What to buy?

[Scuba Kid]

Bangaii cardinals tend to be more delicate from what I understand, but IME Pajama cardinals are hardy and interesting fish.

Like Ice said, dwarf angels are a hit or miss when it comes to reef tanks. I had a coral beauty for a while and one day it decided to pick at some polyps of a stony coral I had. It killed it, but didn't tough any other corals in the tank. Dwarf angels can also be aggressive, so if IMO I would say don't try any dwarf angels yet.

[Bear]

Where cardinals are concerned, do not touch them unless they are bred. Wild caught cardinals don't stand much of a chance.

[SBDTHUR]

New List, and Hopefully the Last:
2 - Clownfish Black/Orange
1 - Six Line Wrasse
2 - Chalk Bass
1 - Sailfin Blenny
1 - Neon Pseudochromis
2 - Yellowtail Damselfish

Thanks

Here's what I have in the way of live rock. A little more then1 ppg. 65 pounds of live rock.
- 35lbs of Fiji live foundation rock
- 45lbs of Fiji Live Rock
Coral:
- Porites Coral, Yellow Med
- Ruffled Ridge Coral Med
- Montipora Coral, Encrusting - Colored or
Montipora Coral, Branched Med
- Acropora - Green Med

From there on ill move onto fragments.
But for now could anybody tell me what this is?

Thanks to 'Bear' for the photo

[MaelStrom]

heh Ive always wondered what that is... Looks like either some type of LPS or an anenome....

EDIt: boy was i wrong osiris said it was a green star polyp

[SBDTHUR]

Ahh, I knew it was some sort of Polyp. Just couldn't find it! Thanks

It's cheap too! only 22 bucks for a medium one at pet solutions!

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by Scuba Kid

Bangaii cardinals tend to be more delicate from what I understand, but IME Pajama cardinals are hardy and interesting fish.

Now THAT my friend is what I call Excellent advice and 100% Accurate!

Tank Bred cardinals do tend to do much better but are also more costly. Worth it IMO.

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

New List, and Hopefully the Last:
2 - Clownfish Black/Orange
1 - Six Line Wrasse
2 - Chalk Bass
1 - Sailfin Blenny
1 - Neon Pseudochromis
2 - Yellowtail Damselfish

Ok, I guess my advice is falling on deaf ears. I already commented on Damsels! Good Luck with your tank.

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

Coral:
- Porites Coral, Yellow Med
- Ruffled Ridge Coral Med
- Montipora Coral, Encrusting - Colored or
Montipora Coral, Branched Med
- Acropora - Green Med

And the first post mentioned "Soft Corals"?? I hope you know the lighting requirements of what you list above. Long way from "Soft" Corals and need VERY intense lighting.

Best wishes.

[SBDTHUR]

Lol, totally forgot about the Damselfish. So scratch those. Ill be doing 4/5 WPG. I decided not to go with one of the premade coral setups sites have and to create my own coral setup. Here it is:
1 - Green Stary Polyp
2 - Green Finger Leather Soft Coral
1 - Colored Lobo Brain Coral
1 - Green Bubble
--------------------------
- 80 Pounds of Fiji Live Rock
- 65 Assorted Snails
- 25 Scarlet Hermet Crabs
- 1 Fancy Serpent Star
- 1 Sand Sifting Star
- 1 Sea Cucumber Tiger Tail
--------------------------


Without fish, and the tank, and the equipment. Im looking at 731 dollars. Breakin the bank!

[Reefneck]

WPG means nothing! It is the type of lighting and the intensity that matters!

Sounds like you are looking at 260W of Power compact lighting. That is considered low to moderate lighting. Some of the things you had mentioned (Porites, Acropora, etc..) need very Intense lighting from at the bare MINIMUM, VHO's or T5HO's or Metal Halides.

1 - Green Stary Polyp
2 - Green Finger Leather Soft Coral
1 - Colored Lobo Brain Coral
1 - Green Bubble

These all should do fine under the lighting you mention.

Forget the Psuedo....All of them are VERY mean. Get 2-3 Neon Gobys instead. They are cool to watch pick parasites off your other fish.

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

Without fish, and the tank, and the equipment. Im looking at 731 dollars. Breakin the bank!

