Artificial Coral Reef Insert & Fish Compatibility

[MuffsAbby]

I have a fish-only tank with an artificial coral reef insert, manufactured by ATM in Las Vegas. I decided to go with artificial since I had heard horror stories (perhaps untrue) about how difficult it is to keep live coral and, considering I'm a newbie, I decided I didn't want to risk killing live corals. That said, I'm quite happy with the artificial insert, which looks quite realistic.

My tank (150g) has been set up and running since July and, a few weeks ago, I added two ocellaris clownfish to keep my grandchildren happy. I'm currently working on my future fish stocking list. I'm doing a lot of research and I keep coming across such comments as "œprovide lots of live rock for grazing and hiding". My fish would have lots of artificial coral/rock in which they could hide, but what about grazing? I know live rock supports all sorts of living organisms upon which fish can feed, but I presume that wouldn't be the case for my artificial coral/rock. Does that mean I need to avoid adding any fish that like to graze on live rock?

 

[revstu]

The most common thing that fish nip at on live rock is algae which you will find will grow on your artificial reef insert. The fish that you would want to stay clear of would be fish that eat pods and other small creatures. Without corals, live rock or live sand you would have to add these to your tank to have a source of them for your fish.

 

[Meshmez]

You could also look into adding some live rock to your tank. I dont know how much of the tank your artificial corals cover, but assuming there is gaps i dont know any reason you couldnt make some live rock structures that would add to the look of the tank and add those micro organisms.

Good to hear that someone who got "tanked" is doing it right and not throwing 100 fish in a brand new system! :beer:

 

[MuffsAbby]

The most common thing that fish nip at on live rock is algae which you will find will grow on your artificial reef insert. The fish that you would want to stay clear of would be fish that eat pods and other small creatures. Without corals, live rock or live sand you would have to add these to your tank to have a source of them for your fish.

Yes, I know algae is in my future, so if that's what most fish graze on, then I should be fine. Thanks for that info, revstu.

You could also look into adding some live rock to your tank. I dont know how much of the tank your artificial corals cover, but assuming there is gaps i dont know any reason you couldnt make some live rock structures that would add to the look of the tank and add those micro organisms.

Good to hear that someone who got "tanked" is doing it right and not throwing 100 fish in a brand new system! :beer:

Thanks, Meshmez. There isn't really any room for live rock, so I'll just have to go with what I have. As for throwing in lots of fish...I was dumb enough to make that mistake in the past with freshwater. I learned my lesson! So, I'll be stocking very slowly.