Order of Livestock Additions

[Acord0296]

Hello all,

I’ve been cycling my 40B tank for about a good 6 weeks, and I’m seeing that everything is running smoothly and the ecosystem is well at work by this point. So now for livestock! My only issue is im not sure where to begin, and it’s mostly on preferred order of operations and ammounts of livestock at a time. Starting out with basics, I know i would like to add green chromis, and eventually get a couple clowns, skunk cleaner shrimp, falco hawkfish, then move into coral territory... So here are some questions I have raised, of which I haven’t really found solid answers to thus far:

I should add a CUC, but when?
What types and how many?
Do I get some CUC before adding fish or should I add fish first?
Does this also apply to a cleaner shrimp?
I’m leaning on the chromis as first fish, and I would like three, but is that too many right off the bat? (I mean, they’re relatively small lil bubs)

I know that once I have new additions, i need to quarantine them, most likely medicate, then add them to my DT, and then I should wait about two weeks before adding more, so I’m good there. It’s just these other simple little questions that are burning and I don’t wanna mess anything up being the noob that I am haha.

Any and all feedback is well appreciated.

- Austin

 

[Fishy212]

Hello all,

I’ve been cycling my 40B tank for about a good 6 weeks, and I’m seeing that everything is running smoothly and the ecosystem is well at work by this point. So now for livestock! My only issue is im not sure where to begin, and it’s mostly on preferred order of operations and ammounts of livestock at a time. Starting out with basics, I know i would like to add green chromis, and eventually get a couple clowns, skunk cleaner shrimp, falco hawkfish, then move into coral territory... So here are some questions I have raised, of which I haven’t really found solid answers to thus far:

I should add a CUC, but when?
What types and how many?
Do I get some CUC before adding fish or should I add fish first?
Does this also apply to a cleaner shrimp?
I’m leaning on the chromis as first fish, and I would like three, but is that too many right off the bat? (I mean, they’re relatively small lil bubs)

I know that once I have new additions, i need to quarantine them, most likely medicate, then add them to my DT, and then I should wait about two weeks before adding more, so I’m good there. It’s just these other simple little questions that are burning and I don’t wanna mess anything up being the noob that I am haha.

Any and all feedback is well appreciated.

- Austin

Hi! I am certainly not as knowledgeable as most of these guys and gals on this forum but I will give you my 2 cents. I am sure they will give you much more information and correct me if I am giving you misleading information.

I would assume the slower you add to your tank the better. As you stated, you will QT the livestock before adding them to the main tank, Just Incase.. I would start off with the clean up crew, 5-10 turbos and 5-10 hermits, a shrimp or two and some clams should be able to handle it. I just started a 55 gallon Red Sea reefer and I’m the same situation. Once your water levels are stable add these hardy critters in.

I think 6 weeks is plenty of time for your tank to cycle and is probably ready to house some small fish. More livestock = more bio load = more sump/filter replacement and maintenance.
Again I am not an expert like some of these reefers and I am positive this great community will certainly chime in.

Happy reefing and good luck!

 

[foxt]

There probably is no "right" answer in your case. It's a small tank with tank mates that are all going to get along (well, more on that in a minute).

It's a bit of a paradox, really. If you add the full CUC when the tank is new, they won't have anything to eat for a while. If you wait until you have had fish for a while and have algae and detritus for the CUC to eat, your fish may think you are feeding them when you add the CUC.

In your case I would add snails and hermits at the first signs of algae. Reefcleaners.com has suggested numbers of CUC for your size tank, with different options, take a look! I might add maybe half of the suggested amount to start with, and add the other half after you have had your fish in there for a while.

You could add the cleaner shrimp at the same time as the first batch of CUC.

Now, on your fish list ... that is trickier.

The Falco might eat some of your CUC. Hawkfish eat inverts. Some will defy this and leave everything alone. Some of the larger ones will even go after ornamental shrimp. Others like a Falco, are smaller and might only eat your small snails and hermits. It's often hit or miss, but better if the inverts are in the tank first. Your cleaner shrimp is large enough that the Falco will leave it alone.

The clowns will be probably ok with the Falco and the Chromis, but may fight with each other. You should add them after the hawkfish. Try to get two clowns from the same clutch, and small. If you can't get them from the same clutch, make sure they are small. This will mean they are both males, and they will get along fine until they mature to the point of having to decide if they will pair up. What kind of clowns are you considering?

