Fish or detriovore kit?

[dgphelps]

My tank is going on its third month. I have copepods that cover the walls, amphipods that scurry around on everything night and day they are visible. The sand bed is producing bubbles and I am noticing worms against the glass. I have some mushrooms and green star polyps. My question is, should I get a detriovore kit now to introduce more things to the sand bed or would it be alright to get fish and then later add the kit? I am thinking of getting 3 small clownfish, I would like true perculas, tank raised.

Will they start eating all the little pods already and deplete what I have in there now? Would it be better to get a kit and let them get established a few months before adding fish?

Thanks.

[Mike_Noren]

Originally posted by dgphelps
My tank is going on its third month. I have copepods that cover the walls, amphipods that scurry around on everything night and day they are visible. The sand bed is producing bubbles and I am noticing worms against the glass.
...
would it be alright to get fish and then later add the kit? I am thinking of getting 3 small clownfish, I would like true perculas, tank raised.


Well... You can get fish now, your tank is up and running. On the other hand, yes, they'll start eating all the little pods and deplete what you have in there, and a detritivore kit never hurts... But I'd say it's OK to get the fish, after all they, not the detritivores, are the reason you have a reef tank to begin with*.

Add a detritivore kit too if you want, or add it a year from now to bring diversity back up after the ravages of the clowns... It's a good idea to 're-stock' the sandbed regularly, as diversity otherwise constantly declines over time.


* Presumably. Me, I keep reef tanks for the inverts, not the fish.

[rshimek]

Hi,

I have nothing to add to Mike's excellent answer. [thanks]

:D

[SeanT]

I have something to add. :)
I would stick to a pair of Clowns instead of three.
Clowns like to pair up and you don't want one to be the odd clown out.
Who knows what disruption that may cause in the Clown Family Dynamic.
The lonely Clown may end up in a corner all by his lonesome reading the Clownarchist's Cook Book and thinking up ways to become "noticed".

It could happen ya know.

[opihi]

Originally posted by SeanT
I have something to add. :)
I would stick to a pair of Clowns instead of three.
Clowns like to pair up and you don't want one to be the odd clown out.
Who knows what disruption that may cause in the Clown Family Dynamic.
The lonely Clown may end up in a corner all by his lonesome reading the Clownarchist's Cook Book and thinking up ways to become "noticed".

It could happen ya know.

:lol: you're weird, dude