EliMelly’s 350 G2 Build

[EliMelly]

Hello all!

This is my first saltwater tank other than a failed attempt at a jellyfish tank. I am planning on a mixed reef tank and wanted to share my progress. A special thanks to @Slocke and @blaxsun for their patience and amazing advice. Expecting a child in a month so I’m excited to be able to create a reef and share the beauty with them. Some background, this tank is an incentive I’m giving myself for staying clean and overcoming an addiction. I’ve been buying every piece of equipment after another clean week and will continue to do the same with all of the corals.

Gear List:

• Tank and Sump - Red Sea 350 G2
• Lighting - AI Prime HD x 2 and Hydra 32 x 1
• Wave Makers - MP40 x 2
• Skimmer - ReefRun DC Skimmer 600
• Pump - ReefRun DC 5500 (On Pre-Order)
• Controller - New Red Sea Controller (On Pre-Order)
• ATO - Red Sea ATO (On Pre-Order)
• Red Sea Reef Mat 500 (To be purchased)
• Heater - Eheim 400 watts (To be Purchased)
• Lid - Undecided, any recommendations?
• UV - Aqua UV (To be purchased)
• Controller - Needed, if so at what point?
• Doser, will be added when needed.

Aquascape:

• 100 pounds of dry Marco Rock
• 26 Pounds of dry Marco Foundation Rock
• BRS 10 oz glue x 4
• BRS 1 oz glue x 2
• Insta Set x 6
• Marco Mortar

Fish List - Still not 100% confirmed but here is the wishlist, all input is valued!

• Blue Hippo Tang
• Yellow Tang
• White Tail Tang
• Regular Ocellaris Clown
• Black and White Ocellaris
• Earmuff Wrasse
• 2 Red Firefish
• Either a long nose hawkfish or red hawkfish thoughts?
• Banded Snake Eel
• Midas Blenny
• Goby - Not sure which one thoughts
• Royal Gramma
• Wantanabe Angel

Coral List, I am willing to be patient and would love to know everyone’s thoughts with these! See below:

• Tons of Zoas, my wife’s favorite and I happen to love them.
• Torches
• Hammers
• Elegance Corals
• Clove Polyps
• Alveopora
• Duncan’s
• Gorgonians
• Psammacora
• Montipora
• Xenias
• A couple chalices
• I know it’s not a coral but Rock Flower Anemone and a clam
• Polyps

I am currently in the progress of building the NSA and have some pictures to share! Please let me know your thoughts and what you would suggest changed! I have one piece near completion and plan to add a second aquascape bonsái style on the left side of the tank that branches out over the arch!

 

[Slocke]

Awesome! That aquascape is absolutely incredible already! Beautiful and the fish will love it.

 

[EliMelly]

Awesome! That aquascape is absolutely incredible already! Beautiful and the fish will love it.

Thanks man you’re the best!

 

[Lavey29]

Congrats on a beautiful tank. I have the XL300 and know you will be happy with RedSea. Looking at your intended fish list though no way some of those tangs will survive in a medium size tank like yours. Perhaps for a short while if you have a large tank pending. I speak from experience as I tried a tang in mine and it never acclimated due to limited rank size. They need 6 foot tanks.

 

[dstockwell]

Lookin godd

 

[EliMelly]

Congrats on a beautiful tank. I have the XL300 and know you will be happy with RedSea. Looking at your intended fish list though no way some of those tangs will survive in a medium size tank like yours. Perhaps for a short while if you have a large tank pending. I speak from experience as I tried a tang in mine and it never acclimated due to limited rank size. They need 6 foot tanks.

Hey, I’ve definitely been thinking about that. I plan on creating a much bigger tank in about 3 years once a new place is ready. Otherwise I will rehome the hippo. Is that enough time?

 

[Lavey29]

Hey, I’ve definitely been thinking about that. I plan on creating a much bigger tank in about 3 years once a new place is ready. Otherwise I will rehome the hippo. Is that enough time?

