14 gallon tank

Question

my tank   QUESTION: hello I have 2 questions.
My first question is I have a chocolate chip sea star and I was wondering how to feed him because he is on the glass all day however my snail did go missing and it didn't look like peppermint shrimp got him.
My second question I'm am looking for a new fish and invert I'm just not sure which one. In my tank i have a yellowtail damsel, firefish, pajama cardinal, peppermint shrimp and choc sea star.
I don't want a fish that is going to cause my shy firefish not to get food. The fish that i like are hawkfish, blenny or watchman goby which would be the best option.Do hawkfish need high live rock. I really like fan worms but i heard pep shrimps destroy them in no time, are there any shrimp or crab that would get along with a pep shrimp. thank

ANSWER: Hi Ben,

Peppermint shrimp do not eat snails.  They were most likely cleaning up the carcass.  They don't kill anything and are not predatory.  They do eat aiptasia anemone, and that's a positive thing they do.  They are fine with most any fish you buy, unless it's a fish who eats shrimp.

Out of the fish you named, the Hawkfish will indeed eat your shrimp, as will the Watchman Goby when it gets large enough.

I do recommend a blenny, but I caution you against adding any fish, or anything else to that aquarium until you can increase filtration.  The filter I see on the rear is very under-rated to run a saltwater system, and your system will need a much, much larger filter.  3 times that size, please, in order for the water to remain clean.

I run mine with a refugium.  Have you considered adding one?  They are very efficient.

Also, the aquarium needs flow to keep bad things from settling on the bottom.  Please add a powerhead.

Back to the blenny...they are wonderful tank inhabitants and eat many forms of algae.  So it might really be a good investment to put one in.

How long has your tank cycled for?

Hope to hear back soon. :)

Renee



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hello, I'm am planning on adding a marineland 30 gallon bio wheel power filter would that be good. I currently have a aqueon power filter and i heard they are not good for salt water is that true. also i am going to add protein skimmer, power head, a wave maker/ circulation pump and refugem over the next few mouth. but i am not sure what the purpose of those are i have just heard i should get them could you tell me. thanks

Answer
Hi Ben,

The Marineland are one of the best filters made, and although they work much like the filter you have does, you would require the model # 350 Penguin to run you tank and it can be expensive.  That is the main issue.  It is recommended to use a Refugium instead, because it's closer to nature and helps keep algae out of the main tank.

Your power filter is way too small for your tank.  You need one at least three sizes larger.  When filter companies rate them, they rate them very poorly and expect that ever fish owner does constant water changes, and that they maintain an excellent water quality.  Well, everyone doesn't.

If your filter is rated to be a 20/30, then it's not even a 20.  It's a 10 gallon.  If it's rated to 20/40, then it's a 20.  If it's rated to 30/60, it's a 25 to 30...my experience is, with saltwater, you must at least double the filtration to keep the aquarium water clean, plus do the recommended bi-weekly water changes.  

That means, for a 30 gallon tank, you should be running a filter rated to 60 gallons to 120 gallons.

Adding a skimmer will indeed help greatly.

Powerheads will improve the flow, so you will have cleaner water and the wavemaker will indeed help to get the tank's debris off the ground and to mimic the wild, much better.  The refugium is a great idea...and what I would do is to put the hang on filter onto the refugium.

Refugium = An aquarium that goes underneath or next to your tank.  Water from your tank drains into the refugium and then it is run through some algae and live sand, to filter.  Then it is returned to your tank.

Inside a refugium is live sand and a lot of algae.  Algae feeds on poop and dirty water.  So, as water passes through to the return hose, the algae is cleaning it.  It's not just getting debris stuck in the roots.  It's actually drinking and eating the poop.  It has the added benefit of oxygenation as it passes water through the sand and plants.  Live sand eats and disintegrates bad waste.  It's the best thing you can put on your aquarium.

My aquarium runs with a refugium on the back that is a HOB refugium.  That means Hang On Back, rather than next to it or under it.  I have one tank using the HOB and it keeps it very clean.

Still, I change water every Monday, and do 10% changes in all my tanks.  Now, you don't have a clue how many that is...lol...but it's quite tedious, to put it mildly.  Still, I know if I don't do that, then my fish and water quality will suffer.  My corals will die.

So, I advise you to invest in the good stuff now.  Because coral is very expensive, as are fish.  Should you decide to forego water changes and run a HOB filter instead of the refugium, you will be running into problems down the line, and that's very sad.

http://www.ratemyfishtank.com/photo-main.php/29083 one of my tanks.  That's a soft coral tank.

It needed cleaned desperately before that photo and the corals were too close, so shortly afterwards, I cleared runways in between the poor things.

Anyhow, if you run a salt tank, the best filtration you can have is the refugium.  If you want to keep the HOB filter you use, and run the refugium concurrently, you can do that.  Hang the HOB filter on the refugium instead of on your tank.  It will have the added benefit of extra cleanliness.

Skimmers, filters, thermometers, heaters, everything but wavemakers and powerheads can be hidden in a refugium, which is an added benefit of having one.  

I do recommend it. :)

Happy fish-keeping.

Renee