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Species Considerations for new tank

2K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Fat_Fender_40 
#1 ·
I've been reading alot lately on salt water for the past year or so. I have the nano-reef handbook, reef invertebrates, Corals, New Marine Aquarium, Invertebrates by Julian sprung, Ultimate Marine Aquariums, and about 5 others. I've read each book multiple times and making a wish list. So I have a list of invertebrates that I wonder if anyone here has had experience with. Difficulties and what not. Or if no one has evey seen one at a lfs or for sale period, that pretty much regard that species as unattainable.

I've been doing freshwater for about six years and the last two years, started to really do water testing and being more "concious" about my aquarium. I want to set up a large reef tank, 150 gal or so and I only want maybe five fish total in the whole thing. Of course a few Ocellaris and a mandarin. Maybe a purple fire fish.

I know my lighting would be about 800watts metal halide and a few VHO or Flouresent in the mix.

So here's my wish list of things I've seen all the books and read about saying they are reef safe and hardy if the tank is properly maintained. If anyone has experience with any of these, please share your likes or dislikes with that particular species.



Cinachaura aka Yellow ball sponge
Ptilocaulis aka Red finger sponge (Requires supplement feeding, strong water flow)
Heteractis magnifica - Anemone
Stichodactyla gigantea aka Green Carpet Anemone
Macrodactyla - Anemone
Elysia diomedea aka Green Sea Slug
Cyerce nigricans aka Glass Sea Slug
Vermicularia sp aka Worm shell snail (calcium and alkalinity additions)
Lima Scabra aka Flame Scallop (what is this "marine snow" they talk about?)
Sabellastarte - Feather Worm
red protula bispiralis aka Hard tube feather duster
Eupolymnia crassicornis aka Spaghetti worm
Pafuritta grocilipes aka coral hermit crab
Ophioderma Squamosissimus aka Serpent Star (Red)
Ophioderma Appressum aka Serpent Star (Green)
Polycarpa aurata aka Sea squirt (requires iodine and trace supplements)
Clavelina Robusta aka Sea Squirt

Now the other two are I want are more common and seen them many times, but Tridacna maxima clams are amazing and I love Coral Banded Shrimp as well.

Is it a possibility to starver filter feeders if there is so few fish?
 
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#2 ·
From the sounds of your tanks wish list all seems to be planned well. Let's hear about the filtration next. Lighting sounds good. FYI, I run that much on my 75g but should be enough for most anything in a 150. Plan to put clams and or anemeones directly under the lighting.

