Suggestions On My Next Addition ?

[mminion]

Suggestions on my next addition ?

Currently in the tank
2 Jade Damsels
2 Clowns
1 Yellow Tang
1 Psychedelic goby
1 Brain Coral
3 Hermit Crabs

Cheers
Matt

 

[crazyelece]

Well your jade damsels are really blue green chromis and they like to be in schools of three or more.

Also your psychedelic goby is a green spotted manderin which shouldn't be in that tank. It doesn't have enough live rock in it to keep a large enough supply of pods for it to eat.

As far as your next addition, I would purchase more live rock. Be sure to get cured live rock or cure it before placing it in the tank as any die off would most likely cause a large enough spike to affect your current bacteria supply.

Really need more info on the tank. Size? Time in operation? Lighting? Flow? Filtration?

 

[mminion]

crazyelece,

I'm well aware of the latin names (but if you say them to most people they give you a blank look) as to live rock the Yellow Tang eats more of it then the green spotted manderin. As to the Jade Damsels the two of them seem totally happy and IMO adding large schools of them only creates issues with other fish as I've seen in other tanks)

As to your live rock comment, the tank was cycled with it, therefore I'm well aware of how to handle it (you may like to note almost all the live rock in Australia is cured live rock)

It's a 240L tank (I believe thats 64 gallons for you yanks) and there's a 80L sump under it with skimmer, it's been in operation for over three months, as to filtration and flow there's two, one main 1100L per hour and another 1000L that pumps for the sump (flow wise there's no dead spots in the tan) As to lighting theres two 150cm - 60" 54w from memory

Cheers
Matt

 

[SkiFletch]

Manderins dont eat LR, neither do tangs. A Manderins natural food source is copepods. Very few of them will accept frozen or prepared foods. The only way to keep enough copepods in a tank to keep a manderin alive is to have enough LR in there for the copepods to hide and breed in. Otherwise the manderin will over-predate them over time, eat all copepods, and then starve to death. Tangs on the other hand are eating the algae that grows on LR. So while both may look like they're eating the LR they're technically eating the things growing and living in it. I also agree that your next addition should be more LR. Will help your tank out more both now and in the future

 

[Mr Miagi]

(you may like to note almost all the live rock in Australia is cured live rock)

It depends on how the Liverock is stored at the LFS, as not all liverock comes in "cured". Die-off can occur from travelling long distances alone. Mind you, the LFS's in Adelaide, whilst somewhat limited, have all got pretty nice LR, (especially Reef and River and Fish Bowl and Pond). I dont like Seaviews all that much...

As for fish, the addition of more chromis should be fine. They are schooling fish. You could try a dwarf angel, blennies, a number of wrasses, cardinals, gobies, the list is quite long! You probably want to stay away from anything that might compete for food with your Psycadelic Goby I like the idea of some Cardinals in your tank, as they are peaceful, midwaer swimmers, slower, and the Pajama cardinal or P. kaurderni both have some nice patterns. If your chromis are not bullies, they should be fine.

If your goby is feeding off frozen and prepared foods, they can be kept without the copious amounts of LR, but its beneficial for their well being, and that of others. Its also the main source of filtration. The life you get on rock is also great to look at. The more the merrier.

Im in Adelaide too BTW.

 

[mminion]

(you may like to note almost all the live rock in Australia is cured live rock)

It depends on how the Liverock is stored at the LFS, as not all liverock comes in "cured". Die-off can occur from travelling long distances alone. Mind you, the LFS's in Adelaide, whilst somewhat limited, have all got pretty nice LR, (especially Reef and River and Fish Bowl and Pond). I dont like Seaviews all that much...

As for fish, the addition of more chromis should be fine. They are schooling fish. You could try a dwarf angel, blennies, a number of wrasses, cardinals, gobies, the list is quite long! You probably want to stay away from anything that might compete for food with your Psycadelic Goby I like the idea of some Cardinals in your tank, as they are peaceful, midwaer swimmers, slower, and the Pajama cardinal or P. kaurderni both have some nice patterns. If your chromis are not bullies, they should be fine.

If your goby is feeding off frozen and prepared foods, they can be kept without the copious amounts of LR, but its beneficial for their well being, and that of others. Its also the main source of filtration. The life you get on rock is also great to look at. The more the merrier.

Im in Adelaide too BTW.

