What Next?

[_daniel]

I have a recently set-up 4x2x2 marine tank with 50kg's of LR and 30kg's of BR. Wet/dry trickle filter in the sump and a decent sized skimmer. The tank has been running for for about 6-7 weeks, has been fully cycled and has been home to 5 small green chromis for about a week now. The ammonia/nitrite levels did not spike at all when the fish were added. Yesterday 15 little hermit crabs and a snail also went in.

Later this week I will buy the obligatory clown pair.

I have a little wish list for my next stock after that:

Small banana wrasse (about 1.5inch long)
A pair of coral banded shrimp
Algae blenny

Anyone care to comment on these choices? Anything out of the ordinary that I should take into consideration? I'm aiming to build up a solid base of fish that each serve their own purpose in the tank.

 

[guydio]

Seems like a good choice.
The banana wrasse likes to shelter in a bed of sand and will bury himself when the time comes to sleep, so make sure you have a fairly fine substrate for this.
Ask to see the fish feeding when you are in the shop. Most reputable dealers will show you just to make sure the fish eats all foods and is healthy.
The algae blenny will need a supply of algae from the tank or marine algae based foods.

Good luck.

 

[Lynden]

Sounds good, but why is a clownfish pair obligatory? In that tank you could have a pair of something so much cooler... Maroon clowns, on the other hand, are cool.

 

[n3ont3tra]

*coughcough*clarkii clowns *coughcough*


Coral banded shrimp have been known to catch and eat small fish, like gobies, but in such a large tank you should be okay.

 

[Lynden]

Well truthfully there isn't much that won't eat a small goby...

 

[_daniel]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I know the clown pair isn't obligatory, however I did look at a lot of other clown species (clarkii, tomato, maroon, skunk etc... there were a lot available to me) and I simply prefer the colour and personality of the ocellaris.

On a similar topic, how long should I wait between adding fish, and how many can I safely add at a time?

 

[Lynden]

Yes, ocellaris clowns can become great fish, given age and proper feeding. Though I don't quite agree on their personality level...

As soon as the tank has dropped below .25 ppm nitrite (and zero ammonia), it should be safe for fish, though preferably one should wait until nitrite is zero. You can add a couple every few days as long as the nitrite and ammonia levels do not rise.

 

[_daniel]

Yeah, I waited until levels were zero before adding the chromis. They didn't spike at all afterwards. I plan on adding 2-3 small fish per week for the first couple of weeks, then slowing down a lot after that.