29g Reef Stocking..coral and fish, for a beginner.

[Buchananlion]

so i know that my size limits me on my fish and possible coral but here is my thread. lets get into information that is going to help you guys give me some advice.

Tank 29g
Water Params
trate-0
trite-0
ammonia-0
sg-.023
water was test by LFS today and they told me i have very clean and good water.
around 30lbs live rock and 25lbs live sand
flow rate ~700
temp 76
lights T5 4 blub
tank up for around 45 days finished its cycle at ~day 20


So now that the boring stuff is out of the way lets get on with the good stuff.

Current stock list(introduced 5 days after the end of the cycle at day 25)
-Peppermint Shrimp x2
-Blood/fire Shrimp x1
-Ocellaris Clownfish x2
10 days later
-Blue Spot Jawfish x1 (jumped out after 2 days dead)
2 days later(if you haven't been counting that's day 37)
-Potters dwarf AngleFish(died today at day 45, randomly, im so sad :cry
-No coral.

So now that we have all that established, i guess here comes the reason for the thread.

i would like coral that is fairly easy to maintain(I do realize that coral is not easy by any means to take care of but im sure some are easier than others?) and still looks spectacular. On that note i got the clown fish so that i could get an anemone for them to host on, right now it appears they are hosting to my mag float..... i have looked at bubble tips, but is there another species?

Okay, so coral, anemones..and now for fish!
(i realize that this is a reef fish forum and i just spent the better part of the thread talking about corals....sorry :/)

SO!

as you already read i have lost two fish so far. A potters angle and a BSJ. i know the BSJ was because he jumped. i need to get a better cover. but the potters was weird he would eat, but very little but still looked really healthy. strange.

so for the new stocking, i would like to have fish that are peaceful, do well with corals, and are hardy (i would like to not loose anymore fish). i am Okay with bottom-goers, but would prefer more active fish.

thank you all for you're help, and please remember i am a newbie to the hobby and to this forum so keep that in mind when you post!

-Westin

 

[revhtree]

For coral you could try some zoanthinds and definitely some leather corals. Florida Ricordia are also very hardy.

For fish yes you are limited by size but you could add some nice little gobies, even a smaller wrasse or two but you need to get the tank covered.

Maybe you could make a list of fish you like and we can guide you?

 

[Fragtastic Reef]

As Rev stated on the fish keep them small and make sure they stay small. No fish that can get large and you will be fine. Even the Potters Angel is pushing it a little but may be ok if you get it as a juv.

Corals I would recommend most soft corals would be easy, could also get some easier to keep LPS and would be fine. I would also recommend raising your SG a little and your Temp. That may help also.

 

[Buchananlion]

Ok thanks for the tips so far! Fish I was thinking about would maybe something like a watchmen goby or some sort of blenny, I also thought for wrasse maybe a Pygmy or a fairy?

Anyone have a 29 gallon that has had success and would like to share there stocking list ?

 

[Cmurl]

I have two firefish they stay small and are cute, plus maybe think about a starry blenny they are kinda like a puppy dog of the tank and help keep algae down.

 

[Neon Reef]

first and foremost..SLOW DOWN...25 days after setting up a tank is not nearly enough time for all the biological process to be in place for the placement of fish, which is probably why the potters died. I support the fact that posted this thread to get advice and am glad you're up for receiving ideas that will help save you money in the long run as well as keep all fish and corals happy and healthy in your tank. Just remember that this hobby requires lots of patience and anything done too fast will result in disaster. Having said all that, make a list of fish that you really want to keep and post it and we can give better advice if they will co-exist peacefully with each other. A good rule of thumb for smaller tanks such as yours is to limit fish to one for every level of tank. for example, some fish are top dwellers like anthias or chromis/damsels, mid tank fish include dwarf angels and wrasses and bottom tank dwellers are types such as gobies and jawfish. If you pick multiple fish that live in the same level, you might get aggression and fighting for that territory. i personally wouldn't put more than 3 or 4 small fish in a 29g tank and i wouldn't add more than 1 new fish a month. not only does that give the fish enough time to get used to its surroundings, but it also allows nitrifying bacterial colonies to keep up with the ammonia-nitrate cycle and keep everything healthy in your tank. Hope that helps and ask away if you have any other questions about fish or corals.

 

[Buchananlion]

Thanks neon! And I now realize that i was hasty to get fish, I guess it's the excitement that comes when you start your hobby. I am now making sure to quarantine my fish for longer than a week and to wait for a longer time to allow everything to mature properly. This is just a stocking for the future.

Having said that I think I'm going to stick with one or two more fish( depending on the size ) but I think I want a wrasse for sure. I want a peaceful colorful, SMALL, and hardy fish. And when I do decide it's time for a new fish I am going to quarantine for at least 4 weeks. What You guys think? And thanks for all the help and patients, I appreciate it!

 

[Buchananlion]

Ok this thread has gone stale so I'm going to spice it back up with ideas I got!

Ok so I've put together a wish list, obviously the list is longer than the number of fish I intend on putting in the tank. And remember I have 2 ocel clowns, fire shrimp, 2 peppermints, 3 turbo snails.

Wishlist:
-long nose hawkfish
-flame angel(Hawaii)
-watchmen goby
-possum wrasse
-6line wrasse(would be the last addition)
-carpenters wrasse
-mcorkles wrasse
-bicolor
-royal gramma

Pick which you would think would do best. I realize that is a long list but ive seen all those fish in reef tanks and really liked them!

And if you have them let me know hat you think of them! Thanks! I will do a coral wish list later on. I will be posting pictures upon next fish purchase

 

[Buchananlion]

The bicolor meanin blenny

 

[M@!]

I would go with the Yellow Watchman Goby.

 

[Buchananlion]

Thats it? Just one?