Marine Upgrade

[TigerIssey]

Do not add any more damsels, they are the same family as clowns and will fight. Only add 1 dwarf angel fish, I believe the bicolour is very difficult to keep (someone else may confirm this). With Dwarf angels, some will nip corals, need to be careful of this. No tomato clownfish, for the same reason as damsels.

Sorry, I seem to have ripped apart your list.

 

[OscarWilde]

Do not add any more damsels, they are the same family as clowns and will fight. Only add 1 dwarf angel fish, I believe the bicolour is very difficult to keep (someone else may confirm this). With Dwarf angels, some will nip corals, need to be careful of this. No tomato clownfish, for the same reason as damsels.

Sorry, I seem to have ripped apart your list.

No worries. Thanks very much! Thats why I asked!

So. Narrowed down the list to.

Possible additions.

Saddle Valentini Puffer - Canthigaster valentini - Will a Valentini be OK with my Shrimp and hermits?
Bangai cardinal fish - Pterapogon kauderni
Dwarf Coral Beauty Angelfish - Centropyge bispinosus
Dwarf Flame Angelfish - Centropyge loriculus
Engineer Goby - Pholidichthys leucotaenia

I was also thinking about a Sixline Wrasse?

Bubble Tip Anenome
More soft corals.

 

[rabbut]

I've been told by the puffer nerd at work that Valantini puffers will eat most mobile inverts. He keeps buying Yamoto shrimp for it as a treat, so I figure the crabs and shrimp would be "at risk" with one... Await confirmation though, as I get the size they grow to wrong in another thread.

I can't comment on Angels, as I don't know enough about them, likewise the engineer gobies. The cardinals should be fine with the current stock though

You've got the light for a BTA, but all pump will need modifying to guard against the BTA walking into them and becoming mince I have put coarse sponge over my Maxijets to keep the nem out, and the korailia style pump will need to be kitted out with a modified version of one of these

HTH
Rabbut

 

[OscarWilde]

I've been told by the puffer nerd at work that Valantini puffers will eat most mobile inverts. He keeps buying Yamoto shrimp for it as a treat, so I figure the crabs and shrimp would be "at risk" with one... Await confirmation though, as I get the size they grow to wrong in another thread.

Thought as much after doing some more reading but thanks for the confirmation.

You've got the light for a BTA, but all pump will need modifying to guard against the BTA walking into them and becoming mince I have put coarse sponge over my Maxijets to keep the nem out, and the korailia style pump will need to be kitted out with a modified version of

I've got an interesting idea about that.

I was considering 'fencing off' everything rifght of the wall of the weir with egg crate. This would provide a kind of reugium fror corals (keep hermits out) as well as wall off the larger of my korailia style powerheads for a potential nem. I'll have to come up with somthing else for the smaller korailia pump on the left of the tank.

 

[rabbut]

That should work, the main thing is that the nem cannot physically get anywhere near the impeller

 

[kj23502]

So you have a 33 usg?

http/www.wetwebmedia.com/pholodichthyidae.htm

"Most folks have only seen this fish when it’s small, when it greatly resembles the common eel catfish, Plotosus lineatus in both appearance and behavior. Both are eel-shaped, social animals that “hang out” near rocky areas. The engineer goby is also overall blackish with a silvery white dorsal body line as juveniles… becoming more striped (convict suit-wise) with growth. And yes this fish can grow. Almost always in good health, and amongst the last to perish from disease, poor environment or catastrophe, Pholidichthys is never “late to the dinner table”… and can grow to more than eighteen inches in length… in your reef to fish-only system. All heavy objects should be set in the tank first, and substrate placed after… to prevent toppling as this species is superb in its undermining activity (hence the name “engineer”)."

I also think the Cardinals are boring. They just float there in the tank and don't add much movement at all.

I would go with a flame angel over the coral beauty. When you get them side by side the flame is just soo much more stunning and is an awesome center piece fish. Keep in mind if this is a reef tank that they could eat corals right away, be fine for awhile and then eat them or never eat them. That's a chance to take if you really want one. Catching a coral predator doesn't sound like much fun to me, which is why I decided against a flame. I may have one in my other tank when I get it setup(fowlr). Don't know if one can be kept safely with a Regal angel or not, though. Anyways, just my .02 which is what's its worth

 

[Wordy]

What about a firefish, they are lovely looking little things, same with Baganni Cardinals?

 

[seffieuk]

The valentini puffer should be ok with large snails and shrimps - particularly if they were in the tank first, however they would never be 100%, but I am thinking of giving it a go myself

Seffie x

 

[OscarWilde]

Thanks all

Spent about £90 at the LFS over the weekend. 3 X New Corals, Cleaner Shrip and a Banggai Cardinal Fish. Held off on the BTA until I can get the guards up on the Powerheads.

If anyone can offer some IDs on the Corals i'd appreciate it.

The Whole Tank: Two months in.

Cleaner

New Coral on the right.

New Coral (Some kind of Toadstool) and not sure on the other one.

Cardinal

 

[TigerIssey]

You have a toadstool, only thing you really need to know is that it is not the yellow one as that is more difficult to care for. The one next to the toadstool is green star polys or Pachyclavularia, the other one I cannot see well enough, can you get a closer picture plase.

Nice Bangaii

 

[OscarWilde]

You have a toadstool, only thing you really need to know is that it is not the yellow one as that is more difficult to care for. The one next to the toadstool is green star polys or Pachyclavularia, the other one I cannot see well enough, can you get a closer picture plase.

Nice Bangaii

Many thanks Lissy. Green Star Polyp looks spot on. I may move it up the tank now I have zapped all of the Apistas in my tank (Joes Juice is AMAZING) to try to get it to grow over some of the rocks. The toadstool is spectacular. I may well look it to getting another.

Heres a better picture of Coral #3.

 

[TigerIssey]

That is either goniopora or alveopora, goniopora will not last long, about a year, some people have managed longer. If its alveopora this fares better. Sorry not sure how to tell difference, may be able to look later but am eating lemon meringue pie at the mo!

 

[TigerIssey]

Okay I have checcked "THE BOOK" my coral bible. (by the way thelemon meringue with carte d'or vanilla ice cream - gorgeous)

It appears that you have been lucky, the way to tell the difference is that Alveopora have 12 tentacle tips and 12 corallites whereas goniopora have 24 of each. Having counted them in the picture yours is an alveopora.

You really must start researching corals before you buy them though, it could have been a problem for you if it had been the other way round.

 

[OscarWilde]

You really must start researching corals before you buy them though, it could have been a problem for you if it had been the other way round.

I know. I did describe my tank setup at the LFS and was told it would do fine, it seems to be doing well. Im also hindered by being majorly colourblind do describing them is difficult. Thanks for your help.

Also, what is 'THE BOOK'?

 

[TigerIssey]

THE BOOK is Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry and Natural History by Eric Borneman.

A fair few of us use this book and it is considered by those that do as their coral bible.