New guy, new tank, same advice I'm sure

[super-cichlid]

As is custom, I am announcing to all here that I am a novice in the saltwater hobby. I have kept FW fish, mostly African cichlids for the last couple of years. Before that I had a couple of different community fish tanks and I have even done a FW planted tank. But salt is all new for me. I plan on doing a 20 H tank with a 20 gallon sump. I plan on it being a reef tank. I am going to run a Current outer orbit light fixture which for a 16" deep tank, should be enough. In the sump I'll have an AquaC Urchin skimmer, a refugium and an internal Hydor Seltz L45 pump. Livestock wise, I plan on 2 clown fish, a manderin, and a skunk shrimp...maybe some snails, and a crab or two. Anemones I plan on are a sabae, LBT, and a condalyctis. Corals will be a frogspawn, a brain coral, some green starburst polyps, and some zooanthids. I think that's about it.

 

[Blindmelonbob]

Hi s-c, Welcome to RC! I have an Urchin on my 75 and like it a lot. Hold off on the manderin especially (and all livestock for that matter) until you read quite a bit first. Have you found a place to buy live rock? Bob

 

[AllenFord_SC]

[welcome]

Sounds like you have the right mindset for this hobby. Plan everything and research as much as possible. The number one thing to keep a succesful reef tank is PATIENCE! Welcome again and happy reefing.

 

[super-cichlid]

A guy who I go to school with is going ot start me with some of the sand and rock from his tank.

And the research I understand. I have been researching how to do a saltwater tank for about a year now. The one thing that I still am not quite sure on is what corals and anemones are "friendly" with eachother. I have read that over time the toxins that they all excrete into the water to "fight" the other corals and anemones can be very harmful even when doing water changes. Do the corals and anemones all sound like they will "get along"?

 

[AllenFord_SC]

You will want to keep the zoas away from your anemones. Also keep plenty of growout space between the corals of different Genus. Here is a great article to read: http://www.marinedepotlive.com/large-poplyped-stony-corals-by-mike-paletta--.html

 

[super-cichlid]

wow. that's a great reference article. thanks for the help!!