Setting up a new tank, looking for advice!

[Mano]

Hello all.
I've had a good bit of experience with aquariums, though this will be my first step into salt water tanks. I do not by any means claim to be well educated though I am learning, reading everything I can while setting up my first tank. So here I am trying to gather up information, throw me all the wisdom you can!

At first I was aiming for a tank with a Damselfish and hoping for a starfish, planning on no coral. I have a five gallon hex tank (which is far more tall than it is wide) with 5 pounds of Marine sand, 4-5 pounds of live rock, a small powerhead, a nano protein skimmer, heater and biowheel (no filter).

As I did more research on the tanks and animals I wanted to keep, I quickly learned that a starfish is not going to work in a small tank. At about the same time, I learned about the Goby/Shrimp symbiotic relationship and found myself wanting to set this up.

My goal has shifted to a Dracula Goby and a Pistol Shrimp combo, still no coral, which of course raises an issue, as my tank has very little floor space. I've also read that Pistol Shrimp need coral debris to build a burrow in, where as I only have slightly coarse marine sand.

My tank has only been cycling for a few days, so I think it would be no great loss to act quickly and upgrade to a 10 gallon. To do this I would so the following setup,
10 pounds of sand/coral debris, heater, 2 powerheads, nano protein skimmer, 9-11 pounds of live rock.

I think doing this would give them a far better seabed to burrow into. Also I was wondering if, with the upgrade, it would be healthy to host a yellow clown goby (maybe two!) in the tank. I've read that Dracula Gobys tend to keep to the bottom, so "swimmers" inhabit well with them.

I am still a long way off from adding fish to my tank, I am trying to plan ahead and gather info well before I do anything. I greatly appreciate any and all info, tips and hints you can give me! Thank you very much.

[fox2589]

ya definately wait....i got my ten gallon going and added fish in about a week...although i have been successful and its been going for about 5 months it wasnt the best idea...i have had a chocolate chip starfish in my ten for a while and hes doing just fine,not gonna get to put a lot of fish in it though..my pair of clowns are pushing it and i have about ten pounds of rock so we have about the same tank lol..just change about 2 gallons a week and u should be fine without a skimmer(my fission nano doesnt work for **** anyway) other than that i only have to add about a 12th of a gallon of top off water a day LOL...good luck

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT!!!

I think you would be much better off going with the 10 gallon instead of the 5. That will give you the extra room on the bottom for the diggers. It is not necessary to have 1 pound per gallon if you stack it in a way to expose as much of the rock as possible. I think in the long run you would be happier and more successful starting with the 10 gallon. I also think it would be fine to add the clown gobies, but would stop at the 3 fish and 1 pistol shrimp.

Best of luck!

[Mano]

Thank you for the welcome.

I am not going to be putting fish in until at the very least 20 days, I'm planning on putting my 'clean up crew' in after green algae starts to grow, fish about ten days after that.

I am honestly concerned about overcrowding, I want happy, healthy fish, not just fish. =P Would one Clown be a better bet than a pair? From my readings I like the behavior of two clowns together, but I also don't want to end up stressing them because I feel the need to play matchmaker.

[fox2589]

well i was fortunate and bought a very young pair of clowns that were already somewhat "bonded"...unfortunately i dont know enough about it to give u an educated answer on that,but i can tell u mine do just fine and stay together always..

[aquawolf]

Originally Posted by Mano

I am honestly concerned about overcrowding, I want happy, healthy fish, not just fish. =P Would one Clown be a better bet than a pair? From my readings I like the behavior of two clowns together, but I also don't want to end up stressing them because I feel the need to play matchmaker.

Are you still talking about Clown Gobies or actual Clown Fish?

[Mano]

My slanging is utterly failing.

I'm looking at a clown goby, not clownfish. XD

[aquawolf]

Two clown gobies should be fine in there. What would be really cool is if you have a decent LFS that could find you a male and a female.

[usmc2b2004]

Welcome to TRT....
I would like to see some pictures of your tank sounds very interesting. I was thinking about setting up a 10 gallon, and convert some mollies.

[Mano]

I would like to!
I've read a few people describing their mated pairs and they sound way too cute. They seem to be very 'visible' fish too, which is what I'd like. Like I said though, I just want to make sure I don't stress them out or overcrowd.

Either way I'm planning on putting the goby/shrimp in first and waiting a good long while to make sure the tank is entirely stabilized before making any solid decisions.



Thanks for the welcome. After I get it all set and the cycling stared I'll be sure to post some. It's going to be a slightly odd set up because of how I plan to place it in my home/office. I'm hoping it will go well!

[aquawolf]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[usmc2b2004]

Your definitely on the right track. Keep us updated.

[Mano]

Thank you all very much for your time and info. I'm feeling pretty confidant in my plans currently. Here's hoping I don't mess it up! ;p

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT! And good luck with the new tank!