preliminary questions

Hello. I want to get into the saltwater aquarium hobby, and judging by how expensive and time consuming it is, I felt it would be best to ask questions well in advance.

I would like to start off with a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube. I think this size is managable as a beginner reef setup because it is neither too small nor too large and comes with all necessary equipment.
My ultimate stocking goal is to have a couple of clownfish and a sea anemone, and perhaps a couple of mandarins when the tank is better established. I also like colt corals, brain corals, tree corals and gorgonians, though I doubt these would all be compatible in the same tank.

Back to the present: There are three things I really need to know before I decide when to commit to this:

1. I'm going to be moving in 6 months and I'm wondering whether I should wait until then to even get a tank. It may be possible to get the live rock/sand up and going between now and the move and populate it afterwards, but would it be too much hassle?

2. I don't know what the 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube can handle in terms of bio-load. What is the maximum amount of fish/inverts I could stock it with, given enough time and patience?

3. How should I go about stocking the tank if my ultimate goal is a clownfish/sea anemone pair with a mandarin fish? Is this even a realistic goal for a first tank? How should I plan ahead on stocking?

 

Welcome aboard mate.
1. I would wait until you move and settle down. You dont want to be taking down a tank, its a pain in da azz.
2. Keep in mind that fish give the most bio-load of all. The general rule of thumb is 1" of fish per 2gals of water.
3. mandarins are better suited for a mature tank b/c they only feed on copepods. I dont recommend a mandarin for a cube. The rest of your list sounds fine. As for the gonies, VERY hard coral to keep. I have one that is dieing and another that hasnt come out in a long time. Not to mention, the average life is only 7-10 months.

 

Hey, i have a bio cube 29...bought after i moved to house a small maroon clown in after i tore down my 125 Gal. My bio cube is about 6 months old, sux it doesnt have a skimmer and at first the pump would pump water back into the tank faster than the chamber would suck tank water in. After using a small pump for a week and letting the tank "break in" i put the org. pump in and it worked great. I had a mandarin in my tank for about 3 months, even ate fish food...still died. I wouldnt try it. I got about 35-40 lbs or mature live rock also. Ill try to post a pick, i got gorgonia in it...2 pieces had em for at least 5mths. They seem to get better and better as time passes. I bought one loose purple mushroom from my lfs, now i have about 40, star polyps are also spreading very well also. I have no skimmer but do 20 percent water changes every 2 weeks along with replacing a polyfilter and run chemi-pure. Fish include maroon clown, flame hawkfish, lawnmower blennie, royal grama, neon goby, and a firefish. Every fish is doing very well and all get along...their colors have intensified since adding them to the tank. I have a orange likia starfish (4months old) variety of hermits and snails, small coral banded shrimp, cleaner and peppermint shrimp, tuxedo sea urchin, porcelain crab, emerald crab...and there prolly are a few different little things here and there im forgetting. All in all its a nice tank but doubt its the nicest for the money. Ill try to post a pic..

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Great job, keep it up

 

Nice!!!!

 

To 3Reef!!! ​

Salutations! Glad to see you found way here!

Welcome to world of Salt Water.

Nice starting system.

Start now. A 29 gal is not that hard to move unless accross country or overseas.

Get salt mix, live rock...

And get reefing!

The Tao of Marine Aquaria
Tips for Our Hobby and Life

© 1997 Adam H. Whitlock
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 11/25/00
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