New 30g reef tank

[Noah 123]

Sounds good. I was thinking along those lines. Definitely a blenny of some kind and a clown. I'd love to have 2 different clown types, but from what I understand they aren't likely to get along. Still thinking about the remaining choices. Luckily there's plenty of time - I have a feeling the tank will take its sweet time cycling.

You can get 2 different clowns, but they must be tank-bred or both closely related. For example, you could have 1 standard ocellaris clown and a black and white ocellaris clown, because they're both ocellaris clowns. You get what I mean? There's standard, blue stripe, black and white, naked, platinum, and more! I personally just like ocellaris clowns (the species listed above).

I'm on the fence about hermit crabs. They're fun to watch, but I don't want snails being killed. Does that realistically happen? I've been reading about the danger of keeping starfish in small tanks, but again, that may be textbook warnings, don't really know. Lots of people seem to have some luck with them. Definitely would like a healthy mix of snails.

This is a question that comes up a lot. Hermits are scavengers, like all crabs, and will eat what they can get. I chose very peaceful species, but if you're really on edge then just get blue leg hermits. There's been bad stories about red tips and the're more likely to eat snails.

For the star, I chose a safe species. Brittle and serpent stars are one of the few reef safe stars out for sale, as long as they ARE NOT GREEN OR YELLOW! These ones grow huge, are very fast, and catch fish and crabs and whatever they can get! Black ones, and red ones are OK though.

Bring 'em on! My dream fish is a mandarin. If I could only keep one fish, that would be it. Probably not going to happen in a small tank. Saw one in the LFS, and had to restrain myself :bounce1:. Maybe a year down the road, if I add a HOB fuge. Too early to think that far ahead.

I really wouldn't recommend a mandarin until you've had years of saltwater experience. They're one of the hardest fish to keep and require pods for feeding. I've also heard stories of them eating very small invertebrates (crabs, shrimp).

As for the other things, here you go. I forgot to recommend a cleaner shrimp, like skunk cleaner shrimp, fire/blood shrimp, and peppermint shrimp. Peppermints can resemble a bad coral eating shrimp though, the camel shrimp.
A blue tuxedo urchin would be neat, they stay small and eat algae.
A crinoid squat lobster would be awesome. They're not lobsters, crabs, shrimp or anything. Squat lobsters are their own type of crustacean. These ones only grow to about 2 inches and are very easy to care for.
And finally mole crabs! They're small little crabby things that sift your sand and are very cool! They only grow to an inch and a half.

 

[G_Sanab922]

Peppermints can resemble a bad coral eating shrimp though, the camel shrimp.

They have some resemblance to the pepps. I have both in my tank. The pepps are very transparent. Very easy to differentiate which is the pepp and the camel.


regarding what it eats here is what LA has to say "but may nip at colonial anemones, disc anemones, and soft leather corals. It generally leaves bubble coral and stinging anemones alone. "

I haven't had any problems with my camel shrimp. He's actually pretty cool and active. A lot more out in the open compared to the pepp (which always hides). This is my experience..

 

[mike1024]

I really wouldn't recommend a mandarin until you've had years of saltwater experience. They're one of the hardest fish to keep and require pods for feeding. I've also heard stories of them eating very small invertebrates (crabs, shrimp).

That's why I called it my dream fish. I know they're hard to keep. I don't think it's going in this tank. Maybe the next one

As for the other things, here you go. I forgot to recommend a cleaner shrimp, like skunk cleaner shrimp, fire/blood shrimp, and peppermint shrimp.

Skunk cleaner shrimp look like fun. Fire shrimp look good too. Maybe one of each.

And finally mole crabs! They're small little crabby things that sift your sand and are very cool! They only grow to an inch and a half.

Never heard of these guys. I'll definitely read up on them. Thanks again for the advice. I'm trying to compile a mental list that'll probably keep changing.

 

[Noah 123]

I don't even have my own tank :thumbdown

I'm just very educated on saltwater... I may be getting my first tank soon though! :celeb2:

 

[mike1024]

I don't even have my own tank :thumbdown

I'm just very educated on saltwater... I may be getting my first tank soon though! :celeb2:

Good luck!

 

[TeoB]

Nice layout, good luck with cycling!

 

[mike1024]

Nice layout, good luck with cycling!

Thanks! Ammonia down to 0, nitrite and nitrates are as high as the kit measures (nitrites > 1, nitrates > 50). I can see some dead-looking stuff on the rocks, not much. Started running lights on their regular schedule (12 hours or light with lights set at 35%). Doing this mostly to prevent die-off of micro algae on the rocks. Some of that is going to be beneficial.

 

[mike1024]

Nitrites are down to 0.1. The strange thing is that nitrates are down to 5 (from 50?). I'm guessing operator error. I've been checking every few days, and today is the first case of any downward movement. See some green algae (just a tinge) on the rocks and (minimally) on glass. No other signs of life. Going to try feeding the tank this week to see if there's still an active cycle, and then time for a few snails. Unfortunately all my numbers are in doubt because I changed two variables: brought the temperature up to 80 (seen several suggestions about the cycle being quicker at 80), and stopped running the lights.

 

[mike1024]

Added 6 hermit crabs, 6 Nassarius snails, 6 Astraea snails and 2 skunk cleaner shrimp today. Looks livelier already.

