Second hand tank, first time hobbiest

[Kensuma]

Hey everyone,
I was looking to get some advice on what to do with a tank that I've received from a previous owner that hadn't provided much information seeing as this is my first tank I want to do my best for these animals.

It's a 75 gal ( not 100% sure just est. based on the measurements) with a 20 gal sump.

4 fish:
3 clowns (two black and one orange)
1 blue hippo tang

And two unknown coral

Hopefully the pictures help. I can't wait to hear from y'all and slowly improve this system.

 

[Fish Fan]

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

I can't help with the coral ID, but I'm sure others will.

Your tank looks good so far, is there something wrong with it or something you're worried about? Is there a direction you want to take it, like are you looking to add more corals, or do you want to concentrate on the fish? Knowing what you want from your tank will help others here advise you on what's best to do with it.

Good luck with your 75!

 

[Kensuma]

The only concern that I currently have is there seems to an infestation of vermetid snails and asterina starfish. I read that harlequin shrimp and bumblebee snails will help with both of these pest.

I guess I was looking for validation that everything so far looks healthy/good. I heard/read that this hobby is a slow one so not to hyper worry about everything, but more so being mindful of the health of the fish and corals.

As for vision of the tank I'm wanting to create three live rock Islands that have different colors of zoanthids ( kind of warm colors on one side and move to cooler on the opposite side). Haven't fully looked into how to go about creating the islands and then moving into this already active system.

 

[Fish Fan]

The vermetid snails can be a problem, the stars get mixed feelings here with some saying they are harmless detritovores, and others saying they can be a real problem. Yes, harlequin shrimp can help with the stars, though that's all they eat, so they are prone to starving out once all the stars are gone from the tank. They can be moved to another tank, or target fed with other stars (like, a frozen arm of a chocolate chip star) if your so incline. The bumblebee snails are said to help with the vermetids, but I don't know for sure how well they work. I'm sure others will let us both know ;-)

Yes, this tends to be a hobby where patience and going slowly are often the best course of action

There's a lot of people here that love Zoas and there's even a subforum just for Zoa lovers with a lot of great info in the stickies at the top, as well as the more general conversations.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/zoa-discussion-club-zoa.14/

And here's a video from Bulk Reef Supply's beginner series on keeping Zoas and making a Zoa island, which is really no harder than gluing a few varieties of Zoas to a piece of rock, placing this rock separately from your main rock stack, and allowing the Zoas to grow in.

 

[Kensuma]

I appreciate all the information and resources

I had talked to my local fish store (top shelf aquatics) and they have a nice return policy when it comes to the harlequin shrimp. Once it's done cleaning up they would rather do a return then let it die.

I will definitely have to take a look at the zoa video and the subforum later!

 

[Fish Fan]

I appreciate all the information and resources

I had talked to my local fish store (top shelf aquatics) and they have a nice return policy when it comes to the harlequin shrimp. Once it's done cleaning up they would rather do a return then let it die.

I will definitely have to take a look at the zoa video and the subforum later!

Yes, a lot of the more reputable fish stores will take the harlequin shrimp back from you, so that may be a good option, and much better than just letting them starve. You can also rehome them to another reefer who may want them.

As always, best of luck with your tank!