Is this realistic?

[GreenBoi]

Thanks again for welcoming me here and sharing tips/places to start! I thought I would share my idea for my first tank to get feedback on if it’s realistic/plausible for me as a beginner. PLEASE BE BLUNT AND DON’T HOLD BACK ANY CRITICISM! I want to get this right so I appreciate any advice you may have. Ok so my list of potential equipment :

TANK EQUIPMENT:
• 35 gallon rimless tank (if you want the link lmk)
• Tidal 35 HOB power filter (I’ve heard good things)
• BRS 100W titanium heater
• INK BIRD heater controller
• Full spectrum 20W LED light (I’m only growing macros to start no coral)
• 40 lbs CaribSea aragonite reef sand
• 30 lbs dry live rock
• Instant Ocean reef crystals reef salt
• RO/DI water (gonna buy from a LFS to start but might get a home system eventually)

EXTRA TOOLS:
• Fritz turbo-start 900
• glass scraper
• refractometer
• feeding pipette
• testing kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
• rock putty (for aquascaping)

STOCKING LIST:
• BIOTA captive bred Ocellaris pair
• BIOTA captive bred mandarin dragonet (they claim their captive bred mandarins take pellets/frozen food. This is my dream fish so if you guys think that’s legit I’ll go for it, if not there’s no way a 35 gallon tank would have enough pods so I won’t risk it)
• BIOTA captive bred yellow watchman goby
• tiger snapping shrimp (to pair with watchman goby)
• 5 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
• 5 bumble bee snails
• 5 Nassarius snails
• around 10 species of macro algae (I researched and chose what I think are beginner species so if you want the list lmk)

FOOD:
• frozen PE Calanus
• TDO-C2 Chroma boost small pellets
• seaweed sheets (more veggies for the clowns)

END NOTES:
If there’s anything I’m missing or if you have better suggestions please tell me!

Also if you think I’m over stocking with fish be honest because I’d rather have less fish and keep them happy/healthy over an overstocked tank with stressed fish.

Any questions are welcome too!

Thxxx

 

[kevgib67]

Very well thought out! Stocking is fine, I had 7 fish in my 32g for almost 4 1/2 years before I upgraded to my current 105 gallon this year.

 

[GreenBoi]

Very well thought out! Stocking is fine, I had 7 fish in my 32g for almost 4 1/2 years before I upgraded to my current 105 gallon this year.

Woah thanks man! That’s very reassuring to hear. I’m pretty terrified of anything dying just because I didn’t do my due diligence. Appreciate the response!

 

[X-37B]

As said well thought out. Only thing I would highly recommend is live rock over dead. I just added 35lbs GLR into my 112 for a reference. 35lns premium delivered to my door for $450. Worth every penny. I started my other 5 systems with GLR.
The 3 rocks in the back were already in. The rest is the 35lbs GLR just added thursday.

 

[Uncle99]

Looks well thought out to me.
Yup, the biota mandarins will eat frozen and pod.
The ones I’ve seen are super small though at 3/4”

For the INKBIRD there are several. I found the 306 dual plastic probe wifi was perfect as it’s application keep me notified with any changes outside of my settings and what action it took, as well as let me make any changes anywhere, anytime.

Well done and good luck!

 

[Marine Betta]

Thanks again for welcoming me here and sharing tips/places to start! I thought I would share my idea for my first tank to get feedback on if it’s realistic/plausible for me as a beginner. PLEASE BE BLUNT AND DON’T HOLD BACK ANY CRITICISM! I want to get this right so I appreciate any advice you may have. Ok so my list of potential equipment :

TANK EQUIPMENT:
• 35 gallon rimless tank (if you want the link lmk)
• Tidal 35 HOB power filter (I’ve heard good things)
• BRS 100W titanium heater
• INK BIRD heater controller
• Full spectrum 20W LED light (I’m only growing macros to start no coral)
• 40 lbs CaribSea aragonite reef sand
• 30 lbs dry live rock
• Instant Ocean reef crystals reef salt
• RO/DI water (gonna buy from a LFS to start but might get a home system eventually)

