Stocking Plan

[jabberwock]

This will be my first saltwater tank. It is a 32 gallon biocube. I will finish building the tank stand and start cycling this weekend. I am expecting 8 weeks of cycling with reef saver dry rock and live sand. This is my stocking list in order of when I think I should add them. Any suggestions on that order? Also, I am looking at beginner soft corals. When do I put those in? Wait for complete cycle? Before or after CUC and fish?

5 dwarf zebra hermit crabs
5 nassarius snails (5 more later)
1 firefish
1 royal gramma
1 lawnmower blenny
1 cleaner shrimp
1 six line wrasse
2 percula clowns

For corals I am thinking:
Toadstools
Leather
Zoanthids
Mushrooms
Green Star Polyps
Xenias

Let me know what you think! Thanks!!

 

[Daniel Waters]

Corals need to go in last. Your coral selections are pretty easy to keep corals, but I'd wait a few weeks after your tank has fully cycled. In fact, I think it's a good idea to wait till your tank is showing some coralline algae growth and your past those ugly stages that is common with new tanks (such as diatoms, cyano, or algae outbreaks).

As far as fish, your stocking list seems fine except be aware that 6 line wrasses can be jerks. They are super active fish and good for pest control, but have the ability to be terrors. I'll never have one again unless it's just for a frag tank.

 

[jabberwock]

Corals need to go in last. Your coral selections are pretty easy to keep corals, but I'd wait a few weeks after your tank has fully cycled. In fact, I think it's a good idea to wait till your tank is showing some coralline algae growth and your past those ugly stages that is common with new tanks (such as diatoms, cyano, or algae outbreaks).

As far as fish, your stocking list seems fine except be aware that 6 line wrasses can be jerks. They are super active fish and good for pest control, but have the ability to be terrors. I'll never have one again unless it's just for a frag tank.

Awesome, thank you! The wrasse was on the list from when I was considering live rock. I may replace it with something else since I have decided to go with dry rock.

 

[Jesterrace]

Definitely skip the 6 line, that is a pretty heavily stocked cube and it will be very prone to aggression. They are known for going nuts and killing tank mates in 100+ gallon tanks.

 

[jabberwock]

Roger that, thanks for the advice. Will probably just drop the six line and not replace it.

 

[jabberwock]

Next question, I have 1 week before I will be on vacation for a week. Is it OK to start my cycle for a week, and then be gone for a week? Or do I need to wait until after vacation to start it?

 

[Daniel Waters]

Next question, I have 1 week before I will be on vacation for a week. Is it OK to start my cycle for a week, and then be gone for a week? Or do I need to wait until after vacation to start it?

In general, you should be fine to go ahead and start (assuming you are doing a fishless cycle and not using a bacteria starter product where you add in amounts of bacteria each day). However, since you are just starting this tank and you're going to be gone a week, I would recommend you wait to set your tank up after you get back from vacation (unless you have someone else there to check on things for you). I think you're just tempting Murphy's law to kick in and something screw up while your gone. I think one thing you could do is to take a foam block filter or some other material used to house bacteria and ask a friend to put it in their tank's sump for a week or two. When you get back, use that material to help start your cycle. I use some marine pure blocks and plates, and I'll pull one out whenever I need to setup my temporary QT tank versus having to keep it up and running 24/7.

 

[302lockedandloaded]

welcome!

 

[Carterfish]

Stock list looks good. I’d switch out the six line with a possum wrasse however. Also add royal gramma close to the end bc he may be aggressive. As for coral wait till your parameters are pretty steady. And once your fish are in they will “dirty the water” so the softies will have something to eat[emoji23].

 

[jabberwock]

In general, you should be fine to go ahead and start (assuming you are doing a fishless cycle and not using a bacteria starter product where you add in amounts of bacteria each day). However, since you are just starting this tank and you're going to be gone a week, I would recommend you wait to set your tank up after you get back from vacation (unless you have someone else there to check on things for you). I think you're just tempting Murphy's law to kick in and something screw up while your gone. I think one thing you could do is to take a foam block filter or some other material used to house bacteria and ask a friend to put it in their tank's sump for a week or two. When you get back, use that material to help start your cycle. I use some marine pure blocks and plates, and I'll pull one out whenever I need to setup my temporary QT tank versus having to keep it up and running 24/7.

Once again, Thank you. I started out all patient, and then my wife got me the tank for my birthday and I was on fire a bit. I got the tank stand built out of ancient walnut from my old man that I had to plane and joint and sand. Working on hinges and a handle, so I can get back into patience mode. Rock work is all done and sand is delivered, but that can all wait until I am around to monitor progress. I was originally shooting for adding the first fish by the end of 2018, so I am totally ahead of schedule. I appreciate the voice of reason reeling me back in here...

