My Stocking Plans

[Nave]

ok I am checking to see if my current stocking plans will be ok.

I have a 29 Gallon Nano, 40lbs of Live Sand, 10lbs of Base Rock and 5lbs of LR. I have 1 unknown hitchhiker crab along with 5 blue legged hermits and some kind of snail that hitched. My fish are 2 O. Clowns and a Green Chromis. On my 5th day my stats were, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and 5 nitrates, I used BioSpira to help speed the cycle. Today (day 11) my stats were 0.25 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5 nitrates, Im guess the ammonia went up because of how I was feeding them?? feeding every day and the leftover food got stuck in the LR so I couldnt get it out without tearing my tank apart. I added Prime to get rid of that ammonia.

first off I wanna know if my feeding schedule was the real reason behind the ammonia? secondly I wanna see if my stocking plans are ok.

Current Stock
1 Green Chromis
2 O. Clown Fish
5 Blue Legged Hermits
1 Unknown Snail
1 Unknown Crab

Planned Additions
1 Scooter Blenny (saw one in LFS, so cool)
1 Goby/Shrimp Pair
5+ Snails
2 Orange Starfish
2 Pom Pom Crabs (aka Boxing Crabs)
1 Sea Hare
1 Cleaner Shrimp
2+ Undecided Shrimp (maybe pepermint)
and then 2 small reef safe fish that I will let my mom and sis pick out

is that to much of a load for my 29 gallon?

 

[Innovator]

There is nothing wrong with feeding every day or twice a day, but in small portions where all of the food is consumed in a matter of minutes by fish and/or invertebrates. There should not be leftover food floating about the tank after an hour, left to rot within the crevices of liverock.

As for the livestock, the snails are fine albeit eventual dinner for the hermits/unknown crab most likely. What sp. is the orange star you are interested? Probably best, regardless, to choose only one. The scooter blenny usually feeds upon copepods, polychaetes, and/or other benthic crustaceans so getting to feed prepared might take some patience/inginuity. Do look up the sp. of sea hare as some are omnivores and can be sustained while others remain herbivore and require appropriate foods. As far as more fish are concerned, really depends on the sp. of "reef safe" you decide upon.

 

[Guest]

First of all you are going way to fast. You need to let the tank establish. every time you add a new fish the tank has to adjust to handle it. A couple of weeks between additions IMO.

You need to work on a good cleaning crew.

Scooter blennys are really dragonets and should be in a well established tank with a fuge, or a large tank with huge amounts of LR'

You are planning to many fish already

You need more than 5 snails for sure.

Those shrimp may not get along. Pick one kind and come back.

The hitchiker crab may be bad. Is it hairy, black claws?

Sorry to bring all the bad new but I do not want you to fail. Going fast will lead you to nothing but dead critters and massive algae. Please ask again and we will help.

 

[Nave]

I plan the fish now but dont plan on gettin them any time soon, I know I need to let my tank mature more before I add more. My tank was cycled quick wit the help of BioSpira, I know some people are aginst it but it did work for me. adding 2 fish alil over a week after I added a single one wont hurt that bad will it? I went by advice I got at the local aquarium when it came to first setting it up with some advice coming from here. The head of the aquarium here told me my tank was ok to add the clowns since I am basicly cycled and they are hardy fish. The ammonia coming from an error with my feeding and letting food rot away in the LR when feedin the chromis.

Just wanting to clear a bit up, I dont plan on adding more for atleast another month, just plannin it all out ahead of time so I know what Im gettin and know what to save for.

The hitchhiker crab is reddish, furry legs, no black claws, the claws are same color as the body.

So I cant have any other type of shrimp with a cleaner but a fire shrimp?

how many snails you suggest?

not sure the type of star was small and orange, probably baby, I asked if it was reef safe and the store said it was. They had it housed with various corals and inverts 14.99 was the price of it.

With the Sea Hare I will find out what kind, will also find out wat kind of star but I think it may be Orange Linckia.

Just wanting to know if in the end I have enough room with all of them, and what will eat other tankmates and corals.

 

[melosu58]

Does your orange star look like mine. If it does then here is a good link to it.

http://www.fantasyreef.com/database/index.php?p=getitem&db_id=1&item_id=78

I see two problems with the ammonia. One is the food not being consummed and James already covered that but Two is that you dont have enough LR in your tank to handle the biological filtration needs. From reading your post you only have 15 Lbs. in a 29 gallon tank. You`ll need to at the least double that to bolster your filtration. I dont know if you have a skimmer or not but they are a good thing for removing DOC`s from your water which later on turn into the excessive nutrients that cause problems. One other thing I agree with James is in a tank that size I would only get one orange star. I think if you got two in a 29 that they might starve. Hope all goes well.

 

[Guest]

Good advice MEl. Also generally hitchiker crabs that are hairy are not safe.