Fire Shrimp
New Member
Hello everyone, longterm browser, first time poster. I got into saltwater fishkeeping in December of 2022 and decided to set up not one, but two tanks at the very same time, because I am insane. Both of the are 20 high tanks and are relatively low tech AIO using only two HOB filters each (aquaclear 20's and one AQ 50), 2 small internal sicce nano pumps and a small internal UV sterilizer. Lighting I didn't spare expense on - two AI prime 16's, one over each tank.
It has been a very positive experience for the most part! But of course it has not been without problems. Both of my systems have endemic ich, but it does not present on any of the current fish, which were sourced on purpose from old, established tanks after a few early losses from sterile store tanks. These fish fortunately have demonstrated total immunity so far, including through power failures and other stressors. Both systems have also had issues with dinoflagellates as nutrients frequently bottom out despite high stocking due to the macroalgae and large quantities of aggressively growing soft corals I decided to use in these builds (I was correct that using macroalgae would keep the water spotlesslly clean for the animals - but it is actually a little too clean, which causes its own management issues. Though nitrate and phosphate dosing reduced these outbreaks (but were very tedious), the addition of UV completely made them a non-issue.
Both tanks feature an ocellaris clownfish pair, my favorite marine fish, as well as pairs of cleaner and fire shrimp, many types of hermits, and a wide range of snails. In addition to the clowns, one tank has a banggai cardinal, the other has a watchman goby paired with a tiger pistol and an azure damsel. I have a pom pom crab in each tank, and they have cultivated two healthy anemones each from just one to start with on each crab. One tank has a group of five sexy shrimp which mostly live within a single Kenya tree. Both clown pairs have demonstrated spawning behavior. I feed the tank mostly Omega-1 marine flake and LRS nano frozen food, in equal measure, plus some sinking pellets for the crustaceans.
Across both tanks my corals are primarily Xenia, multiple leathers including green devil's finger and toadstools, many zoanthids, green star polyp and other hardy, fast growing species. I also have one duncan, and had excellent success growing a bird's nest frag to 4 inches across in just 6 months before losing it to a dino outbreak. For green macroalgae, I have had success with Caulerpa prolifera in the tank without the pistol shrimp only, and an unidentified caulerpa I acquired from a pet store sump which grows in both systems. For red, 3 species of Gracillaria, dragon's breath, and red grape caulerpa thrive and require regular very heavy trimming. I have never had hair algae in either tank due to the excellent nutrient removal capacity of the macroalgae, and my ugly stage was very short lived as well.
I run my lights on 12 hours a day with higher whites than blues to emulate a natural daylight effect, which is my preference. The high whites allow algae to grow on the glass, but an army of trochus, aestrea and cerith snails are always at work keeping it clean.
It has been a very positive experience for the most part! But of course it has not been without problems. Both of my systems have endemic ich, but it does not present on any of the current fish, which were sourced on purpose from old, established tanks after a few early losses from sterile store tanks. These fish fortunately have demonstrated total immunity so far, including through power failures and other stressors. Both systems have also had issues with dinoflagellates as nutrients frequently bottom out despite high stocking due to the macroalgae and large quantities of aggressively growing soft corals I decided to use in these builds (I was correct that using macroalgae would keep the water spotlesslly clean for the animals - but it is actually a little too clean, which causes its own management issues. Though nitrate and phosphate dosing reduced these outbreaks (but were very tedious), the addition of UV completely made them a non-issue.
Both tanks feature an ocellaris clownfish pair, my favorite marine fish, as well as pairs of cleaner and fire shrimp, many types of hermits, and a wide range of snails. In addition to the clowns, one tank has a banggai cardinal, the other has a watchman goby paired with a tiger pistol and an azure damsel. I have a pom pom crab in each tank, and they have cultivated two healthy anemones each from just one to start with on each crab. One tank has a group of five sexy shrimp which mostly live within a single Kenya tree. Both clown pairs have demonstrated spawning behavior. I feed the tank mostly Omega-1 marine flake and LRS nano frozen food, in equal measure, plus some sinking pellets for the crustaceans.
Across both tanks my corals are primarily Xenia, multiple leathers including green devil's finger and toadstools, many zoanthids, green star polyp and other hardy, fast growing species. I also have one duncan, and had excellent success growing a bird's nest frag to 4 inches across in just 6 months before losing it to a dino outbreak. For green macroalgae, I have had success with Caulerpa prolifera in the tank without the pistol shrimp only, and an unidentified caulerpa I acquired from a pet store sump which grows in both systems. For red, 3 species of Gracillaria, dragon's breath, and red grape caulerpa thrive and require regular very heavy trimming. I have never had hair algae in either tank due to the excellent nutrient removal capacity of the macroalgae, and my ugly stage was very short lived as well.
I run my lights on 12 hours a day with higher whites than blues to emulate a natural daylight effect, which is my preference. The high whites allow algae to grow on the glass, but an army of trochus, aestrea and cerith snails are always at work keeping it clean.
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