First saltwater tank

[MaxTremors]

I thought this was a white bubble tip anemone? If it’s a different kind of anemone please let me know.
As for the chocolate chip sea star, I just think they’re really cool looking and am trying to go for a black and white tank. They eat mostly squid, shrimp, and clams which I already stock in my kitchen anyway. Looks like the suggested way to feed them is cut up the food in small pieces and gently bury in the sand for them to find and eat. I haven’t seen anything warning about them eating anemones. I’ll look into different types of starfish though. I’m still quite a bit away from having anything in my tank other than the sand and rocks, so I have time to research (the tank doesn’t have to be ready until December anyway). Is there a specific LED brand/model you recommended for the best results? Thank you

That is a severely bleached bubble-tip. Likely a green one that has expelled it’s zooxanthellae. I don’t know that there are any pure/stark white anemones that will host clownfish. There are a few brownish/tan ones that read sort of as white but that aren’t truly white (sebae, long tentacled), but the only naturally white anemones in the hobby that I can think of are Condylactis and some rock flowers (though they generally have some striping or other colors), and neither will host clownfish.

Chocolate chip starfish are generally tan and brown, though some have a lighter base color with darker nodules and under blue light can look kind of black and white. The problem with them is that they need to be fed every other day, which is a massive bioload for an aquarium, they generally starve to death because people don’t keep up with feeding them. And when they do keep up with feeding them, nutrient levels spike, which can also kill them (starfish are not very tolerant of high nitrates), this is especially a concern in a 30 gallon tank. The other thing is that if it does survive, they get massive, like over a foot across (which means they need even more food), which again, would be a huge concern in a 30g tank. I guess the point I’m trying to get at is that they’re just not a great choice for home aquaria. It’s your tank, but IMO, when a species comes with so many concerns and that severely limits what other species you can keep, it’s a deal breaker.

Black and white is going to be kind of tough, if you added some red, it could be a really cool tank. White rock, black sand, some white clowns, a couple bangaii cardinals, a flame hawkfish, maybe a black clown goby, some white and red rock flower anemones, a red bubble tip anemone, some black and red Zoanthids, some solid red blastomussa, a white and red cocoworm, some red mushrooms, scarlet hermits, a red and a white serpent star, some black keyhole limpets (if you can find some), and then there are tons of red corals (some have some white and/or black accents). It could be a stunning tank.

 

[15aleo]

That is a severely bleached bubble-tip. Likely a green one that has expelled it’s zooxanthellae. I don’t know that there are any pure/stark white anemones that will host clownfish. There are a few brownish/tan ones that read sort of as white but that aren’t truly white (sebae, long tentacled), but the only naturally white anemones in the hobby that I can think of are Condylactis and some rock flowers (though they generally have some striping or other colors), and neither will host clownfish.

Chocolate chip starfish are generally tan and brown, though some have a lighter base color with darker nodules and under blue light can look kind of black and white. The problem with them is that they need to be fed every other day, which is a massive bioload for an aquarium, they generally starve to death because people don’t keep up with feeding them. And when they do keep up with feeding them, nutrient levels spike, which can also kill them (starfish are not very tolerant of high nitrates), this is especially a concern in a 30 gallon tank. The other thing is that if it does survive, they get massive, like over a foot across (which means they need even more food), which again, would be a huge concern in a 30g tank. I guess the point I’m trying to get at is that they’re just not a great choice for home aquaria. It’s your tank, but IMO, when a species comes with so many concerns and that severely limits what other species you can keep, it’s a deal breaker.

Black and white is going to be kind of tough, if you added some red, it could be a really cool tank. White rock, black sand, some white clowns, a couple bangaii cardinals, a flame hawkfish, maybe a black clown goby, some white and red rock flower anemones, a red bubble tip anemone, some black and red Zoanthids, some solid red blastomussa, a white and red cocoworm, some red mushrooms, scarlet hermits, a red and a white serpent star, some black keyhole limpets (if you can find some), and then there are tons of red corals (some have some white and/or black accents). It could be a stunning tank.

