Stocking Advice For Marine Tanks

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markandhisfish

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ok as soon as finances permit im going to take the plunge and go for a reef tank .

my tank is 4x2x2 453 litres 100ukg

do the stocking levels work differently for marine ? assuming im going with smallish fish say 2 to 6 inches what would i be looking at in terms of numbers of fish and numbers of clean up crew?
 
There is no rule. Deffinatly not the 1" per gallon or whatever they use over on FW tanks these days.

Depends on compatability, size etc. Make a list of what you like and we will help.
 
hmmm a list of what i like hey? well so far almost everything ive seen :lol: il take a look around and come back with a list of some things that catch my eye
 
Well id aim for ten-twelve fish you really like and make that your fish list. Then when you have this list and if everyone gets on ok and your stats are good start looking into others
 
ok i have had a quick look around and these are some of the things i liked please note THIS IS IN NO WAY A SUGGESTED STOCKING LIST

fish
percula clown
bluefin angelfish
royal gramma
bicolour blenny
kauderns cardinal
purple firefish
yellow watchman goby
goldrim tang
powder blue tang :drool:

corals
devils finger leather
kenya tree coral
toadstool leather
colt finger coral
yellow polyp
star polyp
torch coral

inverts
pinktip anemone
banded coral shrimp
scarlet cleaner shrimp
bloodred fire shrimp
flame scallop
dwarf blueleg hermit
scarlet reef hermit
nasarius snail
crown conch snail
blue licknea sea star
 
I'll chip in the ones I know about, but for most, others will have to give you answers for :good:

Anenomies are going to need a mature (1 year + old) tank, and should be the first type of "coral" you add, as they will walk arround for the first few days, stinging everything in their path, untill they find a spot they like, usualy with good flow and light. Powerhead intakes will need covering with coarse sponge (unless they are Tunze or Koralia style) and this extends to sump overflows and exturnal filters also...

The Blue legged hermits will murder the other hermits and potentially go after snails, even with spare shells available. I would avoid that type like the plague, unless you want just blueleged hermits and shrimp as your CUC... Mebe suppliment them with a few more red legs?

Clowns should be fine with all those on the list. Angels can be coral munchers, so you need further advice there from someone else... Grammas are agressive to similar shaped or coloured fish, so s/he would rule out the blennys and gobies and likely the firefish also, so I'd likley scratch the gramma if the others say the blennies and gobies are OK... That concludes the fish I am formiliar with, and I still think someone will correct me on some of them :rolleyes:

The scallops and nems will need good lights, but the rest of the inverts should be OK with T5. If you want them enough to stomach the cost of halides (the cost of the units will be fairly similar, but halides cost a bit to run), keep them on the "ideal list", otherwise, well... Flame scallops are particularly high-light lovers, so you want a minimum of a pair of 250W halides, and even then they'd need to be near the top :/ A pair of 250W halides on a typical electricity tarrif for 8 hours a day and electronic balasts will consume 56p a day...

HTH
Rabbut
 
ok thanks rabbut so scratch the gramma as id rather the goby/blenny anyway prob scratch the anemone too as i wouldnt want to wait a year before adding corals ( unless of course youd have too anyway ? ) scratch the blue legged hermits too and anyhing id need metal halides for ( im assuming there are still corals i could get away with t5s ? )

if halides are required for all corals then i will of course swallow the running costs
 
ok thanks rabbut so scratch the gramma as id rather the goby/blenny anyway prob scratch the anemone too as i wouldnt want to wait a year before adding corals ( unless of course youd have too anyway ? ) scratch the blue legged hermits too and anyhing id need metal halides for ( im assuming there are still corals i could get away with t5s ? )
presumming you have 2 linear T5's you will be able to keep most softies and some LPS corals
 
thats good t5s it is then :good:
reflectors would be useful too, but also you may need more tubes because of the height of the tank. but if you wish to keep an anemone consider LED's theyre an expensive investment but they are VERY cheap to run, but you would need alot for a nem, you looking at £1000+ initial costs
 
a grand? what for everything? well im gonna get an ro unit in a few weeks then gradually build up the equipment bit by bit as and when i can seen a 50 gallon a a day ro unit for 70 quid. . the live rock is gonna be the killer as the calculator says if used as main filtration il need 50kg!!! and of course id want the fulji grade a stuff. :crazy:
 
a grand? what for everything? well im gonna get an ro unit in a few weeks then gradually build up the equipment bit by bit as and when i can seen a 50 gallon a a day ro unit for 70 quid. . the live rock is gonna be the killer as the calculator says if used as main filtration il need 50kg!!! and of course id want the fulji grade a stuff. :crazy:
you could get that LR for £350 from a reefer that is braking down a tank. in a shop normally your looking at £500
 
Considering it's 2ft deap, you'd want at least a 4 T5's with individual reflectors in a unit if you want LPS corals, which you do (the torch) :good: It may be cheaper to use a pair of 150W halides though from a lamp replacement perspective. New halide lamps cost £20 each, and need at most anual replacement from one Ebay seller. T5's are £30 each, and need replacing every 6 months. You are consuming an extra 84W with the 150W halides, or 9.5p a day more electricity... T5's are fractionally cheaper, but for an extra, say, £30-40 a year in running costs, you have a few more options for stocking open... It's a cost-vs-benefit trade-off :nod:

All the best
Rabbut
 

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