30" Reef Tank

[daspricey]

hi,

i should have a 30"x12"x12" tank spare in a few months.
i looking into venturing into marine reef.
been looking around for the basics for the moment not getting too deep and i think i'm starting to understand it all.
but i've been having mixed messages for stocking reefs.

in that 2ft tank there arepjgama wrasse purple firefish, yellow goby, sharknose goby and 2 common clownfish.
i was thinking smething like taking the yellow goby away and adding a dragonnet, remember bigger than the 2' tank anyway. but i have not found too much about them in communitys.
can someone help me here?

just looking into stocking, the clownfish, purple firefish, sharknose gobys feels like a deff, but i realy realy want a dragonnet. thinking Synchiropus picturatus and/or Synchiropus splendidus

many thanks for any help, i dont want to take too much time because it's not a deffinate, still looking into a dwarf puffer tank, hillstream tank and community. but overall those reefs stick out more. still coming to terms with some of the prices for some of the equipment.

thanks

david

 

[joseywhales]

It helped me to read those pinned threads at the top of the page. Hope things go well.

 

[Betta5]

I dont think you will be able to have a dragonnet as they need a constant supply of copods (is that right) to live. Unless you can go bigger and get loads of LR, or find one that takes fish foods then I would avoid that.

I also suggest reading the pinned threads they are very helpful.

and have a look around on the net (google is a good place) just on starting a nano saltwater aquarium.

Good Luck!

 

[@ombomb]

Inless you can garuntee the supply of pods, I'd rule out the dragonet.

The stocking of that 2' is too high even for a 3' IMO.

The important question at this stage however is, have and copper based meds ever been used in the tank?

 

[enjoiskater158]

definitely to many fish for that sized tank. If you really want the mandarin you could ditch some of the other fish i would keep 2 fish than start a copepod culture and add copepods to the tank when needed to keep the mandarin fat and healthy. Heres a great site to learn how to culture copepods. breeding copepods
heres a link to a diary of someone keeping a mandarin in a 10 gallon tank it might help if you deside to get one. Diary

 

[Lynden]

The stocking of that 2' is too high even for a 3' IMO.

Ahh, but not in mine... And I think I can back it, too.

The stock levels of marine fish can equal those of freshwater as long as certain things are considered, for instance the amount of swimming space, filtration, skimming, and territoriality. As long as the fish are docile, small and contained in a tank with plenty of skimming and aeration, you can actually have much luck in maintaining an "overstocked" community tank.

Daspricey, you could very easily accommodate all the fishes on your list except the Synchiropus. I personally wouldn't recommend those to anyone without a ton (sometimes literally) of live rock for it to feast on. This is because Synchiropus species are remarkably efficient predators of small organisms and can actually "kill" live rock in a matter of months, and starve to death after that period; effectively becoming a victim of it's own success. If you can supply an immense amount of tiny foods, don't have any doubts on your ability to maintain one; but if you can't, I highly recommend not getting one for now.

There are many Dragonet like species that are easier to maintain; also I believe that the Scooter "Blennies" generally do much better in captivity than the psychadelic dragonets S. picturatus and S. splendidus.

-Lynden

P.S.
1500th post. How much is too much?

 

[enjoiskater158]

The stocking of that 2' is too high even for a 3' IMO.

The stock levels of marine fish can equal those of freshwater as long as certain things are considered, for instance the amount of swimming space, filtration, skimming, and territoriality. As long as the fish are docile, small and contained in a tank with plenty of skimming and aeration, you can actually have much luck in maintaining an "overstocked" community tank.

Most of this is true, but what happens when the power goes out? The fish could die from lack of oxygen because saltwater cannot hold as much oxygen as freshwater can and you will have no way of adding more oxygen to the tank unless you have battery powered bubblers. IMO its much easier to keep your fish healthier and happier if you don't overstock your tank.

 

[Mr.September15]

P.S.
1500th post. How much is too much?

When you get enough posts to beat ski

 

[daspricey]

hello all,

i will understock a fair amount because where i live seems to be prone to powercuts(live in the countryside).

i thought the dragon nets would be a no no, still got lots to learn about maintaining a saltwater tank so i will stick to the more hardy species like clowns and chromis. quite like the purple firefish and sharknose gobys.

what size do clownfish, chromis, purple firefish and sharknose goby get to? many mixed infomation on the net.

thank you all for you help so far.

david

 

[@ombomb]

Well I'd avoid taking the risk, especially if i was just starting out with marines.

 

[daspricey]

avoid the risk from what? the dragonnets which i've decided to wait till i get a bigger reef(if) and more reef experience.

 

[@ombomb]

I was responding to Lynden's post above.

The clown (most types anyway) and firefish would be fine, but the chromis are not ideal nano fish.

Why not have a read through the stickies in the nano section, lots of good info there for people in the planning stages of a new tank.

 

[daspricey]

will do. would like a small shoal of something though, can you suggest something?

 

[daspricey]

and the tank has never had any meds or copper in it.

 

[SkiFletch]

and the tank has never had any meds or copper in it.

Well thats good. If you're really into shoaling fish, whats known as blue reef chromis would be pretty ideal.