100G Indo-Pacific inshore featuring Synchiropus splendidus

[tkhawaja]

I would like to set up an inshore / reef top aquarium. I hope that is a suitable habitat. I want the main fish to be the Mandarin. I understand that I will most likely have to wait 6 - 12 months before I introduce the Mandarin. I have gone through online articles and the books I have and come up with the following list. I would like to start out with easy to take care of inhabitants and then introduce some intermediate specimens as the tank matures.

72 x 18 x 18 100G varying 1" - 3" sand bed
48 x 14 x 12 sump half used as refugium 6" DSB
starting with 175 - 200 lbs live rock

starting with 4 hoods with 2 x 55W PC each (half 10K half Actinic)
total 8 x 55W PC = 440W total

With the sand bed the actual depth of the tank will be between 15" - 17". I have tried to choose corals that would be happy with this level of lighting. I would also like some recommendations for different fish.

Live Rock Arrangement: 50 lbs of Tonga branch rock has been used to create a "jungle" (staghorn replica) on the left hand side of the aquarium. 50 lbs Fiji "boulders" have been added. 70 lbs Kanai had very interesting shapes and various sizes. The Kanai and Fiji have been used to create a few ledges and caves. The Fiji and Kanai "bridges" with the Tonga branch with 1 large Fiji piece. You can see through to the back under the Fiji piece which should be a nice effect later on. 2 large Fiji pieces were turned to rubble and transferred to the refugium / sump.

--: Fish - in order of planned introductoin :--

3 Fish Firefish Goby - Nemteleotris magnifica
2 Fish False Percula Clown - Amphiprion oc - tank raised?
1 Fish Royal Gramma - Gramma loreta
4 Fish Blue-Green Chromis - Chromis viridis
1 Fish Anglefish - Genicanthus family
1 Fish Kole Tang - Ctenochaetus strigosus
2 Fish Mandarin - Synchiropus splendidus - mated pair?
3 Fish Blue-Green Chromis - Chromis viridis ( depending on bio load )

Mushroom - Actinodiscus
Mushroom - Actidonicas
Mushroom - Rhodactis

Polyp - Pachyclavularia
Polyp - Parazoanthus
Polyp - Clavularia

LPS - Blastomussa / Brain Swollen
LPS - Plerogyra / Bubble Green
LPS - Physogyra / Pearl Bubble
LPS - Trachyphyllia / Brain Open Green or Red

* following are near lower limit for light, will be placed higher up

LPS - Caulastrea / Candy Cane
LPS - Cynarina / Modern
LPS - Euphyllia / Torch, Frogspawn

SPS - Pavona / Cactus

Coral Soft - Sacrophyton / Toadstool
Coral Soft - Lobophytum / Cabbage, Finger Leather, Leather
Coral Soft - Xenia, Anthelia

Varieties of Montipora Digita / Capricornus

Snail - All varieties of snails except Turbos

* Some people have suggested removing the shrimps and crabs as they will compete directly with the Mandarins for pods. So, I have removed the hermit crabs from the list. Recommendation?

Shrimp - Grabhmi / Cleaner
Shrimp - Debelius / Fire
Shrimp - Wurdemanni / Peppermint

Crab - Red Scarlet

I want to maximize variety and colour. Please help me decide:

- Which fish and how many of each?
- Which one of these are pivotal / hardest to take care?
- Which corals should I trim out?
- What aquascaping I MUST have for a particular inhabitant?
- The timeline for introducing each specimen.
- Recommendations for alternative corals.
- Recommendations for long term lighting.
- Recommendations for aquascaping of the habitat I am trying to recreate.

*** Please do not post here ***

This is for reference when I post questions in other forums.
Just PM me if you have information or suggestions you want to pass on.

--- I have set up a photo essay of my setup process. I will keep on updating this until the tank is setup with all pump, plumbing, lights, rocks, timers, etc.

Photo Essay

--: CURRENT CONTENTS :--

Sand
120 lbs Aragonite in display tank ranging from 1" - 3"
60 lbs DSB in refugium ranging from 6" - 10"

Rock
45 lbs Aragocrete home made rock
75 lbs Tonga branch
50 lbs Fiji Ultra Premium
70 lbs Kanai

Cleanup Crew
3 Astraea snails
6 Cerith snails
4 Margarita snails
8 Nassarius snails
4 Nerite snails
4 Trochus snails
4 to 6 misc unidentified snails came on LR, too small for ID
1 Emerald crab
1 Lettuce nudibranch (Green sea slug)

--: Water Parameters :--
Temprature: 82.0
PH: 8.22
Salinity: 1.025
Alkalinity: 125
Calcium: 330
Ammonia: 0.1
Nitrite: 0.0
Nitrate: 0.0

[BCOrchidGuy]

I'd build or buy a tank to use as a refugium and have it above the display tank rather than part of the sump. I'm still of the mind set that critters that should migrate from the refugium to the display tank will be killed by the pump.
I had my 90 gallon display with a 45 gallon refugium above and to the side (so the maintank/refugium made an L shape). The refugium housed peppermint shrimp, caluperas, a DSB and lots of live rock. The shrimp are always spawning so there are always little larvae around as food for the other stuff, corals etc. I found that with the refugium above my tank, my display tank always had huge numbers of pods running around, I could have had a mandarin fish in there no problem.

Doug