What to buy?

[SBDTHUR]

Okay, well I've got a 135 gallon aquarium that's leaving, and im trying to convince my mother to let me setup a 55G reef tank. I know about what I need in the way of equpment. But I have no idea about rock, coral, and fish. I don't know what's compatible. If you could give me sites where I could buy this stuff? I probably will just go get it from my LFS but I want to know what to look for when I get there. I also don't know my options in the way of fish. Like what fish would be suitable in this tank, and what fish would probably be a nice addition. Heres what I like:
- Soft Corals
- Clownfish, and bright colored fish.
- Oddball type, like puffers. But from my understanding there is none small enough for my tank
- Live rock doesnt really matter to me.
One coral I really like is:
http://www.bornplaydie.com/japan/tra...awa/clown2.jpg

I thought those colors were really cool. What I think I wan't is a aquarium stocked full of as much coral and rock as humanly possible. I think I just want 2 clown fish along with the inverts, and hopefully a few other fish that are reef compatible and are extremly colorful! I just did a little research and could you tell me if this would be alright for a 55G with a nice sized reef?
2 - 1 Black/1 Orange Clownfish
1 - Royal Gramma Basslet
1 - Lionfish Of Somesort
1 - Black Seahorse
1 - Watchman Goby
The only fish I really want if I can get the saltwater tank, would be the clownfish, the seahorse, and if possible the lionfish. As far as coral goes, the must haves are:
- Torch Corals
- Mushrooms of some sort

Okay my official questions are:
Of above, what I listed what would be possible?
What would be the prime Live Rock for me?
I know this might be a stupid question, but would more of the stuff above be possible If I upgraded to a 65G? There a little wider.

Thanks in Advance!

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

Okay my official questions are:
Of above, what I listed what would be possible?
What would be the prime Live Rock for me?
I know this might be a stupid question, but would more of the stuff above be possible If I upgraded to a 65G? There a little wider.

NO! A Seahorse or Seahorses need a dedicated tank. They can not compete for food with most fish and would kust die. You'll either have to do a dedicated horse tank or forget the ponies!

The type of Live Rock you get is determined by what is available to you, What you are willing to spend and what you like looking at.

Not really, 18" over 12" depth makes it a lot easier to landscape though. I like a 75G tank as the smallest Reef tank.

After saying that I just had a 40G Reef complete given to me last night bringing me up to 5 Reef tanks total now. :O

[Ice]

The lionfish is a predatory fish. So if you had 2 juvenile clownfish in there I can almost promise you they'll be the lionfish's dinner in no time.

Definitely no seahorses. As Reefneck says - they are delicate creatures to care for.

[Scuba Kid]

Depends on the species. You could get a dwarf lionfish, such as a fuzzy dwarf and it could be safe with some clowns. Either way, they are are predators so you need to keep in mind that if it is small enough to fit in its mouth, consider it food.

If you want a puffer you could go with a toby or valentini puffer. They're small and docile, however with puffers, filefish, and most triggers (excluding the planktivores), you can't promise it to be reef-safe. They're natural food is crustaceans.

[TheOldSalt]

Wow. You guys beat me to pretty much every point I was going to mention.

Lions and seahorses.. no way.
A 75gal is something I've long considered the perfect tank for a reef.

There are a lot of choices for rock available, and you'll most likely get sticker shock and get the cheap stuff. Big mistake. Huge. Your rock IS your reef, really, and if you don't get the good stuff you'll always regret it. Save up for the good stuff.
So just what IS the good stuff? The debate still rages on that one and probably always will. Each kind has features which make it special and which suck, and these give them different sorts of appeal to different people depending on what they're trying to accomplish. MY advice is to go with TampsBaySaltwater.com or Floridaliverock.com and get fresh Gulf of Mexico rock. It's denser than pacific stuff, but totally encrusted with stuff which actually LIVES instead of rots, and in the Gulf you don't have those dang planarians which will overrun your tank if you use cheap fiji rock.

Your other choices are good.

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by Scuba Kid

Depends on the species. You could get a dwarf lionfish, such as a fuzzy dwarf and it could be safe with some clowns. Either way, they are are predators so you need to keep in mind that if it is small enough to fit in its mouth, consider it food.

If you want a puffer you could go with a toby or valentini puffer. They're small and docile, however with puffers, filefish, and most triggers (excluding the planktivores), you can't promise it to be reef-safe. They're natural food is crustaceans.

Exactly why I didn't say no to a lion or a puffer.

I would say no to a "Volitan" lion or a Porcupine puffer, Or even a Dog Face puffer but there are species of both that would do fine in the smaller tanks mentioned.

[SBDTHUR]

Revised Fish List:
2 - 1 Black/1 Orange Clownfish
1 - Foxface (If I could keep in a 65 Gallon)
1 - Longnose Hawkfish
1 - Royal Gramma Basslet
1 - Yellowtail Damselfish
1 - Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish

Thanks If you see any flaws give me a heads up, theres bound to be one. Thanks in advance.

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

Revised Fish List:
2 - 1 Black/1 Orange Clownfish
1 - Foxface (If I could keep in a 65 Gallon)
1 - Longnose Hawkfish
1 - Royal Gramma Basslet
1 - Yellowtail Damselfish
1 - Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish

Thanks If you see any flaws give me a heads up, theres bound to be one. Thanks in advance.

