new reef tank

[keith mac]

hi im new to marines been keeping rifts for 30 months but sick of the fighting and killing so got rid of the fish and added some salt and the bacteria is ok bit of a prob with the ph and ended up with white spot but with a little help from my local shop and a dose of garlic and every think seems to be ok so far i have a copperband a regal a cleaner wrass a black and white perc a pyjama cardinalfish and an orange spot goby my question is can i put an other type of goby in my setup my tank holds 33 gals and has undergraval plus fluval 403 thanks for any help

 

[Chris]

You should be ok adding other gobies, here is what Dr. Foster & Smith say about the Orange Spotted Goby...

The Orange Spotted Goby, also known as the Spotted Prawn Goby or Orange Spotted Shrimp Goby, was first discovered in the Western Pacific in 1938. Its body is white with orange spots outlined in brown. It has the ability to form symbiotic partnerships with nearly blind alpheid shrimp. It provides a watchful eye while the shrimp digs a burrow for them to share.

It is best suited for aquariums that are 10 gallons or larger which have adequate hiding places along with ample swimming space. The aquarium should have a tight-fitting lid to prevent it from jumping out. The Orange Spotted Goby adapts well to reef aquariums, although it does pose a possible threat to small, delicate ornamental shrimp. It prefers a bed of fine sand and loose coral rubble to sift through.

It is possible for the Orange Spotted Goby to spawn successfully in an aquarium.

Its diet should consist of a variety of fresh or frozen mysid shrimp, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, and table shrimp. It should be fed at least twice per day.

Hope that helps.

 

[jhnrb]

Without knowing how you are maintaining your water quality it appears you are at a point of overstocking.. watch your bioload carefully. do you have a protien skimmer?, what kind of substrate?? live rock??. how often do you change the filter?. all of these items will affect how much you can put into your tank. (just trying to keep it simple). welcome aboard. glad to see your post.

 

[keith mac]

my setup

thanks guys for the info on the goby as for my setup i have 10cm of coral sand with 2 aquaclear 301 powerheads a fluval 401 with foam and alfagrog manly for bacteria i have 4k live rock but getting some more today as yet no skimmer but looking into that as im not sure what to get and how much room i have my plan is to not get too many more fish but i like the antics of the gobies

 

[jhnrb]

Sounds like you are heading in the right direction. watch your nitrates. once live rock is well established recommend you clean mechanical filter weekly or at least bi weekly. you might look into the CPR back pack R2 for a protien skimmer. if you have room behind the tank. a hang on that should be enough for your system. ( this keeps it small and simple. naturally there are a lot more skimmers out there and a lot bigger)

 

[Chris]

The protein skimmer is a definite must. It will get rid of a ton of waste keeping nitrates and phosphates down.