Brand new to saltwater tanks, can you double check my plan?

[cvpis4me]

My husband and I have talked for years about getting a saltwater tank and I think we're ready to take the plunge (pun intended). Can you critique my plan for setup?

We're looking at a 54 gallon corner tank. I want to purchase some live rock, live sand and maybe a hokey little sunken ship (we have a 4 year old, it was her choice).

Ideally I'd like to have around 8-10 livestock:
-A pair of clownfish. My daughter likes the maroon but I'm not picky
-One or two dottybacks
-I saw a coral beauty and a six line wrasse at the store that I liked. Maybe I could have both?
-One or two shrimp, but no banded coral. They look too much like spiders and my daughter was thoroughly freaked out by them
-One or two goby since I've read that shrimp and goby make good friends. My husband likes the neon blue but they're incredibly tiny, I was hoping to get something a tad bigger

We talked about getting an anemone for the clownfish (we were looking at the bubble tip). At this time we're not interested in corals but I'd like to eventually add some plants or sponges, depending on how difficult they are to keep.

Is our outline okay? With this setup would we have room to add more fish down the road or is 10 our upper limit for this size of a tank? Are there any potential relationship issues we could have with the chosen selection of fish?

[LuizW13]

Most of that sounds pretty okay. The maroons get really big and people say they get aggressive. They (clownfish) are also more vulnerable to certain diseases than other fish.

I suggest you watch Bulk Reef Supply's "52 weeks of reefing" on youtube. You'll learn more about the basics as well as how to choose your equipment and live stock, even some chemistry about how all it all works.

Also, it is important that you consider purchasing an RO/DI water system.

[DreadCapn]

If your budget and space allow, I would highly recommend going with a 92g corner. I love mine, but in some ways it still barely feels big enough. I think your stocking list is much more appropriate for that size tank as well.

Sumps are a big problem with corner tanks, so be prepared for that as well.

Skip the live sand. Make sure you read about curing the rock before starting anything. Definitely watch the BRS 52 weeks of reefing videos, they're great!

[JUNBUG361]

8 to 10 loads you’ll need a good filter system. Sump/refugium

[rocsec1]

Six lines can get pretty mean too.

[LuizW13]

you might even want to consider an all in one style aquarium

[allendehl]

You should also plan very well the order you will so things. Post it as well if you already planned for it.
I agree that sounds a bit of a load for your projected tank but I am also starting.
Plan as well for quarantine.

Good luck!!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[billdogg]

Originally Posted by cvpis4me

My husband and I have talked for years about getting a saltwater tank and I think we're ready to take the plunge (pun intended). Can you critique my plan for setup?

We're looking at a 54 gallon corner tank. I want to purchase some live rock, live sand and maybe a hokey little sunken ship (we have a 4 year old, it was her choice).

Ideally I'd like to have around 8-10 livestock:
-A pair of clownfish. My daughter likes the maroon but I'm not picky
-One or two dottybacks
-I saw a coral beauty and a six line wrasse at the store that I liked. Maybe I could have both?
-One or two shrimp, but no banded coral. They look too much like spiders and my daughter was thoroughly freaked out by them
-One or two goby since I've read that shrimp and goby make good friends. My husband likes the neon blue but they're incredibly tiny, I was hoping to get something a tad bigger

We talked about getting an anemone for the clownfish (we were looking at the bubble tip). At this time we're not interested in corals but I'd like to eventually add some plants or sponges, depending on how difficult they are to keep.

Is our outline okay? With this setup would we have room to add more fish down the road or is 10 our upper limit for this size of a tank? Are there any potential relationship issues we could have with the chosen selection of fish?

A pair of clowns in a 54 would be marginal IMO, especially maroons. They will grow fairly large and end up killing anything else in the tank. Take a look at Ocellaris or Percula perhaps - they don't grow as large and are not (quite) as territorial/mean.

The dottybacks should be fine, although they too can have aggression issues.

A coral beauty will be marginal in a tank that size and may have aggression issues with other fish.

You can't make me put a 6 line wrasse in any tank, ever. The problem with them isn't that they might go rogue and kill everything else - it is a question of when they will do it.

