Thinking about taking the plunge with my 6.5g long setup

[AVReefer]

I've been keeping a freshwater tank for about 6 months now, the first 3 months being a 2.5g tank for a betta fish and three bumblebee gobies. I switched to a 6.5g long tank about 3 months ago because I wanted to add some fish. It was going very well up until just recently - I added two fish without quarantining and unfortunately my whole tank was hit with ich and I lost all of my fish. Since I've always wanted a reef tank, I'm thinking now might be an opportunity to convert my setup to SW. I've been doing research on reef tanks this entire time and I certainly don't want to just dive in. I want to try to do things right the first time, and so I'm looking for advice on whether or not I should move in that direction. Here is my current setup:

 

Mr. Aqua 6.5g long, 24" L x 7" W x 9" H

Aquaclear HOB 20g filter

Cobalt 25w heater

Finnex Planted+ 24" light [(104) 7000k + (56) 660nm RED + (8) Blue Moonlights, 20.8 Total Watts]

 

Some thoughts on equipment: I want to move forward with this tank if possible because its footprint is perfect for the book case it's sitting on and there really isn't anywhere else to put a tank in our small apartment. I believe I could keep the HOB filter and heater. The light as I understand is probably not the correct specs for growing coral so I might want to upgrade to something like the NanoBox Duo (http://nanoboxreef.com/duo.html)which I've read really good things about. As far as additional filtration or protein skimmer, I am very diligent about 2x weekly water changes right now and I've heard as long as you keep on a frequent schedule, you can keep the water parameters where they need to be. I'm guessing I would also want to add a small powerhead as well.

 

Regarding stocking, I'm totally open to ideas. I know this is definitely on the smaller side for fish. I've read differing opinions about clownfish - that 6g is the minimum size, but that they might even outgrow that as some point. I would not have plans to upgrade in the near future so I'd want to avoid getting anything that would need to be moved. If not a single clownfish (and that would be it) then maybe I would want to go for a single goby? I definitely like the Catalina Goby but I've heard they need water a bit on the cooler side, so I'm not sure how that would work with corals. And speaking of corals, no idea where to start. I like zoas and i've heard they're easier to start out with. Other than that, I don't know what corals I'd want to put in. Finally, I am a very big fan of inverts, so I would like to get some sort of shrimp if possible. I really like banded shrimp, as well as fire shrimp and skunk cleaners. Not sure if the 7" width would be an issue with being too narrow for their antenna.

 

Finally, for substrate and rock, everyone says that live rock really helps with biological filtration. I would be open to doing that and doing a lighter/white sand.

 

I just want to reiterate that I am just doing research and thinking out loud here. If anything I have stated seems like a good or bad idea, please let me know. The prospect of setting up a reef tank seems very exciting but I don't want to put myself or any livestock into a bad situation.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

[seabass]

Welcome to N-R.com!

 

That was a nice looking planted tank. You didn't dose copper meds in it did you?

 

So I think you could keep a couple of gobies in there, or even a tank bred Ocellaris Clownfish with a goby. I'd just pick one of those shrimp (it should be fine in that tank). I'd stay away from a Catalina Goby if you plan on keeping coral.

 

With good maintenance, I wouldn't worry about having a protein skimmer. However, you're right, you'll want a powerhead in addition to the filter.

[AVReefer]

Thank you!

 

I had been dosing Seachem ParaGuard, which I do not think has any copper in it.

 

I've been doing a bit more research tonight and now I'm thinking I would want to go with some combination of Purple Firefish and/or Shrimp Goby (plus Pistol Shrimp) and/or tank bred ocellaris.

 

Do the tank bred clowns tend to stay on the smaller side? Also, if I do decide on an clown, are there any easy corals that will host it? I've been told that anemones are definitely for more advanced reefers but I would love to get some sort of a host for a clown.

 

Do you have any thoughts on the Finnex light for the beginner types of corals I would start with?

[seabass]

There is no copper in ParaGuard.

 

A firefish would be a nice fish for this tank, but you would definitely need a top for it.

 

The tank bred clowns would tend to be less aggressive and maybe better suited for a small tank like this. If you go with an Ocellaris, I'd probably just get a small goby to go with it.

 

Ocellaris Clownfish don't need a host. However, they might choose a coral to hang out in. The tank is just a little small for a host anemone.

 

There are all sorts of LPS and soft corals that would be suitable for a beginner. However, that 7,000K light is more suitable for a refugium than a reef display.

[HarryPotter]

You would be suprised how easy an anemone is. The only tricky thing is that they can move around a lot, which can kill other corals. If your water is clean and light bright (Not your current one, but the NanoBox duo would be great) they're a very fun critter.