PLEASE check out my intended fish purchases here first!

[Redeyes31]

I think this thread closed down a few years ago. I thought it was cool and wanted to see if Sk8r or snorvich would comment on my fish selection. I'm pretty confident in my fish selection, decently confident on the cuc save for the snails, and wondering if my tank is big enough or if I'll be pushing the limit.

My DT is approx. 65g and sump approx. 24g. I'm only 11 days into my cycle, so I've got a ways to go. I've got a mini-g skimmer, refugium (setup pending), cobalt C-ray 200 LED, 2 wavelink powerheads, ATO with RODI, QT ready to go and all the testers and kits. Even a chiller as I live in LA with little AC. I'm going for a mixed coral reef tank with the following critters:

Assorted Hermit crabs (an electric blue leg, Halloween, scarlet)
Turbo snails (Mexican, chestnut)
Spiny star snails
Cerith snails
Fighting Conch
Blood red shrimp
Skunk cleaner shrimp
Arrow Crab?
Fire Fish x2
Zebra Barred dartfish x2
Royal Gramma
Tailspot Blenny
Neon Blue Goby
Sharknosed Goby
Highfin Goby
Mandarin
Red Dragonet

I want to seed my tank and sump with copepods for the mandarin and red dragonet. And do more research to see if they are compatible and will have enough room. I figure most of these fish are small so they'll all have plenty of room.

Thanks!:deadhorse:

 

[Redeyes31]

I should have tried to post a picture with my post. Lets see if this works.

 

[Redeyes31]

I guess I can't edit posts. I forgot to mention an item. I must not be being patient enough with my posting. I'll have to work on this.

I was also thinking about adding a percula clownfish. But Im on the fence about that. I feel like it will get big and possibly torment the little guys.

 

[Uncle99]

I would nix the arrow crab before it eats some of the slower movers.
I don't keep hermits at all cause they ultimately end up being trouble.
I would not add the dragonet/mandarin until 1 year, its not the seed, it's the multiplication rate of pods.

 

[Redeyes31]

I would nix the arrow crab before it eats some of the slower movers.
I don't keep hermits at all cause they ultimately end up being trouble.
I would not add the dragonet/mandarin until 1 year, its not the seed, it's the multiplication rate of pods.

Thanks for the comments. I've read that the arrow crab could be trouble, but haven't ready much on the hermits. I know they can be trouble for snails due to their need for shells. What other trouble do they get into?

 

[Drewbe147]

Hermits are opportunistic eaters. Snails are definitely on the menu. Even each other are on the menu. I have 3 hermits in my 90gal DT and regret it. Some ppl dont but theyve eatin quite a few of my snails even after giving them spare shells scattered around. Theyve tried to eat my smallest fighting conch too. My main CUC consists of snails...turbos, ceriths, trochus, astreas, nassarius,i even have a few margaritas in there even though alot say they arent great for reef tanks due to shorter life span. I have a skunk and peppermint shrimp as well but less for cleanup and more bc I think theyre cool. IMO variety is key for a CUC

 

[Special K85]

I agree with no hermits wish I never got mine. I have had a few fish go missing over night and pretty they became hermit food.

 

[Sk8r]

Love my hermits. OTOH you are way jumping the gun. It takes a mature 65 with a 20-30 gallon refugium in full operation, stocked with cheato and rubble, to generate enough pods for one small mandarin, let alone the scooter blenny/aka red dragonet which would compete with it for food.
Arrow crabs predate on bristleworms, which are an asset to your tank. The crab is not.
A fighting conch will starve in a new tank. Mature tank, again.
Your goby collection is generally fine. (the mandarin is CALLED a goby, but is actually a dragonet)... You don't need a cleaner shrimp in a 65: he may annoy your fish. And shrimp of different species often eat each other.

Major kudos for checking it out before buying!

 

[Uncle99]

Thanks for the comments. I've read that the arrow crab could be trouble, but haven't ready much on the hermits. I know they can be trouble for snails due to their need for shells. What other trouble do they get into?

If you love them cause you like them, then hermits are fine but as pointed out above, once they consume the snails, themselves and any other slow mover, they will go after anything rather than starve.

They are mostly part of the "famous" CUC, but I found the amount of algae they consume is very nothing. I can pick algae strands in a minute or two, which is more than a crab will do in months.

I marvel at LFS selling CUC packages, with dozens of members.....to control algae....then they consume the algae.....die....add back nutrients to feed the algae all over again.

Your fingers and exceptional water quality is the only CUC needed.

I have successfully kept 1 mandarin and 1 scooter (no other pod competitors) in a 65g, with 6 soccer ball size LR, without sump for years.......but not added until 9 months old......supplemented with live brine shrimp nauplii, fed phyto and Selcon, once, every two weeks, at night lights out....no flow for 30 minutes...

 

[Redeyes31]

Thanks for everyone's comments!

Love my hermits. OTOH you are way jumping the gun. It takes a mature 65 with a 20-30 gallon refugium in full operation, stocked with cheato and rubble, to generate enough pods for one small mandarin, let alone the scooter blenny/aka red dragonet which would compete with it for food.
Arrow crabs predate on bristleworms, which are an asset to your tank. The crab is not.
A fighting conch will starve in a new tank. Mature tank, again.
Your goby collection is generally fine. (the mandarin is CALLED a goby, but is actually a dragonet)... You don't need a cleaner shrimp in a 65: he may annoy your fish. And shrimp of different species often eat each other.

Major kudos for checking it out before buying!

Im fully expecting my cycle to take a couple months. My plan is to get my QT up and get a few snails in there, so that when the cycle is fully over, I can drop them in and them i'll probably get two fish into the QT. And that will be the overall strat until everything is in (if I do 2 fish at a time, 10 fish total, and each QT I take 76 days that's a year of time). I'll put a mandarin in last (just one, thanks for that insight).