Need ideas for a 30 gallon FOWLR / light reef

[zmazza]

Hey guys,

I've got a 30 gallon tank that I am setting up tonight. I'll be using water from my new RO/DI 5 Stage Reefkeeper unit (Whoo hoo!), a 48" coralife 130w fixture. I know it's a bit too big, but that's cool, it will work. I plan on having a small sand bed.. probably 20 lbs of pool filter sand. I will also have one large piece of live rock. 10 lbs. I'll be adding more, but right now filtration is going to be handled by a penguin 200 and a penguin 330.

I'm needing some ideas on a cool FO or FOWLR tank. I thought about maybe adding a large clown such as a maroon or a yellow stripe, but I'd at least like to have a few fish... 3 or 4... if possible. Not sure about inverts, either, but I want to have some worms, sand sifting creatures, etc.

If I went with those, how deep would you make the sand bed?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! Share those comments!

Thanks !

 

[petoonia]

I would make the sand bed about 2 inches deep. Fish I would suggest are a percula clown (not as aggresive as maroons). A goby, a blenny, a royal gramma or black cap basslet. If you dont want inverts you could try a hawkfish.

Good luck with the new tank!!!!

 

[zmazza]

Sounds like a great idea. I have always liked gobies and blennies. Can you have both in the same tank? I may just get a lawnmower after it get's established.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[petoonia]

You should be able to have just about any gobies or blennies together. I have heard that the lawnmower blennies can be a liitle aggresive so you might want to check into that.

Good luck with your new tank!!!

 

[zmazza]

Thanks

 

[RedEyeElf]

make sure you have a lid on the tank
i lost my gramma because i had no lid

 

[zmazza]

Will keep that in mind... I may have to get a glass canopy or a piece of acrylic cut. It's going to have a 40" coralife single light on it. 110 watts total I believe.

 

[lakwriter]

I have a 29 gallon...check out my sig for inhabitants.

 

[zmazza]

Sounds like the 29 that I have. Mine has a pair of ocellaris clowns, a ywg, firefish, and 2 blue damsels. Cool tank. I was thinking of going with an agressive FO tank for this 30 gal. Maybe a few fish that get pretty big.

Perhaps a maroon clown, hawkfish, etc...

If I decide not to go that route, I'm definitely going to get some gobies of some kind. Maybe a few blennies as well. Lawnmowers and Yellow Watchman Gobies have to be my favorites.

 

[benya29]

just to clarrify u cant keep gobies together they can get rather aggressive with eachother......if u r gonna put inverts shy away from the hawkfishes they nip at most of them known for shrimps if theyre much bigger than the inverts u hav......but a maroon gold stripe clown would be a great addition though theyre known for being quite aggressive, but theyre the most likly clowns to swim in anemones so get an anemone in there to and ull be set

 

[zmazza]

I figured if I didn't have liverock then inverts would be out of the picture. I figured they needed the liverock to forage.

The maroon clown definitely sounds like one I'm going to go with. I tried a bubbletip once... needless to say it didn't work out. I don't know what went wrong but they are really hard to keep. I do have RO/DI water now.... that's something I didn't have before.

I'll wait on that though...

What else could you put with a maroon clown, though? I'm wanting as interesting a system as I can get...

Maybe a tomato clown. Are they aggressive?

 

[petoonia]

I wouldnt mix different clowns. Two different types will more than likely fight to the death in a smaller tank. If you want two then you should get a mated pair. The maroons can get pretty big when fully grown, and will probably try to claim the majority of the tank as their territory. So you probably wouldnt much more in their with them.

Tankmates I would suggest for a maroon are a hawkfish, and a dottyback.

 

[zmazza]

Oh I wouldn't go with more than one of a different species, and only the same if they we're mated.

Good suggestions. Such a hard decision.

 

[JeffersonReef]

I wouldnt add the maroon clown... they are VERY aggressive. You wont likely be able to add another clown... and it may be agressive toward other fish.

 

[zmazza]

Definitely want more than one fish....

I've got some ocellaris clowns right now... perhaps there are some other options other than clownfish. I hate to have clowns in EVERY fish tank.

What about reef friendly fish for a 30 gallon?

Something different but still available...

Jawfish maybe? Blennies?

 

[JeffersonReef]

I really like blennies, gobies... and my favorit: wrasses! Wrasses are really great fish for reefs.... there are some really different and interesting ones. The only problem is you need to have plenty of live rock/pods etc for them to feed on. They will eat prepared foods too... but do best with an est reef tank. GL!
-TJ

 

[petoonia]

Midas Blennies are great fish for a reef tank. They are very nice to look at, and they have great personalities.

Maybe a shrimp and goby pair.

There's so many choices, I know it's so hard to decide!!!!

 

[zmazza]

I hear you. I think another reef would be fun with some different fish. I've got one reef with clowns, a yellow watchman, and some damsels. I think it would be cool to make another reef tank with a different set of creatures...

Maybe some blennies and wrasses. I'll have to get more live rock though, but I definitely think it will be fun.

I think I am going to get a lawnmower blenny for sure.

Not sure about the rest.

Blennies and gobies can't be in the same tank in a 30 gallon, can they?

 

[petoonia]

I think blennies and gobies should be okay together. As long as you dont get any that are similar looking to each other. Maybe someone else who knows for sure will chime in. It might be a good idea to post a new thread with that question.

I have two tanks set up right now as well, and I like to try and keep different fish in each one.

 

[zmazza]

Sounds like a good idea, petoonia. Can't get enough of gobies. I love my yellow watchman. Perhaps a few different gobies wouldn't be bad. A goby reef tank. I'd also like to keep some different crabs though, like the mithrax crab. I'm afraid they might eat a goby though...