So what do you guys do?

[iceshade]

I think i learn the most of my information from reading through progress threads, I have read every page of the fluval spec 5 gallon thread, it had ups and downs, gives a real look at what this hobby is all about.

 

Like he thought his hammer was dead, dipped and fragged it, put the frag back in the tank and its like it came back to life. fascinating.

 

It's killing me that i am starting out with basic non reef LED lighting though, I know right off the bat i'm gonna want zoanthid frags! :-(

[Halo_003]

Man this sounds exactly like my local club when I was planning my 12 long and posting questions. Eventually got tired of the negativity on there and just started buying stuff and putting it together. Goal is to make their rockwall 180Gtanks look like toys.

[iceshade]

Man this sounds exactly like my local club when I was planning my 12 long and posting questions. Eventually got tired of the negativity on there and just started buying stuff and putting it together. Goal is to make their rockwall 180Gtanks look like toys.

why do you think this is the only forum I post on.. cause it's the only forum i can post on about my 20 gallon, without people saying i can't even put a damn snail in there! >.<

 

for me now though it's not forums where i am getting the negitivity from, it's real life people, i went to this LFS recently looking at what i will be buying and all the guy kept saying was "dude i don't think it will work, maybe buy a 55 gallon if you want 4 or 5 fish?" i proceeded to tell him i've seen 10 gallons with 3 fish that thrived no problem, and no this wasn't "experts" they were first tanks..

 

Until i always believed it takes a experienced keeper to run a SW tank under 55 gallons, I have always been told that on forums years ago. but now? all i see on here is people with 5, 10, 20 gallon tanks with multiple fish each, saying it's their first tank.

 

this is now what i am going by, and i will stick to it, if this guy can fit 3 fish in a 5 gallon no problem, and that guy can fit 3 fish in a 10 gallon no problem, than i can do my dream stocking that i've always wanted in my 20 gallon, 5 fish MAX but might stop at 4 depending if i get a six line wrasse or not (always thought they needed big tanks, now i see them in 10's and 20's)

 

anyway i'm rambling, half way through this post i heard my girlfriends phone ringing in the other room so i want to get it for her cause shes in the bathroom, but just as i ran out the room she was running down the hallway and we almost collided, and im a big guy lol, 6'5 260, would have send her flying poor thing.

[lkoechle]

I wouldn't fit 3 fish into a 5 gallon. I only put 1 in to my 4 gallon. Personally, my advice to you is make sure you go slowly. Once you observe and learn your fish, you might decide you don't want to crowd them in a 20 gallon tank. I had a 20 long and I had 2 clowns and a six line. I may have stuck in one or two bottom or rock perching fish, but I wouldn't have put in any more open swimmers. (we moved and so I had to break down the tank) You'd be surprised at how much space some of these fish cover. So go slow and observe your livestock. It's okay having a plan for livestock, especially if you're planning on docile fish then more territorial fish.

 

Anyways, I guess my point is yes you can put 5 fish in a 20 but it is highly dependent on adult size and behavior if they will be happy in that environment. If you stress the fish, they can break out in ich and then that can kill all of the fish and you have to have an empty tank for 9 weeks to wait out the parasite in the tank. So go slow and be very observant when working in close quarters.

 

And as far as lights go, look for an AI SOL on craigslist or on a local reef club. I bought mine when they first came out for $625. 4 years later when I needed a second one to go over my 85 gallon, I bought a used one for $70 lol

[iceshade]

Yeah that's why I said I might stop before 5. I know I want either 1 or 2 clowns and can't decide which color occy, so i want a black, and an orange. If I got a 6 line and 2 clowns all else I'd put in is a goby. But if I didn't get a 6 line, I might try a bicolor dottyback, and on top of all these I am really wanting a yellow tail damsel since they are common and found everywhere and the most calm breed of damsel.

[Halo_003]

why do you think this is the only forum I post on.. cause it's the only forum i can post on about my 20 gallon, without people saying i can't even put a damn snail in there! >.<

 

for me now though it's not forums where i am getting the negitivity from, it's real life people, i went to this LFS recently looking at what i will be buying and all the guy kept saying was "dude i don't think it will work, maybe buy a 55 gallon if you want 4 or 5 fish?" i proceeded to tell him i've seen 10 gallons with 3 fish that thrived no problem, and no this wasn't "experts" they were first tanks..

