I have done some thinking, possibly in the wrong direction. I am wondering if it would be a good idea to turn the new 40 into a display refugium. Can a Maroon Clown pair and a snowflake eel live in a refugium type environment? (I know the eel will outgrow the 40, it is a temporary home for him). Also as far as the refugium goes, do other types of macro algae work other than caulerpa and cheato? I was browsing some of the macro algaes that are available through http://www.reefcleaners.org/ and thought of a multicolored refugium next to a reef. Is this type of setup possible? I plan on having a DSB. Probably around 6". With around 35 - 40 lbs of liverock and then the multiple types of macro algae. And I guess this is the perfect time to ask, would anyone be able to give/sell me a cup of live sand from your setup? (if this is all possible, mostly the clowns being housed in the tank.) Look forward to the advice! Thanks!
You can certainly add different types of macro, but it has been my experience that they may not all be compatable. It seems like my large Cheato macro makes it very difficult for any other to grow.....and they eventually disapear. This is probably simply due to the fact that is already a large established colony and sucks up all the "food" before the other macro. Also, your clowns may be perfectly happy in a 40gal, but that may be pushing it a little for that particular breed. I'm just trying to imagine 40lbs of rock, a 6in DSB, and then eventually full of macro........not much room for 6in and 4in pair of maroons. Just my thought...........
Thanks for the advice! I thought it might be a little crowded with that much LR. I may cut back a little on it and just fill my sump up. This tank will be connected to the main display, which has about 80-100 lbs right now and probably at least another 30 or so before I'm done. I think that should be a good enough bio filter, but I'm new to this. This is gonna take a few weeks to get setup the way I want it. When I plumb this tank in, I plan on making it so that it can be COMPLETELY isolated from the main system. Should I cycle it and then open up the valves? Or just leave it connected and put water and sand in and slowly add live rock? Thanks again for the help!
I would cycle it before connecting to the main system. As for the refug having the fish and eels in it you need to consider the flow in the refug. The purpose of the refug is to remove unwanted nutrients from the water going to the main tank. The longer the water remains in the refug, the better job it does. With such a bioload you are making it difficult for it to do it's job.
Thanks for the advice and visiting with me today. I'll tell you what, if you are new to this hobby and want to talk to someone who knows their stuff, Norman is the man. Not to mention he has over 1,000 gallons of saltwater and all the little critters that go with it for you to look at while you talk! Thanks again Norman!