Finally, the chromis. It has been said many times that the best way to successfully keep a single chromis is to start with two or three. They have a reputation for fighting with each other as they grow and eventually one will win. The odds are better when the tank is bigger, and there are people who can say that they have kept multiple chromis in a 40b, but every time I have tried in any size tank, I always wind up with one.

 

[Fishy212]

There probably is no "right" answer in your case. It's a small tank with tank mates that are all going to get along (well, more on that in a minute).

It's a bit of a paradox, really. If you add the full CUC when the tank is new, they won't have anything to eat for a while. If you wait until you have had fish for a while and have algae and detritus for the CUC to eat, your fish may think you are feeding them when you add the CUC.

In your case I would add snails and hermits at the first signs of algae. Reefcleaners.com has suggested numbers of CUC for your size tank, with different options, take a look! I might add maybe half of the suggested amount to start with, and add the other half after you have had your fish in there for a while.

You could add the cleaner shrimp at the same time as the first batch of CUC.

Now, on your fish list ... that is trickier.

The Falco might eat some of your CUC. Hawkfish eat inverts. Some will defy this and leave everything alone. Some of the larger ones will even go after ornamental shrimp. Others like a Falco, are smaller and might only eat your small snails and hermits. It's often hit or miss, but better if the inverts are in the tank first. Your cleaner shrimp is large enough that the Falco will leave it alone.

The clowns will be probably ok with the Falco and the Chromis, but may fight with each other. You should add them after the hawkfish. Try to get two clowns from the same clutch, and small. If you can't get them from the same clutch, make sure they are small. This will mean they are both males, and they will get along fine until they mature to the point of having to decide if they will pair up. What kind of clowns are you considering?

Finally, the chromis. It has been said many times that the best way to successfully keep a single chromis is to start with two or three. They have a reputation for fighting with each other as they grow and eventually one will win. The odds are better when the tank is bigger, and there are people who can say that they have kept multiple chromis in a 40b, but every time I have tried in any size tank, I always wind up with one.

Very insightful, I had no idea that the chromis will fight each other like that. I was hoping to get 3 but may rethink that idea due to the last man standing type of deal.

Any idea if they were all male? Female/male? I am just curious as I have been doing a lot of research on them and this is the first time I heard of last chromis standing..

 

[Acord0296]

Hi! I am certainly not as knowledgeable as most of these guys and gals on this forum but I will give you my 2 cents. I am sure they will give you much more information and correct me if I am giving you misleading information.

I would assume the slower you add to your tank the better. As you stated, you will QT the livestock before adding them to the main tank, Just Incase.. I would start off with the clean up crew, 5-10 turbos and 5-10 hermits, a shrimp or two and some clams should be able to handle it. I just started a 55 gallon Red Sea reefer and I’m the same situation. Once your water levels are stable add these hardy critters in.

I think 6 weeks is plenty of time for your tank to cycle and is probably ready to house some small fish. More livestock = more bio load = more sump/filter replacement and maintenance.
Again I am not an expert like some of these reefers and I am positive this great community will certainly chime in.

Happy reefing and good luck!

Thanks for the input! Even if you may not be as knowledgeable, I appreciate ay sort of insight. I was thinking of adding CUC and shrimp in first, and then I actually found from a few people that cleaner shrimp can tend to rely on there being fish within the tank to clean as well and don’t really know what to do with themselves otherwise. I figured this might be a good starting point anyways, and a couple weeks before adding fish would probably not be too long for a CUC to keep mildly busy until i add fish.

 

[foxt]

If you search for "multiple chromis" on R2R, you'll read accounts from both sides - some who have made it work, and most who have not. The key seems to be having a large tank, having a mix of larger fish that keep the chromis occupied, and feeding more than once a day. In my case, the most I ever kept together for any period of time was 5 in a 220g with about 30 other fish, and feeding them twice a day. But even then, they eventually wound up as one.

It can be hit or miss. Starting with small ones, adding them last, feeding them more than once a day, you may get lucky. The bigger concern would be getting your hands on healthy fish; from what I read lately, uronema is becoming more of a problem and these fish are susceptible to that.

 

[Acord0296]

There probably is no "right" answer in your case. It's a small tank with tank mates that are all going to get along (well, more on that in a minute).

It's a bit of a paradox, really. If you add the full CUC when the tank is new, they won't have anything to eat for a while. If you wait until you have had fish for a while and have algae and detritus for the CUC to eat, your fish may think you are feeding them when you add the CUC.

