Tank Cycled, next step, corals!

[Its2sunny]

Hi guys, so i've just finished cycling my 38G, with a 5G hook on refugium, containing pods and cheato. So i was wondering how long should i wait to add corals, act.

I have a einheim canister filter, still need a protein skimmer, and some better lighting. Just have the standard single florescent tube that came with the tank.

On another note, i've already stalked my tank somewhat, with;

5 blue hermits
1 scarlet hermit
1 emerald crab
3 turbo snails
2 nassarius snails
1 royal gamma
2 o-clowns

I've found that my gamma has killed all my crabs. well I've found 2 corpses and the rest i haven't seem for the last 2 days. saw my emerald last night, but he is no longer in his usual hiding place.

I've been feeding him pellets and mysis shrimp, so any ideas why he is going for my crabs? Also i need a new clean up crew, well, what i had was limited to say the least. Any suggestions?

I, know i'm rambling on now, but i'm in love with mandarin dragonettes, and i know they require a more mature tank then mine is at a little bit over a month. But my refugium is swarmed with copepods. I used a few pod bottles, at the beginning of my cycle, and they have mated the hel out of each other. But my lr has not so much algae on it... thoughts?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

[tdubrow]

Have you seen the gramma kill the crabs or are you just assuming? If you haven't seen him kill the crabs it may be something else thats killing them?

If tank is only a month old, are you sure it was fully cycled before you added livestock? Maybe thats why all crabs are dead?

I wouldn't add corals until you upgrade your lighting. Standard florescent isn't ideal for much of anything as far as corals.

As for a mandarin, in my opinion a 38 gallon is too small to sustain a big enough pod population for it. I know people have kept them in smaller tanks but I'm assuming they were able to get them to eat other food.

 

[Its2sunny]

I haven't seen the gramma kill the crabs, but I've seen bits of there legs and half their bodies missing. so they are being eaten, i'm only thinking the gramma, as i doubt my clowns are doing it, or my snails. My water chemistry is fine as well. So i'm just worried about stocking for a cuc, as i don't want to loose more crabs that are newly purchased.

Yea, corlas i will get soon as my lighting is sorted, i was just wondering if i should wait longer for any other reason.

And the mandarin, i plan on trying to get it to eat frozen foods, if that all fails, ill just have to keep buying pod bottles in order to feed it.

 

[Leighton79]

The trouble I've always found with hermits is that they tend to kill each other.

I've witnessed it several times where mr johnny rock hard crab wanders up to another and attempts to pull it out of its shell, sometimes they succeed sometimes they get there backsides handed to them, either way results in the loss of a specimen.

As for coral, provided you are cycled as you say, throw a couple of hardy softies in and take it from there.

 

[mr_X]

I bought 50 alleged "red leg reef hermits" for my tank. I have about 15 left. Empty shells everywhere and their little bodies are seen every once in a while. I always see them locked together as mentioned above. It's not the fish doing the killing.

You won't be able to afford bottles of pods for the mandarin, and getting them to eat prepared foods if they weren't started on prepared from birth is virtually impossible. An adult mandarin will consume bottle of pods every couple days.

 

[Its2sunny]

Thanks for the advice, I reckon I will get more snails then to keep my tank maintained. Wow, the mandarin is quite the eater. I guess I'll give my tank 6 months and see how the pod pop goes, and wait off on the mandarin. Definitely can't afford to buy 3 bottles a week.

Cheers for the help guys. Any suggestions for a cool fish I can add in the next few weeks?

 

[Leighton79]

It's such a general question, it's really impossible to answer, what we think is cool you make think is lame and vice versa.

You must have a stock list in your head?

A reasonable start IMO would be maybe a watchman goby and a pistol shrimp symbiotic pair....?

 

[Its2sunny]

I guess that is pretty generic. I meanin terms of what is compatible with my stock now and what would be reef safe. I had a neon goby in mind. And maybe 3 chromies