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Help with clown and nem setup

K

ken6217

I have had a beautiful pair of Clarkii’s in my sump for the last 8 months or so. I was hoping to get a maroon clown out of my 90 gallon reef tank and put them in but to no avail. I will say that Jazzsam is persistent though. I was going to give the Clarki’s away, but I don’t want to part with them, but I must get them out of jail.

I have decided to set up a small tank, 20 or 29 gallons, and put them in with a bubble tip anemone, some live rock, a little sand, and maybe a few mushrooms. I have some questions though:

- Based on the tank sizes above, any recommendations as to size? I am thinking about height as well due to light considerations for the anemone. I am going to have a bubble tip, but I believe they do not require huge amounts of light.
- How much light do I need? I was thinking of maybe a T5 fixture (4 x 24 watts on a 24” tank)?
- Do I need a sump or can I get away without it?
- Any recommendations for a Skimmer? I would think a hang on back type. I don’t want to skimp on performance here, even though on a tank this small I can just do water changes, but would rather do both.
- I would think that I could get way without any other filtration if I have live rock, a skimmer, and circulation. If I don’t have to clean filters, and also worry about nitrate accumulation with bioballs etc, I would prefer that.

I am looking for a setup that will perform, not be noisy as all, and not have pipes and wires allover ass with my 90 gal reef tank. The tank will be going in my family room so I have the wife factor to consider.

Thanks in advance.
Ken
 
blange3

blange3

I'll get jumped on for this one but I kept my ocellaris pair with an LTA for about 5 years in a 20 long with a 65 watt compact flourescent, a fluval 104 canister and a minijet power head.

I didn't do too many water changes either. The clowns are going on 10 years old now and the LTA is 9.

They are much happier under the reef conditions they live in now, but they can be kept in a smaller setup.

If you are going T5, you can go the depth of the 29. For an HOB skimmer a Remora will be fine.
 
A

AnDom1

Ken

Bill's advice is right on the money...Keep it simple...Any LR and the skimmer will help a lot...If you don't go with a skimmer (not preferable), do small, but frequent water changes. Also if you go with a 20 Long, make sure lighting will not heat thewater too much, perhaps T5's vs PC's.

Good Luck,
Dom
 
K

ken6217

Yes, I want to keep it simple. Those Nano tanks look cool but there is way to much going on with those setups for me, and think it is unnecessary (for me). I also do not like the dimensions. I figure if a skimmer and rock work in a SPS tank, then it should work with a pair of clowns and a nem.

How much wattage do I need, and do T5 run cooler than PC's? Can I do without a sump if I use a hang on skimmer? I did see some good posts about the Remora skimmer. I have also heard good things about the Tunze Nano 9002 I believe.

Do I use the same 1.5 lbs per gallon of rock for this tank? I will have the pair of Clarkii's and maybe one other small fish.

Thanks,
Ken
 
blange3

blange3

From what I read, the Tunze seems to be a better skimmer. But you can get a used Remora with a Maxijet 1200 for about $100. That is what I have on my 55 gallon softie tank, which is where my clowns and LTA live now. The clowns are now laying eggs on a regular basis.

Again, I ran my 20 long without a skimmer.

As far as lighting goes, both generate a fair amount of heat. T5's run better with a fan. If you wire up a retro setup for either, you can have the ballast somewhere other than under the hood. I think PC's generate more heat, but that is just opinion. I run VHO's on my clown tank today.
 
K

ken6217

I bought a 26 gallon bow front and a Sunlight Supply Tek T5 (4x24 watts). I am still debating which hang on back skimmer. I was debating the Deltec MCE 300 or 600, but I have heard conflicting things about micro bubbles in the tank. has anyone heard of this?
Ken
 
K

ken6217

Sam,
I went to Hidden reef's website and did not see Live Rock. It had ornamental rock. I will give them a call tomorrow.
Ken
 
J

jazzsam

ken6217 said:
Sam,
I went to Hidden reef's website and did not see Live Rock. It had ornamental rock. I will give them a call tomorrow.
Ken
Click to expand...

I would give them a call. They DEFINATLY have it and have a lot of it unless things have changed. Maybe some other people can comment on it. They are a sponsor so you can leave a comment in their forum.
 
K

ken6217

Sam,
I spoke to then this morning. They said they don't advertise live rock on the web, but they do have in the store. If the tank stand comes in on Friday, I will drive there on Saturday.
Ken
 
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