That’s so sad. Poor anemone..
Ok, definitely scratch the chocolate chip starfish idea. They’re really cool looking, but I definitely don’t want to risk the rest of my tank or buy the poor guy just to have him suffer. Thank you for the warning. I guess a lot of the sites I was on downplayed that because they’re just looking to make money.
I’d definitely be all for adding red to the black and white concept. Sorry, I’m used to concept tanks from my freshwater tanks (my current tank is Japanese themed because I speak and teach Japanese). But I’m definitely going for a completely natural look for the saltwater. I’ll see what of that list I can possibly get. Being in Montana, there’s not a lot in my local shops, and I only have a small window of when I can safely mail order fish from online due to temperatures.
i really do appreciate all of the help, suggestions, and knowledge. I joined R2R to make sure I don’t royally mess up this tank, so honestly thank you.

 

[MaxTremors]

That’s so sad. Poor anemone..
Ok, definitely scratch the chocolate chip starfish idea. They’re really cool looking, but I definitely don’t want to risk the rest of my tank or buy the poor guy just to have him suffer. Thank you for the warning. I guess a lot of the sites I was on downplayed that because they’re just looking to make money.
I’d definitely be all for adding red to the black and white concept. Sorry, I’m used to concept tanks from my freshwater tanks (my current tank is Japanese themed because I speak and teach Japanese). But I’m definitely going for a completely natural look for the saltwater. I’ll see what of that list I can possibly get. Being in Montana, there’s not a lot in my local shops, and I only have a small window of when I can safely mail order fish from online due to temperatures.
i really do appreciate all of the help, suggestions, and knowledge. I joined R2R to make sure I don’t royally mess up this tank, so honestly thank you.

Oh, that was just an idea if you wanted to stick to a color theme, there are plenty of other fish and inverts that would work too. If you want a truly natural looking tank, I would just go for a mixed reef or even a macro algae/soft coral tank. If you want something really colorful and fairly easy to keep, look into Zoanthids/Palythoas, mushrooms/Ricordeas, acans/Micromussas, and blastomussas, those are all fairly flat or dome shaped corals, so you could also add some gorgonians or Sinularia/Nepthea for some height and movement. These are just suggestions to do some research on, there are nearly endless possibilities in terms of corals, so I would recommend that you start looking at photos or YouTube videos to see what kind of corals or anemones you gravitate towards and then do your research. There’s a lot of planning that needs to be done in terms of compatibility, placement, lighting, flow, etc., it seems overwhelming at first but once you start to understand the basic concepts, it gets easier to plan and make decisions. This hobby rewards patience, it’s always better to plan and do your research before hand than to buy something and then try to accommodate it. Also, for any animal you’re considering adding, always search or ask here (or similar message boards), you may get conflicting information (but when it comes to tank inhabitants, individual animals can have wildly different behavior than what the species is generally known for), but you’ll hopefully get a good or better idea of what to expect and how to care for a particular animal, than you will on sites like live aquaria that give just basic species profiles.

Also, even if you don’t have great LFS near you, you can always get stuff shipped overnight. Unless you’re out in the middle of nowhere, you shouldn’t have any issues with overnight shipping. I currently live in Idaho, and haven’t had any major issues getting stuff shipped. And even with shipping, you’ll often get a better deal than you would at a local store (though I try to support my local LFS, they’re an important resource to have, but if they don’t have what you’re looking for…). Especially if you wait for sales, like just this weekend, I made orders from two different online retailers, and got some insane, just unreal deals.

