Saltwater Newbie - A few questions

[jcllhn]

Hi, all. Just starting out after keeping freshwater tanks for a few years. I have a 28 gallon tank with roughly 25 lbs of live rock. Started cycling about a week ago with a few shrimp and all levels are through the roof! Waiting for everything to normalize.
Kids want clown fish (Nemo). Can I get more than 1? Any other suggestions for compatible fish? This will be a FOWLR tank.
Also any suggestions on a protein skimmer for a 28 gal? Not sure I want to go the sump route as it's in our family room and I worry it will be loud/messy.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!!

 

[ma77301985]

Hi and welcome to RS!

My suggestion is to get a pair of young percula clowns (ocellaris are great too) . You will enjoy watching them grow, seeing their personalities and also learning which will become the female.

There are many great people here who will guide you every step of the way if needed so have no fear!

The main thing to remember is to have fun, keep it fun, and not a chore.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

 

Start a new tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along - we love pics

+1 after your cycle completes you can get a pair of clownfish, just get to young ones of similar size - watch a tank full of them & look for a pair that hang together

 

[mikecc]

Sumps are great. Main purpose of a sump is to hide your equipment. Make sure to age your tank prior to getting an anemone for the clowns. There are alot of different clowns to choose from. Designer clowns, tank bred clowns, wild caught. Take your time and look around, find a clown with coloring that you like. Don't take the 2 out of the tank that are battling for dominance. Get one of the battlers, then grab a smaller tank mate. If they lay eggs...... well...remember fry tanks STINK! They. Smell. Bad. Fact of life. Cant change that.

 

[goma]

Hi and welcome to RS!!! Friendly bunch of helpful folks here, feel free to ask any questions you may have! :swmfish:

 

[mikecc]

Compatible fish? I suppose most that wont eat a clown? There are fish compatibility charts on many web sites.

Clowns get pretty territorial. They will even attack you. They bite. Mine are named Nemo and Crusty.

Skimmer? No sump? Have to be a hang on tank model?

Consider buying a controller for your tank. Expensive but well worth it IMHO. Expensive. Very. Worth it. Very.

FOWLR, I'd skip the skimmer all together, add a little more rock (pound and a half a gallon), and get the controller. Stock light and feed easy.

 

[yorkieUK]

:swmfish::welcomera:swmfish::welcomera:swmfish::welcomera:swmfish:
**Welcome to Reef Sanctuary. The home for reefers who care**

Hi jcllhn,

It's good to see you taking part in the forums.
You'll find lots of new friends on here offering good advice and encouragement.
I can vouch for the clownfish. Percula or Ocellaris are very good in mated pairs.
Avoid Clarkii Clownfish as they are aggressive towards each other and other species.
There's 28 species of clownfish to choose from. Dartfish and Chromis are good as well.
Have a look at http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=15+27
As for your tank, mine is a 170lt without sump/fuge and I run a Fluval Sea PS1 skimmer (internal).
A Kent 120 Nano Internal Protein Skimmer is a cheaper option.
You could even go for a "hang on" skimmer if you don't want to lose space in your tank.
Something like a BOYU DG-2516 PROTEIN SKIMMER.

It would be great if you started a Reef Chronicle to share your journey with us.
When you have time, put some more info on your profile page and share your journey.
We love Reef Chronicles, stories, questions and most of all.........
...................photos!!!

 

[yorkieUK]

 

[DaveK]

Hi, all. Just starting out after keeping freshwater tanks for a few years. I have a 28 gallon tank with roughly 25 lbs of live rock. Started cycling about a week ago with a few shrimp and all levels are through the roof! Waiting for everything to normalize.
Kids want clown fish (Nemo). Can I get more than 1? Any other suggestions for compatible fish? This will be a FOWLR tank.
Also any suggestions on a protein skimmer for a 28 gal? Not sure I want to go the sump route as it's in our family room and I worry it will be loud/messy.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!!

Welcome to RS.

No wonder your readings went way high. You only need 1 shrimp, but it's not going to hurt anything.

As for clowns, many of the ones being offered for sail today are in poor shape and carry diseases. While we recommend always quarantining new fish, for clowns, it even more important. Watch them closely for any diseases. Some go as far as to say they should be treated for Brooklynella, even if they don't show signs of the disease. It's not called clownfish disease for nothing. Also be on the lookout for SW ich and SW velvet.