Definitely right with the patience part, I don't want to go too fast with stocking and not have room for cooler higher end critters due to lack of space. I can't afford high end fishy right now so I'm keeping stock low until the holidays. My uncle used to be an avid reefer so Christmas I will go for some new upgrades and livestock.
Good on you. I have a spreadsheet myself. I track my parameters on it, too. I am sure there are better apps for that though.
Congrats on the new tank! I have a YWG in the 13.5 EVO (paired with a Randall’s Pistol Shrimp). I don’t think it’s too big for this tank at all. I have a tailspot blenny and a pair of orange storm clowns as tank mates. It’s arguably overstocked with those 4, but it’s peaceful and I am diligent with maintenance.
Thanks so much for the advice! Blue light is my LFS and it is good to know they are a reliable store for the future. I'm not interested in clowns but the custom orders may be a lifesaver. Is there a fee for a custom order?
No fees. Just let him know what you’re looking for and he’ll get it as soon as it’s available on his wholesale list. If it’s something harder to find, it’s a good idea to give him some time (like a month or more). Between waiting for it to show up and his quarantine process (30-40 days by itself), it can take a while.
They're not a beginner fish at all and I personally wouldn't put one in anything less than a 90 gallon tank with lots of live rock and a huge population of copepods for them to feed on. I'd recommend getting a captive bred one from Biota if you ever get one just because it would at least increase your odds of getting them to eat frozen foods or pellets. Most mandarins starve to death because people don't understand how demanding their dietary needs are or underestimate how many pods they will need to keep one alive. They're more expensive to buy captive bred but better in my opinion because your not taking a fish from the ocean and it increases your odds of successfully keeping it if only by a little. I'm glad you researched at least enough to know it's a difficult fish to care for and didn't make an impulse buy. You can search the forums and quickly see how many folks bought one with no idea what they were doing and starved the poor things to death.
Could this also act as my first post cycle water change to remove nitrates?
If I purchase the chamber 1 media basket can I remove the sponge filter from chamber 2? Or would I benefit from having both the sponge and basket. I was thinking I could grow some macro algae in my spare chamber.
Just submitted my form for a custom CUC on ref cleaners, the pygmy wrasses are one of my favorite fish right now. In the future I definitely want to add one.
I'd say probably not. I don't see you exporting enough of the nitrate in the process. You could test beforehand to see where you are and then test after. If your nitrates are low enough, you might be good. But I think you'd need to remove a larger volume of water to have enough impact on the nitrates.
Yeah, most people ditch the sponge (and plug the hole toward the bottom of Chamber 2) pretty quickly. I bought my tank used, so the sponge was gone and the hole was plugged when I got it. I don't miss either. You could grow macro in there - lots of people do it. I just have some rubble and two mangroves (for aesthetics, not really functional)
Reef Cleaners is great. If you have any issues, just email John and he'll make it right. Pygmy Wrasses are wonderful fish too.
Thank you so much for the help and advice so far! I am planning on ordering my first CUC and a purple firefish from bluelight this week. As well as RODI and salt water for the future.
Do you think an ATO is necessary if I have the stock lid, I have heard there is very little evaporation.
What have you used to start the cycle? Dosing ammonia? ghost feeding? Whatever it is you're using, add a little more (not too much, just enough to read some ammonia in a test). That you're reading nitrite and nitrate is a good sign, but you want to keep that cycle going and build a good population of nitrifying bacteria - otherwise when you start adding fish, ammonia could spike.
You should be fine without one at first with or without the stock lid as long as you're good about manual top offs. And with the stock lid, you'll probably lose even less water. You should have a good ideal already of what evaporation looks like sinee you have water in the tank and it's been running a few days. Has the water level dropped much? I actually drew a line on mine when I first started it to track evaporation.
I ran without one for a few months with the stock lid but eventually I got tired of hearing air bubbles being pumped into the tank because I forgot to top it off before I went to bed. If you can swing it I'd just invest in one that way you don't have to do anything except keep the ATO reservoir filled up which is way easier. It also ensures that your salinity level stays consistent which is the more important aspect of having one. A lot of times you can pick up stuff on Marketplace or Craigslist that has been barely used or even new in the box still for quite a bit less than new so you could always try that first. I'll never run a tank without one regardless of the type of lid I have after having one but it doesn't mean it can't be done either, that's just my preference.