Hahahahha, How much you have to learn Grasshopper.

My 120G Reef tank hit the $10,000.00 investment mark just before it turned one year old. Welcome to an expensive (But worth it) Hobby!

[SBDTHUR]

Darn, I would have a 500G tank in here if I had 10,000 dollars. :P I only have 39 dollars on me right now, Ill have 200 once I get paid. Then once the 135s gone ill hopefully have 500. Then my mom is going to open me a loan, or give me a loan. Im expecting to put 1,500 into this tank. So im hoping to have 900 by the end of August and open a loan for 600.

Would this be enough lighting?
48" ORBIT EXTREME 2X130W SUNPAQ W/LUNAR & FAN found at PetSolutions

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

Would this be enough lighting?
48" ORBIT EXTREME 2X130W SUNPAQ W/LUNAR & FAN found at PetSolutions

That is still Power Compact Lighting and does not penetrate as well as VHO, T5HO or Halides.

Not too far out of that price range is the light I have on one of my 75G reef tanks. It is called the "Outer Orbit" by the same manufactuer.

Look for a 48" Current USA Outer Orbit. Mine has 2 150W HQI Metal Halides Plus 2 X 130W Power Compact Actinics as well as the "Lunar Lights", There is also a 250W model if you have a deeper tank.

a 55G or 75G tank would do great with the 150W but a 90G or 120G would need the 250W version to get the best results.

Have a look at mine that is on one of my 75G tanks. http://store.seacorals.net/cuusa4856ouo.html

[Bear]

I would take a look at T5 lighting if I were you

But, seriously, it sounds like you need to do a lot more research on the subject. A good place to look is the lighting section at reefcentral.com I would go and read through the threads, there are many with tests between different lightings, comparisons, and plenty of arguments. There is much to learn there on the topic of lighting.

From what it seems like you want to keep I would look into investing in higher levels of lighting like MH or T5. You could start with easier corals and move up over time.

Even for softies I would suggest T5s....I've never seen so much growth from zoas or leathers.

[SBDTHUR]

Here's a few I looked at..

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._ho_lunar.html

http://www.petsolutions.com/Outer-Or...C40001736.aspx

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._fixtures.html

Which would be best for the price?

[Bear]

I would say that the second one is the best, but I don't really like any of them. I would get a fixture with 2 halides if I were to go with MHs. With the T5s, those are useless b/c they lack individual reflectors, and I just dislike powercompacts

I really get the feel that you just aren't learning enough....especially when you say something like "I knew it was some sort of polyp"...meaning that there are corals that don't have polyps.......

All corals have polyps

I honestly do not mean to come across as mean, but Im just worried that you are not spending the proper amount of time learning about the creatures, their requirements, and the equipment and I'm afraid that it will spell disaster for you.

Im not too sure about hijacking this thread so I wont but if you are interested just PM me, this goes for everyone, and I will more than gladly share every piece of knowledge I have and send you elsewhere so you can learn even more

Oh and for a beginner coral suggestion I would recommend what you have in the picture there....well what I have
--Green star polyps (GSP) IS very easy to take care of and far from demanding, but does require more than average flow, really just enough to keep it moving. It is an encrusting colony of polyps, like zoas in that sense, but a much thicker and continuous carpet.

[SBDTHUR]

I don't know much about skimmers and such, but here's the equipment I plan to get.

Skimmer: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11302/product.web

Lighting: http://store.seacorals.net/cuusa4856ouo.html

Salt Mix: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113009 (The Reef Mix)

Heater: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113767

Powerhead: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113040 (Pair)

Filter: Fuval 305, Bio-Wheel 350B.

Along with an Instant Ocean Hydrometer.



All I need is feedback on the equipment above. If you see anything that is not a good idea, please suggest something better so were not going over this alllllll day. :P Thanks a bunch for all your help!

[Bear]

why in the wold would u get a fluval and bio wheel!?

[SBDTHUR]

Because I don't know what to get? :P And when it comes to filters I like backups.

[Bear]

...this all goes back to doing ur research...

plz, u must have a ton of questions. Ask them!

You really don't need to add filters like that with the skimmer and LR. LR is some of the most porous substance in the world...beats the heck outta and stupid bio filter from a manufacturer.