New Saltwater Tank

[diamond]

Hi everone! i am new to the forum and i am in the process of sertting up my 1st saltwater tank.

it is a 32 gallon with 20lbs live sand and 30lb regular argamax

it has a no name brand skimmer (HOT) & 200w submersible heater

i just added 25lb of live rock, i think it is fiji but it was called Jakarta

how long will it take until life starts showing up on the rock?

and what would be some good inverts to dd in a couple weeks?

also for stocking i was thinking a pair of clowns, 1 blue hippo tang (juv), 3 banggai cardinals, and maybe a goby or 2

keep in mind i will upgrade to about a 100g tank in a little while, i know that the tang needs more space than 30G

so any other suggestions? i will attach some pics of the tank thus far

[Ninong]

Hi everone!

Hi diamond,

it is a 32 gallon with 20lbs live sand and 30lb regular aragamax

Nice sand bed!

i just added 25lb of live rock, i think it is fiji but it was called Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, so it's from there, not Fiji.

how long will it take until life starts showing up on the rock?

Coralline algae usually starts to show up within six to eight weeks. Whether any other life forms show up or not is a matter of chance. You can certainly expect that the live rock contains a lot of life that you can't see right now (amphipods, copepods, polychaetes, etc.). Try looking at your tank at night a couple of hours after the lights are off (all lights, including room lights). You will need to use a red lens flashlight or you can cover a regular flashlight with red cellophane. Or you can buy a red astronomy flashlight. Or you can use a regular white light flashlight and all of the little critters will scamper away within a few seconds of the white light hitting them. They don't detect red light at all.

and what would be some good inverts to dd in a couple weeks?

You shouldn't add anything in "a couple of weeks." Wait at least a month, assuming your water parameters are okay.

also for stocking i was thinking a pair of clowns,

That's fine as long as they are one of the smaller species. You can't add any of the larger clowns to a little 32-gal tank.

1 blue hippo tang (juv),

Absolutely not! Wait until you have a tank large enough for this species and a 100-gal tank is NOT large enough. Sorry.

3 banggai cardinals,

Absolutely NOT. Especially in a little 32-gal tank. Add just one at the most. A mated pair might work but you have to realize that you will already have a pair of clowns. You can't add two male Banggai cardinals or they will fight each other. If you add three of this species, the two most dominant ones will pick on the third one. It just won't work to add three of these guys in a 32-gal tank. Sorry.

and maybe a goby or 2

This would work if you choose carefully and don't add two different species that won't tolerate each other in such a small tank. One small species would be better. You could even add a shrimp goby with its companion shrimp. This would work with a pair of small clowns. You might want to forget about the Banggai cardinalfish until you get your 100-gal tank. Either that or add just one Banggai cardinal to go with your pair of small clowns and the one goby (or goby-shrimp combo).

keep in mind i will upgrade to about a 100g tank in a little while, i know that the tang needs more space than 30G

It needs more space than 100 gallons, too. It needs at least 135 gallons with the 6-ft length. And that's a bare minimum; 180 gallons would be better.

[diamond]

well thanks for the advice, that is why i came to a place like this because everyone else here has experience that can help us newbies out when we are getting started!

Thanks, would this sand be deep enough for sans sifting starfish &jawfish?

ok so 2 clowns would work, i was thinking black percula or true percula, and i think i will just go with the one banggai.

i am not planning on stocking fish until about december-january, assuming all goes well with water params, i will add a pair of clowns in beginning of dec.

so once the tank is cycled what are some inverts i could add as a clean up crew?

well i guess i won't get my heart set on a hippo tang.. are there any other fish that could go with the clowns?

i know there isnt much choice for a 32 but maybe a juv that is suited for something around 50-80G when full grown. >with my freshwater tanks you could upgrade the tank at a later time for a fish that would be eventually too big for its current tank. that is what i did with my pirahnas for 3 years, they started in a 20G went to a 32G and then 75G. is this not true with saltwater tanks?

thanks!

[Ninong]

Thanks, would this sand be deep enough for sans sifting starfish &jawfish?

The sand shifting sea star is out of the question. They need at least a 300-gal tank with lots of open sand bed to thrive. A jawfish would work if that's what you want.

ok so 2 clowns would work, i was thinking black percula or true percula,

Black "perculas" from Australia are usually black morphs of Amphiprion ocellaris (Ocellaris Clownfish) from the Darwin area. There are also "black onyx" clowns that are black morphs of A. percula. A. percula or A. ocellaris in any color morph would work. Get two juveniles of the same species and you will end up with a mated pair eventually.

and i think i will just go with the one banggai.

That would work.

i am not planning on stocking fish until about december-january, assuming all goes well with water params, i will add a pair of clowns in beginning of dec.

That will work.

so once the tank is cycled what are some inverts i could add as a clean up crew?

Add about a dozen Nassarius vibex (carrion-eating snails), about a dozen Ceriths, about half a dozen Trochus snails and maybe one or two Mexican turbo snails. I would also add a half dozen baby bristleworms (Eurythoe complanata) and maybe a few mini-stars if you can find them. You could add two or three so-called spaghetti worms. They're pricey, so only get one or two. They will multiply asexually within months. The same goes for the bristleworms.

You may have to feed your clean-up crew initially, especially if you add them before adding any fish or inverts, which is the recommended way of doing things. The Nassarius snails will eat any small pellets designed for carnivores. Don't overdo it. The grazing snails will eat sinking algae tabs like you can find for freshwater tanks. The bristleworms can take care of themselves eating scraps.

I don't know what your resources are in Alberta as far as finding places to buy some of these guys??? Most U.S. vendors do not ship livestock to Canada. You could add your clean-up crew a week or two before adding your first fish, assuming water params are reasonably decent.

are there any other fish that could go with the clowns?

Yes, but the list is rather long. Your problem is that you don't want to overload your 32-gal tank. Your next problem is that a 32-gal tank is really marginal for a lot of fish, even the ones I could suggest. Forty gallons is the usual minimum tank size for most of the smaller species.

i know there isnt much choice for a 32 but maybe a juv that is suited for something around 50-80G when full grown.

That doesn't work with marine fish because they grow too fast and because even juveniles require a lot of space to move around and to grow to their natural potential.

>with my freshwater tanks you could upgrade the tank at a later time for a fish that would be eventually too big for its current tank. that is what i did with my pirahnas for 3 years, they started in a 20G went to a 32G and then 75G. is this not true with saltwater tanks?

thanks!

No, not true with saltwater tanks.

[diamond]

ok so not much progress with the tank in the last few days as my baby parrot unexpectedly died yesterday morning

anyways after my water change last night the pump for my skimmer stopped working.. it has barely any power to it when i try and plug it in.. i have ordered a replacement and in the meantime i have a sponge filter in there and a bubble stone.

how often and how much water changes should i be doing? i am urrently using 3 5G jugs that are RO water and refilling them at the store.. but its a bit of a pain.. would it really hurt to use tap water?

thanks..

[Reefland]

It depends on the quality of your tap water, some people use it without any problems. I think they are the exception though. You can get a portable RO/DI until very cheap these days and there is really no reason to not use one.
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