ok, after a day of visiting LFS, heres what Im thinkin

[Brazengrrl]

Hi again
I was out and about all day looking at set ups. I was informed that I can not keep anemones with corals . They also said I shouldnt keep soft coral with the hard coral. So I am thinking about one clown fish ( saw one today that thought some coral was his anemone) two cardinal fish, a gobie, couple shrimp, and crabs. ( after several weeks of cycling)
I saw a Jebo or odyssey set up, 25 gal with the wet dry filter intergraded in the top and PCL with the matching stand for $279.00 I really really liked it, it aslo matched my bedroom decor (silver and black), but I remember how the ecylpse was and is so I guess Im sticking with my traditional tank.

Ok so heres my plan now
25 gal tank
Emperor 280
These are what I am sure of ~lol~

They also said I should use a powerhead. Any suggestions? The Jebo has a powerhead and protein skimmer together, is that ok?

I am researching lighting, Jebo has a good price but after reading up on them they might not be such a good deal.
Any reasonably priced suggestions?
The pet store wants to sell me and Orbit brand for $189.00


I am also trying to learn about protein skimmers, which one would be sufficient for a 25 gal tank with what Im looking to put in it?
Is the seaclone 100 going to do the trick for me?

I am buying playground sand and purchasing my water from the LFS, then adding LR, but I am wondering about base rock, I like alt of rock, so can I use about 20 lbs of that at the bottom inside and 25lbs of LR for the rest?

I am not in a hurry to add fish, I want to get things right. Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated!!!

 

[fireman26m]

First off....don't take everything the LFS says to heart. Yes, you can keep anemones with corals but not until your tank has been established for about a year or so.

Yes, you can keep LPS and SPS in that same tank....with proper spacing and lighting conditions (goes for the anemone too).

Powerheads are a definite! You need around 10x your tank volume of flow per hour. 2 powerheads would be best. At opposite ends of the tank, facing toward the front, center. Maxi-Jet is one of the better brands.

Talk to Darin at CaptiveReefs.com for your lighting needs. Tell him you tank specs and you goals for the tank and he'll hook you up with what you need.

CPR make great skimmers as well as Aqua C Remora. Go for a little extra if you can...it will make a difference.

Make sure the playground sand is calcium/aragonite based sand. Most playsand is Silica based and can cause problems in your tank.

Your rock idea is fine....just remember....base rock usually doesn't have the nice coralline growth and will take a while to become "live" rock if it isn't already. But LR on base is a fine way to save money if you have patience.

You fish list might be a little overstocked for a 25gal. A clown and a clown goby would probably do well. More fish means more water changes more often.

All in all, you seem to be on the right track and always ASK questions. This forum is a great place to educate yourself. Good Luck!!

Fireman

 

[malkore]

Fireman pretty much covered it. a 25 gallon tank can only really hold 2 clownfish, which would be a good stocking for that tank, as they'll pair off, and are reef safe.

The only reason I can think the LFS told you not to keep soft and hard corals together is because a 25g is fairly small, and many corals use 'chemical warfare' to prevent other corals from invading their space. Same with an anemone...25g is small, and would be a tight fit for corals and an anemone (as the anemone WILL sting corals taht get in its way, and I believe all anemone's are mobile and will move to the spot they wanna be at)

 

[captivereefs]

you could also add a small gobie to the tank with the clowns. You can do hard and soft corals together. Although some soft corals are toxic to SPS corals most LPS corals will co habitate with soft corals easily. An anemone in a 25 with corals would be disasterous since the anemone is mobile and would kill any coral it touches.

 

[klam]

If you keep up on the water quality you should be able to support 2 small types of clowns and two other small fishes. Like others mentioned, gobies would be a good choice.

Once the anemone finds a spot it likes it will mostly likey stay there if no changes are made to water flow and lighting. You just have to move all the corals out of the anemones way when it's on the move and once it settles in place move the corals where you would like them and but out of the anemones reach.

I'm lucky that my BTA aneome found a spot it likes and hasn't moved in a year. BTA is attached on the underside of a Monti cap. The cap is dead on the underside but the top side is still fine and the sides are still growing out. Becareful, the anemone will sting and do some major damage to corals.