Creating a healthy reef tank the right way

[TortillaMan]

I have a 5ft 130 gallon and I’m doing fallow because of ick and other issues. Here’s my plan. I cannot QT fish. Plenty of rock work and tank has plenty of hiding spaces. There is even a whole cave system. Rocks are 3 years old. Red Sea blue bucket.

1: purchase from reputable QT’d fish sources and make sure they are eating well


2: feed selcon, garlic, run UV(I have a 24w sterilizer), and feed nori, mysis, and spirulina. Might get into live foods down the road


3: cleaner wrasse, sixline wrasse(?), cleaner shrimps and fire shrimps, Coris wrasse, melanarus wrasse for pest control.


4: robust cleanup crew of 4 different types of snails and 2 types of sand sifting snails, hermits, emerald crabs, peppermint shrimp(s) ( will keep well fed as to not snack on corals), feather dusters, Christmas tree worms. I already have some hermits and 2 types of snails (1 sand and one non sand), diamond watchman goby, I have a fancy tiger serpent star. Pistol shrimp (Randal’s or tiger)


5: all corals will be dipped


Fish to add: mealanarus wrasse, Coris wrasse, sixline wrasse(maybe), cleaner wrasse, Kole rang, yellow tang, fox face (all at once for aggression minimization), diamond watchman goby, yellow watchman goby(paired with pistol shrimp), long nose or flame hawk, pair of clowns, school of 8 chromis (may skip on them but I’ll do my research). Mandarin goby and a scooter blenny, Midas blenny, royal gramma. More to check out but this is what I want for now


Corals to be added: Zoas, toadstool leather, GSP wall, maxima clam(2 G4 XR30w pros. Supplemented with rotifers, oyster feast, phyto), torches, frogspawn, hammer, Xenia (on an island), stylophora and red montipora, gonipora, more check but this is what I want for now

So how does it sound?

 

[coralboi56]

1. If you are going to purchase pre QTd fish, be prepared to spend A LOT of money on a single fish. Marine Collectors quarantines their fish but you also have to pay $500 for a flame angel.

2. The cleaning inverts and vertebrates only clean actual physical pests or remove physical things and prevent them from becoming future problems. They don't clean viruses/pathogens.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

That's a pretty large stocking list (fish)...

 

[TortillaMan]

1. If you are going to purchase pre QTd fish, be prepared to spend A LOT of money on a single fish. Marine Collectors quarantines their fish but you also have to pay $500 for a flame angel.

2. The cleaning inverts and vertebrates only clean actual physical pests or remove physical things and prevent them from becoming future problems. They don't clean viruses/pathogens.

Yeah I am aware of the costs of purchasing pre QT’d fish. Might find a way for me to do it myself. I am also aware that fish can’t be used to prevent disease but just keep anything at bay to a degree. I really like utilitarian fish though lol

 

[TortillaMan]

That's a pretty large stocking list (fish)...

Might skip on the wrasses and keep only 1 of them but I don’t think it seems like too much. All of these fish are small minus the tangs. I do 15g a week anyways

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Might skip on the wrasses and keep only 1 of them but I don’t think it seems like too much. All of these fish are small minus the tangs. I do 15g a week anyways

Please add slowly... It's still a large stock list.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Might skip on the wrasses and keep only 1 of them but I don’t think it seems like too much. All of these fish are small minus the tangs. I do 15g a week anyways

And don't plan on adding the dragonets (mandarin and scooter) for 6 months or so... They eat a LOT of pods.

 

[TortillaMan]

And don't plan on adding the dragonets (mandarin and scooter) for 6 months or so... They eat a LOT of pods.

I have a lot of pods. They are almost becoming an issue. A good one but they are on the glass and when I shine a flashlight in the tank at night around 100-200 per rock just scatter.

 

[TortillaMan]

Please add slowly... It's still a large stock list.

Yes for sure

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I think I counted like 26 or 27 fish lol? I think thats way overstocked

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I have a lot of pods. They are almost becoming an issue. A good one but they are on the glass and when I shine a flashlight in the tank at night around 100-200 per rock just scatter.

The pods they eat are often too tiny to see on rocks... Their mouths are small and they generally eat copepods - tisbes seem to be the best.