New tank

[Caribbean Jake]

Hi everyone

I am setting my 5th tank, but this one is a small one, just 30 gallons.  I put 26 lb of live rock with a mix sand bed of crushed coral and sand (20/80).  Right now is in the cycle process which was started with 10 oz of water from a set-up old tank and some crushed coral from the 55 gal tank together with a fresh scallop to start the ammonia cycle.

 

My questions are as follows;  I will love to have a flame angel and / or pigmy angel together with a coral beauty angle and / or a lemon peel angel, but I was told never to keep dwarf angels together in the same tank.  Also that the flame angel should be the last into the community.  Has anyone experience some type of problems, fights, or issues when mixing these angels?  Remember is only a 30 gal tank.  

 

Sharing your experience will be greatly appreciated.

Jacob    clp]]

[michaelg]

A pigmy with one of the others would probably be your best bet.  I tried a lemon peel once, and it lived about 4 months then died for no apparent reason.  Others that I have spoken with also had problems keeping them.  A coral beauty is a good choice, and flame angels seem to fare well.  I kept an elbli and a coral beauty together in a 42 hex tank with no aggression problems.

[OUsnakebyte]

The best way to avoid aggression issues is to introduce them at the same time.  Before my move, I had a flame established for some time, then tried to add an elbli - the flame would not stand for it.  I had to take the ebli back to the store (I worked there... so no biggie...)  Just to spite me (it seemed anyway) David, the owner, put that same ebli into one of his holding tanks with a flame with no problems (he, of course, introduced them at the same time...).

 

Michael is right on the lemmon peel - they are usually fine for a few months and then just end up dead one day....

 

HTH,

Mike

[Caribbean Jake]

Ok, so far I was considering a coral beauty, a spotted mandarin, and pistol shrimp or bloody shrimp, a orange serpent starfish, bumble bee snails and some burgundy hermits.   What else you suggest I include?

Jacob

[Caribbean Jake]

Ok, The tank is up and running, but I got an old hood with fluorecent light on it.  How can I improve the lighting without buying a new light set up?  Do I need to change the bulb only or do I need to change the ballast too?  Do I need to change at all if I'm not keeping corals in it except softies?

Jacob

[Larry Grenier]

If it's just 1 No fluorecent bulb, you aint got enuf; even for softies.  It's pretty easy to build a box-hood and install reflectors with VHOs or PCs.

 

Look at the Vendor News/Champion lighting announcement.

[Caribbean Jake]

Ok, so on the lights, what do you recomend?  Brand?  Type?  Remember is only 30" long and no SPS just a couple of softies.

Jacob

[michaelg]

Visit hellolights.com

Also, there has been quite a bit of lighting over on the forsale boards at RC.  For a 30" tank, you will need to look at 24" bulbs.  You could go with 55W PCs or with 75W(?) VHO's.  The VHO ballasts typically run a variety of bulbs, only limited by the total wattage.

 

Michael

[Caribbean Jake]

It is amazing how you can cut on the cycle of a tank when using sand, crushed coral and water from an established tank.  I have experienced almost no NH3 spikes and only NO3 levels to establish in two weeks.  Thank you all for the hints and suggestions.

Jacob