What next?!

[Ewatson249]

29g hqi nano cube been cycled 3 weeks. CUC added one week ago. 2 red hermit, 2 blue hermit. 3 turbo and 2 cerith. Water stats perfect for 3 weeks. I want to keep fish and corals. What do you think should go in next?

[carey]

Well, what would you like next? Do you have a perfect stocking list of what you want in there eventually? Same thing with corals...any ideas or must haves?

[Ewatson249]

Well I want the obvious pair of clowns! Cleaner shrimp, maybe a yellow watchman and symbiotic shrimp? Coral wise... Sun coral? Mushrooms? Some bright polyp corals? That's about all my plans so far. What do you think?

[carey]

If it were me, I'd start off with the pair of clowns. Sturdy little fish and I happen to have a bad case of clown love. I have 2 pairs so far. I want a third set. lol

Do you know what kinda clowns you want? I am partial to the black & whites

The watchman combo sounds good, I tried it in my 55g but the shrimp and goby never hang out. It happens that they dont form a relationship i've been told.

The only thing that I'm not sure you know is that sun corals, while super colorful, require actual feeding and not light. Well they need light I guess, it's just they don't get fed from it. at least that's what I've been told.

[the_fish_man]

Originally Posted by carey

If it were me, I'd start off with the pair of clowns. Sturdy little fish and I happen to have a bad case of clown love. I have 2 pairs so far. I want a third set. lol

Do you know what kinda clowns you want? I am partial to the black & whites

The watchman combo sounds good, I tried it in my 55g but the shrimp and goby never hang out. It happens that they dont form a relationship i've been told.

The only thing that I'm not sure you know is that sun corals, while super colorful, require actual feeding and not light. Well they need light I guess, it's just they don't get fed from it. at least that's what I've been told.

You are correct with sun corals! IME They are NOT good for starting tanks. If you do get one though I have had best success with feeding them a mix of rods food and cyclpozzese. Best way to feed them IMO Is cutting the top of a soda bottle off and putting it over the sun coral then taking the cap offf and putting food in it then close the cap.

[Ewatson249]

Yeah the sun coral sounds a bit demanding for now. I'll prob start with the easier stuff. I want the orange clowns. Their colours are amazing. Still not sure on the benefits between the true and false tho. The brighter the better tho so I'm led to believe the true would be best? So fish before coral then?

[carey]

I would go fish first. Corals can come as you go. The true percs tend to have more black between the orange and white as well as being more aggressive than regular osceallis.

[Sarcothelia]

Try a pair of clowns for sure. And first coral I would go with would be mushrooms or sarcothelia. I don't even know if it's possible to kill them (cycled my tank with them on a rock and they never retracted). Keep in mind if you get shrooms you may not be able to get other less aggressive corals.

I personally don't have any mushrooms, I went with zoanthids instead, equally hardy. Just be sure not to go for something too demanding.

[Ewatson249]

Originally Posted by Sarcothelia

Try a pair of clowns for sure. And first coral I would go with would be mushrooms or sarcothelia. I don't even know if it's possible to kill them (cycled my tank with them on a rock and they never retracted). Keep in mind if you get shrooms you may not be able to get other less aggressive corals.

I personally don't have any mushrooms, I went with zoanthids instead, equally hardy. Just be sure not to go for something too demanding.

Why can't I get less aggressive corals if I have shrooms? Did you mean more aggressive corals? I take it zoas and shrooms don't mix then?

[carey]

I have zooa's and mushrooms, not anywhere near each other though. I have alot of space usually between all my corals. I don't have to worry about aggressive or non. lol

[Sarcothelia]

You can put them on different rocks and be fine. But with my lay out either it gets along or it kills/dies lol. I have a rock wall set up so everything meshes together. I may put a mushroom on a lone rock at the bottom though, you could do the same or the other way around. But only once completely prepared! Don't keep coral until you've had fish happy and algae low for at least a month, preferably more.