BelieveInBlue
Active Member
So I managed to get a 32g biocube, which is the largest tank that'd fit next to my tank. My plan is to use the stock light and turn the back filter media area into a refugium with chaeto and pods.
Here's my planned stock list.
CORALS: mostly softies and LPS; will prob attempt SPS? maybe? Note that corals will be dipped with ReVive, but I don't have space to maintain a quaratine tank for 60+ days. Also, I will be doing 2-part dosing Ca/Alk/Mg. Not sure brand yet but I'm thinking brightwell reef A+B or two little fishies C-Balance since those are what my LFS has. Thoughts?
zoas/palys, hammer, candy cane, duncan, acan lord, cynaria, bali green slimer, monti caps, maybe stylophora/green bird nest? If the SPS don't work, I will most likely replace them with more LPS (frogspawn, torch, trachyphyllia, favia, galaxea, favites) I'm aware that most of the LPS are aggressive and have large sweepers, so chances are I'll probably just load up on Euphyllia with some duncans, candy canes, cynarina and zoas
INVERTS:
2 nassarius, 2 cerith, 1 fighting conch - scavenge/clean sand bed
2 astrea, 2-3 trochus, 2-3 turbo snails - algae
1 blood red fire shrimp and 1 skunk cleaner - pretty, and anti parasite? Not a big deal if they don't do much against ich etc
4 hermit crabs - scavengers. Will need to find more shells so they don't murder my snails (electric blue, left handed, Scarlet, Electric orange)
1 emerald crab? - bubble algae (note i will be providing nori for all grazers so they don't starve/eat my corals)
2-3 Porcelain crabs? do they do well without anemones? If not I'll skip it.
2-3 sexy shrimp? not sure and not really a big deal either way
pistol shrimp? if so will be getting a goby to pair with it
Brittle stars or sand sifting sea stars? I heard that some stars could eat corals so many not. Brittle star might be cool though. iirc they don't bother any corals/inverts?
berghia nudi/peppermint shrimp if i end up with aiptasia (pls no)
FISH:
I would do dirty, depraved things to have a Mandarin Goby. Unfortunately, I'm ugly, so a healthy fuge and regular copepod refills will probably be the way to go. Also note I will be getting a captive bred one (Biota/ORA most likely) and will try to wean it onto frozen at least, and micro pellets if possible. Any chance this would work? Anyone have experience?
1 banggai cardinal - nice contrast
1 pair of clowns - oscellaris or true percs. I won't be keeping any anemones, but from what I've read it seems they have no issues hosting Euphyllia LPS so they should be ok?
Some sort of wrasse - mostly to eat pests in case they make it past the dipping. Would a yellow coris do well permanently in a 32cube? I don't believe in rehoming fish unless I absolutely have to, so if I do buy one it'll be in there for life. If yellow coris wrasse doesn't work, what about pink streak or possum wrasse? I hear they eat FW/Nudis decently well, but not as much as coris wrasses? I know six lined wrasses eat pests pretty well too but I hear they can be nasty buggers, and I want nothing that might even remotely attack my mandarin. Side note, the above listed wrasses eat pods too from research, so if I don't have any pests I may not add one at all unless the mandarin route isn't an option.
Other options in case of no mandarin goby: green chromis, lawnmower blenny, diamond goby, neon goby, watchman goby (with pistol shrimp)
I'm thinking 4-5 fish total? probably 4 if I keep a mandarin and 5 if I don't.
So what do you think? Also here's my plan for the next 2-3 months.
Step 1: acquire all equipment and set up tank - currently on this step; just waiting on RO/DI which arrives later today
Step 2: cycle tank - going to boost it with live sand and microbacter7
Step 3: add chaeto and pods to refugium, add refugium light, add invertebrates (clean up crew, shrimp, some corals?)
Step 4: find a captive bred mandarin from someone in Canada or willing to ship here. Also probably add a banggai cardinal at this point
Step 5: MOAR corals. How often can I add corals? From what I've read it seems there's no real need to wait in between adding corals and it depends mostly on how available/how much money you have to spend?
