Newbie Saltwater Setup Questions

[Nyx]

I'm going to have a tank made that is 20in wide, 18in deep and 16in tall to fit in my cabinet near my betta's tank. The volume comes to around 25gal and i have at least 30 lbs of sand so far and a 6.4lb chunk of live rock. It is sitting in a tank cycling with 10gal of packaged salt mix in ro/di water till I can get my show tank made, and switched over to the show tank.
I will have plenty of lighting, my local fish guy helped me with my purchase in that regard.

First question, how much circulation do I need for a carpet anenmone, feather duster, a sponge or two and other starter corals?

Fish: I'm going to add a pair of Black Ocellaris, some blue leg hermits, Mandarin Dragonet pair.

I have a Rio skimmer filter combo, and will have another filter on the tank to act as refugiums.

Should I have a mesh lid?

Is there anything else I should add?

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Nyx

 

[danagui]

I'm going to have a tank made that is 20in wide, 18in deep and 16in tall to fit in my cabinet near my betta's tank. The volume comes to around 25gal and i have at least 30 lbs of sand so far and a 6.4lb chunk of live rock. It is sitting in a tank cycling with 10gal of packaged salt mix in ro/di water till I can get my show tank made, and switched over to the show tank.
I will have plenty of lighting, my local fish guy helped me with my purchase in that regard.

First question, how much circulation do I need for a carpet anenmone, feather duster, a sponge or two and other starter corals?

Fish: I'm going to add a pair of Black Ocellaris, some blue leg hermits, Mandarin Dragonet pair.

I have a Rio skimmer filter combo, and will have another filter on the tank to act as refugiums.

Should I have a mesh lid?

Is there anything else I should add?

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Nyx

that tank is way too small for a carpet unless its a maxi mini....they grow quick...i would stick with a BTA...as for flow...for ur tank i'd say around double to triple ur tank volume an hour...as for the dragonette pair, that tank is small so u would have a hard time keeping ur pod population up unless u buy new pods from the LFS weekly, the dragonettes will demolish them in a few days....dont forget thats all they eat 24/7 until u ween them off of it....u don't need a lid since none of ur fish are jumpers...its more a personal choice...i have wrasse and angels and all that with no lid...no jumpers either...why dont u use a sump and refugium instead? it'll increase water volume to help ur tank out....just my 2 cents

 

[Nyx]

I am wanting to get a pair of ORA mandarins that have been raised eating other foods as well as pods. Also I'm not sure how to install a sump/refugium... I have two 5.5gal glass tanks i could convert to sump/fuge combo, just have to find fool proof diy instructions... So should i use a koralia nano? or other koralia #?

BTA? is that bubble tip anemone?

 

[danagui]

I am wanting to get a pair of ORA mandarins that have been raised eating other foods as well as pods. Also I'm not sure how to install a sump/refugium... I have two 5.5gal glass tanks i could convert to sump/fuge combo, just have to find fool proof diy instructions... So should i use a koralia nano? or other koralia #?

BTA? is that bubble tip anemone?

Look through my for sale threads...i have a sump with fuge built in for $40...u would just need an overflow box

 

[fishboi]

how long have you had the tank cycled for? when i first started i cycled the tank for 2 weeks then threw in like 3 fishes they all died within a week. knowing that my tank is not ready i kept on putting more and more fish and they all died i say in 3 days. the longest i've kept one fish during that period was 2 weeks. learned my lesson bought 1 big fish to test it out and left my tank to cycle for another month. so now everything in my tank is good. that was my experience

 

[Cmartin]

I agree with Daniel, I wouldn't put any mandarin for a while... They need a well established tank to survive even if they say they eat other food pods are a major part of their diet. Just a waist of money imo.

 

[Nyx]

Of course, I'm not planning to get the mandarins for a long time yet. And I'm planning to let the tank cycle for a long time before I add any expensive fish. I bumped into a fellow at Monrovia Tropical Fish that takes care of tanks for his customers and he suggested to just let it cycle first, check my ammonia and nitrates, then add snails and hermits.

 

[Nyx]

Should I be running a filter on my temporary cycling tank since I don't have a hydor koralia water pump? Or should I be running my Rio skimmer/filter?

 

[danagui]

Run the skimmer...i would put a cheap damsel or 2 in...i always did that while my tank cycled....might just have to do with the fact that i dont have a ton of patience but still....u never know what u can do until u give it a shot

 

[Nyx]

UPDATE: I'm running my skimmer on my temp tank, still asking around for quotes on my tank build. Got a used Koralia Nano 425 to use in my full set-up. Trying to find cheapest place for snails and damsels... suggestions are welcome!