EXTRA TOOLS:
• Fritz turbo-start 900
• glass scraper
• refractometer
• feeding pipette
• testing kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
• rock putty (for aquascaping)

STOCKING LIST:
• BIOTA captive bred Ocellaris pair
• BIOTA captive bred mandarin dragonet (they claim their captive bred mandarins take pellets/frozen food. This is my dream fish so if you guys think that’s legit I’ll go for it, if not there’s no way a 35 gallon tank would have enough pods so I won’t risk it)
• BIOTA captive bred yellow watchman goby
• tiger snapping shrimp (to pair with watchman goby)
• 5 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
• 5 bumble bee snails
• 5 Nassarius snails
• around 10 species of macro algae (I researched and chose what I think are beginner species so if you want the list lmk)

FOOD:
• frozen PE Calanus
• TDO-C2 Chroma boost small pellets
• seaweed sheets (more veggies for the clowns)

END NOTES:
If there’s anything I’m missing or if you have better suggestions please tell me!

Also if you think I’m over stocking with fish be honest because I’d rather have less fish and keep them happy/healthy over an overstocked tank with stressed fish.

Any questions are welcome too!

Thxxx

I see nothing wrong with your equipment. I would advise against using dry rock unless it has been turned into true live rock. Almost every tank that uses dry rock gets dinos.

You are definitely not overstocked. My only concerns with the stock list are clowns becoming aggressive as they mature and spawn. They can become terrors in small tanks. While Biota Mandarins MIGHT eat pellets and regular food, they still need a large population of pods. They have super high metabolisms, and you would have to feed constantly to sustain them. Getting enough pods for a mandarin in a 35 gallon is difficult, but it can be done. I would use more live rock than you think you need, seed the tank with pods at least once a month, and add a refugium to the list. The goby and pistol shrimp are fine, but don’t be surprised if the pistol takes out some crabs and snails.

 

[jabberwock]

Skip the clownfish and the crabs...

 

[Red_Beard]

Looks good! Make sure you start a build thread so we can follow your adventure!

 

[X-37B]

I run 4 of these controlers.
There are 2 on ebay this one is used. I have used them for around 8 years now.

Aqua Logic Dual Stage Temp Controller TR115DN NEMA Type 4X Warm/Cool EUC Tested | eBay

Tested and fully functional. Built in a NEMA Type 4X water-tight outdoor enclosure , perfect for aquariums, reef tanks, or other indoor/outdoor applications . Model TR115DN. NEMA Type 4X outdoor enclosure — water/dust resistant, suitable for aquarium rooms.

ebay.us

 

[GreenBoi]

As said well thought out. Only thing I would highly recommend is live rock over dead. I just added 35lbs GLR into my 112 for a reference. 35lns premium delivered to my door for $450. Worth every penny. I started my other 5 systems with GLR.
The 3 rocks in the back were already in. The rest is the 35lbs GLR just added thursday.

Gotchu! I’ll definitely make the switch. Thanks man!

 

[GreenBoi]

Looks well thought out to me.
Yup, the biota mandarins will eat frozen and pod.
The ones I’ve seen are super small though at 3/4”

For the INKBIRD there are several. I found the 306 dual plastic probe wifi was perfect as it’s application keep me notified with any changes outside of my settings and what action it took, as well as let me make any changes anywhere, anytime.

Well done and good luck!

Cool cool. Thanks!

 

[GreenBoi]

Thanks again for welcoming me here and sharing tips/places to start! I thought I would share my idea for my first tank to get feedback on if it’s realistic/plausible for me as a beginner. PLEASE BE BLUNT AND DON’T HOLD BACK ANY CRITICISM! I want to get this right so I appreciate any advice you may have. Ok so my list of potential equipment :

TANK EQUIPMENT:
• 35 gallon rimless tank (if you want the link lmk)
• Tidal 35 HOB power filter (I’ve heard good things)
• BRS 100W titanium heater
• INK BIRD heater controller
• Full spectrum 20W LED light (I’m only growing macros to start no coral)
• 40 lbs CaribSea aragonite reef sand
• 30 lbs dry live rock
• Instant Ocean reef crystals reef salt
• RO/DI water (gonna buy from a LFS to start but might get a home system eventually)

