Centerpiece fish for a 30 gal

[cgoodman2003!]

Hey yall— I have a 30 gal reef tank I’m slowly building up. I have two maroon clowns and a bunch of inverts, but I want a true centerpiece fish. I saw on here some ideas for a PSW, some dwarf angels maybe, but I wanted some real good ideas—fish that pop. Let me know! Thanks.

 

[fishywishy]

These are some good options:

Atlantic longnose Butterfly (expert only and rare)
flame angel
coral beauty
Flame hawk
Flameback angel

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

A 30 gallon is still a nano tank, and you should stick with nano fish.

I would suggest either a firefish, or a yellow assessor or a black cap, a pair of damsel fish, a pink streak wrasse, a jawfish (if you have deep sand), a midas blenny..... you have a lot of choices, do some online window shopping.

Just ensure whatever fish you get is suitable for a 30 gallon tank, don't get fish that should be in 50+ gallon tanks....

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm going to second a Midas Blenny or a pink Streak. Both of those would be great additions to your tank

 

[kevgib67]

A Royal gramma has a lot of pop and is perfect size for your tank.

 

[Cheese Griller]

Those maroons are going to kill everything you put in there. Swap them out for a pair of occelaris or Percula then any of the suggestions are valid. Please don’t add anything until you have rehomed the maroons. If you are unwilling to part with them, then those will be your centerpiece fish lol

 

[sam2216]

These are some good options:

Atlantic longnose Butterfly (expert only and rare)
flame angel
coral beauty
Flame hawk
Flameback angel

can atlantic longnose butterfly live in the 30 gallon forever? one more question is that are they more reef safe than others? also I've seen you everywhere I go lol. I love the flame too.

 

[fishywishy]

can atlantic longnose butterfly live in the 30 gallon forever? one more question is that are they more reef safe than others? also I've seen you everywhere I go lol. I love the flame too.

Yes, it can live in a 30 gal forever. They are definitely one of the more reef safe butterfly’s but they are still reef safe with caution.

Yeah, it’s Christmas break so I’ve been posting a lot with all the free time i have.

 

[sam2216]

Yes, it can live in a 30 gal forever. They are definitely one of the more reef safe butterfly’s but they are still reef safe with caution.

Yeah, it’s Christmas break so I’ve been posting a lot with all the free time i have.

nice! thats helpful. i will add macroalgae and already have a lot of microalgae, will that be good for it?

 

[sam2216]

sorry for too many questions!

 

[exnisstech]

I have to agree with @Cheese Griller. With a pair of maroons in a 30g I would say your fully stocked already. My female maroon took over half of a 6ft tank. I'm not sure if I would even keep maroons in a 30g TBO

 

[Tahoe61]

can atlantic longnose butterfly live in the 30 gallon forever? one more question is that are they more reef safe than others? also I've seen you everywhere I go lol. I love the flame too.

Not a good choice.

Those clowns are eventually going to give you issues in a 30 gallon when you introduce new fish.

Royal Gramma, Yellow Tailed Damsel?

Honestly I wouldn't introduce any other fish in a 30 since the clowns are established.

 

[fishywishy]

nice! thats helpful. i will add macroalgae and already have a lot of microalgae, will that be good for it?

They aren't known to eat macro algae like a tang or fox face to my knowledge, so the algae isn’t going benefit it in any way. But i could be wrong. This guy probably knows @i cant think

sorry for too many questions!

doesn't bother me.

 

[LabyrinthCorals]

My centerpiece fish in my 40g is a captive bred mandarin. She eats pellets and frozen and is a treat to watch hunt pods, so that would be my suggestion

 

[sam2216]

Not a good choice.

Those clowns are eventually going to give you issues in a 30 gallon when you introduce new fish.

Royal Gramma, Yellow Tailed Damsel?

Honestly I wouldn't introduce any other fish in a 30 since the clowns are established.

Yea I’m just looking for options. I haven’t thought to buy anything for sure yet. I’m researching a lot of fish and their needs so I can care for whatever fish I see at LFS. Also I love the looks of Starkci damsel, are they aggressive than other ones? Thanks!

 

[Exotrezy]

Not a good choice.

Those clowns are eventually going to give you issues in a 30 gallon when you introduce new fish.

Royal Gramma, Yellow Tailed Damsel?

Honestly I wouldn't introduce any other fish in a 30 since the clowns are established.

What about if the clowns are not established? I added mine about 3-4 days ago and added a fire goby 2 days ago. Can I get any butterflyfish or Angelfish? I love the way they look and let me know if I can and which ones.

 

[Exotrezy]

My centerpiece fish in my 40g is a captive bred mandarin. She eats pellets and frozen and is a treat to watch hunt pods, so that would be my suggestion

I was going to try a mandarin but I am scared that it’s not gonna eat pellets/flakes and I don’t have copepods.

 

[Tahoe61]

What about if the clowns are not established? I added mine about 3-4 days ago and added a fire goby 2 days ago. Can I get any butterflyfish or Angelfish? I love the way they look and let me know if I can and which ones.

No Butterfly, the tank to way to small. You might be able to do a Cherub or Flame Back Dwarf Angel. Both have big personalities and can defend themselves against clowns. That would max you out in a 30 gallon. Remember everything may seem good now, the fish mature, they grow, the clowns reaching spawning age and everything changes.

 

[Exotrezy]

No Butterfly, the tank to way to small. You might be able to do a Cherub or Flame Back Dwarf Angel. Both have big personalities and can defend themselves against clowns. That would max you out in a 30 gallon. Remember everything may seem good now, the fish mature, they grow, the clowns reaching spawning age and everything changes.

Ok, I think I will get the cherub angelfish, the tank is 3ft long and I do 5 gallon water change every weekend. I have an Aquaclear filter and I have a skimmer. Could I squeeze in a Yellow watchman goby?

 

[unclejed]

Hey yall— I have a 30 gal reef tank I’m slowly building up. I have two maroon clowns and a bunch of inverts, but I want a true centerpiece fish. I saw on here some ideas for a PSW, some dwarf angels maybe, but I wanted some real good ideas—fish that pop. Let me know! Thanks.

My first thought is a Lemon Peel Angel.

My second thought is a marine Beta;