How Can I Make My Reef Tank Better?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
T

Teen Aquarist

Gambusia
MFK Member
Oct 23, 2008
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Do you guys have any recommendations on how I can make my reef tank better? I'm thinking about ditching the sps and going more with soft corals; what are some of your favorite soft corals? I no longer have the yellow tang in the 55 gallon, so it's just down to the clowns and hawkfish. What are some neat fish I could add?

MY AQUARIUM

Thanks!
 
I really don't have any constructive suggestions (because 'add a moray' isn't constructive;), but I did just inhale some coffee reading your avatar. Hilarious.
 
Lol I was thinking the same thing as comatose with the moray. I have had a g. Tile for about 6 months and he is awesome. I have him acclimated to marine and he is as active as some tangs. I was thinking about putting am echidna nebulosa in there with him when I upgrade his tank to a 90 gal.

Anyways, your options are wide open. I personally have fallen in love with a starry blenny at my LFS and am building a reef tank to house it lol. You could get an anemone those are awesome to house. What are you thinking of doing with your tank?
 
Not to hijack the thread from the OP, but G. tile and E. nebulosa should be a pretty sweet mix. Glad to hear you got him in marine as well :)
 
I watched your video.

I first want to say that your rock structure is really well thought out. It incorporates a lot of hiding places for fish and is the best space utilization I have seen for a 55 gallon yet. The 12 by 48 inch footprint on 55 gallons can be difficult (imo) to work with.

Your corals look healthy for the most part as well. The birdsnest looks bleached, but that could be white balance of the camera. Since you already seem to be successful with SPS, you can do just about anything else, and that choice is yours.

I like LPS and SPS, but I am gunning for a heavy LPS tank with a few sps like encrusting and plating montis. I think LPS are the best of both worlds. They can have striking colors, all while remaining pretty easy to care for (compared to millipora and acros).

I think one of the coolest things in saltwater tanks is watching the dynamic between clowns and their anemones. A bubbletip can be had for relatively cheap, and they are pretty easy to care for as well. Bubbletips will host a wide range of clown species.

Something else that I like is the symbiotic relationship between a goby and a pistol shrimp. They can be found in pairs or you can get them to pair up if you buy them separately. Some additional reading will be needed on your part so you can figure out what gobies will pair up with a pistol shrimp. I dont think the hawkfish should be a predatory concern for the pistol shrimp, since he appears to be relatively small, and the goby would be there to alert the pistol of any impending danger.

There are a variety of reef-safe wrasses available for a 55 gallon that would add lots of color and activity. I recently picked up a Hoeven's Wrasse. He has been skiddish but is becoming more social with his tank mates, and he is well mannered as well.
 
wantokeeptrout said:
if you have a good copepod population i'd get mandarin dragonets
Click to expand...

Not likely to thrive in a 55 gallon unless it was weened to eat prepared foods. To have enough copepods to supply a natural diet, you need a TON of live rock. You have to understand just how much those things eat, it's non stop feeding with them.
 
Purevil21 said:
Not likely to thrive in a 55 gallon unless it was weened to eat prepared foods. To have enough copepods to supply a natural diet, you need a TON of live rock. You have to understand just how much those things eat, it's non stop feeding with them.
Click to expand...


I agree as my scooter blenny is weaned onto brine shrimp and mysis. After thier eager eaters...the problem is competiton in the tank as my tangs literally get in his way and hog the food....whcih leads me to over feeding the tank.

I don't mean to hijack your thread...this may help you too when purchasing a clown or scooter (or both).

-What is the most friendliest clown out thier....by this I mean how peaceful are they to other fish as I seen clowns tear up fire fish and other fish...I say fire fish because of my tomato clown (use to have)?

-Also is thier anyway to get the food at my scooter blenny, without the interference of the tangs? (I'm currently using a syringe...but the tangs still get involved...)?

Thanks Teen Aquarist for the hijack but hopes it helps you too....and btw I'm a teen aquarist too
 
I'd love to get a mandarin as I have a huge copepod population, but the guy in my avatar would make a quick meal of him... lol
 
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