over the tank, knocking things over and stinging everyone. I really don't understand why my parents are so adamant about getting clownfish. Like, they'd never even heard of them until they saw Finding Nemo. Legit, not even I, a child at the time, wanted clownfish.

I'm wondering if I could somehow setup the tank so that I could have different flow strengths in various parts of the tank (i.e, a low flow section and the rest stronger flow). Man, I really want pipefish though! Grr, never been a fan of clownfish. Wonder if I could put potential host corals up higher in the tank so the jerks stay out of the way of the pipefish, while creating a gentle current on the sandbed for the pipefish. I don't know, I really want to get those dragonface pipefish. I've loved seahorses and the like since I was a toddler.

Oh, and thanks for the advice on the gyre! Haven't even heard about those things before. I'd be feeding the sun coral by hand, but the gyre would definitely come in handy with feeding the other corals.