Long Term Goals... atainable?

[burritojon]

Okay, so I have just finsihed cycling my tank with 50lbs of LR. 55gallon tank with an Emperor 400 biowheel filter and SeaClone 150 protein skimmer. I am trying to plan out what fish I want living in my tank in the long run but don't exactly trust those compatibility charts all over the net. I would rather hear what people have experienced and what they have found works and does not work. I was thinking about a clown and a puffer with maybe 5 or 6 hermits and a goby of some sort. My concern is the puffer. Will he bother the crabs? If he becomes ill does he secrete and type of toxin like some other types of fish? any other suggestiong for the tank to add color without too much bio mass?

also, is the puffer a bad though due to their possible size for a 55 gal?

thanks everyone! i love this forum, without it i would be lost, and so would my fishies

jon

 

[burritojon]

also, what is the deal with the white spots on my LR? should i just scrub it off?

i know i have seen this post before but couldnt find it...

thanks

 

[BBReef]

a puffer will eat snails and crabs.

 

[PrettyFishies]

Puffers will eat snails and crabs...yep... If you ask me... you need to decide on a few things... 1) Fish Only? 2) Reef? 3) Passive 4) or Agressive...

Most agressives will bother inverts like crabs and snails and are not reef-safe. If you want to have inverts, you will need reef safe fish.

I set my tank up as a Fish Only with Inverts...I have reef-safe fish, an anemone, crabs, snails and feather dusters as well as a mushroom coral. I want diversity in my tank.

I also think that hermits are essential because they get the excess food that would otherwise be left to decompose.

Leave the LR... it's normal...you'll see all types of things, but make sure that your Nitrite levels are 0 indeed.

 

[burritojon]

thanks! i really wanted a puffer, but I have to agree, variety is the spice of life. I am not planning on any difficult inverts for some time, very new to this. Any other suggestions as far as colorful reefsafe fish? Something with a friendly personality... haha

thanks

 

[ellisz]

Has no one had any luck with puffers and any clean up crew members? I currently have 2 snails in with my dog puffer and percula clown. I have had some snails die but I only started with 5 and I attributed it to improper acclimation.

I do see them upside down sometimes but I always flip them over. One snail I have is huge and the other is a turbo snail.

Can you not have puffers with a sandbed? I find this hard to believe.

 

[PrettyFishies]

55 gallons... I'd say you're looking at about 12-13 inches of adult size fish...

A Clown (6")- True Perc's are territorial, so if you want a pair, they have to be a mated pair 1st or one will attack the other.
Yellow Tang (8") is a beautiful fish
Royal gramma's are nice, Dwarf Angels...

Look at http://www.liveaquaria.com Or Buy a book with all the species...Read up on behavior, habitat and feeding and them pick... But, wit a small tank, you cna't have more than probably 3-4 fish of moderate size...

I say, a clown, a yellow tang and a dwarf angel

 

[ellisz]

Any more thoughts on clean up crew members and puffers? Has no one had any luck with this?

I had planned on getting more snails to go with the 2 I already have and was planning on experimenting with others oncer everything is up and running.