Hi Mr Miagi,

Yeah I noticed you where in Adelaide, I moved down from Sydney at the beginning of the year and I'm sure we both know each other with 4 or 5 degrees of separation (Adelaide is a small place)

As to Seaviews live rock it doesn't seem that bad although it is a little pricely compared to what I knew it sold for in Sydney (the current live rock in the tank is from there) if you time it right (i.e. you need to ask when they got their last shipment) it's not that bad, that aside I'd welcome knowning who else you would recommend in ADL for LR

The goby is feeding off frozen and prepared foods happily, people need to remember that different places (and I'm talking cities not even a country level) care for their fish in different ways. I'm well aware Manderins natural food source is copepods (I have no issue getting more LR and plan to as the budget allows) but I get the impression that the stock in AUS have been breed to like accept frozen or prepared foods.... I'd be interested to hear of other Aussies if my hunch is right...

I'll look over your list of suggestions over the next couple of days, a Kauderni was already on my list (so is a Royal Gramma but they seem hard to come by in ADL)

Cheers
Matt

 

[Mr Miagi]

Reef and River has the best, with some great macro and coral attached too it. Online you could look at:

AngelFish
and
Australian Coral Farms

Who both come highly recomended, especially AngelFish!

 

[Great Lakes]

I think an Angel would be a little too large and compete with you tang for swimming space.

IMO you are reaching the maximum number of fish for trouble free care. Though you could more than likely get away with a small wrasse or goby.

Don't forget when it comes to livestock and saltwater, the fish are only the tip of the iceberg.

GL

 

[crazyelece]

Again (you may know exactly what you have but it is best to keep it clear for the newer hobbyists who search these posts) you do not have a goby. A manderin is in the dragonet family, not the goby family.

And I think money spent on liverock at this point would be more beneficial than money spent on more fish. Don't take it like I'm attacking you its just my opinion. Its your money and you'll get what you want (I'm the exact same way).

I think a sixline wrasse or a flame angel would be good additions for different colors. I think a royal gramma may be a little too aggressive but if you got a well behaved one it would work. A purple pshydochromis (my spelling may be off) would add color. You could also go the route of stocking up more cleaners or do a couple cleaner shrimp.

With the little amount of liverock though I think you may have issues adding other fish. Filtration aside, your tank doesn't have enough areas for the fish to run when they feel threatened. Each fish should be provided with some sort of cave or overhang or hole to hide or run in when threatened. This is probably one of the reasons the chromis are always on display. Even adding base rock under your live rock would benefit them as it would seed and grow into live rock down the road.

 

[xNOTLOCx]

oops posted in the wrong one carry on

 

[mminion]

The issue I have with not using the "common" name is newer hobbyists can't find useful information. If I walked into a fish store, saw on the tank "Psychedelic goby", came home with either the fish in hand (not a good idea but we all know it happens) or a plan to research it, visited this website and searched on "Psychedelic goby" I wouldn't find that much information. In short IMO the common name should be used at all times and if providing detail add the "full/real" name as well.

At no time did anyone really ask how much live rock I did have or what type it was (both of which I would think important questions ) For the record there's around 6kgs in that photo, but another 13kgs was in the temperately sump for reason of filtration (in a hope to lower the effect of die off to the main body of water as any die off could only directly leach into the water in the sump (80L) before getting filtered at least once... its also easier to clean vs main body substrate)

Moneys not that much of an issue and as I noted more live rock was on the way (its more having time to visit the LFS getting the purchase first approved with the better half)

I'll look into a flame angel and sixline wrasse (thanks) as to shrimp (i.e. Red Line Cleaner Shrimp) they are also on the list but I do note that some wrasses's look at them as "food"

The Chromis aren't "always" on display (sorry but if your trying to show off your livestock you do just that... and not just some photo with a caption "there's a blue green chromis in there, hiding in the blackness) and they happily hide when they want to (even when they were alone in the tank one never hid, the other wanted only to hide next to the filter in pipe)

Lastly it would seem 35kgs is the approx required amount of liverock to support a Manderin and while currently below that (45% below it) the plan is to stock the tank with more then that amount as time allows (in the mean time the Manderin seems totally happy eating frozen and prepared foods and isn't scared of his flat mates... he even seems happy to sit in the open at the front of the tank)

Cheers
Matt