Moonstream
05/22/2011, 01:17 AM
my 40g is running great, everything is thriving, growing, snails are breeding like mad. after a bought of ich and subsequent hyposalinity, I've lost most of my fish. I have only my longnose hawk, yellowtail damsel and YWG. in my basement, among other tanks, I have two empty AIO systems- a BC29 with stock lighting and a NC24 with a 24" 2 bulb T5HO. I'm strongly considering setting them up on either side of my 40, which would allow me to keep all the critters I want that will not co-exist together. my plan for each is as follows:
the 40 (250watt MH, BH-100F octopus HOB skimmer, sumpless) will probably be LPS dominant, with some SPS. other livestock would be the two serpent and one brittle star already in there, plus my pair of skunk cleaners, and maybe a fireshrimp in the near future, and maybe some clams eventually; for fish I'm not quite sure, its all pretty much up in the air, considering a fang blenny though, or maybe a small group of barnacle blennies.
the NC24 would be a gorgonian dominated tank with probably a flower anemone or two, some rics maybe, maybe some zoas. invert-wise, I'm hoping to showcase some small shrimp (large group of sexies, some periclimenes spp.) and maybe a porcelain crab/ pom pom crab or two. for fish, definitely a yellow clown goby and maybe a fang blenny if I dont do it in the 40, or some barnacle blennies if I dont do them in the 40, maybe a barbershop goby and randall's pistol, or a pair of neon or rusty gobies.
the BC29 would be what I would term a "junk tank" in that I wont be adding much besides what I already have. my plan is to keep my three surviving fish in it, plus a tiger pistol for the goby. for coral, I'm thinking I'll use it to hold the corals I have that I have never felt fit in in my other tanks (hairy mushroom rock, sizable toadstool, two somewhat sizable kenya trees) and probably some added inexpensive mushrooms and leathers.
my plan is to spend an hour or so a week doing waterchanges, etc a week. 5g a week on the 40, closer to 2g a week on the other two. I'll be running the back chambers of the AIO's empty save for the return pumps, a heater in each, and some activated carbon and filter sponge. in the 40, I'm gonna run some carbon and probably some chemi-pure and some sponge.
my question: what does everyone think of the individual plans for each tank, and what do people think about my planned mainenence schedule? does an hour-hour and a half a week sound like a decent estimate of the time it will take?
the 40 (250watt MH, BH-100F octopus HOB skimmer, sumpless) will probably be LPS dominant, with some SPS. other livestock would be the two serpent and one brittle star already in there, plus my pair of skunk cleaners, and maybe a fireshrimp in the near future, and maybe some clams eventually; for fish I'm not quite sure, its all pretty much up in the air, considering a fang blenny though, or maybe a small group of barnacle blennies.
the NC24 would be a gorgonian dominated tank with probably a flower anemone or two, some rics maybe, maybe some zoas. invert-wise, I'm hoping to showcase some small shrimp (large group of sexies, some periclimenes spp.) and maybe a porcelain crab/ pom pom crab or two. for fish, definitely a yellow clown goby and maybe a fang blenny if I dont do it in the 40, or some barnacle blennies if I dont do them in the 40, maybe a barbershop goby and randall's pistol, or a pair of neon or rusty gobies.
the BC29 would be what I would term a "junk tank" in that I wont be adding much besides what I already have. my plan is to keep my three surviving fish in it, plus a tiger pistol for the goby. for coral, I'm thinking I'll use it to hold the corals I have that I have never felt fit in in my other tanks (hairy mushroom rock, sizable toadstool, two somewhat sizable kenya trees) and probably some added inexpensive mushrooms and leathers.
my plan is to spend an hour or so a week doing waterchanges, etc a week. 5g a week on the 40, closer to 2g a week on the other two. I'll be running the back chambers of the AIO's empty save for the return pumps, a heater in each, and some activated carbon and filter sponge. in the 40, I'm gonna run some carbon and probably some chemi-pure and some sponge.
my question: what does everyone think of the individual plans for each tank, and what do people think about my planned mainenence schedule? does an hour-hour and a half a week sound like a decent estimate of the time it will take?