Livestock Suggestions?

[expo703]

Here's the specs tank I have been out of the hobby and literately have no equipment this is what I got! (it has been 2 weeks still no ammonia spike..)

4 pieces of live rock about 12-13 pieces of dry rock
100lbs of live sand
Tank volume is about 160gal
72x18x24 so ~135gal + sump
2 - 3rd gen hydor's 1350gph
ai director
Vertex omega 150
herbie overflow 3/4" drain with 1"emergency
5.0 sicce pump
3 hydra 26's
tunze ATO
syphon + cobalt mj 12 pump
magfloat for acrylic
2 150watt heaters from finnex with controller
Picked up 6 stage brs rodi with water saver and a brute 32 gal garbage can so far filled it up! PSI is ~ 50 should I get a booster?

Any suggestions on equipment?

live stock (I know i want to do @ least 1 pair of clowns and really love purple tangs (1) and yellow tangs(1) hopefully I can mix them? Also like fire red shrimp and skunk cleaner shrimp!

I'm totally new to salt water my sand would work well with sand sifting gobys so maybe a few of them?
Any other suggestions?

My clean up crew will be (From reefcleaners.org they suggested that ) :

100 Dwarf Ceriths - small effective cleaners
23 Nassarius
38 Florida Ceriths
35 Assorted Hermits
30 Nerites
3 EMerald Crabs


I'm thinking a anemone in the future like a BTA? (6months or so down the road)

Corals? I have no clue - easy stuff like LPS and softies? Zoa's are awesome looking but I read some scary stores about them poising keepers so I might not do those.

Help me build my tank i'm a newbie!:bounce1:

Thanks,

 

[expo703]

Just got my AI director and lights setup on the tank.. any suggestions for settings? Im clueless ?
min-max
white 0 -45
violet 3 - 60
red 4-40
green 0 - 40
blue 4 - 60
royal 4 - 60
uv 2 - 45

 

[hawaiianwargod]

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

 

[expo703]

<img src="/images/welcome.gif" width="500" height="62"><br><b><i><big><big>To Reef Central</b></i></big></big>

thx =d

 

[Duke4life]

With a 135 you are going to want roughly 135 pounds of rock if not more. Sand somewhere between 1 1/2 inches and up depending on what you want to keep. Also you might try dry feeding and testing to see what you get.

 

[expo703]

With a 135 you are going to want roughly 135 pounds of rock if not more. Sand somewhere between 1 1/2 inches and up depending on what you want to keep. Also you might try dry feeding and testing to see what you get.

That much? I kinda like the bare look anyways so my fish have a little more swimming room since I do want two tangs. I think I have about 90lbs total or something. about 100 lbs of sand. I put in 7 feeder shrimp and dry feed a few times last week still nothing.

 

[stingeragent]

I've never had a purple but I read that they are little devils. That clean up crew seems a tad large to me. I prolly wouldn't put all that in at once. Zoa's are fine. Just don't grab one and stick it in your eyeball. They can be dangerous but common sense can fix 99% of that. On your rock , I don't think you need 135 lbs. I'm a minimalist myself and so I never stuff the tank with rock. It all really depends on your bio load. If you have a tank stuffed to the brim with fish, you need the extra space on the rock for bacteria, but if your not heavily stocked and have a decent skimmer you'll be fine.

 

[expo703]

I've never had a purple but I read that they are little devils. That clean up crew seems a tad large to me. I prolly wouldn't put all that in at once. Zoa's are fine. Just don't grab one and stick it in your eyeball. They can be dangerous but common sense can fix 99% of that. On your rock , I don't think you need 135 lbs. I'm a minimalist myself and so I never stuff the tank with rock. It all really depends on your bio load. If you have a tank stuffed to the brim with fish, you need the extra space on the rock for bacteria, but if your not heavily stocked and have a decent skimmer you'll be fine.

sounds good ya i'm going to have medium bio load - still scared about zoa's from reading stories on this forum - the purple is a devil meaning aggressive?

 

[shifty51008]

Yes purples can be agressive, i would suggest picking either the purple or yellow but not both because their body shape is the same they usually seem to fight.