 

Until i always believed it takes a experienced keeper to run a SW tank under 55 gallons, I have always been told that on forums years ago. but now? all i see on here is people with 5, 10, 20 gallon tanks with multiple fish each, saying it's their first tank.

 

this is now what i am going by, and i will stick to it, if this guy can fit 3 fish in a 5 gallon no problem, and that guy can fit 3 fish in a 10 gallon no problem, than i can do my dream stocking that i've always wanted in my 20 gallon, 5 fish MAX but might stop at 4 depending if i get a six line wrasse or not (always thought they needed big tanks, now i see them in 10's and 20's)

 

 

Yep, I had sort of the same feedback when I talked to a couple of LFS for parts for my 12. "Oh that won't work, good luck". My attitude was always "just watch".

 

Same thing with local club members, until I put up a few pictures that are in my thread, that shut the naysayers up and the positive feedback started flooding in. And this was just pictures of the rock scape lol.

[lkoechle]

Yeah that's why I said I might stop before 5. I know I want either 1 or 2 clowns and can't decide which color occy, so i want a black, and an orange. If I got a 6 line and 2 clowns all else I'd put in is a goby. But if I didn't get a 6 line, I might try a bicolor dottyback, and on top of all these I am really wanting a yellow tail damsel since they are common and found everywhere and the most calm breed of damsel.

They don't have to match. I have a Mocha DaVinci female and a Phantom male (signature). Also, your clown can get aggressive. So don't be surprised if your female (which you will have regardless of one or two clowns) starts beating up new fish. Just be aware you may have to seperate them and rearrange the tank before adding them in again (thats what I had to do with my 6 line and clowns). Then they think its a new tank and no one has territory claims.

[iceshade]

Yeah makes sense. Although I was saving the clown, or clowns for last. I am dying for a bicolor dottyback too, because I have so many desired fish I might just get 1 clown.

[lkoechle]

Go in order of most passive to most aggressive. Dottybacks can be terrors. I would make it one of the last.

 

http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/articles/dottybackschoose-carefully.htm

[CronicReefer]

I think dottybacks do well with clowns for the most part. Mine even seems scared to get close to the clowns when feeding. However dottybacks love to hunt small worms and copepods so be aware they will compete with other fish for those.

[iceshade]

Yeah out of all marine fish my girlfriend has seen the dottyback is her favorite, my personal favorite is the panther grouper.. but yeah.. can't get one lol.

 

I'm still deciding on either a goby or blenny. Clown goby? Bicolor blenny?

[lkoechle]

I like clown gobies but my green clown goby was really shy and I don't know if I could have gotten him to eat in a community tank (he was in 4 gallon). I hear the yellows are suppose to be easier then the greens though. I don't have any experiences with blennies.

[iceshade]

Yeah not sure if I'll get a clown goby cause I keep reading about people getting them, and they dissappear lol. Like a guy puts it in the tank (green) and never saw it after that. Is there a benefit to a clown goby over a blenny like tail spot or bicolor?

[lkoechle]

Yeah not sure if I'll get a clown goby cause I keep reading about people getting them, and they dissappear lol. Like a guy puts it in the tank (green) and never saw it after that. Is there a benefit to a clown goby over a blenny like tail spot or bicolor?

The goby eat meat instead of algae. I don't know from experience and only from research that tailspots seem happier munching on algae instead of eating prepared foods or nori. I am not interested in a bicolor so I haven't done any research on it, but I would think its probably similar in behavior. Have you thought of a watchman goby/pistol shrimp pair instead?

[iceshade]

The goby eat meat instead of algae. I don't know from experience and only from research that tailspots seem happier munching on algae instead of eating prepared foods or nori. I am not interested in a bicolor so I haven't done any research on it, but I would think its probably similar in behavior. Have you thought of a watchman goby/pistol shrimp pair instead?

 

nah not interested in that pair at all, and if i was to get a watchman goby i wouldn't get a pistol shrimp with it, not sure why, i just don't like them.

