Good Starter & Stock List for 35g??

[barrett.oliver]

Good'ay Ladies and Gents

I'm a numerous month researcher, who has just bought a 30gal starter. I've just started the cycle now that my LR has been added.

I would love it, if someone could give me some insight on 1. whether I should start with something like some soft coral, and zoos of sorts. or 2. go with fish to start?

I realize most answers will be a matter of personal opinion, but this is why I've come to ReefCentral, for the experienced opinions. If I haven't already asked to much, would you perhaps mind adding some species of the choice you've made?

Many thanks for any sort of help you provide me.

Cheers,
Barrett.Oliver

 

[Slakker]

Welcome to ReefCentral (I don't happen to have the cute little .gif on this machine, but if I did, you'd be seeing it )

I would start with fish, myself. Softies don't give a tank much movement, and much of what attracted me to the marine world in the first place was the amazing variations in the way that marine fish move...it still amazes me how different each fish is from it's tank mates!

Your reasonings may be different, but as that's what attracted me to the hobby the most, that's where I started.

It sounds like this is your first saltwater tank...is that right? If so, welcome to the hobby (addiction, really...)

Do you have any ideas of fish that you would like to add in the future? Knowing what you want out of the tank later on can be helpful in decided what fish or corals would be good to add at the beginning

 

[barrett.oliver]

Very much so, my first tank indeed. Although the fish is by far, what brought me to the "addiction"(I'm beginning to see this). The more I see the zoo's, and colt coral for instance.... The more facinated I become with the thought of those.

So my being torn helped me start asking questions here. I also want to do it the best way possible. By best way I mean, very patiently, and particular with the best intrest of the livestock in mind. Not just my preference.

As for fish, I love the sight of a Tang, and Dwarf Angels are gorgeous too. I likely don't have the space for these though. So basically, I'm looking for vibrant colours in fish. Looking in LPS, the looks of the fish can be very deceiving though. I've seen some small Blue Tangs that I would have taken home yesterday had I not known they grow as big as they do.

So I guess I would like to know, what the biggest fish would be that I could put in this tank comfortably, while still being able to keep perhaps a couple more smaller fish in with??

As for the future? Likely something along the lines of more colorful coral..... Am I being way too picky? Or is this something perfectly reasonable?

I could keep going on and on, so I'll give you some thinking time in ragards to the questions I've bombarded you with just now. Thanks very much for your time, and anyone else time who is spent here also!

-Barrett.Oliver

 

[Slakker]

You'd be correct, a 35g would only be a suitable home for a tang for a short while. You can often find tiny ones, but they don't stay that way for long

There are a few species of dwarf angel that would probably be okay in a 35g tank, but be aware that these do sometimes nip at corals. Most are also fairly aggressive once established, so most people recommend adding them last if there are to be more peaceful fish in the tank with them.

I would guess that in a 35 you would probably be okay with one of the smaller species of dwarf angel, and two, maybe three others depending on size and how active they are.

The trick is finding fish that interest you that will get along peacefully

 

[Tangwich]

Have had a 225gallon mixed reef tank but mostly LPS because like most people in this hobby, I love big movement not only from my fish but from my corals. Now I have a 34gallon tank as well and this tank will be dedicated more to softies, zoas, acans and open brains. Sounds like you are already ahead of the game by mentioning that you will take your time with additions to the tank. That is the most important part of a new tank, letting the beneficial bacteria multiply in order to deal with the bioload in the tank. If you want peaceful fish that are active and colorful, you might want to look into reef safe wrasses and/or a dwarf angel like a Flame angel or coral beauty, but those can be hit or miss as far as being reef safe is concerned. I will tell you this, I have had a Flame angel for about a year and has never nipped at any corals whatsoever. Model citizen. In a tank that size, your best bet are blennies and gobies as they are quite the characters. Hope that offered some good insight.

 

[Illuminati]

Colorful fish suitable for your tank:


Helfrichi Firefish (Very $$$$)

Regular Firefish:

Bangaii Cardinalfish (Black and Silver) or Mystery Wrasse (Again $$$$)

Blackcap Basslett:

Yellow Watchman Goby

Clowns

 

[barrett.oliver]

I think clown(s) is/are a given for my tank, but is it true if I'm going to get more than one (is this a good idea to begin with?) that they need to be put in the tank at the same time? The dwarf angels are something I've taken quite an intrest into aswell the Fire sort are immaculate. I think a yellow goby would be nice in there also. I'll be looking into the Wrasse, and Firefish but don't know much about either of them thusfar.

