The Other Way to Run a Reef Tank (no Quarantine)

[WanderingAlbatross]

No, I don't use any sort of observation tank. In an immune tank the fish just don't get sick "with any "communicable" diseases, but of course they could get other things which is rare.
The key is the right hiding places and food with living bacteria a few times a week.

So starting a new tank, they could in theory go in right after acclimation (obviously after the tank has cycled and been given some time to mature, not as soon as water hits it)? It will be a mix of live and dry rock, and some live sand. I wanted to go all live rock for maximum bacterial diversity, but it's so incredibly expensive to get the amount I need here including shipping.

That's the goal, I care more about fish 'happiness' then how 'pretty and open' the tank looks. I was planning sand, at least predominantly, for those that like to burrow, but I could add a couple areas with gravel, if that gives more territory for pod population, which it sounds like it does.

And about the garden eels, there's a lot of contradicting information out there. Sand depth from 3" to 8", they can't be with any other fish ever to yeah I had some in my reef once, but a nem ate them, and the whole they're scared of everything and starve because the pellets are too big. The only thing that seems to be agreed on by people who refuse to keep any, and those who have a species only tank for them, is that they're a menace to keep. I tried to get an idea of how much space sand-wise a group of 4-6 would occupy since they mostly stay put once burrowed, to explore the best way to keep them, and couldn't get a straight answer. I don't have the space at this time for a species only tank of the roughly recommended size for a large group, so I may put that exploration on the back burner for a later date. I just want as many species as possible, so I can watch each one play their role in my reef. Plus I want them all spawning, which means food that wiggles and places to hide. Love the thread about white worms too, I plan on culturing those and using your long-hailed live clams. Thanks for lending me your valuable time and wisdom!

Blessings

 

[GARRIGA]

Wouldn't one need a sand depth deep enough for that sand eel to retract tail first completely or do they burrow sideways considering some get as long as 24 inches?

Might be a good question for @Jay Hemdal as I'm guessing a public aquarium already has species specific tanks setup for this unique need.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

So starting a new tank, they could in theory go in right after acclimation (obviously after the tank has cycled and been given some time to mature, not as soon as water hits it)? It will be a mix of live and dry rock, and some live sand. I wanted to go all live rock for maximum bacterial diversity, but it's so incredibly expensive to get the amount I need here including shipping.

That's the goal, I care more about fish 'happiness' then how 'pretty and open' the tank looks. I was planning sand, at least predominantly, for those that like to burrow, but I could add a couple areas with gravel, if that gives more territory for pod population, which it sounds like it does.

And about the garden eels, there's a lot of contradicting information out there. Sand depth from 3" to 8", they can't be with any other fish ever to yeah I had some in my reef once, but a nem ate them, and the whole they're scared of everything and starve because the pellets are too big. The only thing that seems to be agreed on by people who refuse to keep any, and those who have a species only tank for them, is that they're a menace to keep. I tried to get an idea of how much space sand-wise a group of 4-6 would occupy since they mostly stay put once burrowed, to explore the best way to keep them, and couldn't get a straight answer. I don't have the space at this time for a species only tank of the roughly recommended size for a large group, so I may put that exploration on the back burner for a later date. I just want as many species as possible, so I can watch each one play their role in my reef. Plus I want them all spawning, which means food that wiggles and places to hide. Love the thread about white worms too, I plan on culturing those and using your long-hailed live clams. Thanks for lending me your valuable time and wisdom!

Blessings

Ironically, I just posted an article on garden eels here:

Garden Eels

An article on the general care of garden eels.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Paul B]

I think I had garden eels twice and couldn't keep them very long.