Diary of a 29

[puffer21]

Well I decided to start a thread of my new 29 gallon tank. After the loss of my 25 gallon do to a leak I decide to upgrade to a 29. I thought that this size would give me better room for an anemone and the corals I want. I have included a list of all the Equipment and animals I would like to have in the tank.

Equipment
~Coralife Super Skimmer65
~portable refractometer
~Max-jet 900
~Max-jet 900
~AquaClear Powerfilter70(fuge)
~Pro HQI/Compact Fluorescent/Lunar Light Fixture 24" 280w
~Jalli 11" 13 watt Compact Strip
~Salifert Test Kits
~Visi-Therm Stealth Heater 150w
~Coralife Digital Thermometer
~Mag Float
~EggCreate Cover
~RO/DI Unit
~Mini TDS Meter
~QT Tank

Dosing
~Liquid Calcium by Kent
~Selcon(with food)
~Vita-Chem(with food)
~DT Plankton(as a food)

Fish
~2~True Percula Clown
~2~Black Clown Goby
~1~Yasha Goby

Inverts
~1~RBTA
~1~Maxima Clam
~-~SPS
~-~LSP
~1~Blue Linka
~1~Candy pistol shrimp
~1~Cleaner shrimp
~4~Blue leg hermit crabs
~2~Scarlet hermit crabs
~4~Astrea snails
~4~Nassarius Snails
~2~Cerith snails
~1~Emerald crab

Live Filterization
~20# live rock (lots more to come)
~30# live sand
~Cheatomorpha

Ok well how does everything sound so far? I am aware that anemones, clams, and sps are not for new tanks. I will not be getting clams or sps for at least a year. Although I might get the anemone within 6 months if my tank is stable and I think that I can handle one. Also as you see I said that I would like to get a Blue linka. Although I would probly never get one since most die in captivity would it coexist with the animals I have listed. Also can two Black Clown Gobies live together, and has anyone ever been able to breed them?

Also as you see I listed a AquaClear 70, Jalli light, and cheato this will all go in the AquaClear as a fuge.

This tank will be mainly for my two true percula clowns as I hope one day they will breed. Does anything I have pose a threat to them or the eggs that they could lay?

Thanks for any comments or help as it is much appreciated
Puffer21

 

[puffer21]

Tank with potential

Tank with more potential

Buckets for water Changes

Box of stuff for the tank

Sand

 

[WILL2002]

i dont think that 2 clown gobies would be good in a 29g tank, at least thats what i read, and defenatly watch the percs with the clown goby, my clowns killed my citrus clown goby. just a heads up to watch them.

 

[puffer21]

anyone else heard this

 

[WILL2002]

i found it, it's off of dr foster & smith.com then go to the pet education.com its under citron goby, i'm not sure about if they are a reliable source or not. just be careful if you do put the 2 together

 

[Cutiewitbooty]

good luck, you decide what light you are going to use?

 

[whatnot45]

Good luck may it allways be as clean, and algea free as it is now! XD

 

[puffer21]

Thanks everyone. Does anyone have any suggestions? Also Cutiewitbooty the lighting im using is the MH with acents.

 

[Salty Brother]

Are you into DIY?
Becuase if you are, make your own canopy. That is what Im going to do, im going to get this retro kit MH's and Im going to have 2 65W pc actinics, but it probably would be fine with just one.
I have the ccs 125 and love it, ive got a problem with microbubbles, but im going to fix that.
If you dont mind another suggestion, start a sump right from the beginning. You are going to want to have one, becuase it hides all your equipment, and you can have a fuge. Id use at least a 15gal, mine I think is too small, and this summer Im going to upgrade to a 38gal tank with my 29 as a sump.
Good Luck ask anymore questions if you need!
Oh ya, go to www.drsfosterandsmith.com and look at the Hydro Flo wave maker, i really like mine and you could put it on your mj 900, i have mine on my mj 1200

 

[puffer21]

Thanks for the replays. Im not very good at DIY so building a canopy is not going to work. I do want to make a sump, but right now it is out of my buget. That is why i made a mod to the AquaClear70 so that i could make a small fuge out of that. After I get my MH, the sump will be my next purcuse. I was going to use a 20 gallon tank cause i could have it for free, but the side was 12" and that wouldnt fit so i will have to make one with Plex-glass and that will take me awhile also.

