tHEcONCH Posted September 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 How are all your little critters going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted September 10, 2007 Report Share Posted September 10, 2007 there going great nemo likes to try and catch them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 I might have a few zoos you can have... do you like purple? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 yea that would be good it lould look good next to the torch i got on the weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Coolies... I'll pick some off and leave them at the local fish-mongers for you to collect next weekend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 sweet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapphire Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 HI, I'm new to this forum (and to marine!!) Firstly - awesome tank - very impressed! Secondly, I see you have a green mandarin - I'm also really keen to get one eventually... Given their feeding behaviour/requirements would you advise reducing the amount of fish in the tank - I see you have that and the flameangel? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 To be honest I probably shouldn't have two fish in that tank - and either of them are entertaining on their own. If you are looking to build a similar sized tank then do consider having just a Mandarin, and whatever you do don't get any other groundfeeding / pod-eating fish. The Flame Angel doesn't really compete directly for food, but Gobies etc. might, so if you succumb to temptation like I did then consider mid-water fish like Bangai Cardinals etc that won't be able to forage in the same areas as the Mandarin. Most importantly, get a good population of critters in your tank before you introduce the Mandarin - mine arrived quite thin and without live food to get it interested it might not look so good now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapphire Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Thank for that - I'm also getting a Red Sea Max... If I "saved" the Mandarin for another later tank (wishful thinking!!) do you think the RSM would be be OK for just your standard clownfish, a dwarf angel of somesort and maybe a damselfish - from my (limited) understanding they should all be pretty hardy? I seem to remember John saying something about 36cm of fish (from the manual??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 It depends a little on what else you want to put in the tank in the way of corals etc - If you have more fish you'll have more difficulty keeping the water clean enough for some corals, but if you want to have primarily soft corals like Xenias, Mushrooms, Zooanthids, etc. you should be fine. A lot of it comes down to how well you maintain the tank and how often you do water changes etc but you'll definitely have to give he Mandarin a miss this time around if you do put those other fish in there - it will only end in tradgedy otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Don't get damsels. This is why you READ UP FIRST!. They are highly aggressive and territorial!. (However, they are fine in larger tanks, where fish can hide form them, also, add them last!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted September 11, 2007 Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Agree about not putting too many fish in, one of the reasons TheConches tank is such a beauty is that he has not overstocked it. It is a very common mistake for people starting to put too many fish in it is so tempting. Plus, people are often used to FW stocking levels, but the fishload capacity of a SW tank is much lower. I don't have a RSM myself so cannot speak with experience, but i think 2 very small juvenile occellaris clownfish would be OK. These kind of fish don't have much territory in the wild and can be totally happy in a tank this size. They also don't eat as much as other fish the same size thereby reducing bioload, and will also stay small in a small tank. But if TheConch has a different opinion on that i will bow to what he has to say. Also, clowns would be much happier, plus more interesting, if in an anemone, they would be completely as in nature. Still waiting for TheConch to see how an anemone will go in a RSM, any progress on this Conch? Alternatively, just a small flame angel, as TheConch has, is a happy option the flame angel is one of the most awesome coloured fish and adds much beauty to the tank. My suspicion is it will outgrow the tank in time, but if this happens it could be sold and a new one purchased. What Markoshark said also, in a tank that size a damsel will have a tendency to badger other fish to death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Yep, although Damsels are hardy, they are a difficult fish because they will beat up everything else you put in there. Given that RSM's are quite small, you'll have better long term success with smaller fish that aren't too territorial - and because RSM's are small, you can have and see smaller interesting fish that would otherwise be too hard to spot in a big tank - have you looked at firefish etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2007 Still waiting for TheConch to see how an anemone will go in a RSM, any progress on this Conch? I think I'll have to give it a miss - I think my tank has fallen into equilibrium, and I don't really want to upset the balance by having Anemone vs. Coral battles all over the place, so I might just have to be patient and wait until I get another (bigger) Marine tank going. They look very cool though. In fact, were I to have another RSM, I'd probably just stick a single Anemone and a clown fish in it (assuming the lighting was up to the task - although I might have a cunning refit option there...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapphire Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Thanks so much for all the advice! I'd only thought of the damsel as liveaquaria.com had the yellowtail listed as less agessive etc and compatible with clownfish + with caution with dwarf angels - but i'm guessing in a bigger tank. so essentially it sounds like my best options are clownfish and anemone (taking into account the concerns re lighting,stinging etc) + no/few corals or one carefully chosen fish and corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 ...or Corals and 2-3 carefully chosen (small, colourful, peaceful) fish... perhaps a couple of Bangai Cardinals and Small Clown, or 2-3 Firefish and 2-3 cleaner shrimp (they are fun too)... ...and you can add a smallish Brittlestar to any of the above too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish-unit Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 my tank has.a mandarin,2 clowns a firefish,shrimp and i will be getting a bangaii cardinal and a royal gramma or strawbery basslet if you keep up with regular( 20 litres a week for me) then i dont see the problem my water params are prefect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 I don't really want to upset the balance by having Anemone vs. Coral battles all over the place, so I might just have to be patient and wait until I get another (bigger) Marine tank going. That's a pity, although probably the right decision given all the beautiful corals you have. I would love to see this done though so anybody trying it MUST post on here! . The trick will be to put the anemone in before lots of corals go in, although corals could be added once the anemone is settled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 One other thing - I'd recommend that regardless of what you do, remove the foam from the intake (both the black block and the thin white layer) as soon as you've got sand, rock and water in there and you've let it run overnight - other than pulling some of the initial silt out of the water column, its more hassle than it is worth - and you can then use the chamber to hold a phosphate remover of some sort (rather than having to poke it under the circulation pumps which is difficult to access at the best of times)... Good luck, and be patient... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 That's a pity, although probably the right decision given all the beautiful corals you have. I would love to see this done though so anybody trying it MUST post on here! . The trick will be to put the anemone in before lots of corals go in, although corals could be added once the anemone is settled. You never know... I might find another recess behind another door just out of view of the Wife... or if anyone is interested in a breeding pair of Oscars I could use that tank... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish-unit Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 I only have around 8 small corals maybe I should try a anemone,anyone know of one small enough and suitable ill do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 See wasp's advice a page or two back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish-unit Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 ok well in that case. Wanted to buy small dark bta!! :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted September 12, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Don't forget the pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sapphire Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 One other thing - I'd recommend that regardless of what you do, remove the foam from the intake (both the black block and the thin white layer) as soon as you've got sand, rock and water in there and you've let it run overnight Good luck, and be patient... Thanks - I'll definitely do that. At least I've got heaps of time yet to sort out the best choice fish wise! However I can definitely see a bigger tank in the future if this one goes ok.... Will also be interested to see how an anemone goes if fish-unit or anyone else gets one in a small tank....! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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