 

[gonumber24]

Cycle with pure ammonia - add a few drops per day and test. I would avoid adding Damsels - aggressive fish that can get large and introduce parasites into your tank.

 

[danagui]

Cycle with pure ammonia - add a few drops per day and test. I would avoid adding Damsels - aggressive fish that can get large and introduce parasites into your tank.

any fish can get large and aggressive and introduce parasites...if ur worried about aggression then add chromis...theyre only aggressive towards one another

 

[danagui]

UPDATE: I'm running my skimmer on my temp tank, still asking around for quotes on my tank build. Got a used Koralia Nano 425 to use in my full set-up. Trying to find cheapest place for snails and damsels... suggestions are welcome!

reefcleaners.org are a good place to get all that stuff except the damsel

 

[danagui]

that tank is way too small for a carpet unless its a maxi mini....they grow quick...i would stick with a BTA...as for flow...for ur tank i'd say around double to triple ur tank volume an hour...as for the dragonette pair, that tank is small so u would have a hard time keeping ur pod population up unless u buy new pods from the LFS weekly, the dragonettes will demolish them in a few days....dont forget thats all they eat 24/7 until u ween them off of it....u don't need a lid since none of ur fish are jumpers...its more a personal choice...i have wrasse and angels and all that with no lid...no jumpers either...why dont u use a sump and refugium instead? it'll increase water volume to help ur tank out....just my 2 cents

let me clarify this...i just got rep because it's "bad advice"...im not saying wrasse wont jump...but i havent had the problem....fish jump when startled, stressed, or if they're being attacked...if ur tank is healthy and the livestock get along then the chance of jumping is decreased but not eliminated...if ur super worried then feel free to use one...i just think topless is more convenient and looks nicer

 

[wickedfish]

Mandarins aren't a beginner type of fish. They are for well established tanks. If you had bought rock from a guy who had pods. Then also a grip of cheatto in a fuge, then go wild.

(btw I'm not a tard auto text messes my ish up all the time!) not as bad as that one sites auto text mishaps!

Carpet nem not a good choice for sheer size.

You can buy whatever fish you want But ultimately we want them to live a few years not weeks.

Not preaching just helping a reefer out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BeanMachine]

let me clarify this...i just got rep because it's "bad advice"...im not saying wrasse wont jump...but i havent had the problem....fish jump when startled, stressed, or if they're being attacked...if ur tank is healthy and the livestock get along then the chance of jumping is decreased but not eliminated...if ur super worried then feel free to use one...i just think topless is more convenient and looks nicer

I agree with this as well.

 

[Nyx]

Another question, do I also need to be running my light? I also put the koralia nano 425gph in the cycling tank. I realize I'll have to cycle some more when I get moved over to my show tank and sump/fuge, am I correct in this assumption?

 

[danagui]

Another question, do I also need to be running my light? I also put the koralia nano 425gph in the cycling tank. I realize I'll have to cycle some more when I get moved over to my show tank and sump/fuge, am I correct in this assumption?

I would run it that way u get the algae and diatom blooms out of the way...once u transfer everything it wont be a full cycle....probably just a mini cycle as things restabilize..only lasts a couple of days

 

[lazeballz]

Welcome to the forum. Daniel knows his stuff. But as far as the damsel thing, im sort of against.

people put in the damsel because its a tough fish that can stand all sorts of crappy water; knowing this doesnt justify throwing it in an establishing tank... just my IMO though.

Im cycling my tank as well...i was debating on using pregrown/bacteria in a bottle, but im going to try it without and wait the 2 weeks and just test.

Goodluck!

 

[danagui]

Welcome to the forum. Daniel knows his stuff. But as far as the damsel thing, im sort of against.

people put in the damsel because its a tough fish that can stand all sorts of crappy water; knowing this doesnt justify throwing it in an establishing tank... just my IMO though.

Im cycling my tank as well...i was debating on using pregrown/bacteria in a bottle, but im going to try it without and wait the 2 weeks and just test.

Goodluck!

Reasonig behind the fish during a cycle is pretty simple....fish constantly release ammonia in the water through their gills, waste, and even slime coat...this high amount of ammonia coupled with the fact that u feed thr fish and uneaten food decays producing more ammonia provides more food for bacteria so that it can grow faster...of course if ur not too keep about putting a fish through that stress just put a couple of pellets of.food in there each day