First Full-Fledged Reef...Advice Appreciated

[mytosis_matth]

Hello all...I'm a long-time predator and "oddball" (eels, scorpions/lionfish, anglers, etc.) enthusiast and, consequently, haven't kept any kind of major reef setup before. I have successfully kept pavona, a plate coral, xenia and zoanthids in an otherwise FOWLR tank before, but am basically inexperienced with most of the mobile & sessile inverts as well as the smaller "community"-type fish kept in reef-aquariums.
I was hoping to get some advice on stocking my 40-gallon breeder size aquarium (36"L x 18"W x 16"?H). Here are the specifics:

Setup (no sump):
Emperor 400 power filter
Submersible Heater
Red Sea Berlin Skimmer
Glass Canopy
Glo T5 36" Flourescent (2 bulbs)
4-6" Sand Bed, fine aragonite
6" Bubble Wand for aeration
40+# Live Rock

Inhabitants so far (no corals yet):
1 Blue Yellow-tail Damsel, .5"
1 Lawnmower Blenny, 3"
1 Emerald Crab
2 Turbo Snails
5 Tiny Scarlet Hermit Crabs

The tank is in overall excellent shape and well past the initial start-up cycle and ready for more inhabitants, but I'm not sure what would be best to add next.

With T5 lighting, what corals/inverts should I stay away from?

Are all clams out of the question if I don't have metal halide lighting? The rock is set up so that I could put a clam at vitrually any height in the tank.

I get conflicting info on brittle/serpent starfish. Should I steer clear of these in a reef tank that has smaller fish (and I know the green serpent is out of the question)?

I am interested in a sea cucumber and/or sea hare. In a stable, peaceful, well-kept tank, are any species of these still a hefty risk of poisoning the tank?

Are there any groups of corals I should stay away from (due to lack of metal halide lighting)?

What might be good options for first corals to add?

Finally, I would like 1 deep-bodied fish for the tank if possible, but I feel the tank is too small for most candidates. I am not a fan of most butterflyfishes (just personal taste), but would consider one if it wasn't the typical yellow/white/black. Are there any smaller tangs or other fish that might work in a tank this size? I was thinking of getting a juvenile Atlantic Blue Tang but am afraid 40 gallons wouldn't hold it for long.

Sorry for the flood of questions in 1 post. I want this to be an awesome tank with lots of variety of stock and color. I am experienced with aquarium-keeping, so I would like to maybe get a few unusual, "challenging" species (fish or invert) rather than all the standards.

Thanks for the help!
Matt

 

[Gwynhidwy]

I think you will be limited in what corals you can keep since your fixture has only two bulbs. This may also be a problem for clams, but I think you might be okay with proper placement, especially since that isn't a deep tank. Clams can do very well under T-5s, but most fixtures have a minimum of four bulbs.

Lots of people keep brittle stars with no problems. Personally I only keep the very small stars that live on the live rock, so I can't really say. Lots of people also keep sea cucumbers as part of their CUC. I avoid them because as far as I know they are all potentially disastrous and it just isn't worth the risk for me as there are lots of other options that won't annihilate everything in my tank just because they had a bad day.

I think most corals that have high lighting requirements will be out with only two bulbs. I'm a big fan of Euphyllia sp. and find they are usually a good starter coral as they are pretty easy going. Mushrooms are even easier. Some nice Ricordea florida can brighten up most any tank and are pretty tolerant.

I do think you should look into some other algae eating snails. I would add some Astrea sp. snails, some Nassarius sp. snails, and some Cerithium sp. snails. The astreas will keep algae in check, the nassarius will stir your sand bed and help clean up, and the ceriths will do both to some extent but mine spend most of their time on the rocks. I also really like fighting conchs, Strombus spp., they are interesting and will vacuum up cyanobacteria.

For deep bodied fish, if you're willing to take a risk, you could go with a Centropyge sp. angel. Not as laterally compressed as tangs, but I don't think any tang would do well in a tank that small.

Good luck!

 

[Logzor]

I would suggest taking the glass off unless your T5 reflectors are not protected. You could also add some more bulbs or get a different fixture and keep a really nice soft coral tank.

I guess the first question I have is what kind of budget are you on?

You should not need the bubble wand. The key to aeration is flow in the tank, water surface agitation, and not having the tank sealed up from fresh air.

I would put two korallia 3's or 4's in your tank to really get things moving.

Do some research into your powerfilter, 99% of reef tanks do not use a filter of this type. Most people argue that they do more harm than good as they may trap nitrates and release them back into the tank.

To save a lot of stress in the long run try and hook up a sump by either drilling the side of your tank or doing a HOB overflow. HOB skimmers tend to overflow and cause problems.