Just to be safe, I won't be buying anything until I get names then ask questions here.... What I think I will probably do is, while waiting the 2-3 weeks for the tank to do its thing, I'll do my best to make a list of some interesting fish that I might like in my tank. Then obviously do some more asking around.

Thanks to everyone for their input, and also for future input my notebook is filling quite nicely!!

Barrett

 

[Slakker]

No, you can certainly add each clown at a different time. The first clown you add, if alone for a while, will turn into a female, so when you add the second clown you're going to want to find one that is MUCH smaller. I prefer captive bred clowns, I think it's easier to pair them this way. A small captive bred clown is generally young, while a clown of similar size from the wild could be many years old.

 

[barrett.oliver]

Is it in my best intrest to be buying fish from online stores, or the local fish stores in my area?
As for the "many years old" how long is it that a lifespan would be for not only a clown but most salt water fish ( i know, i know....very general sorry).

I have also been told that I don't necessarily need a skimmer, but I would rather err on the side of caution and have one. Is a smaller "on the side of the tank" skimmer going to be okay in a tank my size?

 

[Slakker]

Like you said, you don't really need one, but if you're going to get one it's best to get a decent one to start with. For HoT style skimmers a lot of people really like the AquaC Remora, and if you keep an eye out in the used equipment selling forum you might be able to get a pretty good deal on one.

Lifespan on marine fish is quite a broad range, some just do poorly in captivity and rarely make it past a few years. Still others, clownfish in particular, have lived in captivity for more than 20 years.

 

[GPhiAce]

I am setting up my 3rd tank soon and will be a 40br. As far as fish, the dwarf angels are hit or miss. I had a pygmy angel for a while who didnt nip at anything. Perfect model tank mate to others as well. I got a lemonpeel, and he nipped at acans and candy canes. He had to go quick!!!! OK, so have you looked into reef safe wrasses??? Flasher wrasses Carpenters and maybe a fairy or mcCoster's? looking for color, you can pick two wrasse, two clowns, and a purple firefish. If you have a sandbed, you can easily add a few gobies in there as well (spotted watchmen- all types look good, clowns are nice perchers). Now, with this, I would strongly strongly suggest a skimmer. FYI, as a little advice, I would invest in GOOD equipment and lighting to begin before the livestock is fully set. Yes you can upgrade, but that is costly. Hope this helps some.

 

[barrett.oliver]

I love the fish ideas I'm getting, and I think I'm going to go with a skimmer....my LFS owner has suggested a skimmer ( i don't remember the brand name) but value wise it is about $125, does this sound accurate for brand new?

The best part (what appears to be the best part) about the LFS owner is, that he doen't seem to care much about the customer as he does the fish and corals. e.g higher rated canister filters, better lighting, etc.

I'm also wondering about ammonia. I put my LR in the tank about 3-4 days ago. How much of a spike is this going to create?? I'm going to be changing about 20-25% of it tonight to try and stablize this but some feedback about this would be great.

Also when it comes to ammonia - how unforgiving is it to the aquarium? is this a hour to hour problem, day by day? I know obviously that its not good at all, but when everything is cycled and I begin putting livestock into the tank I want to be sure nothing will be harmed.

Hope there aren't too many questions for you guys, and gals to answer. My appreciation continues!! For now and future help!

 

[Slakker]

Once your tank is cycled, if you stock slowly and don't overfeed, you should never be able to detect ammonia again.

There are some really bad, really cheap skimmers on the market. I would strongly recommend writing down the brand and model that he suggested to you and looking up as much information on it as you can, including reviews. A few of the skimmers I know of in that price range are complete garbage.

Also, no matter how knowledgable, friendly, or caring your LFS and its employees are, do your own research to double check advice they give you, EVERY time. Trust me, this will save you a lot of head/heart aches in the future.

 

[Chibils]

A good question for fish stocking (especially in smaller tanks, where colorful, small fish mean $$) is "what kind of budget do you have?"

If you have a five- or six-digit income, look into things like the Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri):

Also try the Helfrichi firefish (Nemateleotris helfrichi):

A dwarf angel to look into is Centropyge interruptus:

Another to consider (Centropyge multicolor):

Maybe even Paracentropyge multifasciata! (warning: gorgeous but not always the hardiest.)