Cinachaura aka Yellow ball sponge sponges are generally a good choice.
Ptilocaulis aka Red finger sponge (Requires supplement feeding, strong water flow)
Heteractis magnifica - Anemone Not until you are very familiar with reef keeping. These beauties are very tricky and prone to death in captivity. I've been lucky with mine for over a year now but much reading has led me to believe it was a bad purchase.
Stichodactyla gigantea aka Green Carpet Anemone Maybe 6 months after you get started. The books say they are easy but hobbyists will say other. Once established they are great. Do note they will eat anything they can touch without discretion.
Macrodactyla - Anemone One of the many LTA or curly Q anemones. Easy enough to care for. Check Reefer Madness as they usually have some gorgeous ones.
Elysia diomedea aka Green Sea Slug Nudibranches don't generally fare well, especially in large tanks. I'm sorry. They are spectacular to look at, interesting to watch but typically get eaten or sucked through a filter. Better left to nano tanks where they are better protected. Once in a giant tank you may never see it again. I've bought at least 20 for my 75g and gave up.
Cyerce nigricans aka Glass Sea Slug Good luck as I've never seen any for sale not at a specialty shop online. Again as said before, think wisely about any small slugs as they tend to disappear quickly.
Vermicularia sp aka Worm shell snail (calcium and alkalinity additions) I believe you to be mentioning coco worms, a more common name in the trade. Very easy and spectacular. I keep 6 of them. Mine are much more active just before lights out. filter feeders so you may need to squirt them with a few drops of phytoplankton once a week.
Lima Scabra aka Flame Scallop (what is this "marine snow" they talk about?) first, marine snow is snake oil. Don't buy it. It's a concept of scraping up the detritus from the bottom of a tank and reselling it to consumers as feeder food. Flame scallops tend to melt quickly into nothing more than an empty shell. This can be seen at any LFS. Not a good buy.
Sabellastarte - Feather Worm Feather worms are always a good buy unless you have a trigger or wrasse that may eat them. Colorful, neat, interesting. Well worth having dozens if not more. Will eat from suspended particles in the water, nothing to worry about.
red protula bispiralis aka Hard tube feather duster Same.
Eupolymnia crassicornis aka Spaghetti worm There are 2 of these common in the trade (also check medusa worm as an AKA), first is a tiny yellow hitch hiker on your rocks, the other is a giant super colorful worm. Neat to own but prone to the same fate as nudibranchs.
Pafuritta grocilipes aka coral hermit crab good to have
Ophioderma Squamosissimus aka Serpent Star (Red)
Ophioderma Appressum aka Serpent Star (Green) any serpent or brittle star is prone to eat fish and crabs. Stay away from the green/yellows in a reef tank as they wreak havoc and grow dinner plate sized. The brown/black ones are decent (AKA brittle stars). I've had good luck with pink bubble tip brittle stars. Look for them as they've been reef safe.
Polycarpa aurata aka Sea squirt (requires iodine and trace supplements)
Clavelina Robusta aka Sea Squirt Squirts, AKA tunicates, are not well suited for home tanks. I've kept several of the Giant Pacific (the first on the list) but have watched them slowly decline each time. Has been the case with most I've read and from other first hand experience.

A very neat list of creatures, you are indeed hooked on becoming a reefer. Might I add a few ideas? You could have plenty more Tclams, try Gigas, Squamosa, Derassa, Crocea as well as the Maxima. LPS corals like cynarina, pearl, hammer, frogspawn... Softies like zoas and mushrooms, maybe Ricordia. You should really add some tiger tail cucumbers or other sea cukes as they come in nearly every shape and size, plus they act as a clean up crew mopping up waste. They'd make for some interesting displays and might take the place of nudi's. You might also try a handful of yellow watchman goby/pistol shrimp symbiants. They pair up and live together in the same burrow.
 
#3 ·
You might also try a handful of yellow watchman goby/pistol shrimp symbiants. They pair up and live together in the same burrow.

I thought about that, but I wasn't sure if I could be able to have them with Coral Banded Shrimp. I've been looking alot at Youtube for some specimens and the pistol shrimp and watchman goby are really nice to view.

Thank you so much for the info. I'm saving all this on my computer so I can't lose it. I'm using my aquarium as a learning tool and I didn't even realize it until I watched The Incovenient Truth last year. When Gore started to talk about the CO2 levels I said, "I can actually relate and understand to what he is saying." Then reading about clams with magnesium and calcium, I had a conversation with an elder woman because she was low on magnesium and her body wouldn't absorb the calcium. So it's not aquarium only knowledge.

For filtration I'm not sure yet. What is the Algae turf scruber? I was thinking of something with mud filtration and maybe even some canisters to mainly provide some extra water movement more than actual filtration. I heard that if you empty a canister a mini refugium could grow in it.

but for basic items, like hydrometer...what are the favorites. I want accuracy, but not complicated either.

For example with my water testing kits I've bought for my fresh water. I have a Fresh water master I love, but only tests for the basic things. Well, I started to grow live plants and needed more testing supplies, so I bought a more extensive kit and it just seems a hassle compared to my first one. It seems each time I test for gH or kH I can't figure it out, same with CO2. I can never get the starting color on the card to match the water. So I get frustrated with that kit and really haven't touched it too much since I bought it.

ps mantis shrimp on youtube brings up some great videos
 
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