EXTRA TOOLS:
• Fritz turbo-start 900
• glass scraper
• refractometer
• feeding pipette
• testing kit (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
• rock putty (for aquascaping)

STOCKING LIST:
• BIOTA captive bred Ocellaris pair
• BIOTA captive bred mandarin dragonet (they claim their captive bred mandarins take pellets/frozen food. This is my dream fish so if you guys think that’s legit I’ll go for it, if not there’s no way a 35 gallon tank would have enough pods so I won’t risk it)
• BIOTA captive bred yellow watchman goby
• tiger snapping shrimp (to pair with watchman goby)
• 5 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs
• 5 bumble bee snails
• 5 Nassarius snails
• around 10 species of macro algae (I researched and chose what I think are beginner species so if you want the list lmk)

FOOD:
• frozen PE Calanus
• TDO-C2 Chroma boost small pellets
• seaweed sheets (more veggies for the clowns)

END NOTES:
If there’s anything I’m missing or if you have better suggestions please tell me!

Also if you think I’m over stocking with fish be honest because I’d rather have less fish and keep them happy/healthy over an overstocked tank with stressed fish.

Any questions are welcome too!

Thxxx

I see nothing wrong with your equipment. I would advise against using dry rock unless it has been turned into true live rock. Almost every tank that uses dry rock gets dinos.

You are definitely not overstocked. My only concerns with the stock list are clowns becoming aggressive as they mature and spawn. They can become terrors in small tanks. While Biota Mandarins MIGHT eat pellets and regular food, they still need a large population of pods. They have super high metabolisms, and you would have to feed constantly to sustain them. Getting enough pods for a mandarin in a 35 gallon is difficult, but it can be done. I would use more live rock than you think you need, seed the tank with pods at least once a month, and add a refugium to the list. The goby and pistol shrimp are fine, but don’t be surprised if the pistol takes out some crabs and snails.

Good to know. I’ll definitely add pods regularly to make sure the little guys eating enough then. Thank youuuu

 

[slingfox]

If you plan to go with the Tidal HOB, you should get a larger model. For reference, I have a Tidal 55 on my 10 gallon QT tank. Even then I have added a small powerhead on the opposite side of the aquarium to ensure adequate water flow. If I were you I would get the Tidal 110.

Watchman Goby likely won’t do well in that size of tank. They need to a lot of sand to stay well fed and even then they may survive for a few months then wither away. If you want a sand sifter you could look into the smaller Blue Spot or Orange Spot but even those may not survive in that small of tank. For reference I have a 110g display tank and the blue spot I had was sifting sand constantly and still had issues keeping weight on. If tried direct feeding but started doing that too late and it passed away after 9 months or so (it only started to get skinny in the last month or so).

A Mandarin Goby has potential to do fine but you should not add it until you get the pod population up. The most pods I ever had in my tank was at months 2-3 after I cycled the tank and seeded it with pods and dosed phyto periodically for a few weeks. I also had two clownfish and a tang (ie, non-pod eaters). Soon I could see pods crawling all around the bottom portion of the glass. Once I added wrasse (prolific pod eaters) the pods could no longer be seen but they are there.

If you want to save money I would get half the amount of sand and half the amount of rock and see if that’s enough. The recommendations online are always for too much rock and sand. You can start with less and then order more if you needed.

As stated above you should try to get at least some live rock and/or live sand from the ocean. Ocean live rock is expensive but you can get CaribeSea Ocean Direct sand which is apparently sand collected from ocean rather than just sand infused with bottled bacteria.

 

[GreenBoi]

Looks good! Make sure you start a build thread so we can follow your adventure!

For sure! I’m trying not to psych myself out and just go for it. Hearing all your words of encouragement definitely helps a bunch!

 

[X-37B]

If you plan to go with the Tidal HOB, you should get a larger model. For reference, I have a Tidal 55 on my 10 gallon QT tank. Even then I have added a small powerhead on the opposite side of the aquarium to ensure adequate water flow. If I were you I would get the Tidal 110.

