29 gallon build

[Deftones2015]

Well I'm setting up a 29 gallon tank after being out of the hobby for a number of years.

 

The tank will not have a skimmer nor a sump. This will be in my bedroom so I want it to be quiet and relatively low maintenance. I will start with bi-weekly water changes and test params from there, possibly going to weekly. 

 

Live stock with be a pair of clowns and a possible shrimp with snails.

 

Corals will consist of various lps and a few softies such as zoanthids and ricordia, Yuma etc. 

 

Lighting will be current USA orbit LED light. Will be using the controllable powerhead through them as well. Still have to order this. 

 

A pic of the scape is attached. I'm debating on bare bottom or sand right now. 

 

After I figure out the sand dillema I will fill the tank with saltwater and begin the cycle. I'll be using the basic shrimp for a few days and probably some bacteria to help start the cycle. I plan on ghost feeding once in a while and letting every thing set for a few months or more to make sure water params stay stable. 

 

After water is stable I will add 1 clown, wait a month and add the other. Once params prove stable again I will probably start with mushrooms and go from there. I'm definitely taking my time on this. 

 

Any advice is appreciated. 

[Deftones2015]

This is the first time I'm using dry rock. I've always enjoyed the pods and various life from live rock. How do I get that without the aptasia and other nasty things I want to avoid?

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome back @Deftones2015!

1 hour ago, Deftones2015 said:

I'm debating on bare bottom or sand right now. 

 

After I figure out the sand dillema I will fill the tank with saltwater and begin the cycle. I'll be using the basic shrimp for a few days and probably some bacteria to help start the cycle. I plan on ghost feeding once in a while and letting every thing set for a few months or more to make sure water params stay stable.

21 minutes ago, Deftones2015 said:

This is the first time I'm using dry rock. I've always enjoyed the pods and various life from live rock. How do I get that without the aptasia and other nasty things I want to avoid?

If you decide to have a sand bed, I'd recommend using Caribsea Aragalive Fiji Pink live sand, and avoiding the shrimp, bacteria dosing, and ghost feeding altogether. It will seed your tank with copepods and amphipods, along with other helpful sand sifters too. It's all you'd need to get your bio filter started and cycle the tank.

[A Little Blue]

8 minutes ago, Deftones2015 said:

This is the first time I'm using dry rock. I've always enjoyed the pods and various life from live rock. How do I get that without the aptasia and other nasty things I want to avoid?

Inspect, clean, dip all new additions in appropriate solutions.

Some (including myself) get rid off the frag plugs that corals came mounted on and replace those with spanking new plugs. Some corals come on a piece of live rock. There is not much you can do if is a soft coral such as leathers, shrooms or similar. But you can still use quality dipping solution to minimize chances of getting unwanted pests. If you find aptasia, use crazy glue to smudge over it and make sure that it completely smothered with glue. If rock got some algae on it, spray those areas with peroxide and let it work for several minutes. Corals our of the water for several minutes are fine for the most part (with few exceptions). 

There’s always something that will sneak into your tank but if it happens, addressing those issues early on will reward you in a long run. 

[JR!]

1 minute ago, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome back @Deftones2015!

If you decide to have a sand bed, I'd recommend using Caribsea Aragalive Fiji Pink live sand, and avoiding the shrimp, bacteria dosing, and ghost feeding altogether. It will seed your tank with copepods and amphipods, along with other helpful sand sifters too. It's all you'd need to get your bio filter started and cycle the tank.

agree 100%

[michaelbarfield]

I am seriously thinking about doing this size tank. Petco is doing the $1per gallon sale today.

[A Little Blue]

1 hour ago, Deftones2015 said:

After water is stable I will add 1 clown, wait a month and add the other. 

I would advice to add Clowns at the same time. Having a mated pair is even better due to better chance of avoiding hierarchical disputes/aggression. 

[michaelbarfield]

If you do have to wait. Buy a much smaller one to add. That way they are more likely to pair and your first clown become female. It can be done. Just make sure their bellies are full. Lol

[Deftones2015]

57 minutes ago, Christopher Marks said:

Welcome back @Deftones2015!