[righttirefire]

I love my yellow clown goby. Always visible. Goofy personality. Chases around my chromis. It's halirious. I got asked one of those old school questions today. I chuckled to myself and graciously disagreed with there opinion

[iceshade]

I love my yellow clown goby. Always visible. Goofy personality. Chases around my chromis. It's halirious. I got asked one of those old school questions today. I chuckled to myself and graciously disagreed with there opinion

yeah i haven't ruled out the YCG, also i've been looking at those cool NUVO (?) tanks, sleek, and with the stuff hidden behind the back wall, brb selling a Liver.

 

seriously, here i am with a plain deep blue professional 20 gallon, and i see people rocking these slick all in one tanks.. not fair..

 

but a serious question now, should i get bio spira? thought about grabbing a 100ml bottle this weekend when i'm getting all my supplies, can it greatly help the cycle and prevent me from having to add shrimp or fishfood?

[lkoechle]

Look up cycling with ammonia. It is how I have cycled all my tanks. I also use microbacter to help with the cycle but you still need to add the initial stuff to kick start the cycle (whether thats fish food, shrimp, or straight ammonia)

[righttirefire]

I started out everything into a tote in the garage and started my cycle with "live" rock and dry sand and 18 gallons of water. With a 100w heater and hydor 240gph. It was about a 2 week cycle time I believe. No shrimp added, no ghost feeding, no ammonia.

[CronicReefer]

yeah i haven't ruled out the YCG, also i've been looking at those cool NUVO (?) tanks, sleek, and with the stuff hidden behind the back wall, brb selling a Liver.

 

seriously, here i am with a plain deep blue professional 20 gallon, and i see people rocking these slick all in one tanks.. not fair..

 

but a serious question now, should i get bio spira? thought about grabbing a 100ml bottle this weekend when i'm getting all my supplies, can it greatly help the cycle and prevent me from having to add shrimp or fishfood?

Biospira speeds up the cycle because it gives you a huge boost of bacteria. You will still need to give them a food source like decaying fish food or a direct dose of ammonia to the tank. I used it myself and the tank was cycled in just a few days. And don't feel bad about your tank, mine was made in 1999 and had been sitting empty at my parents house since I was in high school, so compared to mine yours is state of the art

[iceshade]

Wow cool. I'll be getting live fiji totoka rock. And I have live sand, ocean direct Oolite.

 

Edit: lol yeah its not that I feel bad about it. It's just plain compared to those cool nuvo tanks, I found them here in canada for 250, for the nuvo 20, but with no light lol.

 

Also I'll get a bottle of biospira anyway, I don't expect it to instantly cycle like

with all my fresh water tanks using tetra safestart, if it takes less time then good I'll add a clean up crew, if not no big deal. But how do you know it's going faster? Constant testing and seeing the ammonia converting, nitrites converting, etc?

 

Once I have all of the supplies I might start a thread in the beginners section.

[CronicReefer]

Wow cool. I'll be getting live fiji totoka rock. And I have live sand, ocean direct Oolite.

 

Edit: lol yeah its not that I feel bad about it. It's just plain compared to those cool nuvo tanks, I found them here in canada for 250, for the nuvo 20, but with no light lol.

Yeah I'm looking forward to when I get an upgrade I just wanted to start with something small and free doesn't hurt either . My LFS happens to make custom tanks for a good price so I'm hoping to get something from them once my fish outgrow their current home.

[iceshade]

You know i have to be honest, I've seen people tear down tanks because of an aptaisia infestation, bubble algae, and to get an unwanted mantis shrimp out.

 

I know this is part of the hobby but I really hope I can avoid these things somehow or at least take care of them before they get bad. I've seen a guy open his refugium only to see a ton of aptasia, if I open my hob filter and see that I'll pass out lol.

[righttirefire]

Lol. Aptasia isn't the end of the world and bubble algea is kind of cute. I'm not buying into the all in one tank. My 20 tall will become my sump refugium. The 20 long will become a frag tank. And hopefully after buying a house a 40 breeder will become a display tank... depending the 40 breeder might become a sump for a 180... pre-planning for when I have too much money

[CronicReefer]

HAHA I laugh at aiptasia. My berghia nudibranches are aiptasia assassins and super sneaky, I spotted one for the first time two nights ago since I added them to tank six weeks ago. They are huge now so I know they are munching away all the aiptasia I can't see.