265 Gallon Build (First Ever)

I moved the bag holding the shrimp and the rock holding that so you can get a better view of the 2 islands I already had. Not sure if you guys are referring to smaller islands isolated under the lights or your just saying you like the islands...Here is are two better photos of the scape.

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I am looking for some advice on my stocking list. Any thoughts, comments, ideas, or experiences would be helpful. I probably have too much on the list and should trim it down some. Thanks for any feedback.

Top of the list
Firefish x2
Ocellaris Clownfish Tank Bred or Black Onyx x2
Blue/Green Reef Chromis x3
Diamond Watchman Goby
Yellow Watchman Goby
Midas Blenny
Lawnmower/Sailfin/Algae Blenny
Lyretail Anthias x1 M x3 F
Blue Tang
Tomini Tang / Flame Fin
Sailfin Tang Desjardini
White Tail Bristletooth Tang
Kole Yellow Eye Tang
Yellow Coris Wrasse
Melanurus Wrasse
2 or 3 Flasher or Fairy Wrasses (please give recommendations)
Yellow Tang

Possible future list, space permitting
Flame Angel Fish (definitely want to try in the future, though I hear they are 50/50 with eating coral)
Copperband Butteryflyfish (definitely want to try when I have more experience)
Six Line Wrasse (I hear they can be very mean)
Powderblue Tang (Not sure if I want such a boss in my tank, but they are cool looking)
Foxface Lo (It says with caution for a reef tank, but I might give it a shot in the future)
Purple Dottyback (I hear they can be very mean)
Royal Gamma Basslet (maybe in place of the dotty back)
Carpenter Flasher Wrasse
Jawfish Yellowhead

Inverts
Trochus Snails (How many of each of these snails would be good for my size tank???)
Cerith Snails
Stomatella Snails (I cannot find anywhere that sells these, but hear they readily multiply in the tank, so if anyone has some extra let me know.)
Fighting Conch x1

Royal / Tuxedo Urchin

Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
Blood Red Fire Shrimp
Tank Breed Peppermint Shrimp

RBTA (When I have a more established tank)
Maxima Clam (When I have a more established tank)
Starfish (When I have a more established tank)
 
The sand is in and the islands are set up to where I think they look good. My ammonia is zero, but my nitrites are still high. So, maybe another week or two and the tank will be ready for a CUC. I am starting to see brown algae building on the rocks and think the coraline algae is spreading or I am just noticing more dead spots of it on the rock.

I purchased 2 onyx clownfish on Thursday and put them in QT. I am doing the tank transfer method to make sure there is no Ich. I put a Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge in the tank to warn me of ammonia. Well Saturday morning I woke up and noticed the clowns breathing very rapidly and tipping on their sides every couple seconds. Well I am new to this whole thing, but that just didn't look right to me. So, I checked the ammonia alert badge and it still read that there was zero ammonia. Just for the heck of it I put a second ammonia alert badge in and it said zero. So, I tested it with API and it read over 0.5 ppm :hmmmm2: Well I did a quick 25% or so water change and put some Prime in the water. Well they got worse and worse and the more I read online I was pretty sure it was from the ammonia. I talked with the LFS who took my water sample and tested it and said that everything looks fine now, but that I should just turn the lights off and wait. Well they look like they will actually make it, not sure if the ammonia damaged their organs permanently or whether they will heal, but they are swimming around now and eating like pigs. They are still breathing heavy, but the LFS said it will take some time for their gills to heal. Needless to say I will never trust one of those alert badges again. DrsFosterandSmith refunded me my money and Seachem argued that the API test and theirs tests for different types of ammonia. They told me to put the badge over a bottle of windex to see if they worked, well of course that worked but they didn't work in the QT. The only thing that changed was the ammonia level from when they were dying to now when they are swimming around. Anyway, just a warning (sorry for being long-winded).

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Frustrating about your clowns. They are really pretty.

A few pointers...
Your QT also needs cycle too. An easy way to do this is to keep a sponge in your sump to build a bacteria colony. That way its ready to use in your QT filter whenever you need it. I would hold off on adding any fish. Make sure you have had your bacteria and algae blooms, given your clean up crew time to settle in, and water conditions time to stabilize. In my experience going slower is always better. I would also try to pick up a API reef master test kit and or saltwater test kit to start. They are fairly accurate and include many of common tests you will want to have when beginning. If youre not on a budget Salifert makes extremely accurate test kits that are easy to use. I have learned, investing in good test kits is always money well spent.

Good luck.
 
Tangency said:
Frustrating about your clowns. They are really pretty.

A few pointers...
Your QT also needs cycle too. An easy way to do this is to keep a sponge in your sump to build a bacteria colony. That way its ready to use in your QT filter whenever you need it. I would hold off on adding any fish. Make sure you have had your bacteria and algae blooms, given your clean up crew time to settle in, and water conditions time to stabilize. In my experience going slower is always better. I would also try to pick up a API reef master test kit and or saltwater test kit to start. They are fairly accurate and include many of common tests you will want to have when beginning. If youre not on a budget Salifert makes extremely accurate test kits that are easy to use. I have learned, investing in good test kits is always money well spent.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Jeff, thanks for the advice. I overlooked the whole sponge in the sump thing during my reading on setting up a QT. Currently I am doing the tank transfer method for the first 12 days, but then they will be going into a QT tank for 6 or 7 weeks after that with some LR I bought (due to my oversight). That should give the CUC time to work. The brown diatoms are covering my tank like crazy now. I do have all the API tests except magnesium and have been using them. An update on the clowns since I posted is that their breathing in starting to slow down and there bellies are full, in fact stuffed (can fish overeat like dogs and make themselves sick or do they self regulate?) and they are swimming around now. I think the whole close call has bonded the two of them, because when they were on the edge of life and death and one would tip over on its side the other one would nudge it back up. They took turns doing this to each other, as if to say "hang in there". Kind of neat to see. Keep the pointers coming.
 
It depends on what you want it to do and how the tank is going to be set up.

If you want a swirling motion or a wave like, then having the water push/pull from either side would be good. In my 110, I have it pulling from the bottom then spraying from the middle back towards opposite sides.

I would figure out where/how you want it to flow, then decide if you want a oceans motions 4-way or continuous flow throughout the loop.

If you want I can make you a couple of diagrams.
 
I just got a used 120 I am changing over my 90 to it has 2 over flows. I am not sure how I am going to set up yet still getting pointer i do have a sump with refuge, but I also could set up a second sump with the closed loop It would be used for the main flow in tank.
 
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