Stocking advise for 30L im 36 x 12 x 12 footprint

[Nommarune]

I'm still waiting on my cycle to finish, but I'm trying to plan my live stock. I know I will have two clowns, not sure which ones yet as the lightning maroons are too aggressive ): . I want alot of movement throughout the tank. Upper column middle and lower. I plan on adding a green mandarin at about 6-8 months once the copepods are established (going to add some at 2months and give 4-6 for the colony to grow).

Current thoughts are:
1x coral beauty or flame angel
1x saddle varitari puffer (I know reef safe with caution) need advice on this
2x clowns
2x damsels
1 x swails wrasse??
1 x fire dart.
1x goby
1x bubblegum coral crouched

Total tank is 30gal so I assume that load is okay.

Please advise thanks. Equipment wise I am not planning on running a skimmer instead running a refuge in the back chamber, carbon, floss, bio balls, and some 1inch pieces of rock.

 

[Twigg]

The Saddle Puffer will take small bites of everything, like he's surrounded by a buffet. I like those lil guys but I could not keep him. I would be concerned about the damsels attacking the goby and the dart fish. Chrysiptera seem to be the most docile but in a smaller tank they will chase the peaceful guys.

 

[Nommarune]

The Saddle Puffer will take small bites of everything, like he's surrounded by a buffet. I like those lil guys but I could not keep him. I would be concerned about the damsels attacking the goby and the dart fish. Chrysiptera seem to be the most docile but in a smaller tank they will chase the peaceful guys.

Okay, that's why I was on the fence with the damsel or chromis. And yeah I absolutely love that puffer. What about the mimic file fish same size looks almost the same.. mimic saddle I think is what it is called.

 

[Twigg]

Okay, that's why I was on the fence with the damsel or chromis. And yeah I absolutely love that puffer. What about the mimic file fish same size looks almost the same.. mimic saddle I think is what it is called.

I don't know about the file fish from experience, my friends have them in reef tanks. The puffers are all nippers though. They need something to stimulate the beak.

 

[Sump Crab]

I may just be an old school curmudgeon but that seems like a lot of fish for a 30 gallon. Wow. I have a 30l I. Setting up and plan on just 3 MAYBE 4 fish.

 

[Sump Crab]

I also don't think you'll be able to keep a mandarin longterm in a 30 with 10 other fish competing for pods. Unless you train it to eat prepared foods.

 

[jazzfisher]

I would skip the damsels, and I can not give advice on the puffer. I had some larger fish like a coral beauty & even my clown pair-I felt like they got too big for my 30 L. So now I concentrate on smaller fish-but maybe have more. Here's what I have:
Tail spot blenny
Green War clown goby
a pair of Yasha Hase Gobies & their pistol shrimp
Pygmy hawkfish
Yellow streaked possum wrasse
purple firefish
Pearly dartfish
Mandarin
All very small except the dartfish/firefish.
I run a media basket, skimmer and UV.

 

[Nommarune]

I also don't think you'll be able to keep a mandarin longterm in a 30 with 10 other fish competing for pods. Unless you train it to eat prepared foods.

Even with adding them as a regular feeding routine?

 

[Nommarune]

I would skip the damsels, and I can not give advice on the puffer. I had some larger fish like a coral beauty & even my clown pair-I felt like they got too big for my 30 L. So now I concentrate on smaller fish-but maybe have more. Here's what I have:
Tail spot blenny
Green War clown goby
a pair of Yasha Hase Gobies & their pistol shrimp
Pygmy hawkfish
Yellow streaked possum wrasse
purple firefish
Pearly dartfish
Mandarin
All very small except the dartfish/firefish.
I run a media basket, skimmer and UV.

I like the hawk fish, my issue is the goby's dont add alot of upper tank movement. I also already have a 120gal and a 50 gal that I'm going to be setting up once this tank is done as a grow out tank dt. Figured I'd start with the small one as I have to build a stand for the 120. The 50 gal will be converted to the sump for a total of 170 gal including filtration area.