Proposed stock list

[Jedi1199]

Hi everyone,

After some research, I think I have settled on a mixed tank mainly with soft corals and a few fish.

First the hardware:

55g glass tank 48 x 14 x 22
Seaclone 100 HOB skimmer
Rena filstar XP3 canister filter (350 gph flow)
2x Flexzion Aquarium Circulation Pump Wave Maker 1300 GPH
JBJ Auto top off
Liquagen 5 stage RO/DI filter
Seneye Reef aquarium and PAR meter
HM Electronics Edge Marine LED Reef Aquarium Light
I will most likely be adding a timer to turn the wave makers on and off on a cycle rather than constant 24/7 flow.

Now the proposed stock list:

2x black and white percula clownfish
coral banded shrimp
Green Star pollups
pulsing xenia
blueberry gorgonian
mandarin goby
bubble tip anemone

Any advice or comments are welcome.. also any ideas for other additions is most welcome!!

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Dolphis]

Not sure about the other stuff, but that blueberry gorgonian is difficult to keep - not to discourage you or anything

I recently put one in my DT, still too soon to decide whether it’s surviving or not lol

But hey, let me know how you get on with yours
It’s a beautiful specimen and there needs to be more info about it so we can properly and successfully keep it alive

 

[Jedi1199]

Not sure about the other stuff, but that blueberry gorgonian is difficult to keep - not to discourage you or anything

Really?? Based on the price, I expected that to be a fairly hardy/easy to keep specimen? The only thing that I noted when I saw it is that it is non-photosynthetic (needs to be fed, but no special lighting required)

 

[runcis]

If you want your mandarin survive in your tank, buy a tank-bred specimen, not a wild one, that's an absolute must.

Regarding blueberry gorgonian, practically no chance to keep it alive, would'nt advice to buy it.

 

[Jedi1199]

If you want your mandarin survive in your tank, buy a tank-bred specimen, not a wild one, that's an absolute must.

Regarding blueberry gorgonian, practically no chance to keep it alive, would'nt advice to buy it.

Thanks for the advice on the Mandarin.

Why is the Blueberry so difficult?

 

[Tamberav]

Thanks for the advice on the Mandarin.

Why is the Blueberry so difficult?

it needs special foods...like constant foods... and I believe laminar flow.

Like think a refrigerator with food and a doser constantly dripping food into the tank 24/7 and the correct flow so the polyps can capture said food and a huge filtration system to handle the constant food. Now realize that these come from deep water and have little resistance to algae that will smother them and grow easily with all the foods when kept under reef lighting.

At least that was the gist I got last time I looked into it. I would assume a very aged tank would fair much better. They just need an exceptional amount of food and flow.

It’s a waste of money in a new tank without special care.

Cost has no factor on how easy or hard something is to care for. There are fish that are cheap but have little chance of survival as well.

If you see a beautiful coral with a cheap price tag but notice it is not in anyone’s tanks... there is certainly a reason.

 

[Jedi1199]

it needs special foods...like constant foods... and I believe laminar flow.

Like think a refrigerator with food and a doser constantly dripping food into the tank 24/7 and the correct flow so the polyps can capture said food and a huge filtration system to handle the constant food. Now realize that these come from deep water and have little resistance to algae that will smother them and grow easily with all the foods when kept under reef lighting.

At least that was the gist I got last time I looked into it. I would assume a very aged tank would fair much better. They just need an exceptional amount of food and flow.

It’s a waste of money in a new tank without special care.

Cost has no factor on how easy or hard something is to care for. There are fish that are cheap but have little chance of survival as well.

If you see a beautiful coral with a cheap price tag but notice it is not in anyone’s tanks... there is certainly a reason.

Thank you for the explanation. I guess I will scratch this one from the list for now. I really want to stick to hardy, easy to care for species, that can tolerate the mistakes I am sure to make along the way.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[DxMarinefish]

The list looks good.

The mandarin goby will also need calmer tank mates. If you are getting one now you will need to ensure future pals are not too boisterous. They are slow eaters and can be out-competed.

 

[Jedi1199]

The list looks good.

The mandarin goby will also need calmer tank mates. If you are getting one now you will need to ensure future pals are not too boisterous. They are slow eaters and can be out-competed.

From what I have researched, my understanding is that it will need to be added at a much later date, into a well established tank. Possibly a year or 2 down the line. I have always admired them and think they are absolutely beautiful, so it is definitely on my "wish list".

Thanks for the advice,
Steve

 

[Super Fly]

As far as coral, I'd recommend placing GSP and Xenia their own on isolated rock islands or else they will quickly take over entire tank's rockwork. These 2 corals are very invasive, reason why some folks dont add them to their tank.