High Tide Aquatics

New to the Community and have questions

Flagg37

Flagg37

Guest
BARcard
Hello everyone,

I just got started with a SW 30 gal aquarium.

IMG_3023.JPG


It's about 2 months old right now. Here's a list of the livestock I've got:
2 Ocellaris clown fish
1 lettuce sea slug
1 babylon snail
1 coral banded shrimp
1 emerald crab
1 brittle sea star
1 Bumblebee snail (which I haven't seen in some time)
1 Shortspine sea urchin
10 Astraea Turbo Snails
10 Nassarius Snails
12 Dwarf Blue legged Hermit Crabs (I think about 1/2 were doa)
30 lbs of live sand
23 lbs of dry live rock

Here's the gear:
30 gallon tank (I guess it's technically a 29 gallon)
Fluval Marine and Reef 2.0 LED
Fluval 206 Canister Filter
Aquamaxx HOB-1 Skimmer
Aqueon 06108 Pro Heater 200-watt
Hydror Koralia Nano 425 circulation pump

What I'd like help with is compatibility with my future additions.

First, I'd like to add a host for my clown fish. I read that the normal host for the Ocellaris is a Bulb Tip Anemone but have read about being cautious having it in a reef tank because it can sting the other coral and if it dies it can release toxins into the tank. I've also read about using corals such as a torch or frogspawn but not everyone seems to be successful at getting the fish to use them as a host. So I'd like recommendations and thoughts on this.

Second, I want to get a variety of corals that will compliment the tank. I just want to make sure I don't get something that is going to take over since there isn't a whole lot of real estate.

Third, I'd like to get a blue Mandarin at some point in the future (I know the tank has to mature for several more months). I know that people usually use a refugium to propagate the copepods, but can this be done in the main tank alone? I don't think any of the other inhabitants will actively seek them out. I'm not 100% sure about that though.

Lastly, I'd like to get a Tridacna clam. I think with this one I may have to increase the lighting that I have. The LED that I have is rated at 222 PAR at 6", but only 90 PAR at 12". Will I be able to keep him close to the surface or will he be more comfortable at the bottom?

Let me know if you see any red flags or anything that you would caution me with.
 
A bubble tip anemone is actually not a natural host for ocellaris. I believe that is either a Gigantae or a Ritteri but someone will confirm.

But they will use almost anything as a host. Here is mine using my trachy.

20a88d3c227f0239e4ec5878e32e37a1.jpg


Don't get Xenias or Green star polyps if you don't want them to overtake your tank. Some Zoas will grow prolifically as well.

Your tank will not be able to sustain enough pods in the long run for a mandarin unless that is the only fish that feeds on pods. And even then, I think it will be close.

Not sure about lighting for the clam.

You might want to rethink the canister filter. Unless you are religious about changing the media, it could be problematic.

Depending on your coral choice, you might need more flow by getting another power head.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
to answer your questions with my anecdotes:

- I wouldn't worry about an rbta releasing toxins, but you should be weary of the stinging they can do. they are much easier to take care of than most people say. Just remember that it likes to roam around sometimes and definitely sting as it moves. I've had a few close encounters, but in general my rose nems tended to stay right at the edge of the territories of my other coral. It can take anywhere from a few days to a year before your clowns host an rbta. Both time periods has happened to me.

- A lot of softies will become hard to manage. As vincent mentioned, don't get xenias. There will be also other kinds of zoanthids/palys that grow way too quickly. GSP is good only if you can control it. Make sure you don't put it anywhere you can't scrape/prune it--they can grow into crevices and it will be difficult to remove.

- Clams need great lighting, no food.
 
ding ding ding red flag alerts ahead :p

1) Clownfish Hosting Anemones
Ah yes the coveted clownfish/anemone relationship. First off, you're looking for the clownfish not the anemone lol. My advice if this behavior is truly something you really want to have in your tank, buy a clownfish that is already displaying hosting behavior. Not all oscellaris clownfish will host. Buy one you already see hosting......instead of waiting 1 year for it to learn to host which is what I did. To be honest he still doesn't really host.

2) Adding Corals that Don't Grow too Fast
Here's my personal list of corals that grow way too fast for my liking.
Radioactive Dragon Eye Zoas
Eagle Eye Zoas
Green Star Polyp
Xenia
Brown palythoas

3) The Mandarin (and other dragonets)
The green mandarin and other dragonets like it (ruby red dragonet, target mandarin aka psychedelic mandarin) rely on pods (those tiny little bug like things on your glass) for food. There are a couple ways around this. But I want to let you know that your tank is too young and too small to support a sustainable population of pods.

1: find and train a mandarin to eat frozen food/pellets. This is a lot of work. I've tried this. The amount of time/attention to train the mandarin outweighed my desire to have one. I actually bought a mandarin that ate frozen food but he still managed to starve in my tank.

2: Have a large established tank with lots of pods living in the rockwork/sand/refugium.

3: Cultivate live foods for your mandarin. You can grow pods/brine/mysis to feed your tank. Also a lot of work.

The dragonets are beautiful and most of us have wanted one at one time or another but their reliance on pods have steered us away. You can have one, but do more research and be ready to put in the work. There's a couple of us who have mandarins/ other dragonets.


3) Tridacna Clam
Doesn't sound like your light is intense enough for the clam. If you really want to open your options up to more corals I would invest in a better light but you need to find the ones that provide the coverage you need based on your tanks dimensions. Or buy multiple lights. This is where you gotta see what your budget is and what kind of corals you want to keep.

