NYC Reef Keeper
New Member
15 gallon Fluval flex with live rock and live sand.
Completed a fishless cycle and dosed AI QuickStart. I test for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH, and alkalinity about daily. Probably not necessary to test that often, but I don’t react when I see small fluctuations other than a water change. I use a refractometer to test for salinity at least once weekly. I do a 20% water change weekly or as needed.
(Here is what the tank looked like when it was first cycling)
I started with a purple firefish. I’m not sure if it is male or female, but we call it a her since we named her Siobhan (Shiv). Once she settled in and my water parameters remained stable, I added a pair of clowns.
The black and white is the female, I believe she may be a flurry ocellaris clownfish or similar type of hybrid. The male is a black ice. The clowns were in the same tank at my LFS and seemed to be buddies.
The firefish was curious about the clownfish at first and remained out of her cave just watching them. She was skittish when the clowns would swim quickly past her at first, but they were just interested in looking for food. After a couple days, she became braver and now swims around the whole tank side-by-side with the clowns.
I added an additional cave for the firefish that she seems to like, made out of a pill bottle. Fun fact: you can tell if a plastic is aquarium safe based on the recycling code.
I currently feed mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets, and flakes (in a rotation). I plan to incorporate live food such as worms or hatch my own shrimp in the near future.
I am also in search of a clear lid so that I can use an upgraded light for corals. The sites I’ve found online are either really backordered or really expensive, so I may DIY one. Let me know if you have any suggestions for a clear/mesh top for this tank size.
Completed a fishless cycle and dosed AI QuickStart. I test for ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, pH, and alkalinity about daily. Probably not necessary to test that often, but I don’t react when I see small fluctuations other than a water change. I use a refractometer to test for salinity at least once weekly. I do a 20% water change weekly or as needed.
(Here is what the tank looked like when it was first cycling)
I started with a purple firefish. I’m not sure if it is male or female, but we call it a her since we named her Siobhan (Shiv). Once she settled in and my water parameters remained stable, I added a pair of clowns.
The black and white is the female, I believe she may be a flurry ocellaris clownfish or similar type of hybrid. The male is a black ice. The clowns were in the same tank at my LFS and seemed to be buddies.
The firefish was curious about the clownfish at first and remained out of her cave just watching them. She was skittish when the clowns would swim quickly past her at first, but they were just interested in looking for food. After a couple days, she became braver and now swims around the whole tank side-by-side with the clowns.
I added an additional cave for the firefish that she seems to like, made out of a pill bottle. Fun fact: you can tell if a plastic is aquarium safe based on the recycling code.
I currently feed mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, pellets, and flakes (in a rotation). I plan to incorporate live food such as worms or hatch my own shrimp in the near future.
I am also in search of a clear lid so that I can use an upgraded light for corals. The sites I’ve found online are either really backordered or really expensive, so I may DIY one. Let me know if you have any suggestions for a clear/mesh top for this tank size.
