annaanderic
Reefing newb
Ok so we finally have a 29g Biocube and the stand! After a bunch of reading/researching we’ve finally narrowed everything down to what we think we need to get in order to have the tank we’re looking for. But before we go out and actually purchase the rest of the equipment, we figured it’d be a good idea to run some of our plans by all the reef experts here! Ok so here’s what we’re thinking, but please feel free to let us know if there are any fish/invert/compatibility issues.
Fish (added in this order)
-Wheeler watchman goby, hopefully paired with a pistol shrimp (
-a pair of Occellaris clowns (tank raised)
-and here’s where we’re trying to find out if 1) we have room for another small fish and 2)if it would have issues with the goby. The fish (if there’s room) that we want the most is the Red Sea Mimic Blenny but we’re a little worried about compatibility with the goby even though the wheeler is supposed to be pretty unaggressive.
Inverts
-5-10 nassarius snails for substrate sifting/aeration
-a turbo snail or two
-maybe a couple bumblebee snails too!
-5-10 red-legged hermits (or blue if its possible even though some sites say they’re not so reef safe)
- a peppermint, skunk, or banded coral shrimp (maybe a couple if possible)….does anybody know which of these would be best to have with the pistol shrimp so that it doesn’t become a target?
-a couple feather dusters
Corals
-Focus on soft corrals due to lighting limitations and difficulty
-Mainly zoas and maybe a few mushrooms.
-We’re definitely open to any cool suggestions here!!
-Does anybody know of any corals (we’re not going to risk the anemones in such a small tank) that the clowns would like that would be possible/easier to care for in a small tank like this?
Water Flow
-Either two koralia nanos OR one Koralia #1 or one Koralia #1 and one Nano.
-It was hard to figure out exactly how much flow would be needed on top of the wet/dry output
-We’re probably going to get the cheaper protein skimmer that’s specifically made for the biocube just because Ive heard mixed suggestions on whether it needs a skimmer at all when there’s live rock plus the filtration that come stock with the tank, and if the skimmer isn’t enough then we can always upgrade to the better one w/only having lost $35.
-Also, do you think it’d be worth getting one of those rotating heads to attach to the output nozzle that circulates the water in different directions?
Live Rock and Substrate
-20 lbs of live rock and about 20 lbs of base rock (we’ll have a while to let the rock cycle so hopefully seed the base rock so it’s mainly an attempt to cut back on costs a little)
-the plan is to have the base rock covered with the live rock so it’s not entirely visible in the early stages
-2-3 inches of aragonite (probably about 50% live and 50% non)
-I know a lot of places have said that its either to have practically no sand or have over 4 in., but we’re torn here because we’d like to have enough sand for the pistol/goby to burrow some but 4 inches is a little daunting for a 29g and it seems like it’d really reduce the appearance of the tank. Any ideas??
Fish (added in this order)
-Wheeler watchman goby, hopefully paired with a pistol shrimp (
-a pair of Occellaris clowns (tank raised)
-and here’s where we’re trying to find out if 1) we have room for another small fish and 2)if it would have issues with the goby. The fish (if there’s room) that we want the most is the Red Sea Mimic Blenny but we’re a little worried about compatibility with the goby even though the wheeler is supposed to be pretty unaggressive.
Inverts
-5-10 nassarius snails for substrate sifting/aeration
-a turbo snail or two
-maybe a couple bumblebee snails too!
-5-10 red-legged hermits (or blue if its possible even though some sites say they’re not so reef safe)
- a peppermint, skunk, or banded coral shrimp (maybe a couple if possible)….does anybody know which of these would be best to have with the pistol shrimp so that it doesn’t become a target?
-a couple feather dusters
Corals
-Focus on soft corrals due to lighting limitations and difficulty
-Mainly zoas and maybe a few mushrooms.
-We’re definitely open to any cool suggestions here!!
-Does anybody know of any corals (we’re not going to risk the anemones in such a small tank) that the clowns would like that would be possible/easier to care for in a small tank like this?
Water Flow
-Either two koralia nanos OR one Koralia #1 or one Koralia #1 and one Nano.
-It was hard to figure out exactly how much flow would be needed on top of the wet/dry output
-We’re probably going to get the cheaper protein skimmer that’s specifically made for the biocube just because Ive heard mixed suggestions on whether it needs a skimmer at all when there’s live rock plus the filtration that come stock with the tank, and if the skimmer isn’t enough then we can always upgrade to the better one w/only having lost $35.
-Also, do you think it’d be worth getting one of those rotating heads to attach to the output nozzle that circulates the water in different directions?
Live Rock and Substrate
-20 lbs of live rock and about 20 lbs of base rock (we’ll have a while to let the rock cycle so hopefully seed the base rock so it’s mainly an attempt to cut back on costs a little)
-the plan is to have the base rock covered with the live rock so it’s not entirely visible in the early stages
-2-3 inches of aragonite (probably about 50% live and 50% non)
-I know a lot of places have said that its either to have practically no sand or have over 4 in., but we’re torn here because we’d like to have enough sand for the pistol/goby to burrow some but 4 inches is a little daunting for a 29g and it seems like it’d really reduce the appearance of the tank. Any ideas??