 

[15aleo]

Oh, that was just an idea if you wanted to stick to a color theme, there are plenty of other fish and inverts that would work too. If you want a truly natural looking tank, I would just go for a mixed reef or even a macro algae/soft coral tank. If you want something really colorful and fairly easy to keep, look into Zoanthids/Palythoas, mushrooms/Ricordeas, acans/Micromussas, and blastomussas, those are all fairly flat or dome shaped corals, so you could also add some gorgonians or Sinularia/Nepthea for some height and movement. These are just suggestions to do some research on, there are nearly endless possibilities in terms of corals, so I would recommend that you start looking at photos or YouTube videos to see what kind of corals or anemones you gravitate towards and then do your research. There’s a lot of planning that needs to be done in terms of compatibility, placement, lighting, flow, etc., it seems overwhelming at first but once you start to understand the basic concepts, it gets easier to plan and make decisions. This hobby rewards patience, it’s always better to plan and do your research before hand than to buy something and then try to accommodate it. Also, for any animal you’re considering adding, always search or ask here (or similar message boards), you may get conflicting information (but when it comes to tank inhabitants, individual animals can have wildly different behavior than what the species is generally known for), but you’ll hopefully get a good or better idea of what to expect and how to care for a particular animal, than you will on sites like live aquaria that give just basic species profiles.

Also, even if you don’t have great LFS near you, you can always get stuff shipped overnight. Unless you’re out in the middle of nowhere, you shouldn’t have any issues with overnight shipping. I currently live in Idaho, and haven’t had any major issues getting stuff shipped. And even with shipping, you’ll often get a better deal than you would at a local store (though I try to support my local LFS, they’re an important resource to have, but if they don’t have what you’re looking for…). Especially if you wait for sales, like just this weekend, I made orders from two different online retailers, and got some insane, just unreal deals.

I know I definitely have a lot more to research, but I also have time. I’m definitely on YouTube, Reddit, and fishtok as well looking for suggestions and ideas.
I live in one of the larger “cities” in Montana. We have 1 PetSmart, 1 PetCo, and 2 mom&pop shops. I agree with trying to support the local shops first, but one of the mom&pop is appointment only, and I’m still waiting to hear about an albino bristle nose for my freshwater tank (6 months later). The other mom&pop is open on the weekend, but I’ve had some bad luck with their FW fish, some plants I got from there infected my tank with ick which was devastating to my scaleless fish, they accidentally had a ton of assassin snails mixed in with almost identical snails, and then on top of that they’re super expensive. And while I don’t live in the middle of nowhere, all mail goes through a different city before coming to us, so overnight packages get to me in 2-3+ days, so I’d much rather order through a shop to make sure it’s not in the mail too long and ends up being DOA. I have a medication that’s overnight shipped to me through FedEx and I usually get it the next business day, sometimes 2 business days. “2 day shipping” through USPS usually means I’ll get it in a week.

 

[MaxTremors]

I know I definitely have a lot more to research, but I also have time. I’m definitely on YouTube, Reddit, and fishtok as well looking for suggestions and ideas.
I live in one of the larger “cities” in Montana. We have 1 PetSmart, 1 PetCo, and 2 mom&pop shops. I agree with trying to support the local shops first, but one of the mom&pop is appointment only, and I’m still waiting to hear about an albino bristle nose for my freshwater tank (6 months later). The other mom&pop is open on the weekend, but I’ve had some bad luck with their FW fish, some plants I got from there infected my tank with ick which was devastating to my scaleless fish, they accidentally had a ton of assassin snails mixed in with almost identical snails, and then on top of that they’re super expensive. And while I don’t live in the middle of nowhere, all mail goes through a different city before coming to us, so overnight packages get to me in 2-3+ days, so I’d much rather order through a shop to make sure it’s not in the mail too long and ends up being DOA. I have a medication that’s overnight shipped to me through FedEx and I usually get it the next business day, sometimes 2 business days. “2 day shipping” through USPS usually means I’ll get it in a week.

Most online coral/fish sellers ship priority overnight through FedEx (some use UPS), which generally guarantees next day delivery by noon.