I think that's to long for him in an undersized tank but perhaps others with more experience in this area can chime in. I know mine was just nervous and erratic swimming in my tank so it did not survive after couple weeks.

 

[Petcrazyson]

That tank of your looks really nice! Digging that scape! I like that it’s NSA but it doesn’t quite feel NSA which I’m sure the fish will love.

 

[EliMelly]

That tank of your looks really nice! Digging that scape! I like that it’s NSA but it doesn’t quite feel NSA which I’m sure the fish will love.

Thanks! About a third of the way done.

 

[Petcrazyson]

Hopefully these suggestions help you out a bit.

Blue Hippo Tang - I’d pass on the Blue Hippo until you upgrade as it will grow pretty quickly fed right. This is mainly because of its aggression in smaller tanks especially at feeding time. If you do decide to add it watch for its aggression and add as one of the last fish, not THE last fish lol as some say.

Zebrazoma Yellow/WTKT - Everyone loves a Yellow. Do you plan on going down the CB Biota road or Hawaiian WC? The WT Kole being a bristletooth is one of the more docile tangs so that’s a plus. Make sure to feed nori at least twice a day and some cucumbers and other veggie treats along the way. I fed my tangs spinach on the clip next to the nori so they don’t get picky. The Yellow will outgrow your tank eventually but much slower than the Hippo. Once he gets too aggressive or starts pushing that 4” mark I’d plan on upgrading his tank. The Bristletooth can stay in that sized tank much longer as they are the only Tang’s that can suit a 4 footer comfortably for the long part. Once he does start getting aggressively dominant be best to upgrade.

Halichoeres melasmapomus - Personally appreciate you are giving some love to this Halichoeres. Make sure to have at least an inch of sand bed for them to sleep in at night. Halichoeres are great because they eat all kinds of pests especially flatworms and monti eating nudis. He can get a bit of an attitude as he gets older. Something beneficial is add live copepods to the tank so he has at his disposal some natural food.

Banded Snake Eel- My man @Slocke keeps a few of them and even wrote an article about them you can find on here. He is your go to guy for all you need to know about these eels. Some of the best eels and super peaceful. Safest eels for fish that like to sleep in the sand at night and fish that like to burrow. And they have very tiny teeth so if they bite it hardly hurts or breaks skin, it would feel more like pressure. Plenty of meaty foods for this guy crab mussels maybe some live shrimp.

Hawkfish - IMO get a Longnose as Flame’s are a bit overrated in my opinion lol.

Since you do plan on an eel, gobies aren’t the best match up with them as they are generally small and are in the sand or on the sand most of the time. Theres the Yellow Watchman for a choice or the Orange Banded Prawn Goby. These guys would be I think your best bet. Wouldn’t recommend the other shrimp or prawn or nano gobies.

Genicanthus watanabei - Genicanthus angelfish are known to be the only true reef safe angelfish and stay on the smaller side so really good candidates for reefs. They do come with a bit of a price tag so don’t be shocked if you see them for $300 plus. I’d suggest a pair as you get the best character out of them.

I hope this helps lol. I’ll be following I want to see more!

 

[EliMelly]

Hopefully these suggestions help you out a bit.

Blue Hippo Tang - I’d pass on the Blue Hippo until you upgrade as it will grow pretty quickly fed right. This is mainly because of its aggression in smaller tanks especially at feeding time. If you do decide to add it watch for its aggression and add as one of the last fish, not THE last fish lol as some say.

Zebrazoma Yellow/WTKT - Everyone loves a Yellow. Do you plan on going down the CB Biota road or Hawaiian WC? The WT Kole being a bristletooth is one of the more docile tangs so that’s a plus. Make sure to feed nori at least twice a day and some cucumbers and other veggie treats along the way. I fed my tangs spinach on the clip next to the nori so they don’t get picky. The Yellow will outgrow your tank eventually but much slower than the Hippo. Once he gets too aggressive or starts pushing that 4” mark I’d plan on upgrading his tank. The Bristletooth can stay in that sized tank much longer as they are the only Tang’s that can suit a 4 footer comfortably for the long part. Once he does start getting aggressively dominant be best to upgrade.

