30 gal tank, what kind of fish?

coppens02

New Member
Hi all!

I just started my first tank ever and I am having some success! I have a 30 gal salt water aquarium and I will be putting in coral reef and fish here hopefully soon! I have my cleaner crew in now and hopefully within 1-2 weeks but I really don't know what fish to put in once I get the chance to purchase some! If anyone could fill me in on what fish are reef compatable and fish that I can put in a 30 gallon then that would be great, Thanks!!!

Jerad
 

chipmunkofdoom2

Well-Known Member
Research research research. For a 30gal, you really can't fit very many fish in there.. I'd say 2 medium sized ones at most. Most smaller fish will leave coral alone, so you just have to make sure they'll get along with each other.
 

coppens02

New Member
Yeah I agree, I am not trying to overload my tank because this is my first one and I am just trying to get my feet wet when it comes to starting out and putting the right fish in my tank. I know clown fish are good but I wanted to know the specific kinds of fish that would be good for my tank.
 

chipmunkofdoom2

Well-Known Member
Smaller fish and fish for beginners.

Bear in mind, the rule of thumb for tank stocking (inches of adult fish per gallon) will vary by setup, skill, and who you ask, but if you're new or have a small tank, my recommendation is no more than 1" of fish per 5 gallons. That 1" of fish is the maximum size, not current size by the way.

If you don't mind, could you tell us more about your setup?
 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
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to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members
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jcgardner

Member
I have one false perc, one fire fish, and one clown goby in my 45 with a 10 gallon sump. I am contemplating getting a jawfish but haven't decided on that one yet. This will be all of the fish I put in the tank. I like to keep the bioload small. Hope this helps.
 

coppens02

New Member
I have another problem, I just bough the 115 mini internal protein skimmer and it seems to be pushing a lot of water out to the top and there is only suppose to be foam coming out.. i do not know what to do so could anyone give me advice on turning the pressure down or something? thanks!
 

coppens02

New Member
I have another problem, I just bough the 115 mini internal protein skimmer and it seems to be pushing a lot of water out to the top and there is only suppose to be foam coming out.. i do not know what to do so could anyone give me advice on turning the pressure down or something? thanks!
 
jawfish are great and are interesting to watch. very personable and are people watchers i kept a pair of pearlys in my 55 now im upgrading to a 72 bow front and have really been concidering a blue spot ive heard the are a little harder to keep but i have been doing tons of research. let us know what route you go there are so many options its a matter of what you like that is one of the great things about this hobby no two tanks are the same. and about your protein skimmer how long has the tank been running? mine seemed to go a little crazy until i got it dialed in which might take a little time be patient and good luck
 

coppens02

New Member
I got it 2 days ago, I probably should be more patient but I just wanted to see if I did anything wrong setting up wise... One more question! I have a ton of dark reddish/brownish algae all over my live rock and my live sand! I do not know how to get rid of it.. My CUC seems to ignore it for the most part and it really is the only algae left in the tank! It has long hairlike strands coming from it and it is really annoying because I cannot get rid of it! Is it because i keep my coral light on too long or because I used tap water to fill up my tank! :cursin: I know i know i should have used RO water but i did not know this until it was too late... All i would like to know is how to get rid of it!

Here is a picture of what it looks like:

http://reef.geddis.org/55g/p/1392b-red-slime-algae.jpg

Also this one! (i dont have nearly as much of the algae on my live sand as this picture does):

http://saltwater-aquarium-guide.net/images/withoutcynobac.jpg
 

LastLocal

New Member
Alright it seems that I'm at the same point you are right now. I'm a student at Univ. of Georgia and decided to start a 29 gallon biocube. I started planning and researching in May, and now it's been running two weeks with all my parameters locked down and cleanup crew now in. That said, here are some fish that you may be interested in and a one liner for each. You can check out some websites such as Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums and look through the fish they have available and it should give a breakdown of each fish they have. You can't always go off these 100% but they provide a good starting ground. Don't go off only tank size though look at their diets, water condition tolerances, and temperment as well. Some fish that look small such as dragonets cannot really be supported in a small tank even though they'll fit. If you have any specific questions about fish species or whatever just ask me and I'll be glad to help you out. Have a good one!

Flame Hawkfish---They don't have a swim bladder so they perch around on your live rock and constantly look around.

Pygmy Angelfish--- (aka Cherub Angelfish) Of all the dwarf angels these are considered to be the least likely to nip corals.

Sixline Wrasse--- Quick, reef safe wrasse that will fit in a 30 gal

Pearly Jawfish--- Awesome fish with a ton of personality. They dig out a burrow and spend most of their time arranging it. They do jump so make sure you have the tank covered.

Clownfish---There are plenty to choose from so which clown you like best would be off personal preference. And they're perfectly happy with corals so you don't absolutely need an anemone.

Blenny---Another good species

Goby--- (eg. Yellow Watchman Goby) really cool fish. They jump though so get the top covered for this.

Royal Gramma---I've heard mixed things. They're really pretty and colorful, but they tend to hide a lot and get territorial.

Bangaii Cardinal---Very beautiful, peaceful fish.
 

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
***Thread cleaned and DUP posts removed***

LastLocal the reason your posts weren't showing up is because you posted a link/url/pic.


At RS we have certain "Security Features" enabled and part of this means that a user must have a predetermined minimum # of posts against their account before they can post links/urls/pics on the forum. Until that time someone on Staff at RS must go in and manually approve any posts that have links. This isn't designed to annoy new users but it goes a LONG way to protecting the integrity and security of RS as a whole. Thanks for understanding in advance.

Allen
RS Staff
 

LastLocal

New Member
Oh, that's fine. I finally realized that it was something like that....and that screen top is awesome. I went to Home Depot and made mine today and it's definitely better than eggcrate!
 
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