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RollTide15

Reefing newb
So I will have had my tank up for 4 weeks now this weekend. My stats are below.

40 Gallon Breeder

Emperor 280 HoB Bio Filter
Heater
MaxiJet 600 in Circulation Mode
AquaLife 78w T-5 HO Dual Lamp - 1 white & 1 blue bulb
Pine Stand
Multiple water test kits

40lbs Live Rock (1/3 of which is Premium with alot of Growth, sponges, featherdusters, etc)
6 Hermits
5 Turbo Snails
4 Cerith Snails
1 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Pacific Cleaner Shrimp

1 Ocellaris - Orange
1 Ocellaris - Black (These guys are attached at the hip and should become mated pair)
Green and Brown Zoas

So my water parameters are fine Amm. - 0 Nitrites - 0 Nitrates < 5ppm PH - normal

All livestock is doing great. Zoas are newest addition and have been in for over a week.

So where do I go from here. The only thing I could improve on is getting my Nitrates to 0. I did my first water change last weekend and it lowered my Nitrates. I will do another this weekend. Before I get any other fish I need to know if I should get a skimmer or upgrade my lighting. Do I even need a skimmer with a 40g? Should I upgrade my entire light system to LEDs or just upgrade to a 4 lamp T-5 with moon lights. I can't really spend more than $325 on my next purchase. I also am disappointed that I can not have tangs. Can I get a flame angel or Coral Beauty? If I get a skimmer can I sustain 5 fish or should I stick to 4? Thanks for the advice!
 
I have a 35g and I have a skimmer...I'm sure it will help...the skimmer I have is crap and I'm upgrading....but the thought of not having a skimmer is out of the question for me....even with a crappy skimmer my trates are at 0... definitely with the investment....I hear u on the tang upset but hey what can you do right...I think you probably could do 5 depending on the size....I wouldn't just cause I wouldn't want my levels to get outta wack, but u could get some nice leathers...that's what I'm going to do eventually after I'm satisfied with my fish...I still want a black and white clown and a Midas blenny...all I have is a small clown....and cuc coming...good luck
 
I think I would go with t5 lighting for your tank. Your budget really doesnt support led. I have t5 on my 45 and I am getting really good growth on my zoahs and mushrooms. Pretty much all my corals have doubled since November. I wont run a tank without a skimmer. You could get away without one but if it was me I would have one. 4 or 5 small fish is doable. Just dont get crazy and think that means tangs. A few months back the recommended size for flame angels was 40 since then live aquaria raised it. Not really sure why. I am on the fence on this issue as well because that has been the center piece fish I was going to have in my 45.

With your budget you will be hard pressed finding name brand skimmer and lights. I had to go the Chinese knock off route as well and have been happy with what I bought. To me I just cant justify what some people can drop on equipment but everyone is different. I bought my equipment from Aquatraders - Guaranteed Best Prices on Aquarium Lightings + Free Shipping! and no I dont work for them...lol. All of the stuff I have bought has worked well and I have been a repeat customer for them.
 
I think the inconstancy is because they only just changed the recommendations, so not all the descriptions are updated yet. Hopefully they will fix it soon.

I agree with most of the increased size recommendations because many of the dwarf angels are actually pretty sensitive and the easiet way to increase your luck with a sensitive fish is to increase the size of the tank they are in. And if you are offering a guarantee on the live stock you sell, you want them to go live in tanks where the odds of them surviving is pretty high.
 
Thanks yall for the comments. I think I will just upgrade to a four lamp T-5 with moonlights. The Aqua Life model is pretty nice and affordable. Has a built in timer that can operate normal bulbs and moonlight LEDs interdependently. I think a Flame Angel will do ok in my 40.
 
So funny story. I have an awesome girlfriend. For my Valentines Day present she got me a gorgeous Flame Angel! I never thought in a 1000 years she would have known. She told me she just told the LFS the basics of my tank and that she liked that fish, she didnt know I wanted one. Will post pictures tomorrow. He is wayyyy smarter than the clowns. He likes to zig in and out of the rocks, he eats algae and even went right up to my cleaner shrimp to get cleaned. He is settling in quite well.
 
What a great girl friend!!!

However, I would highly suggest making a list of acceptable fish and corals for your tank that she can have if she wishes to surprise you. Many people have gotten unwanted surprises by spouses who meant well, but didnt know much.
 
I agree but she kind of knew that I liked that fish and she actually went there to pick me up an Electric Flame Scallop, which she knew I wanted. She also made sure she told the pet store all of my specs and this LFS is good about pointing people in the right direction. The Flame Angel was actually her 2nd choice and they told her her first choice was not a good match. So in the end I agree, a list is a good idea unless you completely trust your spouse and LFS conspiring lol :sfish: :D
 
Good for your LFS for not recommending the flame scallop, they have an extremely bad record of making it in captivity.

You have a pretty awesome girlfriend and LFS there, treat them well ;)
 
Will do! Here is a pic of the Flame Angel. I also put in a Plate Coral. It has been in the tank about 2 hours and its tentacles are only about 40% inflated haha. In the store this thing was huge. I am guessing that by tomorrow morning it should be back to its normal size. I am guessing they pump water into their little arms to make them grow in size. Kind of like a bunch of little penises.

I also got this LED system that was modular and really cool. Since I do not have an LED system I wanted some Moon lights for night time. These hav suction cups and come in 4 different colors. Mine are blue and they connect to a central bay that can take 3 individual lights and plugs into the wall. It is a much better alternative to buying an expensive all blue strip that will only be on at night.










Currently have only 2 micro Blue LEDs so the lighting is a little low. I might add a third but I am afraid it might be too bright.
 
Check out reefbreeders.com for some led lights. They have a $179 version that would work for your 40 gal.
I'm planning on getting 2 of the 60* optics for my tall 150 tank
 
Well I talked to this guy who is pretty knowledgeable in my LFS today and he has me going on a decent plan. Instead of selling my T-5 Dual Lamp and purchasing a quad lamp T-5 or dropping $550 on an all LED setup I am going another route. I did those mini LEDs to take care of moon lights. But I am going to keep my T-5 Dual and just get a 36" high intensity LED strip (Blue & White) that costs about $180. That way I get benefit of both. Apparently LEDs arent THAT much better than T-5s, they are just the new technological fad.
 
recliner said:
Check out reefbreeders.com for some led lights. They have a $179 version that would work for your 40 gal.
I'm planning on getting 2 of the 60* optics for my tall 150 tank
Click to expand...

Though after seeing that website those LEDs seem very reasonably priced. I'm not sure what to do as far as lighting is concerned.
 
Yeah but when you say "right" that usually means expensive. I dont want to spend $500 on a light set up. I want $350-$400 tops. Tank is 36" long.
 
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