Macro Algae Tank?

SoloChromis · 12/07/2014, 09:26 AM

So Ill be going off to college next year and Ill be taking my tank with me and setting it up again in my new apartment. College life is hectic and as in love with this hobby as I am, I really don't think Ill have the time to be tinkering with things constantly and water changes will be a whole lot less frequent, but of course, being the junkie that I am, I'm determined to keep my tank, while having it thrive. After a little research in how to keep my tank stable, with out much interference from me, I am leaning towards a tank that houses various macro algae to help maintain stability, as well as naturally removing nitrates and phosphates. Ill be keeping the majority of my corals, and adding a few other simpler ones (leathers, gorgonians etc.). All in all, what exactly would I need to keep a macro tank thriving, and what are some species that you would recommend for both aesthetics and nutrient reduction? Looks like Ill be going tang-less for a couple years Here is what I'm thinking of keeping, fish wise :
- 2x Percula Clowns
- Azure Damsel
- Springeri Dottyback
- Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse
- Zebra Moray Eel
- Striped Fang Blenny
- 5-15x longspine cardinals
- Bleeker's Damsel
- Springeri Damsel
- Starcki Damsel
- Tuxedo Damsel
- Black Cap Basslet
- 2x Ruby Red Dragonets (Eating prepared food)
- Golden Assessor (possibly a pair)
- 2x Radial/White Spotted Pygmy Filefish
- 2x Fathead Sunburst Anthias
- 2x Neon Gobies
- Marine Betta

... Thanks guys

Betta132 · 12/07/2014, 12:06 PM

The marine betta will eat a lot of those guys.
What size tank is this going to be? The 120? Those two neon gobies will probably be lost most of the time.
If you want a tank that's stable and doesn't require much care, stock lightly.

SoloChromis · 12/07/2014, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Betta132

The marine betta will eat a lot of those guys.
What size tank is this going to be? The 120? Those two neon gobies will probably be lost most of the time.
If you want a tank that's stable and doesn't require much care, stock lightly.

After talking to plenty of people who have kept a marine betta long term, I feel confident that he won't bother his smaller tank mates. Also, IME neon gobies, despite their diminutive stature, are pretty bold fish.

Moort82 · 12/07/2014, 03:06 PM

Having a marine betta myself I agree that its unlikely to eat any of those fish. Mine is nearly fully grown and doesn't bother anything, although the only fish I have on your list is a starcki damsel.
I'm more worried about aggression between your species. You have some very timid species like assessors mixed with some pugnacious brutes. I'd ever remove the aggressive species and keep peaceful ones or take out the assessors, wetmorella and filefish who like peace and quiet. You also have fish that might cause issues with one another as they occupy the same niches such as the springers dotty, yellow assessors and black cap. You'd likely be ok with the dotty and gramma but again I think the shy assessors would lose out.

SoloChromis · 12/07/2014, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moort82

Having a marine betta myself I agree that its unlikely to eat any of those fish. Mine is nearly fully grown and doesn't bother anything, although the only fish I have on your list is a starcki damsel.
I'm more worried about aggression between your species. You have some very timid species like assessors mixed with some pugnacious brutes. I'd ever remove the aggressive species and keep peaceful ones or take out the assessors, wetmorella and filefish who like peace and quiet. You also have fish that might cause issues with one another as they occupy the same niches such as the springers dotty, yellow assessors and black cap. You'd likely be ok with the dotty and gramma but again I think the shy assessors would lose out.

Thanks for the advice. I'll be adding the damsels to my current tank (already have the dottyback) and assessing their aggression before I move out and reboot the tank, so if I can see that they would pose a problem with the more timid fish, I will give them to my LFS before heading out. I will say, my dottyback does occasionally nip at my Tanaka's wrasse, but nothing to write home about.

