How Accurate

[jimi priest]

Chrysiptera parasema is the one i was talking i was thinking maybe 3 of them

 

[SkiFletch]

yeah i injoy them and rough estemate my tank is 36"l 12"w 16"h

That is a standard 30g. The 30 long is 48" long

My biggest concerns are damselfish bullying things and more importantly getting the mandarin to eat. They do NOT like to accept frozen foods as the norm and most are obligate predators of pods. As such they can often starve to death if they do not accept frozen foods. If you do wish to purchase a mandarin, you MUST see it eating first at the shop, and purchase that exact same food for it when you bring it home. Doing anything less will jeopardize the health of the fish

 

[Musho3210]

the tank is getting a 20g sump as well.

Chrysiptera hemicyanea & Chrysiptera parasema are pretty peaceful damsels.

if that is in reference to the feeding of the mandarin (pod) he never mentioned that the sump would contain a refugium.... So the sump wont be much of a pod haven, therefor giving the mandarin only 21 pounds of live rock to graze off of.... That doesnt seem ok to me if the mandarin isnt accepting frozen foods.....

 

[SkiFletch]

Agreed

 

[jimi priest]

ok this is good several times and each time the topic sould die and be forgotten after i asked before i got my answer what is a refugium and how is it set up ( i dont want to sacrifice my fishes health and as for the tank i eyeballed it because i wasn't sure and didn't have a measuring tape

 

[Musho3210]

a refugium is a special "safehouse" for plants to grow in a marine tank, these are normally placed in a chamber in a sump but they are also found in HOB designs as well as in tank ones. Basically its a chamber filled with marine macro algae. The algae is under a light normally in reverse light cycle (when the tank lights are off, the refugium lights are on, vise versa) and this light grows the plant. THe reverse light cycle helps stabalize pH during the night, and the plant itself absorbs phosphates and nitrates and stuff. In addition to this, since the fuge has no predators therefor large population of pods then take the fuge has a home, breeding uncontrollably, so much that there isnt room for all of the pods, with that, the "extra" lose their grip in their home and go shooting up the return pump into the tank where it gets eaten.

 

[jimi priest]

that sounds healpful so i need a speical box or can i jsut stick it in tyhe part of my sump that has the return tube

 

[Musho3210]

create a section in your sump for it.

 

[Colin_T]

a refugium is a sump full of plants, sand and rock. Usually just plants like caulerpa. The water passes through it and the caulerpa uses the nutrients in the water. And you get heaps of micro organisms living in the plants. The most common things are mysis shrimp and gammaris but you also get copepods, worms, snails and starfish.

 

[jimi priest]

so cna i throw the plantsi n after hte liveing rock before the fish or is it best to do it at the same time

 

[Musho3210]

id put the plants in the refugium at the same time you add live rock, can help with the cycle and stuff.

 

[jimi priest]

alright and if i was to get some hermit crabs and cleaner shrimp can i add them at that same time or sould i cycle first

 

[Colin_T]

you have to cycle the tank before adding shrimp and crabs

 

[jimi priest]

would you suggest me getting shrimps and crabs ( only hermits though i dont wnat my fish to be an unwated snack ( from what i read its not only possible but probable other then that seems like a good deal im going to get my plants and live rock as soon as i get the money if i run into a problem or a qustion ill be back

 

[Colin_T]

you can have shrimp and hermit crabs if you want. Some hermits crabs will catch and eat the other tank inhabitants. Shrimp are less inclined to doing this unless really hungry.