A common skunk cleaner shrimp or two will be a great addition - one of my favorite critters. Give them time and they will even try to clean your hand when you are doing water changes.

If you want a goby/shrimp pair, you will need to get a goby that will actually pair with a shrimp. Although the little neon's are cute - I have one in my 120DT - they won't have anything to do with a shrimp. Look at a Yellow watchman or other similar goby for that. Even then, there is no guarantee that it will pair up with the shrimp.


IMHO, 10 fish is crowded in a 54g tank. I have 8 or 9 in my 120 and it looks about right to me. A lot will depend on their adult sizes.

Sponges will show up on their own over time, "plants" (algaes) will be your nemesis.

hth!

[lapin]

I had 9 fish in my 125. A pair of clowns (not maroon) 3 gobes. 3 small free swimmers and a small tang. There was always some disputes between them. I think they were over crowded. You could do 10 in a 54 but they would need to be all very small fish like you would get for a nano. Im building a 600gal now and will prob go with about 10 smaller fish.

[JTL]

Two clowns are fine but not maroons. I have a pair of Darwin Ocellaris and they are my favorite fish. Like billdog said 10 fish in a 54g is too much. You will have crowded conditions perhaps leading to stress and you will need good filtration. I have 5 in a 100g and that is plenty for viewing but I could easily double that.

Skip the CB and the 6 line, had them before and they were a problem. If you want a wrasse check out a Melanurus wrasse. I also like purple fire fish. A midas blenny is also a very nice fish with an equally nice personality.

I would purchase some nice pieces of live rock and a few easy to keep corals (softies) that don't require expensive lighting and skip the cheezy sunken ship. Go easy on the anemone until you have the tank running for a while. Also DO NOT even think of getting a mandarin as a first fish.

You also should think about quarantine. At a minimum I would recommend doing the ttm with some prazipro. Don't trust the the seller of the fish to do any quarantine because they don't.

[Timfish]

Looks fine to me. Personally I think you're better off with percula/ocillarius than maroon. I also lthink in the long run you'll be happier with the 92 mentioned above. Don't fall into the trap of getting a lot of fancy equipment, you can keep a nice tank with just a basic sump and decent lighting

[Microcosmos]

I'm so glad you checked in! It's a great idea to do research before actually making investments in livestock and equipment, both financial and emotional. I recommend reading up online about each type of fish you plan to purchase, including recommended tank size and adult sizes.

I agree with what's been said above, there are more peaceful choices that will cohabit with one another rather than going after one another. A maroon clown pair would be beautiful in a tank that size, if they were alone (and they would be, in time). If you must have clowns there are more peaceful choices including many colors of Ocellaris (captive bred) as well as skunk clowns which stay smaller and less aggressive than maroons.

Please remember that your tank should be very boring for at least a month as the live rock "cycles" (i.e. a healthy population of waste-removing bacteria can thrive), which means no fish or shrimps during that time. After that period, fish can be added one or two at a time with small breaks of a week or two (or more) in between to allow the cycle to catch up. You can buy a test kit to make sure water parameters are desirable and stable, this is especially important when making a big change to the tank chemistry (i.e. adding ammonia factories a.k.a. fishes).

A sump is a good idea but not essential. If you can afford it it is best to do it before setting up the tank for the first time and it helps hide ugly equipment and makes maintenance much easier. That said the plumbing can be a challenge so it's best to have a pro do it (or wait until you've deeply researched it). If you don't have a sump you will need a hang on skimmer or an air pump (many don't like the bubbles an air pump makes but it is a guaranteed and less expensive way to oxygenate the water). If you want to go all in and have the budget go for a sump, just know there are ways around the sump if you have less money but more time for maintenance.

Anemones are hard to keep, they need the right light and they have the ability to move from where you want them to the back corner of the tank where you can barely see them. Not that this will happen, but it is a definite possibility.

For a 56 gallon I recommend fishes that are considered "nano" fishes if you want nine or 10 or so (max, for sure). If you want bigger, more striking specimens like the dwarf angel (coral beauty) limit yourself to one of each species, and no more than two or three of these. Six lines are very cute when young and if you keep clams they are great for removing tiny parasitic snails that hurt and kill clams, but they are aggressive when they get bigger, like most fishes.