Smaller, more passive, but always gorgeous is the yellow assessor (Assessor flavissimus):

Everyone loves blue-spotted jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti) for their personality.

 

[Chibils]

Now, as I have a four-digit income (being a teenager with a reef sucks!), there are many less expensive but equally gorgeous fish available:
Purple firefish (Nemateleotris decora) are, imo, even prettier than their Helfrichi counterparts.

Yellow rose gobies (Stonogobiops nematodes) were at the top of my wish list for a while... but the cost won't break the bank.

The pygmy angel (Centropyge argi) is one of the most suitable for a 30G tank.

The African flameback (Centropyge acanthops) is closely related to C. argi, stays small, and is one of the more reef-safe dwarves.

The chalk bass (Serranus tortugarum) is beautiful and cheap.

Midas blennies (Ecsenius midas) are full of personality.

The pearly jawfish (Opistigon aurifrons) has just as much personality as the blue-spotted without the price tag.
The blue bar dottyback (Pseudochromis cyanotaenia) can get feisty, but is gorgeous.

The Arabian dottyback (Pseudochromis aldabraensis) fits into the same category.

Elongates (Pseudochromis elongatus) are one of the smaller pseudos.

I apologize if this post took up a whole page. Just throwing suggestions out there. I strongly encourage further research and questioning on any of these which interest you, as even I don't know a ton about some of them (and not all of them will play nicely together). Just about the only link between all of them is that they should be able to fit in a 35G tank.

 

[biomekanic]

I had a pair of Orchid Dottybacks ( psuedochromis fridmanii (IIRC the latin name ) that did really well... until they started breeding.

I had some peppermint shrimp in the same tank, and one in particular refused to move away from the hole the couple had set up housekeeping in. The shrimp kept trying to climb in spite of my efforts to move it to a different part of the tank ( 75g ).
The male just went berserk and found and killed every shrimp in the tank, took off after the yellow tang I had in there, attacked hermits and snails and finished off his rampage by disemboweling the female.

And these are the peaceful dottybacks.

I would keep another pair, but I'd never again have any kind of shrimp in with them, as an FYI.

 

[biomekanic]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12828157#post12828157 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Chibils
A good question for fish stocking (especially in smaller tanks, where colorful, small fish mean $$) is "what kind of budget do you have?"

If you have a five- or six-digit income, look into things like the Flaming Prawn Goby (Discordipinna griessingeri):

That is a gorgeous fish!

 

[biomekanic]

Duplicate post, and RC won't let me delete it.

 

[barrett.oliver]

Thanks Scott,

I'm loving the sight of the Helfrichi firefish...... I also saw a mystery wrasse that is quite sharp. Your quite informed when it comes to the marine life yes?

New question now, in everyones opinion, how long should a tank cycle before you stock the tank.

I was in another LFS today after work, and I had a gentleman tell me that certain fish help the cycle of a tank when adding cured rock to it.

Tyler....Also wondering from you if its is even remotely okay to put a fish in water with ANY ammonia in it (where a fish helps clear ammonia)?

I continue to thank EVERYONE for the suggestions and advice!! Thanks to you again Scott for the great visuals with your post, I don't mind the page it took up (its pretty easy to look at)

-Barrett Oliver

 

[Chibils]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12829471#post12829471 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by barrett.oliver
Thanks Scott,

I'm loving the sight of the Helfrichi firefish...... I also saw a mystery wrasse that is quite sharp. Your quite informed when it comes to the marine life yes?

New question now, in everyones opinion, how long should a tank cycle before you stock the tank.

I was in another LFS today after work, and I had a gentleman tell me that certain fish help the cycle of a tank when adding cured rock to it.

Tyler....Also wondering from you if its is even remotely okay to put a fish in water with ANY ammonia in it (where a fish helps clear ammonia)?

I continue to thank EVERYONE for the suggestions and advice!! Thanks to you again Scott for the great visuals with your post, I don't mind the page it took up (its pretty easy to look at)

-Barrett Oliver

Thank you! On species that I find particularly interesting, I try to keep myself informed. I have a good deal of general info, but I'm not an expert. The mystery wrasse is another pretty, but pricey, fish. I'm not the biggest fan, but a lot of people love them. No matter what you go with, wetwebmedia and fishbase are great places to find unbiased (and basic scientific info) on almost any fish you can imagine.