In your case I would add snails and hermits at the first signs of algae. Reefcleaners.com has suggested numbers of CUC for your size tank, with different options, take a look! I might add maybe half of the suggested amount to start with, and add the other half after you have had your fish in there for a while.

You could add the cleaner shrimp at the same time as the first batch of CUC.

Now, on your fish list ... that is trickier.

The Falco might eat some of your CUC. Hawkfish eat inverts. Some will defy this and leave everything alone. Some of the larger ones will even go after ornamental shrimp. Others like a Falco, are smaller and might only eat your small snails and hermits. It's often hit or miss, but better if the inverts are in the tank first. Your cleaner shrimp is large enough that the Falco will leave it alone.

The clowns will be probably ok with the Falco and the Chromis, but may fight with each other. You should add them after the hawkfish. Try to get two clowns from the same clutch, and small. If you can't get them from the same clutch, make sure they are small. This will mean they are both males, and they will get along fine until they mature to the point of having to decide if they will pair up. What kind of clowns are you considering?

Finally, the chromis. It has been said many times that the best way to successfully keep a single chromis is to start with two or three. They have a reputation for fighting with each other as they grow and eventually one will win. The odds are better when the tank is bigger, and there are people who can say that they have kept multiple chromis in a 40b, but every time I have tried in any size tank, I always wind up with one.

I know there’s never really gonna be a right answer, but any sort of insight or guidance is really all I would like and this answer has some great points, a few of which I was actually aware of as far as compatibility within the tank. I appreciate the info! I think this sort of apporach with a few cuc, then fish, and then more cuc might be a good way to go. One of the reasons I’d prefer to get a few chromis at once, is so they all can go in together and sort of lessen the likelihood of there being a last man standing situation. Same goes for the clowns. I would love a pair that actually are cool with each other haha. I planned on ocellaris, since i know that breeds like maroons, for instance, are a bit more aggressive.

 

[Fishy212]

If you search for "multiple chromis" on R2R, you'll read accounts from both sides - some who have made it work, and most who have not. The key seems to be having a large tank, having a mix of larger fish that keep the chromis occupied, and feeding more than once a day. In my case, the most I ever kept together for any period of time was 5 in a 220g with about 30 other fish, and feeding them twice a day. But even then, they eventually wound up as one.

It can be hit or miss. Starting with small ones, adding them last, feeding them more than once a day, you may get lucky. The bigger concern would be getting your hands on healthy fish; from what I read lately, uronema is becoming more of a problem and these fish are susceptible to that.

Thank you. I will certainly be reading about it tonight.

 

[Acord0296]

If you search for "multiple chromis" on R2R, you'll read accounts from both sides - some who have made it work, and most who have not. The key seems to be having a large tank, having a mix of larger fish that keep the chromis occupied, and feeding more than once a day. In my case, the most I ever kept together for any period of time was 5 in a 220g with about 30 other fish, and feeding them twice a day. But even then, they eventually wound up as one.

It can be hit or miss. Starting with small ones, adding them last, feeding them more than once a day, you may get lucky. The bigger concern would be getting your hands on healthy fish; from what I read lately, uronema is becoming more of a problem and these fish are susceptible to that.

Hm... I guess I just didn’t really realize that this was as big of an issue with these fish. As for Uronema, that is also something I’ve seen creeping up more and more, and that is a worry as well... some sort of small group of schooling fish is what I would really like, and while I know I can’t keep a ton of fish in a 40B, it’s still something I want to try to accomplish. A little group of 3-5 of a certain type of fish... maybe I’d just have to wait for a tank upgrade ._.

 

[Acord0296]

Update: CUC

I ended up oredering half of the reccomended basic cuc from ReefCleaners.org and they’re in! Already a lot of action going on, and I’m planning on picking up a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp tomorrow! Now for the shrimp, what about acclimation/quarantine? Do I need to worry about quarantining or not necessarily? I just acclimated the CUC, and put them in my tank, as the instructions implied from Reef Cleaners. I plan on drip acclimating the shrimp.

 

[BeejReef]

if you google or use the search function on here for "invert qt," you'll get more than you ever hoped for.
QTng inverts is hard bc they can't be treated with copper. If you're a serious qt person, the only suitable thing is to qt them for 76 days (I think, maybe 72)... whatever, it's the max lifecycle of ich, in a tank with no fish. Then they're safe to add.

If you do that, I think you get a 1% patch to sew on the back of your leather jacket ;Joyful
Drip acclimate is fine for shrimp.