Halichoeres melasmapomus - Personally appreciate you are giving some love to this Halichoeres. Make sure to have at least an inch of sand bed for them to sleep in at night. Halichoeres are great because they eat all kinds of pests especially flatworms and monti eating nudis. He can get a bit of an attitude as he gets older. Something beneficial is add live copepods to the tank so he has at his disposal some natural food.

Banded Snake Eel- My man @Slocke keeps a few of them and even wrote an article about them you can find on here. He is your go to guy for all you need to know about these eels. Some of the best eels and super peaceful. Safest eels for fish that like to sleep in the sand at night and fish that like to burrow. And they have very tiny teeth so if they bite it hardly hurts or breaks skin, it would feel more like pressure. Plenty of meaty foods for this guy crab mussels maybe some live shrimp.

Hawkfish - IMO get a Longnose as Flame’s are a bit overrated in my opinion lol.

Since you do plan on an eel, gobies aren’t the best match up with them as they are generally small and are in the sand or on the sand most of the time. Theres the Yellow Watchman for a choice or the Orange Banded Prawn Goby. These guys would be I think your best bet. Wouldn’t recommend the other shrimp or prawn or nano gobies.

Genicanthus watanabei - Genicanthus angelfish are known to be the only true reef safe angelfish and stay on the smaller side so really good candidates for reefs. They do come with a bit of a price tag so don’t be shocked if you see them for $300 plus. I’d suggest a pair as you get the best character out of them.

I hope this helps lol. I’ll be following I want to see more!

For the blue tang I was planning on putting one in last and closely monitoring him and pulling it out as soon as I see it causing problems.

I have a friend who dives in Hawaii so if he’s able to pull through I’ll have a wild caught one for $30. Otherwise I’m going with the cheapest one pre quarantined that I can find.

@Slocke has been mentoring me with everything actually so I think I will be good with the eel!

Let’s see what the wife chooses with the hawkfish.

Thanks for the info with the gobies I will show my wife the options.

Would I be able to fit two of the Wantanabes in this tank?

 

[Petcrazyson]

For the blue tang I was planning on putting one in last and closely monitoring him and pulling it out as soon as I see it causing problems.

I have a friend who dives in Hawaii so if he’s able to pull through I’ll have a wild caught one for $30. Otherwise I’m going with the cheapest one pre quarantined that I can find.

@Slocke has been mentoring me with everything actually so I think I will be good with the eel!

Let’s see what the wife chooses with the hawkfish.

Thanks for the info with the gobies I will show my wife the options.

Would I be able to fit two of the Wantanabes in this tank?

Personally I think you could. On your list you’d have 14 fish, and taking the eel isn’t exactly open swimming, adding the second one shouldn’t be a problem as long as there is enough territory.

 

[LeannaBanana]

Congrats on the new tank! Following along here. I'm working on setting up my 350, as well, but it's been a slooooow go thus far.

 

[EliMelly]

Congrats on the new tank! Following along here. I'm working on setting up my 350, as well, but it's been a slooooow go thus far.

Awesome let me know if you need any assistance! It’s been a long process since December!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Hello all!

This is my first saltwater tank other than a failed attempt at a jellyfish tank. I am planning on a mixed reef tank and wanted to share my progress. A special thanks to @Slocke and @blaxsun for their patience and amazing advice. Expecting a child in a month so I’m excited to be able to create a reef and share the beauty with them. Some background, this tank is an incentive I’m giving myself for staying clean and overcoming an addiction. I’ve been buying every piece of equipment after another clean week and will continue to do the same with all of the corals.

