What should I add next?

[Hugo Garcia]

Ok guys, I’ve set up my innovative marine 30L a few months ago and now I’m looking for more stuff to add to it. I currently have 2 clownfish, 1 Royal Gramma Basslet, 1 Tailspot Blenny and 1 orange parwn Goby. 2 large elctrtic orange hermit crab, 2 eclectic blue, 4 blue leg hermit, 5 Trouchas Snails and 2 Nasarius. And I’m looking to add more stuff. It’s still fish only, but I’m think off adding some coral soon, but not sure if should. I’m ruining 2 Kessil A80 tuna blue, and a Tunze skimmer. And I’ve converted in of the back chambers to a refuguem with the innovative marine 70 light and some chaeto.

I’d like to add a Mandarin at some point, but I know it’s hard fish to keep. I’ve been adding copapods every month, from algeabran, and I think I have a pretty healthy population.

What order fish would be nice to add? Should I add some soft corals? Other inverts? Or is the tanks to small for the amount of stuff that I have already?


I’ve had the system runinf for almost 8 months now. With live rock and live sand.


Thanks guys!

 

[EmdeReef]

Nice tank! .

Two things to consider would be: maintenance and compatibility (inc corals you may want to keep) along with aggression.

5 in a 30g is ok, if you add more you’ll likely have to think about additional nutrient export, filtration etc.

Some have had good track record with mandarins in small tanks but that’s a gamble. If you go down that path maybe think about a captive bred mandarin.

You could look into anemones if your params are stable and there’s enough flow....

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Nice tank! .

Two things to consider would be: maintenance and compatibility (inc corals you may want to keep) along with aggression.

5 in a 30g is ok, if you add more you’ll likely have to think about additional nutrient export, filtration etc.

Some have had good track record with mandarins in small tanks but that’s a gamble. If you go down that path maybe think about a captive bred mandarin.

You could look into anemones if your params are stable and there’s enough flow....

I have a reactor running with bio pellets, but I’m not sure it’s doing much. My skimmer don’t seem to be removing a lot of junk. But maybe im just being paranoid. The parameters are pretty good, I only had a ammonia spike a few weeks ago that I have no idea where come from, maybe over feeding. But other the. That very stable parameters. 2 small hydror powerheada, so I guess pretty good flow. I was thinking maybe adding a feather duster as well.

 

[EmdeReef]

Biopellet reactor would reduce your nitrates. Is the skimmer properly dialed?

Ammonia spikes are not good and shouldn’t happen in a cycled tank even after overfeeding unless you had something like an auto feeder malfunction. If it was my tank I’d hold on adding anything new for a few weeks and measure ammonia pretty regularly. You could also add some biospira or dr Tim’s.

Do you quarantine? May want to consider that for any new additions if not already done.

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Biopellet reactor would reduce your nitrates. Is the skimmer properly dialed?

Ammonia spikes are not good and shouldn’t happen in a cycled tank even after overfeeding unless you had something like an auto feeder malfunction. If it was my tank I’d hold on adding anything new for a few weeks and measure ammonia pretty regularly. You could also add some biospira or dr Tim’s.

Do you quarantine? May want to consider that for any new additions if not already done.

I do quarantine. The ammonia spike was strange, but all is under control. I think on of the snails died, plus over feeding. Did a large water change and added biospira. Parameters a better now.