help... starting my reef tank

[gio28]

im new to saltwater but im ready to start a reef tank in my 36 gallon bowfront i've had for 4 months now. but i have a few questions and things id like an opinion on...


FISH:
the fish i currently have in my tank are:
-a misbar clown
-3 blue/green chromis

the fish i have on my stocking list:
-a flame hawk (i have already ordered)
-a midas blenny
-a sixline wrasse
-coral beauty (as kind of a showcase fish for the tank) (and i know its hit or miss with a reef)
i know these are alot of fish to add to a 36 gallon and a reef tank but if my biological filtration is good would it be ok? or if not which of these in your opinion would you choose?

INVERTS:
i have:
-a sand sifting star
-assorted snails
-cleaner shrimp
-hermits
-emerald crab
-a sebae anemone
does this seem like a well rounded cleanup crew (excluding the anemone) that could help maintain a reef tank? or anything i should add or take out?


CORALS:
i dont have any yet but my water is pretty good to start...my lighting is 130 watts for 36 gallons (30 with rock taking up some space) so about 4.3 watts per gallon
nitrate- some 10-20 (they are getting lower)
nitrite- 0
ammonia- slight, like 1
salinity 1.023
calcium- 440
ph and alk- i dont remember but lfs said it was perfect
any suggestions for beginner corals? or ones you like in particular? and i know corals need zero nitrates so i'll fix that before i get any...

anything else i should know about or do? thanks alot for any input you have to give...
im 15 and addicted to this hobby already...

 

[ellevan11]

Couple things i noticed.

I would raise your salinity a little closer or to 1.025.

Nems require a stable established tank, at 4 months old you will need to watch your water params and the nem very close.

I would not recommend the sand sifting star. They eat the live stuff you want in the sand and at 36 gallons it will run out of food rather quickly. If you have it to clean the sand, a fighting conch is always an option. Research first though.

What type of lights are producing your 130w?

I started with Ricordea Mushrooms. Easy to maintain, grow rather quick, and come in a variety of colors.

Good Luck, and welcome to the hobby!

 

[gio28]

im slowly raising my salinity a little at a time to get up to 24 or 25 where its supposed to be.

and surprisingly i had that nem at my tank being 1 month old and its dyed...but its doing extremely well and my clown loves it...i guess im lucky cause i heard dyed anemones die quickly.

i read about the star that it will get real big...i might bring it back it it does or it eats anything its not supposed to.

my lights are 65 actinic and 65 10,000K...

and i heard a normal fighting conch is real big for a 36 gallon but there are a smller species that do real good..but idk the name

thanks for the reply...does the fish part of my tank plan seem ok? thanks

 

[Cozmo4]

Good start and good luck as you start adding corals. As ellevan11 said, the sand sifting star will eat the good stuff that you want in your sand bed. It will do such a good job of cleaning out the sand bed that it will be left with nothing to eat very quickly and will slowly starve. LFS sell these all too frequently in inappropriate situations. They need to be in very large established tanks with deep sand beds to have any chance in the longer term.

 

[Rich D]

For a first coral, I would go with a toadstool or leather coral. They react instantly when there is something off with water parameters but are also extremely hardy. I had one live through a a copper problem in my tank (forgot about a copper tube attached to top off)!
Keep in mind if you get one that they can close up for no reason and will stay like that for weeks sometimes as part of their natural cycle.