In the upcoming months, I plan on starting a 40 gallon reef tank (my first). I have quite a bit of experience with freshwater and i have been doing tons of research on starting a tank. I really dont want to get into LPS corals yet, but definitely some soft corals. Any advice for power heads? I was thinking of using one Jebao RW4, but i'm not sure if i should get 2 less powerfull powerheads or just that one. I also have a question about stocking. I really just want a clownfish pair and six line wrasse, but im not sure if there could be problems.
Starting a tank, need some advice
- Thread starter Reef2256
- Start date
Your requirements for flow in a softie tank will be low and with a goal of LPS in the future which will require somewhat more flow I would opt for a controllable pump that can be dialed down for your softies now and then ramped up as you need. Yes they are more expensive but worth the cost IMO.
A clownfish pair and 6-line are certainly doable but be forewarned and have a removal plan if needed. 6-lines have come under heavy fire with a reputation as a small but aggressive bully. Add your clowns first and give them time to get settled before adding the 6-line and have a removal plan in place if the need arises.
A clownfish pair and 6-line are certainly doable but be forewarned and have a removal plan if needed. 6-lines have come under heavy fire with a reputation as a small but aggressive bully. Add your clowns first and give them time to get settled before adding the 6-line and have a removal plan in place if the need arises.
PirateToast
New member
You'd want at least 2 powerheads in general, you never really want just one powerhead flowing one way in the tank.
Thanks for the advice on flow. I did hear some things about the six line wrasse getting aggressive. Do you think instead I should do 2 fire fish (with a lid on my tank) or a blue green chromis?
Sure, 2 firefish would be fine but you would most likely need to find them as an already established pair. I personally have never been successful pairing 2 individual firefish before and if they don't get along one of them will certainly wind up dead. You could also do the chromis as well, IMO 5 fish in a 40 gal would be acceptable stocking wise.
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Mark9
New member
That's not the greatest advice, i've had 1 MP40 in my tank for years, has not been a problem.
You don't need 2, it's not a rule.
So what do you personally suggest. I'm open to pretty much any fish that isn't a ton of work lol.
chrisfont23
Reef Monster
There are tons of posts out there so if you can dig a little into the links folks sent your way, you can build a plan. My advice is to take it slow and with some of the things you added, believe you will get there. First - knowing the what a freshwater cycle entails, you are a leg up on most newcomers to saltwater. IMO, both my freshwater tanks cycled longer. So the patience is going to be engraved
In fact, going fallow with dwarf baby tears was one of the most trying parts of the hobby for me. You write - "dont want to get into LPS yet" which means you do, down the road. I would set up the tank slowly then. Adding the same lights, powerheads, skimmer etc., for softies and mushrooms you would do for LPS knowing the immediate demand warranted by starting with an LPS tank is not there. This way you spread the costs around. Finally - the clownfish are a good start but a wrasse might not be. IMO, they are one of the more difficult "common" fish to take care of. Acclimation and feeding aside, they tend to feed on bristleworms and other "stuff" thats not yet profound/abundant in an otherwise new tank.Hope that helps and good luck!
You could do a firefish (added first), yellow assessor (a bit pricey but an awesome fish), a shrimp goby + pistol shrimp, and a blenny. Again there are lots of fish to choose from! There used to be a thread for newbies to ask questions about fish compatibility but it looks like it's not stickied anymore. Feel free to ask lots of questions
There are tons of posts out there so if you can dig a little into the links folks sent your way, you can build a plan. My advice is to take it slow and with some of the things you added, believe you will get there. First - knowing the what a freshwater cycle entails, you are a leg up on most newcomers to saltwater. IMO, both my freshwater tanks cycled longer. So the patience is going to be engraved
Hope that helps and good luck!
Thanks for the advice! I will absolutely take this tank slowly, as I don't want to seriously mess anything up. As for calcium and alkalinity, will I need to dose in the future if I have LPS corals? I guess it just depends on how the levels are in my tank, but I might look into buying a dosing pump now if I will eventually need it.
Yeah lol there are a ton of fish. Do you think 1 firefish, 2 banghai cardinals, and a snowflake blenny would be good?
chrisfont23
Reef Monster
Tough to say. Measure and monitor. I use kalkwasser.
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chrisfont23
Reef Monster
Yes
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Ok. Just makin sure:rollface::thumbsup:
Only if the cardinals are a mated pair, otherwise they will fight
you might consider checking out this thread as it has a lot of information about fish compatibility and should give you a good sense of what can live together
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2068112
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2068112
