Ideas for 25g tank?

[Roxanne]

Well, I am starting to plan what I want to add to my 25 g tank.  The only thing in my tank at the moment is 32 pounds of LR, 10 hermit crabs and 10 snails and a feather duster.  I am looking at adding some corals and fish, but this is what I need advice and ideas?  I will definitely add 2 oscellaris clown fish (for the kids) and thinking of a goby with shrimp.  Any other suggestions?  As for corals, I welcome any suggestion as I really wanted an anemone, but lighting will not permit as I currently have T5 lighting ( 2 bulbs - one white and one blue).  I have added a picture of the tank to get your views on additions.

[Darth]

you can keep an anenome with t-5 I have heard but you should have an extremely mature tank before hand as far as corals my favs are zoa, then I like the flowy stuff, xenia frogspawn torch, hammers leathers are cool

[ordi260]

My advice would to take it easy!  Add litlle at a time and let time go before adding more livestock in there! I would start with fish and then corals! Bio-load is something that we build, it needs time to adjust and stabilize.

[Roxanne]

Thanks!  My plan is to go easy adding things to the tank , but really trying to figure out what I will put in there as time goes by as I heard that the best thing to do is to research and plan.  cleaning crew and feather have been added only last saturday and are doing an amazing job removing the algae that was starting to build on the glass as for fish, well I was thinking in a few weeks, but testing my water every day to see how the tank is taking the new load.

[jon1985]

If you add a pair of clowns you probably wont have a tone of room for many more fish, especially when they start breeding.  You could probably add a fire fish and maybe a smallish goby. 

If you want to keep an anemone I would suggest upgrading to atleast 4 t5 bulbs. 

And like everyone has said take it slow.

[salvini55]

i would put the clowns for the kids a yasha haze goby and pistol shrimp and a royal gramma or wrasse

[NanoSF]

My advice would to take it easy!  Add litlle at a time and let time go before adding more livestock in there! I would start with fish and then corals! Bio-load is something that we build, it needs time to adjust and stabilize.

Always the best advice is to take it easy. However, I hate to disagree with Ordi but I would go easy hardy coral then fish. Corals that don't require feeding are basically bio-load neutral. You get to add some stuff to the tank without shocking the system. Once the system is strong then the shock of two paired clowns will be tolerable.

[Roxanne]

OK, so everything seems like good in my tank and thinking of adding two clowns tomorrow....  Is this too quick or should I wait again for a while?  Parameters are Salinity: 1.026 (using a refractometer), Amonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate between 10 and 20...(I hate these colours that are in between as you are always wondering wehter you are reading the results correcctly).

One more question is whether I should add corals or fish first (as per comment in this tread)?

[Darth]

clean up crew snails hermits

[NjOyRiD]

yup, snails and hermit first!

[Roxanne]

clean up crew in place now for 2 weeks and all are doing well.  Parameters are remaining stable and water changes are being done weekly.

[NjOyRiD]

no more amonia? nitrate almost at zero? if so, i would try the clowns!

[Darth]

if cuc has done well then I agree fish are good to go

[Roxanne]

Amonia at 0 and nitrite 0, nitrate are between 10 and 20 ppm and salinity at 1.026 using a refractometer

[NjOyRiD]

hum k, your nitrate is high
you should start a routine doing 5% waterchnage weekly

[NanoSF]

Phil, I think she (assuming you are a she) said she is doing weekly water changes. I think she may need to do 10% at least to keep nitrates down. In small tanks like this (and like mine) it is hard to keep nitrates lower than 10. I think your fine if you don't go above 20, but most people end up estimating low when reading their test results. You know, wishful thinking. I would shoot for 10 then you know you are okay. Over time you will get more established and may be able to keep it bellow 10. Don't stress about it now IMO. You should be starting with hardier fish and corals anyway.

[Roxanne]

Phil, I think she (assuming you are a she) said she is doing weekly water changes. I think she may need to do 10% at least to keep nitrates down. In small tanks like this (and like mine) it is hard to keep nitrates lower than 10. I think your fine if you don't go above 20, but most people end up estimating low when reading their test results. You know, wishful thinking. I would shoot for 10 then you know you are okay. Over time you will get more established and may be able to keep it bellow 10. Don't stress about it now IMO. You should be starting with hardier fish and corals anyway.