 

[jabberwock]

Stock list looks good. I’d switch out the six line with a possum wrasse however. Also add royal gramma close to the end bc he may be aggressive. As for coral wait till your parameters are pretty steady. And once your fish are in they will “dirty the water” so the softies will have something to eat[emoji23].

Great, thank you, softies last and i like the possum wrasse. Adding it to the list!

 

[jabberwock]

Do i need a whole separate set of tools and equipment than my freshwater stuff? Like forceps, scissors, buckets, gravel vac etc? It doesn't seem like I do, but I don't want to cross contaminate?

 

[Reef Doc]

Welcome to the best hobby in the world!!!

I would be careful about the lawnmower blenny. In my experience they can be difficult to get them eating if they are picky and they may not eat the algae you want them to eat. But sometimes you get one that will eat everything. Kind of hit or miss...maybe buy a fat one. I would also look into Trochus snails and mexican turbo snails they can be good cleaners. Also, 3 firefish might look nice together. Make sure you keep aggression to a minimum. Aggression leads to sick fish then dead fish.

 

[jabberwock]

Is there a different type of blenny you might suggest? I would like to occupy each of the trophic zones of the tank. Thanks!

 

[Reef Doc]

Emerald crabs can be good at consuming various algae ... I honestly wouldn't recommend a blenny. I had a tail spot and a lawnmower and I did not have great experiences with them. Yellow tangs are great at picking algae but I think you tank is too small for one. I would go with an emerald crab.

Also, a very entertaining duo to add to the tank would be a yellow watchman goby and a pistol shrimp...they provide endless hours of fun.

 

[Susan Edwards]

bicolor blennies are nice and good entertainment as are barnacle blennies. As for waiting for coraline, I wouldn't. My first tank with no live rock took over six months to really get it. The new tank, using some live rock on hand in the sump and snails from my first tank, had it in 6 weeks. Corals can go in anytime after cycle is complete but you might want to wait until the uglies pass, and any major algae outbreaks. First tank had major ugs and algae (bryopsis that came in on a frag plug). New tank at 3 months just now getting hair algae. Every tank is different. Go really slow in adding fish. 1 or 2 at a time, and a month or even two or 3 apart. Never had any trouble with adding softies or LPS right away. If need be, you can feed corals, and you should anyway, once a week or so depending. I feed some of my corals the same frozen fish food once in a while. Sps are more difficult in a new tank so any of those I'd wait

Agree on the goby/shrimp pair. I have a pistol and barber shop goby. Fun.

Just keep on doing research, reading the forums and even checking out people's build threads to read their journey (and avoid their mistakes <g>)

 

[jabberwock]

Great Great! Thanks for the tips. The stocking list is a work in progress. I will update it a little later (couple weeks). I am taking my time with this build.

So, it is funny, when I first started keeping fresh water aquariums, there was no internet. Susan, you mentioned research, which I have been vigorously doing, but back in the day I was limited to what the dude at the LFS thought were good ideas. Salt water was not even possible with anything less than a 50 gallon tank. The technology of aquarium hardware and the rate of information sharing are truly impressive.

Next question, is it worth the risk of pests to use 1 piece of live rock to seed my tank? I also have some auqavitro "seed bacteria" from my recent freshwater builds. Is that stuff worthwhile? I mean, I have already purchased it...

 

[Susan Edwards]

lol's. I had fresh water and all there was was books sold by lfs's or libraries. I agree. Saltwater is not so scary with the infomation highway out there. I always start my tanks with a bottle of bacteria--usually biospira. I also use it in QT tanks when adding more than a few fish. As for live rock, you'll get different opinions. My first tank, all dry. Second tank, I had live rock I could use in the sump from a display refugium. It's your comfort level. I didn't want "unknown" live rock and any issues while being so new.

 

[jabberwock]

A little update... I got back from vacation and started the tank. It cycled in 9 days. Current stock is a fire fish, a small yellow watchman goby and a single hermit crab. Things are running great. Tank has been up for 4 weeks and I already have some coralline algae on my rocks. It came in on the hermit crab. I am well pleased with the progress but will continue to take it slow. Thanks for all the help here!

 

[Super Fly]

as far as corals, just be aware that GSP & Xenia's are fast and aggressive corals that can over take the aquascape and even the entire tank if not pruned. To control their spread, u can isolate them on a single rock island separated from rest of aquascape. They can be very difficult to remove, some even tried scraping GSP off rocks and thought the rock was cleaned but GSP would still return.