Nano Reef Tank Suggestions/Feedback

[dsagerman]

Hey all. I have a Fluval 13.5gal nano reef tank that has been cycled for 6 weeks and looking for some suggestions on the following. Below are my water parameters and pictures of my current setup.

1. ⁠Looking for suggestions on where to place my current Zoa, Duncan and Firework clove polyp on my aquascape. They have been on my frag rack for about 4 weeks and thinking about where to place them permanently.
2. ⁠I would like to get 2 mated clowns and a rainbow anemone in the near future, would you wait a little longer to get the anemone? Would it be beneficial to get the anemone before the clowns or can I get the clowns first?
3. ⁠I am going to get some GSP and try to glue it to the back wall, any suggestions on doing that? Position on wall/etc?

Water Parameters

-Salinity: 1.026
-Alkalinity: 190 ppm (≈10.6 dKH)
-Calcium (Ca): 430 ppm
-Magnesium (Mg): 1440 ppm
-Nitrate (NO₃): 7.2 ppm
-Phosphate (PO₄): 0.05 ppm

Current tank inhabitants:

-1 Cleaner Shrimp
-1 Gramma Fish
-1 Tuxedo Urchin
-5 Top Crown Snails
-2 Nassarius Snails
-2 Trochus Snails (Small)
-1 Duncan (Growing fast)
-1 Zoa frag
-1 Firework clove polyp

 

[tbrown]

I'd put the Duncan front pointing out. Maybe the left side of the cave. Cloves and Zoas is consider an island for each rather than on the general rockwork.

If you don't want islands, I'd do the Zoas on the front of the rock on the right, down close to the sand bed and the cloves on the left side towards the glass.

 

[tbrown]

 

[dsagerman]

Thank you so much!

 

[tbrown]

For the Clowns, you can get them first. You can add the anemone later - they'll either be hosted or they won't. In a smaller tank, you'll definitely have a higher probability of success.

 

[tbrown]

Last question: GSP

This may be fairly easy. It will readily attach to the glass. Being a peninsula, I'd place it in the back right corner. You can add a little super glue and attach it directly to the glass or prop it in the corner and allow it to do its thing naturally. If it's on a frag plug, snip the plug stem.

 

[dsagerman]

Last question: GSP

This may be fairly easy. It will readily attach to the glass. Being a peninsula, I'd place it in the back right corner. You can add a little super glue and attach it directly to the glass or prop it in the corner and allow it to do its thing naturally. If it's on a frag plug, snip the plug stem.

Awesome thank you again. I’m not in love with the current aqua scape and trying to wait to see how I can adjust it to make it look better before I place anything. All 3 are doing great in the frag rack right now. Only concern with moving anything is my gramma is hiding in a cave in one of the rocks and hasn’t come out since I didn’t a water change yesterday, kinda concerning but hasn’t come out for food today like it normally does. I can’t really even see it other than the back of its tail to check on it. Any suggestions on that? Thanks so much for the help.

 

[tbrown]

Sometimes fish hide for a little bit when they get startled.

 

[Jackalope]

I got my clown after my nem and it has zero interest in it sadly. I have since read that you can “target release” them directly into the nem when you first place them into the tank by using a tube or cup. Sort of forcing them to touch the nem to start the hosting process giving you a higher chance of success.

That being said, I got a sexy shrimp who absolutely loves my nem and it’s fun to watch. So that’s an option too.

 

[tbrown]

Unfortunately most clowns have 0 interest in anemones it seems. In my 70 my 3 clowns will occasionally brush against the anemones but they sleep on the complete opposite side of the tank.

In my sump, however, my two clowns both sleep in anemones and spend most of the day hopping from one nem to another.

The biggest difference is in the sump, it's a lot closer quarters and there's probably 15-20 anemones vs the 5 or 6 in the display and a significantly larger footprint.