Hi. I just got a 32 biocube today. This will be my first reef tank. I was thinking of doing a watchman goby-pistol shrimp pair, a cleaner shrimp, a firefish, a 6 line wrasse, some trochus snails and maybe some hermit crabs if possible. For corals I was thinking some kind of zoanthid, Blastomussa, pulsing xenia, GSP, Euphyllia of some sort, duncan and toadstool. How does it sound? Anything you would remove or add? I would like to do a clown or a couple clowns but I hear that the light might not be strong enough for anemones and that clowns are too aggressive. What order should I add live stock in? Should I add corals first or last? Just general suggestions?
32 biocube stocking ideas
- Thread starter AJE
- Start date
Only thing I’m immediately seeing is toadstools can get quite large and depending on the Euphyllia, you gotta watch sweeper tentacles
The wrasse can be hit or miss. As can clowns. My clowns love me but hate my wife. If worried about it can add him last
What kind of rock do you think I should go with?
Definitely, immediately, no to a six line wrasse. They are very territorial, even more so in such a small tank. That size tank is too small for any wrasse species.
I would certainly look into the Nem/Clown combo, if your providing light for the corals you listed, this is sufficient for the Nem as he can “move” on his own to the spot that’s best, ie, light and flow.
Me, I never keep crabs. Never met one I could fully trust. I use different snails which do a much better cleaning job and don’t prey on others.
Shrimp is fine but may quickly figure out your targeting feeding, and steal the food. Some small collateral damage.
6 line, nope, not in a 32, maybe a 180. If you do keep wrasse, need a tight fitting lid.
Watchman/Goby pair, clown pair with Nem, firefish, maybe a yellow tang if your adventurous. Single best rock cleaner I’ve ever owned. A Royal gramma, a group of chromis, 3 Orange Anthais.
First is cycle. Rock, sand, saltwater to 1.023, heated, bottle bacteria, wait 4 days, put in the clowns as a pair.
Maintain 10% water changes every week at least during the first 6 months.
In 3 months I’d add the Nem, let him get settled, they don’t move much if you dont change light or flow, so soon it will be safe to plant our corals.
During this 6 months, slowly add your fish, least aggressive first, so tangs are always last.
During this time, your chemistry in terms of parameters must be monitored and tweaked.
Stable water chemistry leads to fast good guy bacteria counts and these guys need to be in sufficient quantities for corals to thrive. The less the “flux” in Salinity, Temp, Alk, NO3 and PO4, the faster everything goo happens.
So, fish community is first, get them in, get them settled, get them happy.
Once you get stable numbers, drop in what you like.
Then add whatever corals you want, corals don’t add any load on the system, they actually pull from the system.
Adding lots of Stoney corals will require additional dosing of the big 3, ALK, CA and MG.
Have fun
Isn't that a little low?
Sorry, I meant for fish only.
Corals 1.025-1.026
So I start the FOWLR at 1.020-1.023 and let the fish get settled over months in low light.
Then I very slowly increase to 1.026 over a week or so and get parameters both in check and will little flux.
Then I add a ton of corals.
