A Re-start...help me re-stock!

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salty27

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Apr 5, 2004
Messages
116
Location
New York
History: About a month ago, my friend took down his aquarium and gave me all his cured live rock. My old setup had mostly slates of rock and frozen/dead coral pieces. I have recently completed changing my old substrate of CC to live sand. So now, I have about 40 lbs. of LR and about a 2 inch fresh sand bed in my 45 gallon hex tank. Last week, the only inhabitant of my aquarium, my snowflake which I've had for over 2 years, committed suicide by "jumping" out of the tank at night (R.I.P...he was one cooool eel). So now, I basically have an empty, established (though very clean) tank and a fresh new start.

I've been thinking of going with a semi-reef setup, but what can I stock in it? And in what order is best for the aquarium environment? (i.e., right now, there isn't much algae growth or 'waste' in the system, and the sand is very clean). I've been thinking of:
- Tomato or Skunk Clown
- Goby or Blenny
- Basslet
- hermit crabs and snails
- Anthias
- Dottyback
- any corals or inverts? (which would survive under my 10,000K and 50/50 lighting)
- anything else that would be compatible?

In my years, I've only done a FO setup, so any advice & suggestions are welcome!
 
I think I would start with the clean up crew and a fish or two right now. How many watts are your lights? What type corals do you want?
 
Test for ammonia and nitrates now to see what the move and set up did before adding anything. May be the eel reacted to something in the water too.

Dottybacks can be rather territorial also, so add it last.
 
I did a water test yesterday, and everything was normal (ammonia and nitrates were nonexistent, ph above 8, salinity at 1.21). I think all the new live rock and new setup might have freaked the eel out a bit, but he had an appetite and seemed happy until that fateful night.

Someone else suggested I start with a clean-up crew, but there isn't much for them to clean up right now (or is there?) other than what might be on the LR...would that be a starvation problem for them?

And as far as lighting, I need to check the wattage. All I know is that I have one Coralilfe 10,000K degree bulb and one Coralife 50/50 bulb. I've never had corals before, but I was hoping for something that might be best for a 'coral beginner'.
 
You could add a few snails/a hermit crab or two, to start your clean up crew. Just don't go overboard.
 
How much LR total do you havve? If you only have 40lbs in a 45gal, then you might want to keep the bio-load REALY light until you can get about another 20 to 30 lbs in there, heck you can even put 20 to 30 pounds of dry base rock and let it become live. Much cheaper route.
 
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