 

[UMass14]

Enjoy! Take your time and your tank will look fantastic...

 

[Amatuer21]

IM Nuvo 30 Micro Tank 318
Refractometer 40
60W Maxspect Nano LED 261
Red Sea Marine Care Test Kit 31
JBJ Digi-Temp Thermometer and Probe 11
TDS Meter 25
Vortech MP10 Pump 235
Flipper Magnetic Cleaner 40
100W Neo-Therm Submersible Heater 63
Total 1024

I'm trying not to think about it. I initially tried to cap my budget at $1300, but yeah, that's not happening.

Lol i know the feeling. Its nearly impossible to set yourself a budget when building a new tank.

 

[mike1024]

Enjoy! Take your time and your tank will look fantastic...

Thanks! I'm trying to take it slow. It likely won't see fish for a month or so (still need a quarantine tank)

 

[cherubfish pair]

mike1024, you have a pm.

 

[mike1024]

Nothing terribly exciting going on with the tank so far. Work and kids kept me busy for a while. Finally have my first fish (a tank-bred Banggai Cardinal) in QT for two weeks now. Tank is pretty sparsely populated - few mixed corals, some still sitting in a frag rack waiting for permanent placement - that's probably happening this weekend. Made a rookie mistake - left the salt exposed to air for a while, turning the entire bucket into a giant rock. Oblivious, continued to use it, throwing some numbers out of whack (low alkalinity). Current corals (all small fragments), in rough order of introduction (over the course of the last few months):
2 zoas (1 polyp each)
2 Acans (1 head, 6 head)
Trachyphyllia
Green star polyps
2 small nameless SPS "sticks"
Torch
Duncan
Cat's paw

A bit of a mix that'll hopefully work out. Fish list plan, with Steve's advice:
Banggai Cardinal (in QT now).
Royal gramma
Orange stripe prawn goby
Purple firefish
Pair of Occelaris clownfish

 

[Miguelh1302]

any pictures yet? cant wait to see how this beauty turns out

 

[mike1024]

Heh, nothing to really take pictures of. Rocks and a couple of coral fragments. Very little coral growth over the last few months - probably due to aforementioned dumb mistake.

In other news -

• Bought a calcium test kit. 435 - not terrible. Not many things that consume it yet. Hopefully salt in water changes will keep that up for a while.
• Bought a two part dosing kit before the calcium test kit (why did I do that?). Hopefully that'll sit for a while before I need it.
• Bought a carbon/gfo reactor. My nitrates are still fairly high (20-50, depending on how I read the kit that day), and there's a few spots of hair algae that I'd love to get rid of/control. I now know there's enough calcium, so I'm guessing high nitrates are contributing somewhat to poor growth. My cleaner shrimp also hasn't molted in months, also possibly high nitrates? Hoping that the carbon reactor can help keep it in check.
• Magnesium kit on the way, along with new salt. I really doubt magnesium is low, but that's the last major test kit I'm missing (except maybe phosphate).
• Been topping off by hand, nightly. I lose about a quarter gallon per day.
• Finally have a skimmer tuned exactly how I want it, pulling out dark funky smelling stuff. Takes 3-4 days to fill.

Coming up next:

• Banggai Cardinal leaving QT in the next 2 weeks - finally fish! Took me long enough.
• Going to do a couple of water changes a week for the next few weeks, once the new salt comes in . Really want to get the nitrates down into 10s, at least.
• I had grand plans to build a controller/monitor/top off kit/kitchen sink (arduino + sonic ranger + aqualifter + relay + duct tape). In the way of all grand plans, that didn't happen. Much of it is wired, just needs to be properly mounted/coded/tested. Maybe one weekend I can dedicate a few hours to it (mostly laziness stopping me). One day (who am I kidding).

 

[JeffyT]

hey mike!

your setup sounds exactly like mine.

I run a 30g but the old IM NUVO discontinued version.

Instead of a reactor, i just run media bags under filter floss in a custom caddy that i bought from inTank media baskets.

I use chemipure elite and chemipure phosgaurd 100ml to treat. I change out about every 4 months but i might consider the reactor now since ive added a lot of livestock.

 

[mike1024]

hey mike!

your setup sounds exactly like mine.

I run a 30g but the old IM NUVO discontinued version.

Instead of a reactor, i just run media bags under filter floss in a custom caddy that i bought from inTank media baskets.

I use chemipure elite and chemipure phosgaurd 100ml to treat. I change out about every 4 months but i might consider the reactor now since ive added a lot of livestock.

Reactor sounds like quite a lot of pain actually. I didn't plan very far ahead, so the tank is too close to the wall to mount the reactor behind it, and there's no other good spot. Looks like I'll need to move the tank a few inches, which I dread doing.

 

[mike1024]

Got my magnesium kit. It reads 1050. That's the second parameter that's out of whack. New salt came as well - I'll try a couple of water changes to see if it helps with alkalinity.

 

[mike1024]

New salt is here. The old salt claims to result in water with alk of 8. My tank water is actually closer to 6, which I know is way out of bounds. The new salt (Red Sea Coral Pro) is 12 (on the label, yet to measure). I guess I'll do smaller water changes to start with so I don't raise it too quickly.