converting my 29 gallon to salt

[forrestcook]

Well - I had a 29 gallon set up as a high tech fw planted w CO2 injection and all that biz... all of the plants/inhabitants of that are moving into the new 75 that i just bought so time for a new setup in the 29!

Here's the setup so far:
29 gallon leemar tank
130 watt current USA PC lighting... 65 daylight 65 actinic.
koralia powerhead (ill get the exact model later)
looking for a skimmer... was initially going to try a 10, so was looking at ario nano... that obviously wont work now.
plenty of heater to choose from
instant ocean salt
aragonite sand
ill also be using RO water.

I'm going to start out with live rock for a bit until the tank gets through some of the early algae blooms etc. before stocking... when i do start stocking, heres the pool of contenders that i need to decide from:

fish:
clowns
neon goby
yellow watchman goby
six line wrasse
coral beauty
fire fish
lawnmower blenny
banggai cardinal

inverts:
emerald mithrax crab
arrow crab
porcelain crab
peppermint shrimp
sexy anemone shrimp
hermits/snails (for CUC)

Now obviously I wont be keeping all (or even close to all) of those creatures... that's jsut what I like and will decide from.

a clown is a must. my wife wants the nemo orange and i want the black variety... we'll see who wins that one. beyond that, a mithrax crab is a must (for me)

so thus far here is my stocking list:

CUC
false perc clown
emerald mithrax crab

what i need from you:
skimmer recommendations for a 29 gallon tank
things i haven't thought of that i need (which are not in this thread yet)
preferences/experiences with some of the animals from my possibilities list!

This should be fun.

 

[Lorna]

an hob aqua remora c is a good choice for that size tank make sure you get the one that has the maxijet 1200 on it.

test kits.....hydrometer and very deep pockets

 

[forrestcook]

i've got the hydrometer, and will be picking up a test kit shortly.... forgt to add those in. I'll look into that skimmer as well, thanks!

 

[forrestcook]

My koralia is a 1, and I know I need another... I've seen other threads suggesting two 2's, but instead, would a 1 and a 3 work? or just stick with adding a 2? (to have a 1 and 2).

Also, My current light is a 130 watt PC... 65 of 10000k and 65 of actinic. Will that be enough for coral or should I look into a different lighting system eventually?

I initially wanted to have an anemone/clown thing going on, but during my research it seems that there are two problems with that.... I don't have enough lighting and I dont have enough space. Will a clown be happy without an anemone?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

Not that it helps but i'll side with you on the black clown.

You'll probably be able to keep some of the softies with that, maybe some LPS if you place them right. Zoas, star polyps, mushrooms, etc.

Clowns will acctually host other objects in the tank. I've seen them host powerheads a lot.

 

[forrestcook]

hey, those softies are what I want! I love the way they flow in the water... Maybe far down the road I'll want something more demanding, but not yet. Good to hear the clown will be fine.

 

[TRe]

that light will keep all softies and alot of lps.... adding a koralia2 will work fine.. its cool to watch the clowns in the anem but it isnt necesary and wouldnt work in the long run in that tank btw ive seen a regular ocellaris clown paired up with a black one before so thats always an option and youll both be happy

 

[Lorna]

Tank bred clowns probalby wouldn't host an anemone anyway. They don't need one and frankly ocellaris clowns natural host is a carpet anemone which can get huge......they will host others but not instinctively......I have a pair of clowns, one hosts in the candycane the other after a year and a half finally discovered the lta and now hosts it but won't feed it like the two clarkiis do in their tank

 

[BalaShark]

skimmer recommendations for a 29 gallon tank

Aqua Remora C Pro. Best value for money IMHO. I wouldn't recommend it if I wasn't happy with mine.

 

[forrestcook]

so around 160ish for the skimmer? im having trouble finding places that sell the remora with the maxi jet 1200...

 

[Lorna]

you can get one on ebay and you don't need to pro for a 29g a regular aqua remora will do fine with the maxijet 1200. The pro should have the mag 3 pump on it.

 

[Lotus]

Marine Depot has them: AquaC Remora/Remora Pro Protein Skimmers

I've been really happy with MD's service. They almost always ship the next day after you order, which makes me happy.

If you order more than $175 of goods, they ship free (with a couple of restrictions on bulbs/salt). Check here for the info on free shipping: MarineDepot.com

It would be worth getting some food or something to make up the extra, if you decide to order from them.

 

[Cichlid-Man]

I'm a Marine Depot fan as well. Just wanted to give another thumbs up to them.

 

[Lorna]

MD is a great online site for purchasing equipment, they are not the cheapest but they are great. Again I don't think you need the Aqua Remora Pro for a 29g you would be fine with the regular Aqua Remora....with the 1200 mj upgrade. The pro comes with a mag 3 and takes up a lot of room in the tank...

 

[Lotus]

I really like MD, because I get next-day delivery for the price of ground, because I don't live far from them

I hate nothing more than waiting a week to have an order shipped to me. I don't mind the time in transit, but I want it shipped out ASAP.