You will not be able to raise the truly big fishes to adult size in a 56, so avoid triggers, tangs, true angelfishes, puffers, and anything else that grows to the size of a dinner plate (or a football, in the case of the puffer). they will all be cute and tiny in the Local Fish Store so make sure to look them up to see how big they actually get.

This was a brief introduction trust me, there is plenty to learn (and much of it will be by trial and error no matter how well you try to prepare, but it is definitely worth trying)!

Best of luck to you and your family and welcome to the hobby and the site!

[cvpis4me]

Originally Posted by billdogg

A pair of clowns in a 54 would be marginal IMO, especially maroons. They will grow fairly large and end up killing anything else in the tank. Take a look at Ocellaris or Percula perhaps - they don't grow as large and are not (quite) as territorial/mean.

The dottybacks should be fine, although they too can have aggression issues.

A coral beauty will be marginal in a tank that size and may have aggression issues with other fish.

You can't make me put a 6 line wrasse in any tank, ever. The problem with them isn't that they might go rogue and kill everything else - it is a question of when they will do it.

A common skunk cleaner shrimp or two will be a great addition - one of my favorite critters. Give them time and they will even try to clean your hand when you are doing water changes.

If you want a goby/shrimp pair, you will need to get a goby that will actually pair with a shrimp. Although the little neon's are cute - I have one in my 120DT - they won't have anything to do with a shrimp. Look at a Yellow watchman or other similar goby for that. Even then, there is no guarantee that it will pair up with the shrimp.


IMHO, 10 fish is crowded in a 54g tank. I have 8 or 9 in my 120 and it looks about right to me. A lot will depend on their adult sizes.

Sponges will show up on their own over time, "plants" (algaes) will be your nemesis.

hth!

Thank you ALL for the feedback! I will need to consider some other clownfish than the maroon and it looks like the six line is out for good. I'm also going to reconsider the coral beauty. The person at my LFS said that they would be fine in the aquarium with my selection of fish but after reading online it appears they would do better in a bigger tank.

With that said, I've also been considering a firefish which I think would be a better option than the wrasse.

When considering crowding issues do I need to consider shrimp in this? Because I only want about 6-8 fish and 2 shrimp (or a shrimp and seastar) for a total of 8-10 livestock.

We are considering introducing the firefish or clownfish first, adding a new fish every month or so. The goby/shrimp I would add together and then put in the anemone after all the fish have been introduced, about 8 months after the start of our tank.

[Microcosmos]

Sounds pretty solid! Just make sure your tank has some kind of cover (net or glass) because both the firefish and the shrimp gobies are definitely jumpers. Have you decided on sump/no sump and lights (LED/T5/MH)?

[Microcosmos]

Oh and shrimp add to the bioload but usually reef safe fish won't bother them and most cleaner shrimps won't bother fish, but with your plan of slowly adding new denizens over time (and I'm hoping keeping track of how they impact the water quality) you should be fine

[JTL]

I don't count inverts in the bioload. Whatever they may add is insignificant unless you are putting in lots of them. I have an exquisite firefish, very bright colors. I don't especially care for the regular firefish as it is too drab. Don't rule out a midas blenny they are a great fish with a beautiful face and would fit in a tank that size.

Skip the coral beauty and don't listen to everything the people at the lfs tell you, I don't listen to anything they tell me. RC is a much better source of information.

[billdogg]

When adding your fish, start with the least aggressive and end with the most aggressive.

That will mean firefish, gobies, shrimp, etc first, and your clowns last. After you have re-thought your stocking list, post them again and we can offer suggestions as to who first.

Also - regardless of what you end up getting or where you get them from, do yourself (and your tank) a huge favor and QUARANTINE them. Regardless of what anywhere will tell you, until you have QT'd them yourself, the only safe assumption is that any and all newcomers are bringing something with them that you DO NOT want in your tank. The QT can be as simple as a 10g tank, heater, and sponge filter (a freshwater "starter" kit)