trockafella July 20, 2012 Share July 20, 2012 I think your list is ok. I get what youre going for. My tank might be considered boring bc I dont have a lot of fish and there not super active, though lately everyone has been out more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 20, 2012 Author Share July 20, 2012 I think your list is ok. I get what youre going for. My tank might be considered boring bc I dont have a lot of fish and there not super active, though lately everyone has been out more. I don't think your tank is boring at all. Everyone has a different taste in what fish they like, that's all. You have very unique and cool fish that might be less active, but they're also super awesome to look at. It all works out in the end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 20, 2012 Share July 20, 2012 I know what Travis is saying about how "boring" a yellow tang is. However, that's probably because it's pretty common to us. (It won't be if Snorkel Bob has his way.) Still, when my family members look into my tank, even with the sailfin and other tangs in the tank, they still like the yellow tang the best. It's their favorite fish, in fact. I think it's because he's larger and the bright yellow coloration really makes it stand out. Personally, I love the patterning of a large Desjardini Sailfin, but the rest of my (non-aquarist) family would rather look at the yellow tang. Both have good personalities, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella July 20, 2012 Share July 20, 2012 I know what Travis is saying about how "boring" a yellow tang is. However, that's probably because it's pretty common to us. (It won't be if Snorkel Bob has his way.) Still, when my family members look into my tank, even with the sailfin and other tangs in the tank, they still like the yellow tang the best. It's their favorite fish, in fact. I think it's because he's larger and the bright yellow coloration really makes it stand out. Personally, I love the patterning of a large Desjardini Sailfin, but the rest of my (non-aquarist) family would rather look at the yellow tang. Both have good personalities, though. Funny you say that. People (non-reeefers) always think green star polyps are the coolest thing ever, which to us is super common. Fwiw I love GSP. I do have to say that my Longhorn Cowfish by far gets the biggest "wow " factor... I dont mean to knock yellow tangs, there beautiful fish, and if I had a huge tank I would have 1 or some, but since im limited to very few fish I try to make them all pretty cool. As ryan said, thats what I am going for. Ryan, do what makes you happy. Its your tank, and your coin, so you should only buy things you really like. Although my GF talked me into both the Cowfish and the purple tang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishie July 20, 2012 Share July 20, 2012 (edited) Ryan Ever considered getting a 2-3 yellow tangs in small to medium sized.. I was at quantum reefs the other day and he had 3 yellows schooling....schooling fish look very cool...think about how an anthias would look by itself vs in a pack as we kno it. Gsp does look cool...waving around...in the currents Edited July 20, 2012 by Fishie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 22, 2012 Author Share July 22, 2012 Bump looking for any additional opinions on possible substitutions or changes to my list (see post #725 for my fish goals or "philosophy"); and advice on which order to add the fish to the tank (or is the order below fine). Thanks! 1 Firefish 1 Spotted Cardinalfish 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Male 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Female 1 Cleaner Common Wrasse 1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Male 1 Midas Blenny 1 Male Lyretail Anthias 3 Female Lyretail Anthias 1 Blue Throat Triggerfish, Male 1 Bellus Angelfish, Female 1 Copperband Butterflyfish 1 Yellow Tang, Small 1 Green Mandarin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 22, 2012 Author Share July 22, 2012 (edited) Going to remove the cleaner wrasse. According to this site, it most likely won't survive: http://www.freshmarine.com/common-cleaner-wrasse.html Substituting a Blue Hippo Tang for the Blue Throat Triggerfish as well. I don't want to risk my inverts/shrimp. That would bring me down to 15 fish: 1 Firefish 1 Spotted Cardinalfish 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Male 1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Female 1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Male 1 Midas Blenny 1 Male Lyretail Anthias 3 Female Lyretail Anthias 1 Bellus Angelfish, Female 1 Copperband Butterflyfish 1 Blue Hippo Tang, Small 1 Yellow Tang, Small 1 Green Mandarin Edited July 22, 2012 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k July 22, 2012 Share July 22, 2012 I'd do this- pr of firefish pr of cardinals pr of clowns midas blenny male/trio of anthias pr of Bellus angelfish pr of yellow tangs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 22, 2012 Author Share July 22, 2012 I'd do this- pr of firefish pr of cardinals pr of clowns midas blenny male/trio of anthias pr of Bellus angelfish pr of yellow tangs Rob, that's a great list. I'd lose the following 4 fish from my list to have all of those pairs: McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Copperband Butterflyfish, Blue Hippo Tang, Green Mandarin. The wrasse isn't a big deal, I've had bad luck with CBBs in the past, the tang will get too big anyway, and the mandarin wouldn't be added for a long time anyway, so honestly, I could live without those 4. I think I'll switch to your list! Anyone else with comments/advice/order of addition? I'll give it another day or to then send my list to Vince to start ordering them! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim July 22, 2012 Share July 22, 2012 I'd consider adding something "special" down the line to have something to set your tank apart and brag about just a bit. Maybe something like a pair of rhomboid wrasses. They'd look great in your tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 22, 2012 Author Share July 22, 2012 Thanks Jim. I totally agree on something "special" or more unique than the current list. Since it's now missing wrasses, I think they'd be a great species choice! However, the rhomboid wrasses are out of my price range. Is there another wrasse pair I could get that's reef safe, and "special" without the high price tag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella July 22, 2012 Share July 22, 2012 Velvet wrasses are awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim July 22, 2012 Share July 22, 2012 Thanks Jim. I totally agree on something "special" or more unique than the current list. Since it's now missing wrasses, I think they'd be a great species choice! However, the rhomboid wrasses are out of my price range. Is there another wrasse pair I could get that's reef safe, and "special" without the high price tag? There are a lot of great wrasses, but I was thinking a year or two down the road when the tank has matured. Most of your reef related expenses at that point will be maintenance so the cost might be more palatable. You spent a lot of money on equipment and are investing a lot of time and money growing corals so the right pair of fish would have the perfect showcase in a year or two. Also, your original list had 26 fish and your new list has 14; a nice fish or two would just make up the difference :-) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharkey18 July 23, 2012 Share July 23, 2012 I LOVE your process Ryan. I would drop the hippo tang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 23, 2012 Author Share July 23, 2012 Month One 2x Firefish 2x Spotted Cardinalfish Month Two 2x Ocellaris Clownfish Month Three 1x Midas Blenny 1x Royal Gramma Month Four 1x Male Lyretail Anthias 3x Female Lyretail Anthias Month Five 2x Bellus or Swallowtail Angelfish Month Six 2x Yellow Tangs Today is the last day for compatibility advice or recommendations! I added a royal gramma b/c it's a "JMU" fish - which my 2 JMU roommates have specifically requested. Are there any compatibility problems w/ the royal gramma/midas blenny/firefish? If not, this will be the final fish list (16 total) that I send to Vince! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella July 23, 2012 Share July 23, 2012 JMU fish, thats funny. Thats why my gf wanted the purple tang.! She always wants a purple and yellow fish in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 I have made a couple of additions to the tank: 1. I swapped out my maxi-jet 1200 for a mag 7 pump for my 2 reactors. Before I had a MJ1200 feeding my UV, which then forked off to my 2 Avast MR5 reactors. One contains 2 cups of carbon, the other contains 2 cups of GFO. The problem is, a MJ1200 would work ideally when connected directly to one of the MR5s, but going through the UV, then splitting, it's just not powerful enough to get the constant stirring each of the reactors requires. It gets worse over time as detritus gets into the reactors as well. So I bought m3fan8ic's mag 7 yesterday and that will increase the flow from 295 to 700 gph on the pump. Because the UV requires a flow rate of 150-350gph, I hooked up the MJ1200 (295gph) directly to the UV, which now feeds directly back into the sump. I split the feed from the Mag 7 to each of the reactors, and added ball valves on each feed so I can control each of their flow intakes individually. I find that over time they need to get gradually turned up as detritus gets into the reactors, until the day I need to change out the media for new stuff. 2. I placed a BYO reefcleaner order with liveaquaria, it will arrive tomorrow. $60 and free overnight shipping is a pretty good deal. The snails and hermits were tossed in as filler. What I was really after was the peppermint shrimp and emerald crabs. I want them to keep bubble algae and aiptasia out of my tank, and I figured if I got them early, they could prevent those unwanted pests from getting a foothold in my tank. Plus the peppermint shrimp at $3.75 each, and the emerald crabs at $4.50 each, were a great value. LA also claims their peppermint shrimp do eat aiptasia, and their emerald crabs do eat bubble algae, so we'll see. Here is the order: Item Details: CN-91018 SW - Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crab (BYO Kit) -- Qty: 5, Price: $0.90 each = $4.50 CN-91016 SW - Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (BYO Kit) -- Qty: 5, Price: $0.80 each = $4.00 CN-91034 SW - Nassarius Snail (BYO Kit) -- Qty: 5, Price: $0.90 each = $4.50 CN-91013 SW - Cerith Snail (BYO Kit) -- Qty: 5, Price: $1.00 each = $5.00 CN-91037 SW - Peppermint Shrimp (BYO Kit) -- Qty: 5, Price: $3.75 each = $18.75 CN-91024 SW - Emerald Crab (BYO Kit) -- Qty: 5, Price: $4.50 each = $22.50 CN-91025 SW - Fighting Conch (BYO Kit) - Medium -- Qty: 1, Price: $5.00 each = $5.00 Subtotal: $64.25 Shipping Charges: Free! Shipping Category 1 Sub-total: $64.25 Build Your Own should ship today and arrive on Friday, Jul. 27. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowieReefer84 July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 emerald crabs will eat some sps corals like pocillopora, so you may want to keep an eye out. They will also eat the bubble algae ime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 emerald crabs will eat some sps corals like pocillopora, so you may want to keep an eye out. They will also eat the bubble algae ime. I'll keep an eye on them. Same for the peppermint shrimp which have been reported to munch on zoanthids as well. If I see any culprits going after my coral, into the sump they go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yauger July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 emerald crabs will eat some sps corals like pocillopora, so you may want to keep an eye out. They will also eat the bubble algae ime. it's hit or miss for the crabs eating bubble algae for me! bummer... I've tried 3 ties now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 7-26-2012 FTS: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 It's hard to have so much equipment underneath a stand! Left Side Under Stand: Right Side Under Stand: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella July 26, 2012 Share July 26, 2012 The tank looks great, love the shag frag racks, so retro.! Dude, your cabinet is out of control. Thats a TON of stuff in there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 The tank looks great, love the shag frag racks, so retro.! Dude, your cabinet is out of control. Thats a TON of stuff in there... and I don't have the 18"L x 8"W x 18"H, 1/4" acrylic, chaeto box inside yet either! haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 Question. In the last photo I posted, you can see the tube shown zoomed in here: The tube coming from the mag 7, and the tube going to the UV. The UV tube fits inside the mag 7 tube. I could only shove it in like an inch. It was hard to get it in that far. I then used some acrylic cement around the tube to make it stronger. Will this have any problem holding? I can imagine the UV tube flying out and the mag 7 just shooting the entire tank contents into the stand lol. It should be fine, yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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