320g build/journey/experiment :-)

[harmy4993]

everything i have read states it is aquarium and reef safe. there are alot of people who use it as the sand in there tank with out any problems including a couple totms nano reefs. i didnt use it without researching first

[Greenmaster]

Okay that's good... I didn't do the research on the sand to see if anyone else was using it. Just the effects of silica and iron (I was wanting to get a cheaper sand bead and decided arroganite would be best)... I ended up using crush oyster shell for my filler... at $12 a bag...(around 40 lbs per bag) I see now that some research would have been a good thing :-p

[harmy4993]

Reefs.org: Where Reefkeeping Begins on the Internet - Silica Sand kinda old but the sand hasnt changed to my knowledge.

Q&A - Silica Sand - Diatoms by Rob Toonen

[Greenmaster]

Now that I see research is a good thing I'll start on my fish compatibility right now Okay I posted this somewhere else but I thought I would post it here too for good measure. And to maybe get more responses.
I'm looking to add these fish to my tank. I still have lots of time to decide but I would like to start on it now. Obviously the best way to add fish, if you could would be all at once, but that's not a good idea because of waste management. I would like the list in order of introduction to the tank... and what ones have to be added at the same time for compatibility. Also if you think a fish should not be in the list (I would still appreciate a where in the list you would add it if you had to and why you wouldn't add it at all) So enough of my babble...

Here are the fish in no particular order:

Bartletts Anthias
Yellow Spotted Anthias
Bicolor Psudochromis
Diadema/Purpleback Pseudochromis
Neon Dottyback
Orchid Dottyback
Flame Cardinal
Bangaii Cardinal
Spotted Cardinal
Ochre Striped Cardinal
Sankeyi Dottyback
Australian Black Percula Clownfish
False Percula Clownfish
Sunshine Chromis
Blue Mandarin
Target Mandarin
Flaming Prawn Goby
Orange Firefish Goby
Purple Firefish Goby
Yellow Clown Goby
Long Nose Hawk
Geometric Pygmy Hawk
Blue Hippo Tang
Hawiian Yellow Tang
Six Line Wrasse
Flasher Wrasse

I know this is a long list... This is my long, short-list... I will probably not be getting all of these I just would like to know the order I would introduce them for the best chances of compatibility and if I decide not to get some or they are not available then I would just skip over those and go on to the next one.

[SHARPiE]

Definatley tagging along with the others.

Mammoth build project.
The suspense is killing me!

[Greenmaster]

It's killing you? I decided to do this about 6 weeks ago... maybe 10 weeks... I have 4-6 weeks till I get my tank then another 2-4 weeks to set-up 2-4 weeks for a cycle... then I can start to add livestock... slowly... I'm going nuts seeing everyone else with gorgeous tanks and all I have is a stand and a refuge tank. (as well as some equipment.)

[Greenmaster]

This is my thoughts and the way I think they should be introduced..
Cardinals (in any order)*
Anthias (in any order)*
Chromis*
Goby (in any order)*
Wrasse (in any order)*
Clownfish (in any order... maybe at same time.)
Mandarin (at same time)
Hawk (in any order)
Psudochromis/Dottyback (in any order)
Tangs (at same time)


The first five the ones with the * I think could be added in any order.

[thincat]

This fish,Bicolor Psudochromis, would either kill these other fish,
1) Diadema/Purpleback Pseudochromis
2) Neon Dottyback
3) Orchid Dottyback
4) Sankeyi Dottyback
It would more then likely also chase these fish until they would get stressed out and come down with some sort of disease.
1) Flaming Prawn Goby
2) Orange Firefish Goby
3) Purple Firefish Goby
4) Yellow Clown Goby
As you can see your problem would be territorial space.

[Greenmaster]

I knew that...(someone told me in the past) I meant to take the bicolor of the list...
and instead of the sankeyi dottyback I was thinking maybe a cleaner wrasse

[thincat]

You will run into lots of problems with keeping fish of the same type. They are just to territoral. That's where most people get into trouble. Yes you will find a success story somewhere on the net but over all that is BS.

[thincat]

I know this first hand because the bi-color is so much trouble in my tank. The problem it's such a beautiful and fun fish and that is the only reason I put up with it.

[thincat]

another thing is you can either keep a wrasse or a mandarin. They compete for the same food and the wrasse with win every time and the mandarin will "DIE".

[harmy4993]

Originally Posted by thincat

another thing is you can either keep a wrasse or a mandarin. They compete for the same food and the wrasse with win every time and the mandarin will "DIE".

even in a tank that big there wont be enough copepod growth for both??

[Greenmaster]

Thank you thincat... I am trying to make a tank that will be that success story on the net "over all that is BS" but I plan on trying some things I will be adding slowly and my LFS will take back fish if my compatibility doesn't work (as long as they survive till they sell it) at full price. (I am buying lots of fish from them) I was asking about order of introduction and needing to be introduced at the same time... I will try to introduce the dotty's as close together as the tank will allow.

[thincat]

Originally Posted by harmy4993

even in a tank that big there wont be enough copepod growth for both??

Not with two mandarins and two wrasses and some Dottybacks.

[Mitchell0605]

Yeah no hope. Sorry. I reckon a Mandarin pair. Mated pair. Very interesting to watch.

[thincat]

I think Ora is cranking out AQ grown Mandarins to the market will be flooded with homegrown Mandarins soon. Which is a good thing because that is one awesome fish.

[Mitchell0605]

Definately. Plus they will probably take prepared foods. Bonus.

[Greenmaster]

Finally here are some pictures of my DIY rocks





I like lots of hiding places... this isn't necessarily how I'm going to set it up in my tank. The size of the rock pile is approximately 2'6" wide, 2' deep, and 2' high.

[Mitchell0605]

Nice. Some nice coral places too.