What to get

[bzb]

Those are bubbles.

 

[kullas]

Get a little flow to break the surface tension of the water anything will work really powerhead, spoon your hand

 

[RonS]

Yah, I had a post not too long ago about “slime/snot” on the surface of my sump. As has been stated, get a little pump to push the water around. For me, I used the skimmer chamber as the source for my UV pump, and that cleared things up, but I had to put something in my refugium. And now that I’m running the auto filter, I’m going to also need one in my intake chamber since there’s no more turbulence. I am super-impressed with these little guys:

Adjustable Flow Rate Pump, NP-80, 80gph - Aquatop

Free Shipping on Everything, Rewards, Free Swag, Price Matching & Free Returns.

www.saltwateraquarium.com

Aquatop NP-80. For a 5-gallon chamber in my sump I’ve got it set as low as it goes. Moves a ton of water, is tiny, and totally silent. Super-simple design that’s easy to clean. And cheap!!!

As for fish... it’s not cheap, but check out Diver’s Den on LiveAquaria.com. If you trust it, their fish are (allegedly) “pre-quarantined”, so you can (allegedly) drop them directly into your DT. I’ve done this several times with no ill effects - YMMV. But you pay for the convenience. Still, they have a lot of species I just don’t see at the LFSes.

just a thought...

 

[NanCrab]

Thanks Ron! I have sand in my refugium section so not sure I can put a pump in there. My skimmer section is pretty full of stuf now. Skimmer and it’s pump pump for UV, heatersx2 and various probes. I guess I can take the sand out of the refugium section. I think I put it in there fore the copepods but I’m not sure any of them are still alive.

 

[RonS]

I have Miracle Mud in my ‘fuge, so I get it. This pump is really gentle. And it comes with suction cups (oddly rare in this price range) - you need it at the surface to break up the scum, anyway. I also have an eggcrate “box” to suspend my chaeto, and the pump sits above that.

Which is all a really long way of saying I think you’ll be find with the sand. You’re not looking for powerhead flow like in the DT, just need to keep the surface moving a bit.

Also, forgot... I have a fine-mesh net (i think they are gentler on the fish) and it works great for skimming the slime off the top of the water...

 

[wannabeeareefkeeper]

My husband is anxious to add at least one for fish to the tank. We have the QT empty and ready for new inhabitants after a water change.
We can’t decide what to get. Definitely want a blonde naso tang at some point but have been advise me to add that last.

He loves the fire shrimp but not sure they are a good idea? What about a pistol shrimp/watchman goby pair? I want a lawnmower blenny, he wants something social that will swim around the tank. The chromis is a scared fish and hides if anyone approaches the tank and the clownfish just hang out in the upper back corner, he said he wants to see fish swimming around in there. We’ve looked at dottybacks. Seems like everything we like is not reef safe. I think we may have to resort to ordering fish online which I didn’t want to do. Who is the best company for online fish shopping?
We’re doing research on our own too but like to see what other people have and enjoy.

A great and knowledgeable contributor to the ARC, Ms. JennM always had some great advice. You should always purchase livestock in person. Before you commit to a purchase, have the seller feed the livestock. If food is taken; this is a good sign of a healthy fish or coral. I’ve always tried to research the movement of healthy livestock by visiting reef stores or watching YouTube and other sources to see the normal behaviors of healthy livestock.
You can’t observe livestock being feed that you bought on-line. I also believe in minimizing stress to livestock purchases by limiting the transportation time between seller and getting the livestock acclimated to my quarantined tank.
- just my 1/2 cent
wannabee

 

[wannabeeareefkeeper]

You may want to consider a clown or two. Do some research on clowns, percular or ocellaris clowns are the non aggressive clowns. They are one of my favorite fish in a community tank.
Here’s a chart that maybe useful to you: https://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=540
Wannabee

 

[NanCrab]

You may want to consider a clown or two. Do some research on clowns, percular or ocellaris clowns are the non aggressive clowns. They are one of my favorite fish in a community tank.
Here’s a chart that maybe useful to you: https://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=540
Wannabee

Thank you wannabe! I already have 2 ocillaris clowns and a blue chromis!!