First Timer- 15 Gallon Fluval Flex

[muddywaters]

Hey everyone, I'm super excited- got me some LIFE in the tank. I got a mushroom- think it's a Superman Rodactis? Marci at the LFS told me what it was, but the name escapes me. Anyway, see below for the picture. I also got 3 trochus snails and they are moving all over the tank finding the diatoms and algae I reckon.

Will the trochus snails get the diatoms off the sand as well as the rock & glass?

I also got a Tunze Osmolator 3 Nano. Thanks for the recommendation @Gumbies R Us ! I started to set it up and then realized I don't have a reservoir to put the water in. I ordered one. I guess I could stick the hose in the gallon jug of distilled water, but figured I'd get something a little bigger. The one I ordered has about 2.5 gallons of room. Should be good for my 15 gallon tank.

Now I'm excited to expand the inhabitants- I'm getting my usual fever to GET MORE but trying to be rational. I've looked at a few coral types and would love your opinions and/or experience with any of these or some I'm not thinking of:

Green star polyps- this one I think I have ruled out. It looks cool, but I think it'll take over the tank, so maybe not.

Duncan Coral: Even though this is one of the harder ones, I've read that it's still very good for beginners. Apparently it's good as a centerpiece? Thinking about this

Toadstool leather coral: This one looks cool, but it gives off toxin. Is that something I need to worry about- especially in such a small tank (15 gallons)?

Pulsing Xenia: I like the motion of this one- really neat, but I read this one is like the green star polyps and will grow like crazy. Could I put it in the corner on a small rock and expect it to stay there?

Zoanthids: This one looks like a perfect choice for a small tank like mine. I guess I won't get the cool movement, etc. but apparently they are very colorful.

Ricordea mushroom: Also read that this mushroom is very colorful and won't grow to take over the tank. Will this and the Zooanthids grow some, though?

These are the ones I've thought about so far- please let me know what you think, what your experience has been, and what I'm not thinking about.

It's crazy- sometimes the thought will pop in my head that at some point I will want to get a fish or two and maybe a shrimp (I LOVE saltwater shrimps- I love the freshwater ones too, but saltwater just takes the cake for amazing look)- I haven't even thought about that yet LOL.

 

[overhead]

I started out with a Zoa, took a couple of weeks for it to settle in, but I have two now and they both are doing well. I also bought a Duncan, unfortunately ,a peppermint shrimp in my Biocube thought is was delicious! I had to move it to my other tank, which is 15 gallons. It is doing great in there and is fun to watch, unlike the Zoa I can watch it close around and eat small pieces of food.

 

[muddywaters]

@overhead how did you determine that your zoas were completely settled in? Did they spread out more over time or something?

Update: I set up the auto-top off today, so happy that I don't have to worry about where my line was anymore LOL.

I need to test the salinity just to make sure I'm in the range and then fill the reservoir with more distilled water. Yay! One more step.

 

[overhead]

@overhead how did you determine that your zoas were completely settled in? Did they spread out more over time or something?

Update: I set up the auto-top off today, so happy that I don't have to worry about where my line was anymore LOL.

I need to test the salinity just to make sure I'm in the range and then fill the reservoir with more distilled water. Yay! One more step.

I am new to all of this, probably not the one to ask, but I will give you my limited experience. The first zoa I brought home stayed only partially open for three weeks. I very gradual brought the lighting up, I think it was three percent a day and eventually they all opened up, expelled a black string like substance from their "mouths" and have stayed open since. Well, other than times a crab dragged it shell across them or I tried to blow junk off of them. The second zoa I brought home, which is on the same rock, opened right away and has stayed open. I assume they are some what happy because they both are growing new "heads", the first one has completely covered the frag plug it was on and the second has grown noticeably. No idea if they are completely settled in, the settle in process would be easier if the stupid hermits would stop knocking them over...I guess I should glue them down.

 

[muddywaters]

I got a clown fish this week. He's really cool- I'm waiting for some filters to be delivered so I can take a decent picture of the tank. I also got some Nassarius snails also. Got the auto-top off set up. I have a protein skimmer, but haven't set it up yet. I did notice that the nitrate was high- looked like 20- not sure why, because I've barely fed the clown fish and haven't fed the snails anything, but I'm going to do a water change today anyway.

Is there another effective method to remove nitrate from the tank or is water change the only good way to do it?

 

[muddywaters]

I am new to all of this, probably not the one to ask, but I will give you my limited experience. The first zoa I brought home stayed only partially open for three weeks. I very gradual brought the lighting up, I think it was three percent a day and eventually they all opened up, expelled a black string like substance from their "mouths" and have stayed open since. Well, other than times a crab dragged it shell across them or I tried to blow junk off of them. The second zoa I brought home, which is on the same rock, opened right away and has stayed open. I assume they are some what happy because they both are growing new "heads", the first one has completely covered the frag plug it was on and the second has grown noticeably. No idea if they are completely settled in, the settle in process would be easier if the stupid hermits would stop knocking them over...I guess I should glue them down.

this is great info for me. I'm brand new also. Did you start the zoas with zero lighting? Admittedly, when I put my mushroom in, I had that light blasting most of the day. When she found out what light I have, a friend at my LFS told me to make sure I turn it down or I'll bleach everything. Not sure how she knew I would just blast the light, but she did LOL.

I've got it pretty low now, but if it's the right thing to do I can turn it off when I get a few zoas next week.

 

[overhead]

I got a clown fish this week. He's really cool- I'm waiting for some filters to be delivered so I can take a decent picture of the tank. I also got some Nassarius snails also. Got the auto-top off set up. I have a protein skimmer, but haven't set it up yet. I did notice that the nitrate was high- looked like 20- not sure why, because I've barely fed the clown fish and haven't fed the snails anything, but I'm going to do a water change today anyway.

Is there another effective method to remove nitrate from the tank or is water change the only good way to do it?

Many people would say 20 nitrate is not high, as you know, I am new, but I would not worry about that. I would just do my weekly water changes. Protein skimmer would probably help either way. On my 32 gallon Biocube I usually change 2.5 gallons a week and the 15 I usually change about 1.5 gallons, 10% a week seems to be the standard recommendation.

 

[overhead]

this is great info for me. I'm brand new also. Did you start the zoas with zero lighting? Admittedly, when I put my mushroom in, I had that light blasting most of the day. When she found out what light I have, a friend at my LFS told me to make sure I turn it down or I'll bleach everything. Not sure how she knew I would just blast the light, but she did LOL.

I've got it pretty low now, but if it's the right thing to do I can turn it off when I get a few zoas next week.

Not zero, but I had turned my lights down due to crazy algae issues. I just slowly brought them up until the Zoa opened and looked happy. I did it pretty slowly, I was not in a hurry. A couple of weeks later I rented a PAR meter and measured different spots in the tank at different intensity levels. I probably have them a little higher than I need them at the moment.