If you decide to have a sand bed, I'd recommend using Caribsea Aragalive Fiji Pink live sand, and avoiding the shrimp, bacteria dosing, and ghost feeding altogether. It will seed your tank with copepods and amphipods, along with other helpful sand sifters too. It's all you'd need to get your bio filter started and cycle the tank.

I think I will go that route, thank you for the advice.

 

56 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

Inspect, clean, dip all new additions in appropriate solutions.

Some (including myself) get rid off the frag plugs that corals came mounted on and replace those with spanking new plugs. Some corals come on a piece of live rock. There is not much you can do if is a soft coral such as leathers, shrooms or similar. But you can still use quality dipping solution to minimize chances of getting unwanted pests. If you find aptasia, use crazy glue to smudge over it and make sure that it completely smothered with glue. If rock got some algae on it, spray those areas with peroxide and let it work for several minutes. Corals our of the water for several minutes are fine for the most part (with few exceptions). 

There’s always something that will sneak into your tank but if it happens, addressing those issues early on will reward you in a long run. 

That's a great idea for aptasia. I had a 40 breeder, years ago. I got live rock from a friend and had 0 issues. I had a plug that had an aptasia on it. I scraped it off but it came back. Within 6 months I had an infestation. I ended up tearing the tank down and sold the rock to a guy who said he was going to use acid to treat the rock. 

 

30 minutes ago, A Little Blue said:

I would advice to add Clowns at the same time. Having a mated pair is even better due to better chance of avoiding hierarchical disputes/aggression. 

Adding both clowns at the same time won't cause any issues? Or will I have to keep a close eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrates and do water changes accordingly? 

 

I appreciate all of the advice guys!

[michaelbarfield]

If they are small enough it wont matter at all if your tank is ready. Your water changes will take care if any problems. They are very hardy fish.

[A Little Blue]

1 hour ago, Deftones2015 said:

I think I will go that route, thank you for the advice.

 

That's a great idea for aptasia. I had a 40 breeder, years ago. I got live rock from a friend and had 0 issues. I had a plug that had an aptasia on it. I scraped it off but it came back. Within 6 months I had an infestation. I ended up tearing the tank down and sold the rock to a guy who said he was going to use acid to treat the rock. 

 

Adding both clowns at the same time won't cause any issues? Or will I have to keep a close eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrates and do water changes accordingly? 

 

I appreciate all of the advice guys!

If your tank is cycled,  two clowns won't be an issue. You can also get two small juveniles (if you are concerned with bioload). Since they are not mature yet, very little aggression if any will be present. I wold never stop anyone from testing their water. Catching anomalies in water quality quickly, gives you time to react and peace of mind. You can get yourself Seachem Prime to neutralize amonia spikes. But again, if your tank is properly cycled, don't stress yourself too much. You suppose to enjoy your tank not stressing about it. In the meantime, read some related articles which are widely available on line and take your time. And lastly, don't get discouraged by silly issues, we all have made mistakes before and honesty, we continue to make them. So there is that. 

[Deftones2015]

I've had tanks before but they had established live rock. Using dry rock is pretty new. I'm going to use the sand, mainly because I've always preferred a thin layer of sand to bare bottom. So how does the sand cycle the tank? It just adds the bacteria I need? How long do I wait before adding fish or clean up crew or how long can I wait. I feel like a noon again lol.

[A Little Blue]

That might take a bit of time to get thru all those questions. I would suggest easy video tutorials by Maine Depot and BulkReefSupply ( BRS) on YOUTUBE. They cover all the basics you might need to go about proper cycle/setup/basic filtration/water chemistry. I feel that there is a lot of catching up you have on your hands. Which is fine and not a sin. You just need to get the basics right. If you don't get that, it's going to be a short journey. 

[Deftones2015]

So I am torn between using the ATI 4 bulb t5 fixture that I already have or ordering the orbit LED. My concern is that the orbit won't put out enough light for lps unless I buy the dual lights, which I don't want to do for a 29 gallon tank. Opinions?