defenestrator
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Hello Aquarium Advisors!
This will be my first attempt at a saltwater aquarium. Though, a reef aquarium is my ultimate goal, I would like to know which reef-friendly, colorful fish and inverts I can afford to hold in a 55 gallon tank with ~95lbs live rock and a 2-2.5 inch DSB?
A list of preferred fish, inverts, and corals. I recognize this list is by far too large for a 55 gallon. I am looking for combinations of the list below that would work well in my system and with each other. Though everything on the list is something I want to successfully keep one day, items with asterisk are "really wants".
*blue/green chromis (how many do you need before they school?)
*royal gramma
chevron tang
flame angel
*clown fish (percula pair)
sand sifting fish?? (not sure of common names)
shrimp
clams
hermit crabs
various snails
brittle star
*starfish
brain coral
feather duster
anemone that will host clowns
mushrooms
any other recommendations?
Additional information you may want to know:
I would like to begin with VHO lighting, due to cost. However, I may migrate to more potent lighting as needed.
I would like to have a sump (would 20 gallons be sufficient?) with a protein skimmer, ozonizer, and 2 250W heaters (I live in Iowa).
Also, I would eventually like to have a refugium at a different flow rate than the sump that will allow me to grow macroalgae and pods.
Please let me know if you need any additional info regarding my plan.
Thank you in advance for your time!
This will be my first attempt at a saltwater aquarium. Though, a reef aquarium is my ultimate goal, I would like to know which reef-friendly, colorful fish and inverts I can afford to hold in a 55 gallon tank with ~95lbs live rock and a 2-2.5 inch DSB?
A list of preferred fish, inverts, and corals. I recognize this list is by far too large for a 55 gallon. I am looking for combinations of the list below that would work well in my system and with each other. Though everything on the list is something I want to successfully keep one day, items with asterisk are "really wants".
*blue/green chromis (how many do you need before they school?)
*royal gramma
chevron tang
flame angel
*clown fish (percula pair)
sand sifting fish?? (not sure of common names)
shrimp
clams
hermit crabs
various snails
brittle star
*starfish
brain coral
feather duster
anemone that will host clowns
mushrooms
any other recommendations?
Additional information you may want to know:
I would like to begin with VHO lighting, due to cost. However, I may migrate to more potent lighting as needed.
I would like to have a sump (would 20 gallons be sufficient?) with a protein skimmer, ozonizer, and 2 250W heaters (I live in Iowa).
Also, I would eventually like to have a refugium at a different flow rate than the sump that will allow me to grow macroalgae and pods.
Please let me know if you need any additional info regarding my plan.
Thank you in advance for your time!