Getting there....

[SmokeyNite]

Bump

[SmokeyNite]

After a final water check tonight, I'm going to be attemping to get my CUC started tomorrow. So, please, any info on my fish list would be greatly appreciated.

Do I get a brittle star? and if so, what kind?

[SmokeyNite]

Bump

[Dentoid]

Your CUC should also consist of snails such as Astrea and Cerith. You may want to consider a Serpent star for their hardiness and scavenging nature instead of a brittle star at this point. Your tank may be too new to support the conchs at this time.

As for the fish, Blue tangs, although beautiful, get very big, and are notorious for carrying and getting ich. Also, a 75 gallon is just not going to be big enough in the long run for a blue tang. If you really want a tang, consider the Kole tang.

Also Engineer gobies get big as well like 16" or so. There are many smaller, beautiful gobies.

Damsel fish are meaner than junkyard dogs. A 75 might be enough room to squelch its aggressive behavior, but personally I wouldn't have a damsel.

The Orchid Dottyback (Pseudo. fredmandi) is an excellent choice because they are the least aggressive of the genus and a spectacularly colored fish.

I say go for the Foxface if you like it. Their diet need to be supplimented with Nori though.

Have you considered the Royal Gramma and/or a pygmy angel like the Flame angel, Cherub angel, etc?

Originally Posted by SmokeyNite

Is the fish list ok?



CUC
Cleaner shrimp
queen or fighting conch
peppermint shrimp
maybe a brittle star

Fish
2 ocellaris clowns
1 blue tang
1 cardinal- spotted
1 gobie - not sure if I should get a watchman or a engineer
1 blue sapphire damselfish or yellowtail
1 6 line wrasse
and maybe a Fridmani Pseudo
Oh, and I would also love to get a Foxface, but I don't know if that's possible. I don't know, something about those guys I really like!

[michael_cb_125]

I agree with Scott about the tang. I have a 240 gallon tank, and I am trying to talk my self out of getting one. I just think that they belong in the ocean.
The six line wrasse may get to be a little bully, they are small but mean. The Damselfish is the same way, they are EVIL.
Everything else on your fish list looks fine.
In you CUC you NEED Snails. I personally like margarita, nerite, and Tongan Nassarius snails.
~Michael

[SmokeyNite]

Awesome. Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I really had my heart set on the Blue Tang. Liveaquaria.com has ones that are 1/2-3/4" and I was thinking I would sell it if it got too big, but if you don't think its a good idea, I'll listen to your advice.

Do you have any advice on crabs and seacukes? I've read both good and bad things about both on here and other sites. With so many different opinions, its hard to decide what to get.

Thanks!

[Dentoid]

Crabs are a controversial subject. Most will say the Scarlet hermit crabs are ok and porcelain crabs. The Tigertail cucumber is safest of all.

[Dentoid]

BTW, you are going to get conflicting and varied answers to many of your questions. Reef keeping is far from a science, it's a hobby and with any hobby experimentation and deciding for yourself what works for your tank is the best policy. Reef tanks are like snowflakes, no two are alike.

That is not to say go against the accepted principles and extensive, established husbandry practices, but on the controversial issues you must decide for yourself if you want to risk or otherwise experiment with your closed system.

[SmokeyNite]

Well, Friday I went to my LFS and got 5 astrea snails and 3 scarlet reef crabs. My crabs are so itty-bitty, they have a lot of work cut out for them!! I'm having a bit of an algae bloom right now, so hopefully they should all be good on food for a bit.

I'm going to wait about a week or so and see how things go before I add any more to the tank.

When it DOES come time to add, should I just add more snails and crabs, or should I add shrimp or a cuke? Maybe a lawnmower Blenny? Is it the watchman gobie that sifts through the sand?

What do you think?

[SmokeyNite]

Bump

[SmokeyNite]

OK, got myself a Diamond Goby and a cleaner shrimp, plus 2 big Turbos.

The goby is on one side of the tank and the shrimp is on the other, but they are both doing their thing.

I've decided to name my goby Dug. I love watching him!! He's so funny and cute!

Next month, maybe a pair of clowns, but we'll see!!!

[SmokeyNite]

Well, 3 of my snails have died, but my 2 turbos and 2 other snails are doing fine. My goby and shrimp are also doing well.

I checked the water and everything tested fine, all 0s and my ph is 8.2, water between 78-80 depending on if the light is on.

I don't know if some of the snails were dead or on the way out when I got them.

My crabs...no idea where they are!

All I know is that everytime I walk past my tank, I usually get sucked in and stand there watching it for 5-10 mins at a time. lol

[lcstorc]

Only 5-10 minutes? I stare for hours sometimes.
A couple of things that come to mind on the snail losses. The one thing that drives me crazy about many snails is their inability to right themselves when they get flipped over. I have to turn over snails every night so they don't die on their backs. The other thing that is not commonly known is that snails (and other invertebrates) require a much slower acclimation than fish or most corals. They are very sensitive to changes in salinity and temp and should be acclimated very slowly. Many people (me included in the past) assume that little or no acclimation is necessary when in fact it is the opposite.
Glad to hear you are enjoying the goby. They can be lots of fun and I certainly spend a lot of time watching mine and being amused by the sand flying everywhere as they build a new tunnel. Be sure that your rocks are placed carefully on the bottom glass of the aquarium or their digging could cause the rocks to shift and fall.
How about showing us some pics of the new setup? We would love to see them.

[SmokeyNite]

Update with pics!!!

Everything is going well with my tank and all the living things that reside in it. I got 2 new fish last week, a 6 line wrasse (whom I've named Seven) and a Spotted Cardinal fish (who, for the moment, is going by the unimaginative name of Spot)

Just tested my water levels last night and everything is great. Water temp remains between 78-80, depending if my light is on and how cold the house is. SG is 1.027.

All in all, its going great! (knock on wood) I just made up my own mix of fish food, which they seem to like pretty well.

I eventually want to get a starfish, but I'm not sure when I should get it and what kind would be best. Any advice?

I think my next fish is going to be a foxface, then 2 clowns, and maybe a little tang, and that will be it. Eventually the corals and anemone.

Pepe is my little skunk cleaner shrimp. All he does is hang on the underside of that flat rock all day. My mom calls it the "car wash", even though he has not yet started cleaning anything!!

[SmokeyNite]

A few more pics! Man, Seven is hard to get a pic of! He's a little camera shy....