Newbie Stocking Question

[Erisna]

So, let me start right off the bat by saying that at this time, there is NO way I can maintain a saltwater tank the way it deserves. Don't have the time, money, or stability (college student). But you all know how it goes... You start browsing the forums, see the pretty fish, start making plans... So, basically, I was going to ask if my current dream tank is feasible for way off in the future.

I don't think I could accommodate anything larger than a 20 US gallon long tank, at least not for 10+ years down the line. I know that severely limits what I can have. No idea about filtration/lighting/other hardware either- that would be designed around what my fish/corals needed (which I would research) and besides, tank technology could change a lot by the time I'm ready to set this up.

On to the actual stocking! These are just species I've seen and fallen in love with. I'll be honest, I've done only VERY basic research on these species. (Basically, I looked up their entry on LiveAquaria.com... ) More research is definitely in order before I get into this, which is why I'm posting this here for suggestions.

Fish:
Firefish (Either singly or possibly a pair? I saw them in a journal and fell in love )
Shrimp/Goby Pair (No idea what species, but I love the idea of them!)

Moving Inverts:
Standard CUC snails (As many as needed)
Porcelain Crab
Some variety of shrimp- I love shrimp

Corals:
I fell in love with Zoanthids. They're so pretty, and so many different colors! Could I do a tank with just them, as far as corals?

Also, I absolutely LOVE the look of the macroalgaes I've seen around, but I'm worried about the amount of light and maintenance I've heard they require...

Like I said, this is all just a dream at the moment. Absolutely nothing is going to happen anytime soon. My parents started getting kinda fussy when I set up my Betta's 5 gallon, so I can't even imagine trying to set up a reef now. Oh, and sometime between now and setting up the reef I intend to set up a proper planted community tank, just to get more experience with bigger tanks.

Would this stocking be feasible? Anybody have any other suggestions?

(Please excuse any typos... My "O" key appears to be trying to go on strike, and take other keys with it...)

 

[crazyforcordoras]

The stocking is fine.for the goby, shrimp pair, a yellow watchman goby would e awesome. A tank full of zoas? That would be so cool! And you wouldnt have to spend so much on light.

 

[lljdma06]

That stocking is actually rather cool. You're like me, you like purdy colors.

Zoa gardens are pretty popular. May I also suggest palythoas as well. It's like a zoa on steroids, and IMO, a bit easier to care for. Zoas sometimes melt for no reason, whereas palythoas tend to be more tough.

To whet your appetite...

Purple firefish

an unusual grey yellow watchman goby.

All these animals are in 8g tanks. Once you get some more experience under your belt, it's a nice size tank for two small fish and zoas/palys. Not hard to light it and not expensive to run it.

L

 

[crazyforcordoras]

Oooooh, temptation.

 

[Erisna]

Oooooh, temptation.

I know exactly what you mean!

LLj, those are some lovely corals! And yes, I love the purdy colors... I was actually thinking of doing a "rainbow reef" with an arching LR structure in the middle of the tank and groups of different colored zoas/possibly palys following the ROYGBIV pattern going from left to right.

Oh, and I showed my mom a picture of the firefish. (The normal one- I like them better than the purples, TBH.) She said "Out of all the pretty saltwater fish, you pick this one?" Of course, in her defense, she thought they were the size of mollies. She likes the tang and triggerfish types.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Something to add that's not discussed a lot is please very carefully with corals a lot of them are toxic. My farther just lost his sight in one eye and has the eye removed all because a coral squirted him in the eye. Always wear protection when messing with corals and frags

 

[lljdma06]

Something to add that's not discussed a lot is please very carefully with corals a lot of them are toxic. My farther just lost his sight in one eye and has the eye removed all because a coral squirted him in the eye. Always wear protection when messing with corals and frags

Yes, zoas and palys are pretty... pretty deadly. Sorry, you're right, I should've brought that up. The palytoxin is an effective poison. Don't freak out, though, you just need gloves and goggles when handling them. I also wear light facial mask and little pets are locked away. A lot of people don't think about dogs or cats, but they get everywhere and it's just better to not have them around when you're working on that stuff.

Take the proper precautions and you won't encounter a problem.

 

[BigbruiserAl]

Yeah we didt even give it a second thought untill it happens to us, there was one point that they thought they could not save him at all as the deadly bacteria was making it way to his brain. Maybe I should do a separate post to
Warn others reefers, you are correct though small bit of care and protection and is safe as anything can be

 

[lljdma06]

Yeah we didt even give it a second thought untill it happens to us, there was one point that they thought they could not save him at all as the deadly bacteria was making it way to his brain. Maybe I should do a separate post to
Warn others reefers, you are correct though small bit of care and protection and is safe as anything can be

That would be great, actually.

L

 

[Erisna]

Oh my goodness, I never knew they were so deadly... I mean, I've heard of corals stinging, but I never would have thought to wear eye protection... Thanks so much for the warning. I second the thought of making a post to warn new marine keepers about stuff like that- I don't think there's too much in common freshwater setups that's really harmful, so I'm guessing a lot of people might be caught off guard the first time hearing that! I'm so sorry about your father's eye, BigBruiserAl.