The Prodigal Fish Keeper returns?

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spryandspringy

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 7, 2005
272
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The Lone Star State!
H'lo, folks!

I've been away for the list for a while, but got "re-energized" on fishkeeping yesterday when I did some rearranging of stock and equipment. I shut down my 50g FOWLR and moved the stock into my 70g FOWLR. Current inhabitants (one of each) now are:

1. Harlequin Tusk
2. Juvenille-ish Volitan Lion
3. Jewel Damsel
4. Snowflake Eel
5. Clarkii Clown
6. Ebleii Angel
7. Three-stripe Damsel
8. Long-spine Urchin

Then I moved some of the more "primo" equipment and most of the live rock from the 50g and put it on my mini-ish-reef (40g, breeder style). The only inhabitant from the 50g that went to the reef tank was a humungous chocolate chip star. I'd kind of let my reef go to heck in the proverbial handbasket, so all that is in there besides the star are:

1. Yellow-tail Damsel
2. Chili Coral
3. Mushroom
4. A TON of live rock!

The equipment on the mini-reef is now much better. I previously had a large overhang filter, refugium, two powerheads, a mix-and-match light system, and a really crappy protein skimmer on there. I moved a big Fluval canister from the 50g to the 40g, as well as a larger vortex-style skimmer and an additional powerhead with a rotating head. I also moved a primo Coralife light fixture to the mini-reef that had been on the 50g and also kept one of the good lighting fixtures previously on there as well. It's now quite bright in there, and the waterflow and filtration are where they should be for many varieties of coral.

(I'm still deciding what to do about my Frontosa and my Mbuna set-up, BTW, but that's certainly a different post.)

So, my question for you MFK-ers: Now that I really have a set up to support coral, what should I get? Like I said, there is a TON of live rock (more than 1/2 of the total volume is rock) so there are plenty of nooks and crannies.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions. I'll cross-post this under some other categories as well.
 
sounds like your pretty much set with getting corals in the 40g. what kind of lighting are you running exactly? wattage? what kind of coral do you plan on getting? other than that... you seem good to go.
 
I have two light fixtures on the 40g now. One is a 10,000K + Actinic (? sp) and the other is a 10,000. Since the tank is a breeder style, it's not as deep, so light is easier to arrange.

As far as what type of coral, I'd LOVE to get some of the super-cool branching corals, but I don't know if I've got the patience for them. I'm not much for "set it and forget it." I like to pick at things and get them looking like I want them to quickly. I definitely want to get an anemone of some sort, though nothing too aggressive, to go in this tank as well. Maybe a couple of nano fish, too for some motion. :-)

I tend to lean toward the more exotic and interesting -- though maybe not to the folks on this forum. Lots of color to impress non-fish-folks, and a few interesting (even challenging) specimens would be great.
 
im sure you know but in case you dont, that 70g wont work for very long. that clown and damsel will be food to the lion and eel eventually and 70g isnt really big enough for a lion on its own, let alone a lion with a harlequin and an eel...just so ya know...any plan to upgrade or spread them apart again?
 
spryandspringy;943581; said:
I have two light fixtures on the 40g now. One is a 10,000K + Actinic (? sp) and the other is a 10,000. Since the tank is a breeder style, it's not as deep, so light is easier to arrange.

As far as what type of coral, I'd LOVE to get some of the super-cool branching corals, but I don't know if I've got the patience for them. I'm not much for "set it and forget it." I like to pick at things and get them looking like I want them to quickly. I definitely want to get an anemone of some sort, though nothing too aggressive, to go in this tank as well. Maybe a couple of nano fish, too for some motion. :-)

I tend to lean toward the more exotic and interesting -- though maybe not to the folks on this forum. Lots of color to impress non-fish-folks, and a few interesting (even challenging) specimens would be great.
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10k bulb is not the wattage, its more of the intensity of the light spectrum. but it sounds like you would probably have power compacts. try to find out the wattage it has.

as for the "super branching corals," im assuming you would be speaking of SPS (acros). those require very strong lighting and you would most likely end up having to buy metal halide. if your running power compacts you would be ok having zoos, mushrooms, polyps, and might get away with some LPS.

freeninety9 is right, your 70g system wont work. you have predators with community fish. its like having an arowana with tetras
 
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