erik's 28g JBJ nano cube

ive actually had the tank for 3 and a half weeks at this point but i thought i might start one of these things anyways
as you might have learned from the title i have a 28g nano cube, and i'll list the rest of the supplies i have so far below-

40 lbs live sand
20 lbs live rock
purigen
150w Elite heater
2 perc clowns
melanurus wrasse (yeah i know the tank is a little small for it, but its pretty small right now, so ill sell it when i feel it gets too big )
9 hermits
1 trochus snail
and 1 nassarius snail.... but i havent seen him in like a week and a half, so i dont even know if he counts.

Future supplies, fish, etc:
1 or 2 powerheads, any suggestions on which one?
i plan to start a fuge with some chaeto and LR rubble in the sump in the back pretty soon.
tunze 9002 skimmer
mandarin goby, after my wrasse outgrows my tank.
tons of corals i wont bother listing ;D

basically im open to all suggestions on anything i could improve or change
thanks for following along :biggrinbo

 

Great looking start!I own a 28 myself,you'll love it,they're nice tanks.If you want to look at a refuge for the back,you may want to look at the aqua c nano remora skimmer instead,the tunze will require removing the media basket to make room for the skimmer,plus you'll have to notch the hood so the collection cup clears the hood,the aqua c hangs on the back and the pump will fit in the designated skimmer chamber,plus,you'll be able to lift your lid without having to remember to take the collection cup off first.For flow,their stock pumps are pretty weak,adding 2 korolia 425's would be very good.

 

i would probably remove the wrasse its looking wrather cramped, buy a dwarf angel or cardinal or hawkfish, they wont outgrow.

 

+1 on the wrasse. It would be best to remove it.

Also, are those ONYX Perc. Clowns I see? my favorite.

Koralia is a great powerhead for the price. Two 450's should be enough. Vortech is a top-of-the-line powerhead, but it's crazy expensive. Prices for them start at $200 per unit. Unless you get a great deal.

I wouldn't get a mandarin. A 28 gal is stretching it a lot. Even an ORA Mandarin which eats frozen, would probably die of starvation. Mandarins eat cope pods, and they eat a lot. More than 1,000 every day. And pods aren't exactly cheap. If you get one, make sure you have a good sized refugium and a large population of pods.

Other than that, it looks like a great start!

 

Looking good so far!

 

Tank looks great but the wrasse looks quite cramped to me.

 

update

added new LR today just 3 pounds, but im pretty happy with the way it looks now. also it has this weird red growth on it. cant really get a decent picture of it, the guy at the LFS said it might be a sponge. its red, and flat and attached to the rock, looks like red corralline but doesnt have the same texture. any ideas on what this is?

 

I love the rock work.... what type of coral are you goning to put int the tank? Also the manderin IMO is not what you want in the tank I tried to have one in my 20 gallon and it just didnt work . Having said that the tank looks great

 

update: bought the light for the fuge in the rear filter area and some tigger pods today, so my fuge is up and running and i forgot to post this but i also have a fire shrimp that ive had now for a week. Speaking of which, ive never seen him come out from this little cave that he hides in and im worried that hes not eating. What should i do?

 

dont worry about it erik, it will venture out more often once it feels confident nothing in there is going to eat it
I have had shrimp that I just dont see for weeks and then finally one day they are front and centre and from then on they are fine
it will be coming out when its hungry enough IMHO
possibly when its dark and almost certainly when your not watching it, IMO

Steve