I really love Caribbean fish

[mr_X]

you don't need to buy any of those things. regular salt mix has all the nutrients most corals need, let alone rock and algae!
that's hilarious! they state live rock needs supplemental Calcium, Strontium, Iodine, and Trace Elements ?

 

[Harveyman]

Ya, I guess there assuming that some corals are coming in on the rocks. I can understand that for the Caribbean rock, but for the Fiji and other pacific rocks, they have to remove all visible live corals because its illegal to import unidentified corals.
Ok, so no need for supplements what sort of salt should I use, Instant Ocean? And if I use that, is there any difference between their regular salt and the "Reef Crystals"?

 

[mr_X]

yes, there is a difference between the regular salt and the reef salt. everyone is going to have different opinions about what salt is best. the truth is, no canned salt mix is consistent, so they are what they state on the side of the can, before they are put in the can, but they may or may not be the same by the time you get it.
i use a different salt mix each time. i like reef crystals, oceanic, tropic marin pro reef, seachem reef salt, red sea coral pro, D&D H2 ocean, gettanked aquariums "salt water correct" mix, and a few others.
the salt water correct mix from gettanked aquariums is a bit different than the others because you add the calcium about an hour or so before you do your water change, and this ensures the calcium and alk levels are spot on.
there is another salt mix like that, but i can't remember the name right now.
maybe someone can chime in.

you can keep a tank full of corals healthy and happy with nothing more than regular water changes.

 

[Harveyman]

Ok, so it doesn't really matter which of those I use, which ever is most convenient at the time I get it.
How can I setup a quarantine tank? And how large should it be?

 

[mr_X]

that's correct.
the size of a QT should vary depending on what size fish you are going to be bringing in.
usually a 20 gallon or so is sufficient.
i'd probably use a HOb filter with a bio wheel for filtration and nothing more than some 6" cuts of large pvc pipe in the bottom for hiding places.
i would cycle it with a raw shrimp.

quite honestly, i'm one of the renegades that believes that my display tank is much less stressful for the fish than a QT, but that's just me.

 

[Harveyman]

All right, I think 20 gallons would be fine as the largest fish im looking at is only 4"
What should I feed the tank? Here is the latest version of what I am looking at:

55 Gallon tank setup V6
140 lb Florida Live Sand (possible lfs)
-20 lb in sump for 1-2” sand bed in refugium
-For 4-5” bed for Jawfish
-For Deep Sand Bed in 40 gallon breeder tank sump
80 lb Caribbean Live Rock (possible lfs)
Build Your Own Reef Cleaner Package (LiveAquaria)
-3 Peppermint Shrimp
-1 Fighting Conch
-1 Arrow Crab
-2 Emerald Crab
-3 Nassarius Snails
-20 (+/-?) Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs
-20 (+/-?) Astraea Turbo Snails
-20 (+/-?) Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
1 Red Brittle Star
1 Porcelain Crab
Chaetomorpha Algae
-In 40 gallon breeder tank sump
1 Pincushion Urchin
1 Rock Flower Anemone
-Aquarium Lighting for Reef Systems: Current Nova Extreme Pro Saltwater T-5 Fixtures for lighting
1 Colored Cluster Duster
1 Royal Gramma (Fairy) Basset
1 Neon goby
1 Flame Cardinalfish.
1 Pygmy (Cherub) Angelfish
2 Yellowhead Jawfish
1 (-?) Harlequin Bass, is the tank large enough for 2 species of Basslets?

 

[mr_X]

basslets/pseudochromis can be pretty nasty in home systems.
instead of peppermint shrimp, why don't you get skunk cleaner shrimp? they are much nicer to look at and stay out in the open more.
otherwise, it sounds like a nice setup to me.
btw, you are going to want to make a mesh cover for the display, or those jawfish are going to go carpet surfing.

 

[Harveyman]

Ok, the harlequin bass was just something that looked interesting.
I would have to think about the skunk shrimp, they aren't a Caribbean species, but I guess that doesn't REALLY matter. Could I do both, 2 peppermint and 2 skunk shrimp? The peppermint shrimp wouldn't be very expensive if I put them in the reef cleaner pack.
Still, how do I prepare food?

 

[mr_X]

the shrimp will live together fine. as for food, here's a recipe thread-
RenegadeReefers.org • Information

 

[Harveyman]

Ok, that seems simple enough, and I can maybe add some veggies for the herbivores. So I just thaw out however much I need and add it to the tank? I could just use a turkey baster to be sure the jawfish get some. Should I just give the anemone and brittle star small frozen bits?

