Suggestions for Clean up crew in 55gal with pic

R

Ryka

AC Members
Mar 29, 2009
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I was hoping some experienced fishologists could throw me some suggestions to get started. After about a month and a half of problem solving and kicking around ideas in the Marine Newbie forum, I believe I am ready to try my hand at restocking. I have a white sand base with LR only and a goal of keeping the white sand white and the rocks looking like colorful rocks (as colorful as rocks can be). I haven't had a true algae "problem" but I do have some brown algae that likes to grow where sand meets glass and were there are some unfortunate scratches in tank. Couple darker spots on the sand most likely due to improper flow but something to take into account. Please keep in mind I have been cycling for about one month after revamping my tank entirely so one could assume my tank to be new. I have one Blue-Finned Damsel carried over from the revamp but am going to give back to LFS soon. I also have 3-4 tiny snails, 3 tiny starfish, and at least one slug that hitchhiked in. Any role for a Blenny or other sandsifters? Open to all suggestions.
Thanks for any input.

55gal. 40lbs Sand. 48lbs LR. 5-8lbs base rock. Emperor 400 HOB filter. AquaC Remora Pro HOB Skimmer w/ Mag 3 pump. Koralia3 PH. Aquaclear 30 PH. Blue Finned damsel. 300W Heater.

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if you are concerned about flow, what about putting the Koralia in the back facing the front glass at a slight downward angle. That would hit the front glass and flow out and down either side of the front of the tank.

Looks really nice. I love the way you have done your rock work.
 
Or just replace the powerhead in the upper right corner with another koralia, preferably at least a 3. You'll also want to shield the intake on that mag drive. It will suck fish, snails, etc. into it.

As for an algae cleanup crew, I pretty much only recommend snails. Trochus, Astrea, Stomatella, Collonista, cerithids, rissoids, etc. Cerithids and rissoids are also great for detritus, as are various worms. A sea cucmber is good for the uppermost surface. Beyond that, good flow will help with detritus and algae to some degree.
 
Great. I agree with both assessments entirely. I was actually thinking the exact same thing as I began to notice some settling and was starting plans to replace the Aquaclear with a second Koralia3, placed on back facing downward. That is where I am accumulating anyway and I suspect would take care of it or at least help. And yes, I know I need to add the filter on the Mag3 intake but it is very bulky and ugly so I was trying to figure out another clever way.

Thanks for the suggestions on snails. I will try that. But still, would a sifter add any positives or negatives?
 
Most "sifters" typically deplete the sand bed of infauna and contribute to much shortened sand bed lifespans. Beyond that, the animals that eat sand infauna often end up starving themselves. Plenty to lose, IMHO.
 
Just curious, why didn't you do something to the back of the tank like painting it? Rockwork looks great! I have never seen anyone put a Remora Pro with a Mag3 inside of a tank until now. Seen the regular remora with a maxijet, but only seen the Pro model on sumps. That Mag3 looks huge in there and when you put a filter/sponge on it, it is going to be even bigger. Any thoughts into upgrading to a sump down the road? I know it isn't really needed for Fish only, but looking at your tank and all the equipment really reminded me why I went with a sump, which was to hide the equipment. Your tank does look very nice though, just making personal observations on the equipment, not saying anything negative about your setup. :)
 
I agree, I would go with some Astreas(glass and rock) Cerith and Nassarious for the sand. All sand sifters eat live food as their main food source. If you wanted to go that route a refugium and macro algae is what you need to support them.
With a tank your size, the sifters can and will quickly deplete the pods (food source). Unless you have a larger tank.
 
Thanks for the ideas. I actually didn't anticipate the Mag3 being that large when I ordered it. It is huge and ugly. My thoughts were to buy some longer tubing to drop it down towards the bottom of the tank and then block it from view with non-obstructing rock. I don't mind the Remora HOB. I was going to see how things go with stocking. If going well my plan was to try without the HOB filter as, in theory, it shouldn't be needed. Believe it or not, I think the yellow in the background goes well with the tank and that a blacked out back wall would actually look strange if you saw it in context with the rest of the room. I understand what you're saying though. No plans for a sump anytime soon. First I have to see if I can succeed with this setup.

I don't know much about this yet. When you talk about sifters, are Blennys included? I had my eyes on a lawnmower.
 
Lawnmowers do exactly as you would expect, they mow the lawn so to speak. They act like tangs and graze on algae on the rocks.. not really much of a sand player though.

Also, dropping the pump to hide it is not a good idea. DOCs (Disolved organic compounds) are usually towards the top 10% of the tank. When you have a really nasty tank you can see the DOCs on the surface looking like an oil slick. So putting the pump down lower will reduce the effectiveness of the skimmer.
 
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