30 Gallon Stocking

[jt8791]

30 minutes ago, Tired said:

You should get a lid. All fish (except seahorses) can jump. 

 

Do you have an Inkbird or similar controller? You plug your heater(s) into the Inkbird, and you put its temperature probe into the tank. Set the Inkbird to shut off at a couple degrees higher than the heaters are set to shut off. That way, if the heaters ever fail on (which can happen with any heater), the Inkbird will catch it and shut them off.

No not yet on either, suppose I should look into a clear mesh net for a lid and a heater controller. Fish stock is still up in the air. Was hoping to avoid a lid but guess I'll have to add an ato before I do that. 

[jt8791]

Yeah I'm stumped at the moment, so far the only fish that really seem to interest me are ocellaris clownish and coral beauty angelfish. Not sure the tank is big enough for a cb and I doubt 6-7 clowns would work for long in a 30g macro tank.

[Tired]

Do you like any of the slightly larger clownfish? A pair of them could be nice. 

 

How about a clown goby? 

[jt8791]

I was debating on blood orange clowns but had read of mixed results with them. Being half maroon it’s hard to say if even cuc would be safe, plus a 12” deep tank would be cramped for a 6” fish.

 

think clown gobies need polyp corals from what I have read and they are only available wild caught. It’s the one downside to going macroalgae, figuring out a stocking plan large enough to support the growth. Really don’t want to cramp large fish that will outgrow the tank.

 

Edit: A few have said the blood orange pair would be fine in the tank. Hard to say if that would be enough of a bioload or if I would need a bottom dweller. Not sure if the blood orange clowns are invert safe, I will have to do more research on that.

[jt8791]

2nd fuge is up and running now. Don’t think I’ll have any issues with flow once I get the ac50. Could probably even downsize these wave pumps possibly. Pushing somewhere around 1200gph with everything, hard to say what the ac110s are pushing for a flow rate now.

[Tired]

Clown gobies do just fine without SPS, though you're right about them being wild-caught. Do you like gobies in general? Some are captive-bred. You could always just look at Biota's website and see if anything on there catches your attention. 

 

If you want to have a lot of macros, I wouldn't rely on just fish for fertilizer. You can straight-up dose nitrates and phosphates, which may be easier. You'll probably also want to get Chaetogro or a similar product, to dose various trace elements that the macros will use up. 

[jt8791]

No skipping on gobies this time, not much fish wise that interests me. I’m sure I’ll figure something out eventually. Worst case I’ll walk into the local petco and see what the fish manager has for ideas. Might even just go around seeing what stores have in the tanks and see if anything catches my eye.

[Tired]

I would very much advise you not to buy from Petco. Browsing for species ideas can work, but they don't generally have very good-quality livestock. Unhealthy fish in a system all connected to itself, little to no disease treatment, that sort of thing. 

[jt8791]

Yeah I’ve seen some nasty stuff in their tanks so I know what you mean. Hoping my usual lfs will have fish soon. They just opened a new location and tanks were still cycling last I was there.

[jt8791]

Not sure how this stocking would work, decided to consider wild fish, hard to pass up the midas blenny but the tank does seem small for a 6" fish.

 

2 Ocellaris Clownfish

2 Pajama Cardinals

1 Midas Blenny

 

[jt8791]

Picked up a few hermit crabs and nassarius snails, wasn't a lot in stock. Also grabbed a pair of ocellaris clownfish, was gonna start with pj cardinals but they just came in and still looked stressed. Almost grabbed a tiny ywg that was hiding in a corner but I haven't seeded the tank with pods and I don't have a cover on the tank yet. lfs said to scratch the midas blenny, he's also trying to talk me into going with corals instead of macroalgae. Which is what I will spend the next week debating, a lightly stocked tank with corals may be simpler to maintain than an overstocked tank with macroalgae.

[jt8791]

I see quite a few people with midas blennies on the forum in 30 gallon tanks without issues. Considering going back to the neon green star polyps and just doing the clowns and midas blenny. Think that would be a medium bioload after inverts but I have the fuges to feed as well as the ac50 to get, could always drop some biopellets in there if need be.

[Tamberav]

My Midas blennies have always been assholes but if it’s just clowns and a Benny then it’s probably fine. They can just territorial as hell about their rock.

[jt8791]

Thinking I will make the ac50 into a cryptic zone once I pick it up. Rinsing sponges will be a pain once I add pods and it seems like a more natural option. I was shooting for a strong microfauna population, minus the dsb now anyways. The pair of clowns seem to be settling in well.

[jt8791]

Not gonna lie, corals sound terrifying to me, too much that could go wrong, and honestly too much money for my budget. Gonna stick with what I know, will have to figure out a few tank mates for the clowns for the bioload. Been wanting to do a tank of graciliara for a while, plenty of them to chose from.

 

May have to break from captive bred and omnivores, also debating between adding 4 smaller fish or 2 bigger medium sized fish. Not sure if I will still do the midas blenny, going back and forth on that one. Almost wonder if I may need a 4th fish to balance out the aggression with the midas.