 

[mr_X]

it sticks together pretty good unless you put it in front of a power head. i feed everything that mix. the starfish will take a big hunk from your fingers, as will the anemone.
btw, you don't have to be exact with the ingredients. formula a or b isn't necessary, and if you put enough variety in the mix, you are probably better off without it.
you can chop up nori in the mix for the herbivores/omnivores.
you can add selcon for extra vitamins as well. get creative, have some fun, and freak out the wife when you toss all that raw fish in her food processor!

 

[Harveyman]

The food shouldn't be a problem, how long will it keep in the freezer?
Should I move up to a 500 watt heater? Now that I am using a 40 gallon tank for the sump, the total water volume is 95 gallons, so a 300 watt heater may not cut it in the cold basement.
Can I use these for moon lights: Current USA TrueLumen 12,000K Lunar White 3-LED Linking Module

 

[mr_X]

i would use 2 smaller heaters instead of one large one. in the event that one quits on you or gets stuck on, you may be able to address it before overheating or freezing the livestock to death with 1 heater working properly.
you can keep the food in the freezer for a year without trouble.


i guess you could use those moonlights if you like. i never tried them. what is the reason you want to use moonlights? they don't benefit the livestock any and it's super hard to see anything going on in the tank with them also. i think they are a waste of money. if i was you, i'd get a night light from the dollar store and put a blue bulb in it, and plug it in near the tank. that will work the same way.

 

[Harveyman]

The moon lights were just something that caught my eye for some reasoon, I could probably get the same effect with water proofed christmas lights as well (hmm...)
How much heat will the light fixture generate do you think? I am going to get 2 300 watt titanium heaters and put them under the two baffels in the sump that don't reach the bottom.

 

[mr_X]

an intense fixture will probably generate considerable heat. unless you buck up and purchase a quality LED fixture. these are the only ones that don't heat the tank. good ones are quite expensive still.

 

[Harveyman]

Ok, so maybe I should use two 200 watt heaters in the same position instead. In the winter, if it gets too cold, I can just set up a space heater. I think I may get the heaters last, so I can see how much the lights heat up the water.

 

[Harveyman]

I have come into some luck with my parents, and I may be able to start a tank as large as 210 gallons. Here are a few of the modifications to my original plan:
Skimmer= Reef Octopus NWB-200 8" Internal Protein Skimmer
Overflow= Eshopps pf-1200 (1000 gph)
Pump= quiet one 4000 (1017 gph)
Heater= X3 Aquarium Heaters & Temperature Control: ViaAqua Titanium Tube Heaters (300 watt version) with controller: Aquarium Heating & Temperature Control: JBJ True Temp Digital Heater Controller
Lighting= same as before only the 72" version.
And the new tank manifest:

210 Gallon tank setup V1
350 lb Florida Live Sand (possible lfs)
-20 lb in sump for 1-2” sand bed in refugium
-For 4-5” bed for Jawfish and wrasse
-For Neon Wrasse
360 lb Caribbean Live Rock (possible lfs)
Build Your Own Reef Cleaner Package (LiveAquaria)
-2 Peppermint Shrimp
-1 Fighting Conch
-1 Arrow Crab
-2 Emerald Crab
-3(+?) Nassarius Snails
-20(+/-?) Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs
-20(+/-?) Astraea Turbo Snail
-20 (+/-?) Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
-1 Pincushion Urchin
2 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Red Brittle Star
1 Porcelain Crab
Chaetomorpha Algae
-In 40 gallon breeder tank sump
1 Rock Flower Anemone
- http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+18700&pcatid=18700 for lighting
1 Colored Cluster Duster
1 Royal Gramma (Fairy) Basset
1 Neon goby
1 Flame Cardinalfish.
1 Pygmy (Cherub) Angelfish
2 Yellowhead Jawfish
-Plastic Mesh cover
1 Blue caribbean tang
1 Neon Wrasse

 

[mr_X]

while i like the skimmer you are considering, i would like to suggest a different skimmer for your tank size.the brand is good, but you want something rated for 1.5-2 times your system volume. i would probably want something rated for 300 gallons.

if i was doing a 210 display i'd have a trio of tangs. 3 different colors. yellow, blue regal tang, and perhaps a maculiceps or powder brown.
i would also get more skunk cleaners..3 or 4 maybe...they are fun to watch and very social.

 

[Harveyman]

Ok, what about this skimmer (I think it looks a bit like a jet engine...) Reef Octopus Super Reef 3000 Internal Skimmer
I realy would get a couple of tangs, but I really want this to be a Caribbean style aquarium. It wouldn't look right if I had a bunch of pacific species swimming around... Do you by any chance know of any other tang/surgeon that are Caribbean species
What kind of fish are these? (I know what the blue one is) I took these at Water Lemon Key, USVI.

 

[mr_X]

yep...i like that skimmer!
yep, that fish with the flack spot is a "threadfin butterfly" (chaetodon auriga), and that tang in the bottom pic is referred to as an "ocean surgeonfish" (Acanthurus bahianus)