Clowns: OK
Foxface: Really needs larger tank for swimming room.
Longnose Hawk: Safe in Fish Only but not in a Reef.
Royal Gramma: Great fish for Reef or Fish only. Slightly Territorial.
Damsel? NO Damsels! They are too mean and you would regret it.
Fuzzy Dwarf: Fine in fish only but not safe with inverts or very tiny fish like neon gobies.

EDIT: Basically Lose the damsel and leave the Foxface for a larger tank. Don't keep any inverts or tiny fish and the rest of your list should work fine together!

[Damon]

I dont know if I would mix species of clowns in that size tank either. A pair would be better and more enjoyable to watch.

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by Damon

I dont know if I would mix species of clowns in that size tank either. A pair would be better and more enjoyable to watch.

Judging by what he posted I don't think he is referring to mixing breeds. Both are False Percs, One just the black variant.

Unless I read that wrong.

[MaelStrom]

How about a Marine Betta or a Niger trigger? Both should be reef safe and the Niger trigger where i work at is such a cool fish ( If I had teh money for a marine tank I would get him instantly). But the trigger may be on more of the agressive side so Im not sure how he could fair with smaller fish such as clowns...
For a colorful fish you could do some reef safe wrasse such as fairy wrasse, and for coral maybe Zoas? I believe they are one the easy side of the coral spectrum( not sure though).

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by MaelStrom

How about a Marine Betta or a Niger trigger? Both should be reef safe and the Niger trigger where i work at is such a cool fish ( If I had teh money for a marine tank I would get him instantly).

Bad idea giving advice based on something being "cool"!

Neither fish are "Reef Safe", Both get too large for the tank mentioned, MB's are very hard to keep alive, Triggers can turn on any small fish at anytime if bite size and WILL kill invertabrates.

So to those 2 fish, No, No, & Oh Heck No!

[MaelStrom]

Originally Posted by Reefneck

Bad idea giving advice based on something being "cool"!

Neither fish are "Reef Safe", Both get too large for the tank mentioned, MB's are very hard to keep alive, Triggers can turn on any small fish at anytime if bite size and WILL kill invertabrates.

So to those 2 fish, No, No, & Oh Heck No!

Heheh this is why I dont have a reef tank Maybe I should research my "advice" first....

What exactly is defined as reef safe too? Are inverts included as reef?

[SBDTHUR]

Hey thanks for all the feedback! I figured it would be a good idea for me to research with people who know other than just buying based off what the web says.

Does reef safe mean as in coral? Or live rock too?
This list is for if I can get a 65G, if not, ill revise.
Fish List Edit 3:
- 2 Clownfish Black/Orange
- 1 Blue Tang
- 1 Six Line Wrasse
- 1 Chalk Bass (Possibly 2)
- 1 Sailfin Blenny

But I really don't feel I've looked over all my options. What I want in the way of fish is a Carribean, colorful setup. Thanks for all your help!

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

Does reef safe mean as in coral? Or live rock too?
This list is for if I can get a 65G, if not, ill revise.
Fish List Edit 3:
- 2 Clownfish Black/Orange Perfectly Fine
- 1 Blue Tang No Way
- 1 Six Line Wrasse Perfectly Fine
- 1 Chalk Bass (Possibly 2) Perfectly Fine
- 1 Sailfin Blenny Perfectly Fine

1st of all, No tang should be kept in anything less than a 4ft long tank! They have to have room to swim no matter the size! a 6Ft tank is the smallest recommended for anything other than a "Kole" Tang. 55G for a Kole is bare minimum. Don't make the fish suffer in a tank thats too small just because you want one. Get the right size tank for the fishes needs first, Then get the fish.


Reef safe refers to Live Corals, Invertabrates and any other natural reef inhabitants.

[Bear]

agreed, do urself a favor and stay away from tangs for now

The rest seem good, but I would even stay away from blennies. I have heard many times that the are perfect behaving inhabitants, but then I have heard the other stories when a blenny decided to go nuts and attack clams and corals.

...Like Reefneck said reefsafe means that they will be pretty well tempered with reef inhabitants like corals and inverts. With LR, there really isnt too much that isnt safe for LR....other than copper that is

Ur list (minus the tang) seems pretty good and entertaining

[SBDTHUR]

Yay, well were getting there. Im gonna find a a replacement for the tang and start figuring out corals. I wan't to have as much of that out of the way when the new tank comes so im not rushing and making stupid desicions.

[SBDTHUR]

What about a Spotted Mandarin? Live Aquaria says there difficult to take care of though..

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by SBDTHUR

What about a Spotted Mandarin? Live Aquaria says there difficult to take care of though..

Absolutely Not for beginners or new tanks!!

Dragonettes feed primarily off Copepods. These are microscopic crustaceons that can be found in tiny crevices in very mature Live rock. A Tank with approximately 1 & 1/2 lbs per gallon of Live rock that is Mature (Running at bare minimum 6 months) may support one but may not. Also, A Tank with a Refugium has a better chance of supporting a dragonette than does one without. Must be mature though.

Pods can be purchased to feed these fish if you care to go that route. Plan to spend $30-$40 a week for pods just to feed one tiny dragonette. After 6-9 months the tank should be able to support one without any further purchases.

Tanks I refer to are of course all larger than 55 gallons. Anything smaller would take longer to do the things needed.

[Ice]

Some ideas for fish :

Cardinalfish - either Bangaii or Pajama variety
Clown Gobies
Dwarf Angelfish - they are 50-50 with corals