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Istrom

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Apr 12, 2014
Messages
842
Location
Fort Collins, CO
Please rate on a 1-10 scale or a 5 star scale :)
Reasoning on all ratings would be great, and if there is a specific aspect of my tank setup that you dislike or think is poor, please do tell me why that is.
:thanks:

Specs:
Standard 55 Gallon (208 Liter) tank
Long 20 Gallon (75 Liter) refugium (Chaeto Macroalgae)
2 X 170 Watt Intellesun Cerulean LEDs
Fluval 306 Canister Filter w/ :
Filter Floss
Filter Pad
Ceramic Rings
Matrix Carbon
Purigen

Hydor 260.65 Protein Skimmer
Marineland 560 GPH Powerhead
Aquamedic Ecodrift 8.0 (2000 GPH w/ Wave Settings)
Eheim Submersible Heater
Wet/Dry Amiracle Sump w/ Bioballs

Corals:
Kenya Tree
Various Zoas (Fire & Ice, King Midas, Darth Maul, etc...)
Palys
Various Mushrooms (Green Striped, Ricordea, Hairy Rhodactis, Red)
Hammer Coral
Frogspawn
Acropora
Purple Montipora
Plating Green Montipora
Devil's Hand Leather
Duncans
Fungia
Candy Cane (Trumpet Coral)
Blastos
Orange Spot Lobo Brain (Small)
Red Acans
Pipe Organs
Green Star Polyps

Fish & Inverts:
Tomini Tang (Tang Police Inbound!)
5 X Pajama Cardinal
3 X Green/Blue Chromis
Six Line Wrasse
Sailfin/Algae Blenny
Green Clown Goby
Arrow Crab
3 X Emerald Crab
Maxima Clam
Pom-Pom Crab (Edmondsoni)
Porcealin Crab
Fighting Conch (Tongan)
Various Hermit Crabs
2 X Banded Serpent Sea Star
10 X Nassarius Snails
5 X Turbo Snails
5 X Turban Snails
5 X Nerita Snails
Lots of Stomatellas

Pictures soon! Thanks guys!
:fish2:
 
Let's see a pic


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I would say a 4/10.

Reasons:

1 - The tank looks really really empty. Some more rocks would allow you to give the tank some more presence. It would also give you some more options for aqua scaping.

2 - The overflow on the left sticks out like a sore thumb. Is it a HOB overflow? With it going to the wet / dry filter, I believe it's honestly asking for more trouble than it's worth. With some extra live rock the refugium and the rock should be more than enough to handle filtration without relying on something as risky as a HOB overflow.

3 - The stocking makes a very static looking tank. The single tang (yes tang police) and the 6 line are the only really active fish in the tank. The pajama cardinals are very inactive and I can't even find the chromis. Something that's a little more active and in front would make it look like a much more active tank. This also goes along with making the tank look empty.

I do like the mix of inverts and corals you've picked out so far. Wish I could have more focus on inverts, but they wouldn't last in my tank.
 
I'd lose the cannister filter and bio balls, reason- more trouble than there worth cannister is an algae factory lol
And tank too small for tangs
( but seem you knew that already ;) )



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Thanks for the rating Mebbid! Yes, I am still working on getting my base rock and a more aesthetic way of transporting the water down to my refugium. I also plan on upgrading to a tank of at least 75 Gallons to appease my tang a bit more and to get some depth to my tank since 55s are skinny and hard to build rock in. Since you rated my fish selection low (and for good reason, I hadn't even thought about that), what would you recommend for more action around the tank? I did use to have an ocellaris clown, but surprisingly my six line wrasse killed it. Anyway the feedback is great and I really appreciate the responses so far guys! Thanks!
 
A pair of clowns would be nice, you would probably have to catch the 6 line and put it in time out in your sump for a few weeks for that.

Other than that, maybe a midas blenny or a dwarf angel such as a coral beauty or flame angel.

Either an Orchid or bicolor dottyback would work as well.

Perhaps a blue chromis would work if your 6 line decides if doesn't hate it.
 
The only thing I noticed and would change is the order of the materials in the canister filter.
You want to put the carbon and Purigen before the bio-media (ceramic rings) that way they are able to remove more dissolved organic compounds before they are broken down by the BB and resulting in nitrate.

If it were me I would swap out the ceramic rings for Seachems Matrix as it provides much more external and internal surface area for BB to colonize.
 
Will do, Smith.

Mebbid, I would love a dwarf angel, but from what I hear they're a bit risky to put in reef tanks. Other than that a dotty back would be fantastic, and a clown pair would be brilliant. I may punish Rasputin (my six line wrasse after surviving ich and murdering the clown :( ) but he seems pretty hard to catch
 
Draw angels are hit and miss, but imho its worth it.

Just feed your tank heavily keeping your fish fat and he is more likely to ignore things in your tank :)
 
Update:
I got a half black angel who seems to be doing fine, no nips at anyone yet.
Got steinit's shrimp goby with a pistol shrimp, as well as a few peppermint shrimp and a golden sleeper goby.
I got some new rock too, a rainbow BTA, a lettuce nudibranch, and I added Matrix to my canister filter. I'm really excited to get some more base rock so I can have more caves and whatnot, what site do you guys recommend for base rock? Right now I'm only really considering the Florida reef rock off of reefcleaners, but I'm open to ideas!
 
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