The sump allows you to hide all of the equipment, which is nice.

There have been many tanks that do great without skimmers and sump but only by the most diligent and advances aquarists.


1.

With T5 lighting, what corals/inverts should I stay away from?

With only two t5 bulbs stay away from sps and some lps. You could get away with a monti cap or digi up top or a lower light corals like a cyphastrea. Frogspawns, hammers, and other fleshy lps may do just fine.

I can not think of a invert that is light sensitive. Check out: http://www.ipsf.com/

They have great clean up crews, many of which will reproduce in your tank and you can sell/trade them to local reefers!


2.

Are all clams out of the question if I don't have metal halide lighting? The rock is set up so that I could put a clam at vitrually any height in the tank.

For your setup clams are out of the question. T5's can be VERY potent, even more so than halides if done right (my opinion). Adding more T5's and you can keep clams no problem. One advantage you have is the depth of your tank. T5's can penetrate that depth easily. The arguement for halides is that they can penetrate VERY deep; this is great for 30" + deep tanks.

I would wait 6-8 months, get some more experience, add bulbs and streamline your system before you even think about adding clams. Ive been in the hobby for over a year and just now I have a new system that I think could allow clams to thrive, I just dont think I could stand watching a clam die...

3.

I get conflicting info on brittle/serpent starfish. Should I steer clear of these in a reef tank that has smaller fish (and I know the green serpent is out of the question)?

These are good detritus eaters, stick with the small brittle stars, they are great a catching extra food that does not get eaten!

4.

I am interested in a sea cucumber and/or sea hare. In a stable, peaceful, well-kept tank, are any species of these still a hefty risk of poisoning the tank?

I would forget about these creatures. Sea hares often arrive well into their old age and it is very sad to watch them die as they are ultra-cute.

5.

Are there any groups of corals I should stay away from (due to lack of metal halide lighting)?

With your lighting stick with softies, some lps (frogspawns, etc), and maybe a monti cap or digi. --- add a 4 more t5 bulbs and keep ANYTHING YOU WANT. Check out some retro kits at reefgeek.com - they are on sale today - icecap retro kits. A kit like these would be just as good if not better than MH for your size tank.

6.

Finally, I would like 1 deep-bodied fish for the tank if possible, but I feel the tank is too small for most candidates. I am not a fan of most butterflyfishes (just personal taste), but would consider one if it wasn't the typical yellow/white/black. Are there any smaller tangs or other fish that might work in a tank this size? I was thinking of getting a juvenile Atlantic Blue Tang but am afraid 40 gallons wouldn't hold it for long.

Forget about tangs. You take some risk and get a Tomini tang but I would say steer clear unless you get a much bigger tank. There are lots of other great fish to enjoy. Check out liveaquaria.com for some good ideas, they list the tank size you need for each fish!

I hope this helps and good luck!!

 

[mytosis_matth]

Gynhidwy & Logzor,

Thanks for the advice! I had a feeling that my lighting might not be enough for a lot of corals. My current fixture has no protective screen for the bulbs, so I don't think I should remove my glass canopy. I think I will probably save up for a new 4-bulb t-5 fixture for this tank. It's a relief to know that I don't necessarily need a metal halide. I'm not on any specific budget, but I make around $20K/year so I obviously can't blow out a ton of money.

As far as my filtration/skimming, is there anything I can do to modify my Emperor 400 to make it suit my needs better? I have a good amount of spaghetti algae in my tank helping to cut down on nitrates and have never had a big nitrate problem with this filter so far, but I must admit that I judged that by the consistent health of my fish and the few corals I had before I moved rather than by a test kit.

As far as drilling my tank, is that safe if I have it done by a professional? I would like to add a DIY sump and get the HOB stuff out (although the Red Sea Berlin skimmer has worked like a charm so far) but I have heard that drilling an already assembled tank (mine is tempered glass I believe) can be risky to the integrity of the glass.

I am having no problems with water flow due to my skimmer and power filter. I have at least 15x turnover going on currently, but will add power heads once I get a sump going.

Also, I think I'll stay away from inverts that eviscerate, etc. I read on liveaquaria.com that the yellow cucumber, Colochirus robustus, "If attacked or injured, it may release mild toxins, but due to its small size, will not pose a threat in the average sized aquarium" but was skeptical. I find that a lot of online sellers, even if they are fairly ethical, sometimes don't fully highlight the possible downsides or certain species.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice. I'm going to look into adding a nice DIY sump and all that goes with that, better lighting, and in the short-term I'll boost the clean-up crew and maybe add a couple small, durable fish and maybe some hardy, lower-light corals.