 

Only thing that came to mind so far was a coral beauty but I would assume there would be territory and food issues with them both eating algae, not to mention the tank is a bit small for the cb and midas honestly. I do worry a bit about adding the blenny, which will be twice the size of the clowns.

 

Other small fish I am slightly interested in, no ywg since I cut the sand down. Tank will get a cover either way, don't want to risk it.

Pajama cardinals - maybe a pair captive
orchid dottyback - maybe 1 captive
royal gramma - maybe 1 captive if I can find it, saw one once on dd
bicolor blenny - slight maybe, most on dd look pretty drab, wild
court jester goby - slight maybe, captive

 

I would really say all the smaller ones are slight maybes, I figure the more actual fish the more complicated it will be. Also have to plan ahead for ones that can handle the clowns at maturity, ie keep them in line and not get pushed around.

 

Mixing omnivores and carnivores also seems to make feeding complicated to me, much easier if possible, to do all omnivores so I don't have to do special feedings only for certain fish. But I feel finding enough omnivores that will fit in this tank with the clowns may be a bit of a challenge.

[Tired]

If you want corals, buy them from local reefers who have spares. Much cheaper than anywhere else, especially when it comes to zoanthids and the prices those can hit online. There are plenty of soft corals that are about as easy as macros to keep alive. 

 

I think a watchman goby would still be fine in your tank. All they need is a place where they can make a hole under the rock. They aren't like jawfish, which dig vertical burrows.

[jt8791]

4 minutes ago, Tired said:

If you want corals, buy them from local reefers who have spares. Much cheaper than anywhere else, especially when it comes to zoanthids and the prices those can hit online. There are plenty of soft corals that are about as easy as macros to keep alive. 

 

I think a watchman goby would still be fine in your tank. All they need is a place where they can make a hole under the rock. They aren't like jawfish, which dig vertical burrows.

I decided for the sake of the budget and my experience I will stick to macroalgae, but I also came from freshwater planted tanks so growing seaweed in sw seems fitting. I will keep the ywg in mind, still debating which way I want to go with stocking.

[ajmckay]

Hello

 

So I looked through your thread real quick and I really like the enthusiasm.  Based on the first 3 pages I would sort of classify you as an equipment junkie lol.  Case in point you have a new system and already acquired 2 AC110's with sanded impellers.   Not a bad thing that's how I describe myself as well.  DIY and modifications are one of the main things that attract me to this hobby.  There's so many different variables and ways to do things.

 

But it seems like you're all over the place with this one.  I can't count how many stocking lists you've put out there.  I might be off here but it seems like you're on your second tank, and you want to try something new and also avoid some of the pitfalls of the prior tank. 

 

Here's my suggestions:

1) I noticed you had some rubble in one of the tank shots but it's gone now.  See if you can take some of that rubble and stick it between some of the larger rocks.  I think that will help solidify your scape

2) My most important factors when choosing fish are

          a) buying only the healthiest of fish.  Like stare at a fish for at least a few minutes to observe it before you make the buy decision. If you're between two similar fish and one is less expensive but less healthy then buy the more expensive one (because of health).

          b) Acclimation is super important.  Add your least aggressive fish last.  Really consider if a fish is a good fit and if you're willing to provide the proper care.  You can certainly ask the LFS for their opinion but know your facts on the fish (or use your phone lol) before getting it.

          c) Keep an eye on compatibility.  Know that you're rolling the dice if you decide to add a fish that's known to be more aggressive.  Or a fish that can nip corals (if you plan to keep corals), or a fish that grows too large. 

3) If you like to get ahead of yourself, establish a maintenance routine now. Enter it into your phone with some alarms or appointments or something.  Make sure you spend an hour or so on maintenance per week.  I set reminders on my phone and I try to keep a routine. For example I use a 10 gallon trash can to mix saltwater.  When I do a water change and take out 5 gallons I make sure to make another 5 gallons so that the can is always full.  I found that if I didn't do this I would skip maintenance because I didn't like the first step to be making water - rather I wanted the first step to be siphoning the tank and the last step to be making water. Also keep in mind vacations and power outages and think ahead on how you're going to handle those situations now because if you don't have a really solid plan then that can limit what you're able to keep.

 

Good luck!

[jt8791]

Yeah I'm actually considering just adding 4 pj cardinals and call it stocked, but heard back and forth on them in groups. Cardinals seem fitting in a macro tank and think I would have better luck with pj over banggai. Yeah was trying to consider some new fish but realized I should just keep it simple. Biggest issue with the macro tanks seems to be stocking it enough so I don't have to dose n and p, otherwise it would seem like I'm just chasing numbers. But that seems much more complicated when picking 4 fish of different species. I tried to consider corals but it seemed like a lot of extra work and money considering macros are more my style, last few tanks before these were fw planted.

