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07/18/2018, 12:21 AM | #1 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 23
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PLEASE check out my intended fish purchases here first!
I think this thread closed down a few years ago. I thought it was cool and wanted to see if Sk8r or snorvich would comment on my fish selection. I'm pretty confident in my fish selection, decently confident on the cuc save for the snails, and wondering if my tank is big enough or if I'll be pushing the limit.
My DT is approx. 65g and sump approx. 24g. I'm only 11 days into my cycle, so I've got a ways to go. I've got a mini-g skimmer, refugium (setup pending), cobalt C-ray 200 LED, 2 wavelink powerheads, ATO with RODI, QT ready to go and all the testers and kits. Even a chiller as I live in LA with little AC. I'm going for a mixed coral reef tank with the following critters: Assorted Hermit crabs (an electric blue leg, Halloween, scarlet) Turbo snails (Mexican, chestnut) Spiny star snails Cerith snails Fighting Conch Blood red shrimp Skunk cleaner shrimp Arrow Crab? Fire Fish x2 Zebra Barred dartfish x2 Royal Gramma Tailspot Blenny Neon Blue Goby Sharknosed Goby Highfin Goby Mandarin Red Dragonet I want to seed my tank and sump with copepods for the mandarin and red dragonet. And do more research to see if they are compatible and will have enough room. I figure most of these fish are small so they'll all have plenty of room. Thanks! |
07/18/2018, 12:22 AM | #2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 23
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I should have tried to post a picture with my post. Lets see if this works.
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07/18/2018, 12:27 AM | #3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 23
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I guess I can't edit posts. I forgot to mention an item. I must not be being patient enough with my posting. I'll have to work on this.
I was also thinking about adding a percula clownfish. But Im on the fence about that. I feel like it will get big and possibly torment the little guys. |
07/18/2018, 05:39 AM | #4 |
Crab Free Zone
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,906
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I would nix the arrow crab before it eats some of the slower movers.
I don't keep hermits at all cause they ultimately end up being trouble. I would not add the dragonet/mandarin until 1 year, its not the seed, it's the multiplication rate of pods. |
07/18/2018, 08:53 AM | #5 | |
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 23
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Quote:
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07/18/2018, 09:21 AM | #6 |
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Salisbury, MD
Posts: 105
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Hermits are opportunistic eaters. Snails are definitely on the menu. Even each other are on the menu. I have 3 hermits in my 90gal DT and regret it. Some ppl dont but theyve eatin quite a few of my snails even after giving them spare shells scattered around. Theyve tried to eat my smallest fighting conch too. My main CUC consists of snails...turbos, ceriths, trochus, astreas, nassarius,i even have a few margaritas in there even though alot say they arent great for reef tanks due to shorter life span. I have a skunk and peppermint shrimp as well but less for cleanup and more bc I think theyre cool. IMO variety is key for a CUC
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Livestock: Yellow Tang, Coral Beauty, Clown pair, Exquisite, Linespot, Christmas, Hoevens Wrasses, Trio Carberryi Anthias, CUC, Mixed Reef Drew Current Tank Info: 90 gal DT 29gal sump. Equipment: 2 OR T247B, RO Varios6 return, RO 150SSS, 2 XF250 Gyres, Jager 300W |
07/18/2018, 09:31 AM | #7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2018
Posts: 31
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I agree with no hermits wish I never got mine. I have had a few fish go missing over night and pretty they became hermit food.
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07/18/2018, 09:38 AM | #8 |
RC Mod
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Love my hermits. OTOH you are way jumping the gun. It takes a mature 65 with a 20-30 gallon refugium in full operation, stocked with cheato and rubble, to generate enough pods for one small mandarin, let alone the scooter blenny/aka red dragonet which would compete with it for food.
Arrow crabs predate on bristleworms, which are an asset to your tank. The crab is not. A fighting conch will starve in a new tank. Mature tank, again. Your goby collection is generally fine. (the mandarin is CALLED a goby, but is actually a dragonet)... You don't need a cleaner shrimp in a 65: he may annoy your fish. And shrimp of different species often eat each other. Major kudos for checking it out before buying!
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Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. |
07/18/2018, 02:31 PM | #9 | |
Crab Free Zone
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 2,906
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Quote:
They are mostly part of the "famous" CUC, but I found the amount of algae they consume is very nothing. I can pick algae strands in a minute or two, which is more than a crab will do in months. I marvel at LFS selling CUC packages, with dozens of members.....to control algae....then they consume the algae.....die....add back nutrients to feed the algae all over again. Your fingers and exceptional water quality is the only CUC needed. I have successfully kept 1 mandarin and 1 scooter (no other pod competitors) in a 65g, with 6 soccer ball size LR, without sump for years.......but not added until 9 months old......supplemented with live brine shrimp nauplii, fed phyto and Selcon, once, every two weeks, at night lights out....no flow for 30 minutes... Last edited by Uncle99; 07/18/2018 at 02:38 PM. |
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07/18/2018, 02:55 PM | #10 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 23
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Thanks for everyone's comments!
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Im fully expecting my cycle to take a couple months. My plan is to get my QT up and get a few snails in there, so that when the cycle is fully over, I can drop them in and them i'll probably get two fish into the QT. And that will be the overall strat until everything is in (if I do 2 fish at a time, 10 fish total, and each QT I take 76 days that's a year of time). I'll put a mandarin in last (just one, thanks for that insight). |
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