Kessil 350Ws are cheaper discontinued LEDs right now and you may find some used ones on craigslist or reefcentral bar. If money isn't a problem I would recommend 1 Kessil360WE over that tank or 2 Kessil 160WEs. The AI Primes will work too but you will need two. The china boxes are a decent light too.


Feel free to start a separate thread on each of these topics if you want. That way, people can see your question via the title and provide input on one topic rather than 3.


Welcome to BAR! And always ask questions!
​
 
Last edited:
Hi and welcome to BAR :)

Before discussing livestock and compatibility I would recommend you shift your attention to hardware. I would strongly suggest you make some upgrades to your setup before increasing your livestock too much.

Corals - It takes some dedication and a bit of knowledge to have thriving corals which can be achieved after some reading, discussion and advice from more advanced reefers. This I am sure you can accomplish rather quickly but without the right setup you will struggle to achieve the results you seek.

The first two things that stand out to me are filtration and lighting, with the lights you currently have I would not jump to adding corals, clams and anemones, you will need better lighting and Chinese Black Boxes are a good starting point for most photosynthetic livestock. Moving on to filtration, there is no rule that says you can't have a nice tank without an elaborate sump/fuge/skimmers setup but without these items only the most advanced tend to succeed. Conventionally the smaller the tank and the lack of sump etc. the more complex and difficult it is to maintain control over parameters and water quality.

My suggestions would be to hold off on most of the livestock you are considering to add, you can add some soft corals as they are most tolerant of water quality and require the least amount of light, definitely hold off on the anemone and clam. DEFINITELY hold off on the mandarin, I have 2 fuges and an oversized sump yet I replenish my zooplankton population 2-4 times a year to keep my mandarin fat & happy and if you read about mandarins eating frozen food take it with a grain of salt because though some mandarins can survive without live food they are not exactly as healthy, it's like having a human living entirely off of saltine crackers for an extended period of time.

I would start a new thread focusing on your hardware, gather as much advise and information from the community then take some time to fully plan out what you're going to do and what upgrades you can/want to make. For now your lighting and canister filter will be your weakest points in your setup, canister filters are nearly useless in reef tanks. HOB filters are okay but don't quite compare to sumps yet for small systems such as your they make great refugiums (will need if you want a mandarin).

As far as information, just about everything you need to get started is in these articles:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/author/rhf.php

Again welcome to our little community, this place is a treasure trove of quality information and solid advice, lastly please remember to have lots of fun with this Hobby :)
 
Welcome to BAR!

Here's some (anecdotal) advice.

Your Ocellaris may or may not host in the RBTA or anything similar to it that's a LPS or Softy. If hasn't exhibited previous hosting behavior, it'll probably be something it'll learn later down the road. I've had several Ocellaris as babies who learned their hosting behavior over time, some long than others.

As far as corals are concerned, start with the easier stuff; Softies, Zoanthids, or some LPS. It'll be more forgiving regarding your fluctuating water parameters since it's a new tank.

Mandarins are great and they're fish that I've kept ever since I got into this hobby when I joined this club a few years ago. They definitely have a more specific diet but it's easier to purchase them from Diver's Den since they'll be eating pellets already. However, I have trained a few Mandarins to eat pellets but it's not an easy task and requires some time and dedication.

Best of luck with your tank and keep us updated!
 
Thanks for your responses. I've been checking out the Kessils. They were actually on my Amazon wish list but since this light was so much cheaper and it claimed to be designed for a reef tank I chose this route.

The clown fish were babies when I got them (about 3/4") so I'll just be patient with them hosting. I think I'm leaning towards a torch coral at the moment.
 
1) I've had occelaris clown for maybe 10 out of 15 years in reefing. I've never had one that decided to host any anemone or coral... :( But I did have a pink skunk and maroon that did... Luck I guess... I've seen a person use a long tube leading to an anemone when introducing clown to a fish tank and that worked, but maybe they would have gone there by themselves? Who know....

2) Corals, I wouldn't be to worried about corals taking over your tank as long as you buy coral that you really like... Or unless you like Aptasia

3) Mandarian...never had one..

4) Clams, they've been pretty hard to find locally for me lately... but they do need strong lighting...
 
Kessil's a great product, they are in fact located here in the Bay Area and you fill find that most members here (if not all) will speak highly of them :)

which model are you considering?
 
HiFidelity said:
Kessil's a great product, they are in fact located here in the Bay Area and you fill find that most members here (if not all) will speak highly of them :)

which model are you considering?
Click to expand...
Originally I was planning on getting a much larger tank (off Craig's list) but my wife wisely persuaded me to start out small. At the time I had been looking at getting two of the A360WE's but since I only got a 30 gallon tank I thought it would be completely overkill but I guess not.
 
@Nav was able to light up his 40 breeder tank with 1 Kessil360W on high settings. The far edges of the tank did have shadows if I remember right.
Not sure about your 30 gallon foot print but I think 1 Kessil360W will suffice. The "W" means a wide spread light. Avoid the ones that say "N" = Narrow light beam
Denzil's selling his 360W for 300$. They are usually 399$ brand new. Lots of cheaper options too. Don't let it break your bank though :)

The Light you want will depend on the corals you want to keep. SPS, Clams, some LPS need higher light intensities. Soft Corals like Zoanthids, colts, gorgonians, usually don't need much light. So when deciding what light you want, think about the corals you want and are willing to try and keep.

When I started out, I realized that I wanted to keep zoas and LPS but I also wanted to keep the options of having Clams and SPS corals one day, so I went with Kessil 360we's. I could have gotten a China Box or Maxspect razr light for less than 200$ but that would have limited me from keeping SPS. Plus I got a great deal on my kessils since I got them used.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top