Here's my planned stock list.
CORALS: mostly softies and LPS; will prob attempt SPS? maybe? Note that corals will be dipped with ReVive, but I don't have space to maintain a quaratine tank for 60+ days. Also, I will be doing 2-part dosing Ca/Alk/Mg. Not sure brand yet but I'm thinking brightwell reef A+B or two little fishies C-Balance since those are what my LFS has. Thoughts?
zoas/palys, hammer, candy cane, duncan, acan lord, cynaria, bali green slimer, monti caps, maybe stylophora/green bird nest? If the SPS don't work, I will most likely replace them with more LPS (frogspawn, torch, trachyphyllia, favia, galaxea, favites) I'm aware that most of the LPS are aggressive and have large sweepers, so chances are I'll probably just load up on Euphyllia with some duncans, candy canes, cynarina and zoas
INVERTS:
2 nassarius, 2 cerith, 1 fighting conch - scavenge/clean sand bed
2 astrea, 2-3 trochus, 2-3 turbo snails - algae
1 blood red fire shrimp and 1 skunk cleaner - pretty, and anti parasite? Not a big deal if they don't do much against ich etc
4 hermit crabs - scavengers. Will need to find more shells so they don't murder my snails (electric blue, left handed, Scarlet, Electric orange)
1 emerald crab? - bubble algae (note i will be providing nori for all grazers so they don't starve/eat my corals)
2-3 Porcelain crabs? do they do well without anemones? If not I'll skip it.
2-3 sexy shrimp? not sure and not really a big deal either way
pistol shrimp? if so will be getting a goby to pair with it
Brittle stars or sand sifting sea stars? I heard that some stars could eat corals so many not. Brittle star might be cool though. iirc they don't bother any corals/inverts?
berghia nudi/peppermint shrimp if i end up with aiptasia (pls no)
FISH:
I would do dirty, depraved things to have a Mandarin Goby. Unfortunately, I'm ugly, so a healthy fuge and regular copepod refills will probably be the way to go. Also note I will be getting a captive bred one (Biota/ORA most likely) and will try to wean it onto frozen at least, and micro pellets if possible. Any chance this would work? Anyone have experience?
1 banggai cardinal - nice contrast
1 pair of clowns - oscellaris or true percs. I won't be keeping any anemones, but from what I've read it seems they have no issues hosting Euphyllia LPS so they should be ok?
Some sort of wrasse - mostly to eat pests in case they make it past the dipping. Would a yellow coris do well permanently in a 32cube? I don't believe in rehoming fish unless I absolutely have to, so if I do buy one it'll be in there for life. If yellow coris wrasse doesn't work, what about pink streak or possum wrasse? I hear they eat FW/Nudis decently well, but not as much as coris wrasses? I know six lined wrasses eat pests pretty well too but I hear they can be nasty buggers, and I want nothing that might even remotely attack my mandarin. Side note, the above listed wrasses eat pods too from research, so if I don't have any pests I may not add one at all unless the mandarin route isn't an option.
Other options in case of no mandarin goby: green chromis, lawnmower blenny, diamond goby, neon goby, watchman goby (with pistol shrimp)
I'm thinking 4-5 fish total? probably 4 if I keep a mandarin and 5 if I don't.
So what do you think? Also here's my plan for the next 2-3 months.
Step 1: acquire all equipment and set up tank - currently on this step; just waiting on RO/DI which arrives later today
Step 2: cycle tank - going to boost it with live sand and microbacter7
Step 3: add chaeto and pods to refugium, add refugium light, add invertebrates (clean up crew, shrimp, some corals?)
Step 4: find a captive bred mandarin from someone in Canada or willing to ship here. Also probably add a banggai cardinal at this point
Step 5: MOAR corals. How often can I add corals? From what I've read it seems there's no real need to wait in between adding corals and it depends mostly on how available/how much money you have to spend?