 

I read pjs like to hide in plants and I was planning to harvest chaeto from the fuges and let the various graciliaras in the rocks grow in to a bit of a jungle before I trim it so it might work out well. Still got lights, macros, copepods and phyto to get and figure I should have a while before the clowns claim the tank. I almost think half my issue is I like the macroalgae more than most fish, so my main priority is finding something that will thrive in the environment and enough of a bioload that I can grow the macros, feed a reasonable amount and still be able to change water on a regular basis. I love fish don't get me wrong but I prefer simple to care for fish, especially simple to feed. I usually shoot for the largest variety of foods that I can provide and rotate them. 

 

Yeah definitely trying to correct a lot of mistakes I made last time. Will go with fluval plant 3.0 for lighting so shouldn't get a gha lawn like the 10k beamswork full spectrum light gave me last time. Got a refractometer this time, planning to bite the bullet and go hanna for testing. Pricey but seems worth it in the long run, never bought a salt water test kit on the last tank, just went by the fish, how much I fed and by how the macro was growing/harvesting. That was 20gal I changed 5gal every 1-4 weeks depending on the cheato growth/harvest. Rather not run blind this time, I'm hoping for a nice graciliara jungle and not a hairy one. 

 

[Afropenguin]

I put 10 baby clownfish in my 40 gallon tank and they were all fine for about 6 months but then afterwards they starting getting older and fighting and clowns started dying. At the end of the 1st year I was down to 4 clowns. Since then I havent lost any and my clownfish and are old enough that they started laying eggs.

[jt8791]

Oh remembered the other reason I took the hydrometer out. It turned to a pod home and my smallest clown got stuck in the opening. He was just sitting there wiggling for all he could, I had to dump it out the usual way in the tank to flush him out of it. He was fine but never did put it back in. What is it with clownfish and hydrometers? This pair hides behind it but pretty sure they are too big to get stuck. Lol

[jt8791]

Yeah I’m glad I passed on the clown harem, I’ve grown attached to these little orange fish. Wouldn’t want to lose any. 

 

Thinking I really won’t know if pjs will work until I get the tank setup right with macros and add them. Don’t want to go too crazy, plan to leave room for them to grow in.

 

I read more good results on groups of pjs than bad so far but it’s always hard to tell what’s accurate information when every fish will differ to some degree. I also got a few lfs around that I could ask questions but usually only ask them if I’m certain I want it and just want a more experienced hobbiests opinion before following through.

 

i think the pjs would look awesome in a jungle of various graciliara but will keep researching on them. Already had one person suggest pjs and they seem like a perfect fit now that I realize it.

[ajmckay]

6 minutes ago, jt8791 said:

Yeah I’m glad I passed on the clown harem, I’ve grown attached to these little orange fish. Wouldn’t want to lose any. 

 

Thinking I really won’t know if pjs will work until I get the tank setup right with macros and add them. Don’t want to go too crazy, plan to leave room for them to grow in.

 

I read more good results on groups of pjs than bad so far but it’s always hard to tell what’s accurate information when every fish will differ to some degree. I also got a few lfs around that I could ask questions but usually only ask them if I’m certain I want it and just want a more experienced hobbiests opinion before following through.

 

i think the pjs would look awesome in a jungle of various graciliara but will keep researching on them. Already had one person suggest pjs and they seem like a perfect fit now that I realize it.

I think PJ's would be a good fit.  Does your LFS get them in regularly?  Around me at least I don't see them all that often it seems. 

 

Sounds like a good plan to focus on the macros for now.  One thing to maybe look into is if there are any salt mixes that are better for macros than others. Just a thought.  Like with FW you probably have to dose some minerals like iron for good macro growth. 

[jt8791]

Yeah I will have to dose the micro nutrients, either chaetogro or seachem for fw plants I've heard will work, saltwater I buy at Petco, the actual filtered sea water. Rodi I get at the lfs, which I will be heading there in the next week, not sure if they have livestock or more macros yet. My lfs just opened a new location, last I was there their tanks were still cycling. I'm trying avoiding buying from petco this time, but did get these clowns and the snails and crabs at the local one to get some livestock in the tank. Will lean more towards the lfs now that they have a new location, they had closed the old one, just waiting for them to get stocked up.

 

Petco had a large group of pjs last week that had come in the day before, but they were still pale and stressed so I skipped over them. I usually see them from time to time but not all the time, unless I go driving around the state taking a gamble on petco fish again. Not really any other options within an hour for saltwater fish other than petcos or the lfs that just opened a new location, as far as I know anyways. Will see if my lfs ends up getting pjs in, I'll be waiting for macros and lights before I add anymore fish. 

 

Edit: I haven't been to my lfs's old location in a long time but I don't remember seeing pjs there but I only went every so often.

[debbeach13]

I know Petco had a terrible reputation for years. Personally I have been in Petco store that had tanks that were in bad shape. I have also been in Petco stores that had nice tanks and employees that knew the needs of salt water live stock. Now I feel every store Petco or LFS deserves to stand alone. If the live stock appear healthy and happy, if the fish eat well, and the tanks are clean. I buy stuff no matter the name of the store. 3 out of 4 fish in my 20L came from Petco.