Fluval Evo Saltwater Startup
- Thread starter Potato Patatto
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- Dec 2, 2018
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So, now that I know for a fact I won't be moving from my current place of residence for about 3 years I want to restock the old 13.5 I have lying around. I've been really missing my old mantis and decided to get another one, which is currently being held for me at my lfs. However, my previous experience with peacock mantis in a 13.5 has shown me that it's quite difficult to house even a half grown mantis in a 13.5 because of how much mess they make. That may have been because the mantis was literally the only thing in the tank since I thought everything I put, fish, snails etc was going to be mantis food. But my lfs says that, while they're aggressive towards small crustaceans and any kind of crab, they're actually ok with a lot of other stuff provided it's not aggressive towards them. They also said that the presence of a mantis will stress any fish that isn't a schooler or top dweller. They keep them with gobies and grammas in the store and looking at the tank I really don't see any signs of tank warfare.
I'm also thinking about putting a tube anemone or sun coral or something (I don't want to get into corals at all) close to the burrow of the mantis shrimp when I feed it. I've got a spare powerhead that I want to place on the edge of the tank so that there's a current blowing across the entrance to the burrow (not in), so that when I'm feeding the mantis, all the little bits that decompose and bomb your parameters flow into the anemone and it eats them, thereby feeding the anemone and cutting down on like half the bioload.
Do you think this would work? Anything I should know about NPS? The only challenge is it'll be hard to target feed them if I need to because of the mantis, though if they actually wind up getting fed every time the mantis is, I won't need to. Any trace elements or params they're susceptible to?
I'm also thinking about putting a tube anemone or sun coral or something (I don't want to get into corals at all) close to the burrow of the mantis shrimp when I feed it. I've got a spare powerhead that I want to place on the edge of the tank so that there's a current blowing across the entrance to the burrow (not in), so that when I'm feeding the mantis, all the little bits that decompose and bomb your parameters flow into the anemone and it eats them, thereby feeding the anemone and cutting down on like half the bioload.
Do you think this would work? Anything I should know about NPS? The only challenge is it'll be hard to target feed them if I need to because of the mantis, though if they actually wind up getting fed every time the mantis is, I won't need to. Any trace elements or params they're susceptible to?
From what I know sun corals can be difficult to feed because you have to do so at night (if I’m thinking of the right thing).
Don’t know anything about NPS besides the tank needing to be very mature for them. I would think that a mantis’s eating habits would provide a lot of proper nutrients for them though.
Xenia is a good choice for waste removal, it spreads fast and such nutrients out of the water. Plus as it grows, it is easy to remove and sell, so you can make some money with it.
What kind of mantis were you looking at? There are a few species that are small enough to fit in the fluval for life.
Don’t know anything about NPS besides the tank needing to be very mature for them. I would think that a mantis’s eating habits would provide a lot of proper nutrients for them though.
Xenia is a good choice for waste removal, it spreads fast and such nutrients out of the water. Plus as it grows, it is easy to remove and sell, so you can make some money with it.
What kind of mantis were you looking at? There are a few species that are small enough to fit in the fluval for life.
- Dec 2, 2018
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Orange spot, purple, or peacock, I highly doubt the one at my lfs is a purebred peacock, however it's quite small at the moment. Peacocks get 6" max, the rest stay under 5" or usually 4".
I was looking at xenia as well, does it need any special lighting? I know nothing about corals.
I was looking at xenia as well, does it need any special lighting? I know nothing about corals.
Stock lighting is good on Xenia. It is one of the least demanding corals out there, like a leather as far as durability as well. I would keep it away from the main rockwork though. It grows fast and well separated, but once on it grows exponentially fast. I put mine on the main archway in my tank probably 3 weeks ago now, it has tripled in size since then.
I took a chance on the rock from Walt Smith and am pleasantly surprised with it. Manufactured rock but I received a decent amount with some cool shapes. 4 pieces total.
And here it is in the tank. Hard to get placement right while still leaving access to the sides for cleaning.
- Dec 2, 2018
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I'm planning to have a very heavily rocked, heavily substrated aquarium, as mantis tend to shy away from open space and I want to see it active. That way they'll also be plenty of rockwork for the xenia to grow on.
So the light that comes in the fluval will be both intense enough and proper reef lighting for the xenia?
Yeah, the stock light is actually pretty good for most corals, only ones that would need a bit better is some sps or other heavily light dependent coral. It’s not perfect for viewing pleasure, but Xenia isn’t exactly a colorful coral anyway.
My numbers look good. Between the live sand, Dr Tim and the borrowed media tank cycled fairly quickly. I did add three blue legged hermit crabs 4 days in to help the cycle. Honestly I could have an entire tank of these guys as they are fun to watch. Added a single clown two days ago and some additional Tim’s to offset the new load. Ammonia spiked up a little but was back to zero next morning. Going to let this settle for another week and make sure ammonia and nitrites remaining at zero then add second clown.
