Lauren Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 My husband and I have recently inherited an established marine tank. We bought a house and the tank was the last thing they were moving out. We asked if they were willing to sell, and next thing we know we have a 150g tank. We have had freshwater aquariums before (and plan on setting them up again now that we have plenty of space) but are new to reefkeeping. I think the tank is doing fine, the nitrates, phospates, and salinity are all a tiny bit high but we are doing some water changes to get all that balanced. Once we get everything settled I'd like to start adding some corals and fish a few at a time. There are 2 corals and 2 fish right now. We have a Lunar Ras (which we are trying to get out of the tank but he's not cooperating ) and a Lawnmower Blennie. I think one of the corals is an Elegance Coral. The other is probably not a coral at all, but some other sort of invertebrate (I'm going to attach a picture, the first is on the right side the other is towards the bottom closer to the middle). After all that, here's my question. I'm wanting to get some recomendations on fish and corals that are good for a beginer. Something hardy and easy to care for while we are learning the ropes of keeping a marine tank. A side note on the picture, it's taken using a method called HDR. I don't remember what the acronym stands for now, but it's the only picture I have of the tank. The camera takes 5 pictures at different exposures and then a piece of software mushes them all together so everything in the frame is properly exposed. It came out a little wierd on the fish tank... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 One other thing I forgot to add, we don't have any metal halides, only 10k's and actinic's. I know that will limit us on corals, but we're not ready to buy the fixtures to get the metal halides yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropy Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 If you really want to get your feet wet without much financial risk go with damsels. You can can get them for $3 a piece in most cases and they are extremely hardy. They don't get along with much else or each other, but they will do well in a tank that size and if you lose a couple learning it will not break the bank. You can also mix in chromis (again $3) and clowns ($10-15). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headless_donkey Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 The only problem with damsels is they get MEAN! I would recommend a tank raised clown or a pair. IT will get you used to feeding fish and tank raised clowns don't get mean. For corals try some mushrooms. Congrats on the tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GKarshens Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 I would agree with James. Damsels get mean! The clowns are a good idea. As for corals mushrooms or zoas would be good starter corals. I personally would go with zoas as mushrooms can sometimes spread too quickly and take over a tank. Ricordea are a type of mushroom that spread much slower and are prettier in my opinion. A nice leather could give you some size in that big tank. HTH One other piece of advice... READ. Start finding books or other sites along with this one and read as much as you can. The more informed you are the better decisions you will make and the happier you will be in this hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 Thanks all for the advice! I was think about some clowns (Sad to say, but I'm a big Nemo fan) so I'll probably start there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barderer Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 good old branching xenia does well as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+mcallahan Posted July 10, 2008 Share Posted July 10, 2008 Ditto on staying away from the Damsels. They do get mean and in a tank that size, you'll never catch them if you want to get rid of them. Chromis are hardy fish (and reef safe) as are most clown species. My yellow watchman goby is fun to watch and he has been very hardy. Whatever fish you add, do it S-L-O-W-L-Y. I added too many fish to fast to my first tank and the tank cycled again and everything died but my goby. Nice tank BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manhorsedog Posted July 11, 2008 Share Posted July 11, 2008 can you explain the set-up better. pictures would also work if you dont know much about it. Flow!! it doesnt look like you have any..... awaiting more info cograts on the move and the tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Posted July 11, 2008 Author Share Posted July 11, 2008 In addition to the 2 outputs from the sump, I have 2 powerheads for flow. I'm not sure what else to say about the setup. I don't know the brand or model of any of the equipment (the guy we bought it from said it was "the Roles Royce of skimmers") There are two boxes in the corners that take the water down to the sump. The sump is divided into 2 sections, the first has some live rock and the second has the skimmer and UV sterilizer (which we don't actually have turned on as it needs a new bulb) and the intake for the sump pump. We want to put in a true refugium with lights and stuff but it's going to require a lot of plumbing... we're not ready to tackle that project yet. Since I made this post, we have gotten 2 Ocellaris Clowns and 1 Yellow Tang. We got a clam, some mushrooms, and a few other softies that I can't remember the names for. We added these 1 or 2 things at a time over 3 or 4 weeks. can you explain the set-up better. pictures would also work if you dont know much about it. Flow!! it doesnt look like you have any..... awaiting more info cograts on the move and the tank! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.