 

[expo703]

Purple tang will probably be my LAST fish I add - first being clowns - then i'm not sure what else

 

[shifty51008]

Cardinal fish, blennys, dwarf angel (if you wanna try them with corals), wrasse, ect all are good choices imo

 

[Shawn O]

Also like fire red shrimp and skunk cleaner shrimp! Best to wait until you can keep your water parameter stable for a few months before adding any kind of shrimp. Lots of new people have them die, often due to fluctuations in water parameters.

I'm totally new to salt water my sand would work well with sand sifting gobys so maybe a few of them? You probably shouldn't add many, if any, sand sifters until the tank has crud and life built up in the sand bed or they could starve. Apparently, sand sifters that sift sand for micro-crustaceans will often deplete a sand bed of life and then starve.

100 Dwarf Ceriths (better to start with about 10)
23 Nassarius (better to start with about 10)
38 Florida Ceriths (better to start with about 5)
35 Assorted Hermits (better to start with about 10)
30 Nerites (better to start with about 10)
3 EMerald Crabs (many people have had issues with them and had to remove them once they got bigger. It's a risk you're going to have to decide you want to take.)

That CUC would be for a full tank that already has plenty of algae and crud in the sand. Since it's a new tank, you should probably start out with a fraction of that CUC listed and add a small amount every 3~6 months until you have enough. They are animals that need to eat, as well, and will starve if there are too many for the food available.


Welcome aboard. Good luck and post lots of pictures as you set up your system, start a build thread if you like. We love pics.

 

[expo703]

That CUC would be for a full tank that already has plenty of algae and crud in the sand. Since it's a new tank, you should probably start out with a fraction of that CUC listed and add a small amount every 3~6 months until you have enough. They are animals that need to eat, as well, and will starve if there are too many for the food available.


Welcome aboard. Good luck and post lots of pictures as you set up your system, start a build thread if you like. We love pics.

Good advice will do thanks!

 

[Taahirs]

I wouldn't risk the yellow and purple.

They got along for a few years as juvies and then the yellow decided it was time to kill the purple. Luckily managed to save it. (400 gallon tank)

 

[expo703]

I wouldn't risk the yellow and purple.

They got along for a few years as juvies and then the yellow decided it was time to kill the purple. Luckily managed to save it. (400 gallon tank)

damn.. I really like purple tang but I know they are prone to ick as well fck I like both of them

First time trying to aquascape advice?

 

[Sk8r]

To get your colors, you might take a purple tang and get a yellow watchman goby, maybe with a Fiji blue devil damsel, or for lighter color, 3 bluegreen chromis---damsels have a bad rep, but most are fine in tanks over 100 gallons. Avoid dascyllus if you have chromis. Outside of that other splashes of color are red firefish, anthias (not with damsels) and the basslets, like the royal gramma.

 

[expo703]

To get your colors, you might take a purple tang and get a yellow watchman goby, maybe with a Fiji blue devil damsel, or for lighter color, 3 bluegreen chromis---damsels have a bad rep, but most are fine in tanks over 100 gallons. Avoid dascyllus if you have chromis. Outside of that other splashes of color are red firefish, anthias (not with damsels) and the basslets, like the royal gramma.

Cool I will research those! Yeah I don't know if I want a damsel i have hard bad things lol

Question my acrylic tank came with solid tops there is a little lip they slide into - I had them on and alot of evaporation forms on the inside..I noticed alot of glass tanks have screens..I guess I could make two screen tops but could I just drill a bunch of holes in my acrylic tops to help evaporation? Does anyone have pictures of what they have done with their acrylic tanks obviously I don't want anything jumping out!

thanks!

 

[shifty51008]

Drilling holes in the tops would work, just make sure they are small enough so fish cant jump through them.

Damsels get a bad rap but ime yellow tailed damsels are pretty laid back, my clowns are meaner than they are. Yellow tailed damsels are the only ones ive had though so cant say much about others.

 

[WhoScott]

I always try to get a variety of fish not just for the color but for where they swim in the tank. Blenny and gobies tend to be at the bottom, tangs are all over, looking for something that swims toward the top right now. It's just a thought but I like having fish at different stata in the water.

 

[expo703]

I always try to get a variety of fish not just for the color but for where they swim in the tank. Blenny and gobies tend to be at the bottom, tangs are all over, looking for something that swims toward the top right now. It's just a thought but I like having fish at different stata in the water.

I agree! Will keep that in mind when i'm ready to stock!