Watchman Goby likely won’t do well in that size of tank. They need to a lot of sand to stay well fed and even then they survive for a few Moriah then water away. If you want a sand sifter you could like into the Blue Spot or Orange Spot but even those may not survive in that small of tank. For reference I have a 110g display tank and the blue spot I had was sifting and constantly and still had issues keeping weight on. If tried direct feeding but started doing that too late and it passed away after 9 months or so (it only started to get skinny in the last month or so).

A Mandarin Goby has potential to do fine but you should not add it until you get the pod population up. The most pods I ever had in my tank was at mot b 2-3 after I cycled the tank and seeded it with pods and dosed phyto periodically for a few weeks. Soon I could see pods crawling all around the bottom portion of the glass. Once I added fish the pods could no longer bee seen but they are there.

If you want to save money I would get half the amount of sand and half the amount of rock and see if that’s enough. The recommendations only are always for too much rock and sand. You can start with less and then order more if you needed.

As stated above you should try to get at least some live rock and/or live sand from the ocean. Ocean live rock is expensive but you can get CaribeSea Ocean Direct sand which is apparently sand collected from ocean rather than just sand infused with bottled bacteria.

Yea go with the biggest tidal that will fit. I run a 35 on my 13 g and need a small cross flow for correct flow.

 

[GreenBoi]

If you plan to go with the Tidal HOB, you should get a larger model. For reference, I have a Tidal 55 on my 10 gallon QT tank. Even then I have added a small powerhead on the opposite side of the aquarium to ensure adequate water flow. If I were you I would get the Tidal 110.

Watchman Goby likely won’t do well in that size of tank. They need to a lot of sand to stay well fed and even then they survive for a few Moriah then water away. If you want a sand sifter you could like into the Blue Spot or Orange Spot but even those may not survive in that small of tank. For reference I have a 110g display tank and the blue spot I had was sifting and constantly and still had issues keeping weight on. If tried direct feeding but started doing that too late and it passed away after 9 months or so (it only started to get skinny in the last month or so).

A Mandarin Goby has potential to do fine but you should not add it until you get the pod population up. The most pods I ever had in my tank was at mot b 2-3 after I cycled the tank and seeded it with pods and dosed phyto periodically for a few weeks. Soon I could see pods crawling all around the bottom portion of the glass. Once I added fish the pods could no longer bee seen but they are there.

If you want to save money I would get half the amount of sand and half the amount of rock and see if that’s enough. The recommendations only are always for too much rock and sand. You can start with less and then order more if you needed.

As stated above you should try to get at least some live rock and/or live sand from the ocean. Ocean live rock is expensive but you can get CaribeSea Ocean Direct sand which is apparently sand collected from ocean rather than just sand infused with bottled bacteria.

Aww so sorry to hear about your blue spot! I’ll definitely do more research on different gobies that would work in that size tank then! Thanks for responding!

 

[X-37B]

Here is a cool goby you dont see alot in my 15.
Transparent cave goby.

 

[X-37B]

Yellowheaded sleeper goby in my 35 keeps the sand bone white.

 

[GreenBoi]

Here is a cool goby you dont see alot in my 15.
Transparent cave goby.

Awww super cute! I’ll add it to the potential stocking list. A couple others I was thinking about are the greenbanded goby, pinkbar goby, Hi fin red banded goby, Dracula goby, and the orange stripe prawn goby. Would love to get one that could pair with a shrimp but thats not a priority (might even be better just to make sure nothing gets by one). One thing Is I’m only interested in captive bred fish so it really just comes down to Whats available.

 

[GreenBoi]

Here is a cool goby you dont see alot in my 15.
Transparent cave goby.

Awww super cute! I’ll add it to the potential stocking list. A couple others I was thinking about are the greenbanded goby, pinkbar goby, Hi fin red banded goby, Dracula goby, and the orange stripe prawn goby. Would love to get one that could pair with a shrimp but thats not a priority (might even be better just to make sure nothing gets by one). One thing Is I’m only interested in captive bred fish so it really just comes down to Whats available.

Nothing gets hurt by one*