New 35g tank

[Amy]

I bought a 35g bowfront tank this weekend, with a HOB coralife skimmer and PC lights. It came with lots of mushrooms and a clown. I had a 10g running for a couple of months, it was getting packed so I transfered everything in it yesterday.

Here are some pictures of the 35 this morning (everything is not fully open unfortunately)





















And here are some pics of my old 10g:















So right now I have a banded starfish, cleaner shrimp, a peppermint shrimp (aptasias!! grrrr..) an emerald crab that tagged along for a ride, a teardrop maxima clam, a tail spot blenny, A. Clarkii, A. ocellaris, Pagoda coral, hammer coral, frogspawn coral, leather c., Xenias, kenya tree, green star polyps, a lot of different mushrooms, alveopora ( I think?) some polyps... think thats about it.

I arranged everyone as close as possible to the top... I know PC lights aren't the best, especially for clams, but eventually I will change them (they're brand new, I don't want to sell them right away) I"m still not sure how powerful (or weak) they are, so I'm open for coral placement suggestions! I monitor them daily (around 60 times a day really) I'm still a begginer with saltwater so If anything is placed wrong in there, please, tell me!

And I'm also aware I shouldn't mix clown subspecies... I bought my little clarkii  before I knew I was gonna be given an ocellaris with the new set up.. My old ocellaris in my 10g jumped from the tank a couple of weeks ago, I was really sad and didn't want to replace him with another O so I got the Clarkii.

They are not being aggressive with each other right now, they mostly stay in their respective "homes".
Luckily the ocellaris is really easy to catch. He nibbles at my hands all the time and always follows my fingers around, so at the first sign of aggression, I will remove him.

I have 5 powerheads for now, 3 are small koralias but they seem to work better then the bigger ones...

I don't know if it's a problem for some of the corals I have to be in low to medium current?

Comments are welcomed!

Thanks for looking

[JetJumper]

Looking really good!  I do rather like how you laid everything out.  Keep it up!

[Amy]

Thank you! It took me at least 4 hours to place all the live rock... it was awful, I couldn't see anything because the water was blurry, lol... My back is not happy at all!

[Cheebs]

Fantastic! It looks liek you are doing things right

It's ok to have corals in medium/low flow. Some corals actually preffer it, and you can judge by how well they grow/extend. With a little searching you can find out which ones specifically like it! As long as they look happy, you're set.

As for the clowns, it may not be too problematic for the time being,  but they may get even more territorial in the future. It looks like the clarkii may have been in a scrap or two. If you do decide to go with the same species, the advantage is that it's really cool to see them together and happy, and you may even get some little eggs

Fantastic pictures too by the way!

[salvini55]

alveopora ( I think?) some polyps... think thats about it.

Alveopora has 12 tenticles on the polyp, Goniopora has 24. Looking at the photo, (its hard to count) but looks to be 24... ish

Id bet it is a Flower Pot coral

[salvini55]

Fantastic pictures too by the way!

agreed

[Amy]

Yeah flower pot coral  seems like the right name, thanks! 

I'm pretty sure I'll have to remove one clown from the tank, I just feel bad about getting rid of the ocellaris since he's so jolly and easy going... I'll never be able to catch the clarkii

I was a bit concerned about the current cause in my 10g I had some really rough current on top and medium at the bottom, and everything seemed more open before. I'll wait another 3-4 days to see if they open more, if not, I'll probably change the old powerheads in there since they don't seem really efficient.


Thanks again for the comments, I'll have some more pics to post really soon!

[Greatwhite]

From what I've read, some of the corals you have PREFER PC lighting over MH, even...  Frogspawn & hammers take a while to adjust to the brightness/intensity of the MH lights.  I chose to believe that information because I'm currently running a PC fixture...

[Amy]

All the corals seem pretty happy today! My clam moved last night... It seems like she wants to go back in the sand... or she keeps falling down the rocks, I'm not sure.. it couldn't be too bright for her, could it?

I'll probably start shopping for some corals that prefers being on the bottom with moderate light...  It looks a bit empty!

[Darth]

I think its more of a case of the clam falling, I doubt its too bright, if anything I would say brighter for the clam

[JetJumper]

If clams are not happy where they are they will attempt to move. If its perched on a rock and it wants to move, next thing you know its on the sand bed again.  I tend to just leave my clams on the sand.

[Amy]

I'll try leaving the clam on the sand for the night, I hope the light is enough at the bottom.  Thanks for the info!

[Amy]

Thought I'd give you an update of my 35:

Everyone seemed extra happy today, except for the leather who is starting to open...















Can't wait to see how it's going to look in a year or two

[Stussi613]

That tank looks amazing Amy, really great job!!

What kind of camera are you using?  Your shots are fantastic!

[bt]

Yeah, I'm impressed by the tank and the pictures in equal parts.

[Amy]

Thank you! Right now I have a canon rebel xsi (great Digital slr to begin with) and a 18-55mm lense but i'm trying to sell it to buy a canon T2i with a sigma macro lens. I can't wait to make nicer shots and HD videos of this tank, I hope I can capture the real colors and beauty of it with my future camera.  Thanks for the comments

[Stussi613]

Thank you! Right now I have a canon rebel xsi (great Digital slr to begin with) and a 18-55mm lense but i'm trying to sell it to buy a canon T2i with a sigma macro lens. I can't wait to make nicer shots and HD videos of this tank, I hope I can capture the real colors and beauty of it with my future camera.  Thanks for the comments

I don't think a macro lens would make a big difference, but let me know how it works out!!  Make sure you stay tuned for the workshop that Ron Hay will be putting on later on taking shots of fish and aquariums...I've taken pics with Ron before and he knows his stuff!

[Amy]

It will make a really huge difference for sure... It's gonna add more "depth" to the pictures, and that's what I love most. And I'll be able to zoom in more then my original lens.
The T2i has a higher Iso then my Xsi also, so it will definitely be a bonus for taking shots with the powerful lighthing.
Can wait to see Ron Hay's work as well,  thanks for the info!

[Cheebs]

Your tank is looking awesome! Ver nice!