Yep, I'm a girl...and you are right I'm doing water 10% water changes weekly, but cannot seem to bring the nitrates down.  I test every second day and always get the same reading (colour really seems to be betwen 10 and 20 ppm).  My plan is to bring a water sample when going to the LFS today to ensure I am not estimating low and that I'm safe to put in two clowns.  What do you consider hardy corals? I am not getting these now, but would like to get something in 2-4 weeks...

[NanoSF]

What do you consider hardy corals? I am not getting these now, but would like to get something in 2-4 weeks...

Leathers
Candy Cane
Mushrooms (even Ricordia
Glove Polyps (one of my favs)
Green Star Polyps (be careful can get out of hand easily. Put it on an island or somewhere it can't spread)
Larger head zoanthids (I say larger heads because they seem to be hardier in my experience)
Montipora (easiest sps corals I think)
Favias
Duncans (very nice and very hardy)
Acans (hardy, but can lose colour if conditions are not right)
Sun Corals (hardy, but need to be feed. Therefore can lead to problems in tank with all that food)

I would start with Candy Canes, Favias, and Duncans personally. There are not only easy but something you would want to have down the road. If you start with GSP and mushrooms, you can become over run with them and be fighting a never ending battle. Leathers are okay but some grow like crazy. Some of the others you would need to wait a bit longer before trying even though they are fairly easy.

I still think some of these corals are hardier than most fish. I would not hesitate to add coral before adding fish. Doesn't add much if any bio load to the tank.

Good luck

P.S. This is most definitely not a complete list. I'm sure other can add more that they have experience with. This is just my experience.

[NjOyRiD]

Rox, good idea, bring a sample to a store and they will check it for you

[NanoSF]

By the way I still think it is a much better idea to put in a few corals rather than two clowns with your clean up crew of course. Clowns are fairly hardy (not the most hardy), but Candy Canes for example will survive a lot and help show you your water conditions. You can just look at certain corals and tell that the water is great or needs a water change. For some reason I also feel worse when I lose a fish then when I lose a coral. Shouldn't really matter because either way it is the death of a living thing and it still bothers me, but somehow it's worse with a fish (or two in this case). Not that I'm assuming they will die, just a fact of life with this hobby at some point along the way.

[Roxanne]

Thanks for all this info.  Unfortunately, did not make it to the LFS today, but longer wait is better.  As for corals, well I might just do what you are recommending and add a coral before fish; I really like the leather (mushroom leather / Sacrophyton) as well as Xenia, toadstool.

[NanoSF]

The right LFS will probably have a lot of helpful information for you too.

Xenia are fairly hardy too your right. They can be a weed like GSP so choose your location wisely. The leathers would be a good start. Enjoy yourself. You are in the honeymoon period, everything is exciting.

Make sure you don't take any one persons word for anything in this hobby (including what I said ). So many opinions and so many different approaches. In the end it is up to you.

[Roxanne]

Well after finally took the plunge and added a few pieces of corals (Pulsing Xenia, Toadstool leather and a candy cane) last night thanks to someone on the site offering me some frags.  Obviously, all three pieces last night looked a little stressed and kind of sheepish, but woke up this morning to a fully open toadstool, a pulsing Xenia and a nicely colored candy cane.  So nice to watch!!!

As for the Xenia, my only question is does is flow much?  It seems to be going sideways like it would be in heavy current but is not....Good thing however is that it is opened and pulsing..  The Toadstool, well it almost looks like it's head is too heavy when it's fully opened.

As for fish, will wait a few weeks and ensure everything stays stable and in good health.

[NanoSF]

Xenia doesn't take much flow to push over. It also likes less flow and will pulse more in gentle flow. I don't know much about toadstool leather but all leather can bend over while trying to get adjusted to the new position. They would grow based on the position it was previously in. Now that you have it in a different position it might not be balanced well and is therefore bending over. I think it will adjust in time.

Congrats on your first corals!

[salvini55]

xenia will "walk". It will lean over and attach its stalk to a surface to spread. Very soon you will have two xenia!