Gear List:

• Tank and Sump - Red Sea 350 G2
• Lighting - AI Prime HD x 2 and Hydra 32 x 1
• Wave Makers - MP40 x 2
• Skimmer - ReefRun DC Skimmer 600
• Pump - ReefRun DC 5500 (On Pre-Order)
• Controller - New Red Sea Controller (On Pre-Order)
• ATO - Red Sea ATO (On Pre-Order)
• Red Sea Reef Mat 500 (To be purchased)
• Heater - Eheim 400 watts (To be Purchased)
• Lid - Undecided, any recommendations?
• UV - Aqua UV (To be purchased)
• Controller - Needed, if so at what point?
• Doser, will be added when needed.

Aquascape:

• 100 pounds of dry Marco Rock
• 26 Pounds of dry Marco Foundation Rock
• BRS 10 oz glue x 4
• BRS 1 oz glue x 2
• Insta Set x 6
• Marco Mortar

Fish List - Still not 100% confirmed but here is the wishlist, all input is valued!

• Blue Hippo Tang
• Yellow Tang
• White Tail Tang
• Regular Ocellaris Clown
• Black and White Ocellaris
• Earmuff Wrasse
• 2 Red Firefish
• Either a long nose hawkfish or red hawkfish thoughts?
• Banded Snake Eel
• Midas Blenny
• Goby - Not sure which one thoughts
• Royal Gramma
• Wantanabe Angel

Coral List, I am willing to be patient and would love to know everyone’s thoughts with these! See below:

• Tons of Zoas, my wife’s favorite and I happen to love them.
• Torches
• Hammers
• Elegance Corals
• Clove Polyps
• Alveopora
• Duncan’s
• Gorgonians
• Psammacora
• Montipora
• Xenias
• A couple chalices
• I know it’s not a coral but Rock Flower Anemone and a clam
• Polyps

I am currently in the progress of building the NSA and have some pictures to share! Please let me know your thoughts and what you would suggest changed! I have one piece near completion and plan to add a second aquascape bonsái style on the left side of the tank that branches out over the arch!

Nice looking tank, excited to see the progress of it!!

 

[EliMelly]

Nice looking tank, excited to see the progress of it!!

Thanks! Can’t wait to update you all! Hope I don’t mess this up too much!

 

[EliMelly]

Personally I think you could. On your list you’d have 14 fish, and taking the eel isn’t exactly open swimming, adding the second one shouldn’t be a problem as long as there is enough territory.

Would this be with the blue tang with rehoming in 3 years or without?

 

[Petcrazyson]

Would this be with the blue tang with rehoming in 3 years or without?

Probably without, because you are already going to have 3 large bodied fish in there, with or without the second angelfish. The second angelfish would take the spot of a tang. Not because of the amount of fish, but because of the number of larger bodied fish.

 

[EliMelly]

Probably without, because you are already going to have 3 large bodied fish in there, with or without the second angelfish. The second angelfish would take the spot of a tang. Not because of the amount of fish, but because of the number of larger bodied fish.

Thanks Ethan! So either the hippo and rehome in a couple of years or a second Wantanabe. I was also thinking of doing a copperband butterfly fish would that change things?

 

[Petcrazyson]

Thanks Ethan! So either the hippo and rehome in a couple of years or a second Wantanabe. I was also thinking of doing a copperband butterfly fish would that change things?

I would say wait till you have your fair share of experience with some more sensitive fish like the tangs the angels and other fish and then try out a CBB. These guys are soooo hard to keep, and their difficulty rate and deaths 80% of the time are not from disease, but of not eating. If you do decide to go ahead with one get one that looks really chunky, like fat. And one that is eating VIGOROUSLY. Not a peck here and there or going for food after inspecting, actually like if it was super hungry. If it’s in a tank with other fish at the LFS then make sure it handles the competition well for food. If you go down the Copperband route definitely no Hippo Tang and maybe even pushing out the Yellow. With the angelfish it should be fine as well as with the other fish.