 

[duec22]

When you decide it's time to start putting sps in the tank, I think you might want a little more turnover.

 

[puffer21]

Ya that is what i didnt know if I wanted two 900 powerheads or 1200. But when I have it running i will have to see. Do you think the lighting is good for SPS. Also can someone tell me what a calcuim reactor is and do i need one? Thanks for all the help Puffer21

 

[duec22]

Your discription of the breakdown of the lighting is a little vage. From what I can deduce it's a 150MH and 2x65W PC? I'm thinking you are going to be just fine with this. If anything you may have a heat problem if the summers if it gets really hot where you are. You can counteract this to some degree by useing fans to increase you evaporation rate. The way to do it, is start of with monti's, if they live and maintain color you can move on to a more demanding coral and just keep moveing up.

A calcuim reactor is use to keep up on calcium and alkalinity in very demanding systems. With a small tank like a 29gal a calcium reactor is overkill (although I'm almost to the point where I want one on my 29). Most of the time you can keep up with your cal/alk by either doseing a 2part system like Randy's 2pt (it was an RC article a couple months back) or with lime water.

 

[Salty Brother]

OK, good luck, I love my 29

 

[puffer21]

OK thanks. Also I posted in the breeding form about the Black Clown Goby and found out someone had breed them and that you can keep two together.

 

[puffer21]

OK well i have some more questions. I decide that I dont like having all my equitment showing so I want a sump. My problem though is that my stand cant fit a width of 12" It is only about 11". So I decided to make one out of plex-glass. It will be small mainly just for my skimmer and AquaClear fuge. Also since I have already upgraded the AquaClear filter and bought the jalli light I decide that the filter will hang on the sump if that works. Here is a pic of what it will look like. Also i will be using a mag-drive 5 and an overflow box with a 3/4 bulkhead and a 300gph.

Key
Purple- Into sump
Red- Out of sump
Pink- skimmer
Gray- AquaClear filter with fuge

 

[puffer21]

Do you think I can use a 10 gallon tank for the sump? Also can the CSS65 fit in a 10 gallon tank?
Thanks for any help puffer21

 

[mr pink floyd]

trust me, get more snails, i have over 30 in my 29, keeps it very clean, 12 nassarious, 12 cerinth, 10 turbo/astrea

also, use a 15 gallone sump, more space, i think its the same length as a 10, just taller, talk to patrick (salty bro) he has a nice setup with his 29

i wish i could have a sump, but my setup wont let me set one up

also hoiw many watts in halides are you using?

im using a single 150 DE wit h2 65 watt actinics, and 4 blue lunars, its great!

 

[puffer21]

mr pink floyd- I dont think I can use a 15 cause of the width I think the 10 gallon is the biggest. Also the MH will be a 150Mh 2 65 actinics and 2 blue lights which is 280 watts.

Here are some questions that i have
1. Can I use a 10 gallon as a sump
2. Can I use the AquaClear filter as a hang on fuge in the sump.
3. Also Instead of having a sepreate chamber where the water will enter can i just have it enter right into the sump with a filter sock. I think that will be less money and also less work with the plex-glass.

Thanks for any help Puffer21

 

[Salty Brother]

Ok, this is a subject that I can help with. I wouldnt suggest a 10 gal, or even a 15, I pretty much hate my 15, it is too small. Ill post a pic.
You can fit a ccs 65 in a sump, I have the ccs 125 in my 15, cramped.
Give me till later today, I have to go to my next class.