Moort82 · 12/08/2014, 03:52 PM

You can probably tell from my avatar that I also have a springers dotty (and have done for the last 10 years) and over that time it has been nothing but peaceful. Only once have I seen a flared fin and that was the day I introduced a similar sized iridis wrasse. Next day no agro and it has been perfect ever since. So my experience may differ from my advice slightly but I've always been cautious with mixing.
I'd also consider that the dynamic of the tank may change in time, like when my Starcki started chasing a yellow wrasse relentlessly, it was fine before and since the removal of the wrasse but just a word of caution that I believe with all those damsels you might have to be ready to whip a few out.

12/07/2014, 09:26 AM	#1
SoloChromis Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 787	Macro Algae Tank? So Ill be going off to college next year and Ill be taking my tank with me and setting it up again in my new apartment. College life is hectic and as in love with this hobby as I am, I really don't think Ill have the time to be tinkering with things constantly and water changes will be a whole lot less frequent, but of course, being the junkie that I am, I'm determined to keep my tank, while having it thrive. After a little research in how to keep my tank stable, with out much interference from me, I am leaning towards a tank that houses various macro algae to help maintain stability, as well as naturally removing nitrates and phosphates. Ill be keeping the majority of my corals, and adding a few other simpler ones (leathers, gorgonians etc.). All in all, what exactly would I need to keep a macro tank thriving, and what are some species that you would recommend for both aesthetics and nutrient reduction? Looks like Ill be going tang-less for a couple years Here is what I'm thinking of keeping, fish wise : - 2x Percula Clowns - Azure Damsel - Springeri Dottyback - Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse - Zebra Moray Eel - Striped Fang Blenny - 5-15x longspine cardinals - Bleeker's Damsel - Springeri Damsel - Starcki Damsel - Tuxedo Damsel - Black Cap Basslet - 2x Ruby Red Dragonets (Eating prepared food) - Golden Assessor (possibly a pair) - 2x Radial/White Spotted Pygmy Filefish - 2x Fathead Sunburst Anthias - 2x Neon Gobies - Marine Betta ... Thanks guys __________________ 60g Macro Algae & Gorgonian Dominated Reef Cube & 20g (Peacock) Mantis Tank Current Tank Info: 60g Caribbean-esque Reef (2'x2'x2'), 10g Quarantine

12/07/2014, 12:06 PM	#2
Betta132 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 2,239	The marine betta will eat a lot of those guys. What size tank is this going to be? The 120? Those two neon gobies will probably be lost most of the time. If you want a tank that's stable and doesn't require much care, stock lightly. __________________ When you put an animal of any kind in a situation where it can no longer fend for itself, such as an aquarium, it's your job to care for it to the best of your ability. It's that simple.

12/07/2014, 03:06 PM	#4
Moort82 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Posts: 1,576	Having a marine betta myself I agree that its unlikely to eat any of those fish. Mine is nearly fully grown and doesn't bother anything, although the only fish I have on your list is a starcki damsel. I'm more worried about aggression between your species. You have some very timid species like assessors mixed with some pugnacious brutes. I'd ever remove the aggressive species and keep peaceful ones or take out the assessors, wetmorella and filefish who like peace and quiet. You also have fish that might cause issues with one another as they occupy the same niches such as the springers dotty, yellow assessors and black cap. You'd likely be ok with the dotty and gramma but again I think the shy assessors would lose out.

12/08/2014, 03:52 PM	#6
Moort82 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Norfolk, England Posts: 1,576	You can probably tell from my avatar that I also have a springers dotty (and have done for the last 10 years) and over that time it has been nothing but peaceful. Only once have I seen a flared fin and that was the day I introduced a similar sized iridis wrasse. Next day no agro and it has been perfect ever since. So my experience may differ from my advice slightly but I've always been cautious with mixing. I'd also consider that the dynamic of the tank may change in time, like when my Starcki started chasing a yellow wrasse relentlessly, it was fine before and since the removal of the wrasse but just a word of caution that I believe with all those damsels you might have to be ready to whip a few out.