Are there any restrictions on the livestock I can put in my reef tank?

I recommend that the largest population of livestock in the reef tank be shrimp, starfish, clams, urchins, snails, and harmless crabs. Next, in a lesser amount, would be the corals; they produce a minimum amount of waste, and in fact some of them will process waste. Finally, fish should be added, in the smallest numbers. They are the largest consumers of food, and therefore produce the most waste. Having only a few fish will mean that you will be putting in less commercial food. This reduces the risk of food going uneaten and accumulating in the prefilter, possibly becoming food for algae and/or leading to diminished water quality.

Your fish should be reef-compatible only; that is, they should eat algae but not coral. As I have mentioned in other areas of this book, nearly all of the creatures we put into our tank should be able to consume their fair share of naturally-occurring algae. The selection of livestock is important for algae management.

I recommend that nearly all of the livestock in your reef tank be algae consumers—fish especially. To be allowed into your reef, just about every creature should consume its fair share of algae. This way, not only are the tank inhabitants interesting and beautiful, but they will serve an important function! They will manage the unavoidable, naturally-occurring algae that would be a major inconvenience for you (the reef keeper) to remove manually. Let the fish, snails, crabs, and urchins remove it for you, naturally!

1. Mat for live rock frame (eggcrate) $ 15
2. Sand aragonite: 1 10-lb. bag 10
3. Live rock: 1.5 lbs. per gallon, x 55 gallons = 83 lbs. @ $10 $830
4. Turbo snails (herbivores): 10 @ $5 $50
5. Coral banded shrimp: 1 $15
6. Cleaner shrimp: 4 @ $15 $60
7. Serpent starfish (scavengers): 2 @ $12 $24
8. *** Brittle starfish (scavengers): 2 @ $12 $24
9. *** Hardy corals: 4 @ $45 $180
10. Tridachna clam: 1 $50
11. Yellow tang, small: 1 $35
12. Hippo tang, small: 1 $35
13. Sailfin tang, small: 1 $35
14. *** Basselette: 1 $35
15. *** Goby: (your choice of type): 1 $35
16. *** Misc. invertebrate (your choice): 1 $35
    TOTAL $1,468
    ***To keep costs down you may use less livestock on the items marked.
    
    
    
    

Simplified Reefkeeping