Ok iam bitting the bullet here

[agreeive?fish]

To satisfy the wife and to make here happy (we all know if the wife aint happy nobody is happy).

i have a wife is demanding a ..... thread in the new to hobby section about starting a reef..i think we are going to do low to moderate light level softie tank such as mushrooms and polops..now my question for this thread is what fish would be good in this tank..it will be a 29g (30" x 12" x 18") with a 20g sump/fudge...

can you keep a firefish(redish/orangeish and a purple fire fish together....and what other fish sugestions do you recomend for a tank this size..Iam actually a FOWLR guy and have tangs drawf angels and large angel and batfish in my folwer tanks so iam not up on reef safe fish...also could you recomend a clean up crew for a reef tank of 29g....any opinions would be appriciated..iam setting up the tank today with saturate,water and live rock from my fowlr tanks...still have to order a light and wont statr ordering corals until 15 august..but iam actually ordering some fish monday for my fowlr tank so if i might order a couple reef safe fish and start the qt process for them

 

[agreeive?fish]

So nobody has a favorite fish in a mini reef..i find that one hard to believe...(besides clownfish that is)

 

[Reefer07]

Well I actually have a 29g tank and I can offer you my stocking list.
I currently have a pair of clowns. Waiting for a mccosker's wrasse and pending a mandarin.
There are plenty of nano fish you can look into. Pretty much any goby, there are many reef safe wrasses that you could keep. (smaller ones)
Your best bet would be to really sit her down and go through some of those fish and see what she likes.
As far as a cleanup crew I personally do not like hermits so I don't keep any. I have turbo snails, nassarius and the tonga nassarius I believe they are called.
I have 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 cleaners and a fire which I love and I am thinking about getting another fire.
You can look into cardinals or damsels.

 

[Sk8r]

Agreeive? the tank could support 1 firefish, either one, but two---you'd have just one inside a month. They do jump, so you need some birdnetting or something: esp in a smallish, shallow tank, fish go UP to escape aggression.
I'd recommend any of the fish in my sig for a small tank: it's only 20g smaller than mine. I'm not anti-clowns, but I've had my clown tank, and that's enough for me: cute, but little pitas. (The ingrate female used to chew heck out of my hand.) Of blennies, the prizes are the tailspot (fragile) and the starry, or the bicolor. Skip the mandarin (not appropriate for tank that size: you'd have to get the rare one that eats prepared food as well as copepods, or maintain a fuge almost as large as your tank). A single chromis is an asset because its dither reassures other fishes. The yellow watchman or one of the prawn gobies (not the diamond: larger tank) would be fun to watch.
Gobies and blennies are ich-resistent (but quarantine: you know the drill by now. ) with a heavy slime coat, and hide in the rocks, but come out readily when there's a dither fish in the community. I love their variety and their funny ways. They're great on the Big Threat (gape and rush, but no bite) and generally, if you have enough rock nooks for their territories, they settle into a detente. I would not get a rainford goby until the tank is much more mature: what they eat is uncertain, but new tanks don't have it.
You, with your predilection for fishes, may quite enjoy this lot: they're kings of their small turf, grow quite personable and live pretty long, so feel free to get attached to them. None of my lot grows longer than 5 inches and those that make that size are eel-bodied, so not much mass.

 

[agreeive?fish]

Yeap iam aware of the mandrin issues and i have all the mandrins i want..i have the standard mandrin and the target mandrin one in each tank (200g and 210g)....as far as having her sit down and go over which fish...iam looking at what has been good or bad for other people with small tanks so i can tell her yea or nea on a fish when she says she likes it and i got all the clowns i want in my fowlr tanks as well(except the kids are YELLING for a nemo)... i know she wants a shrimp/goby pair...i know she also wants seahorses but iam hesitant on them in this tank(maybe another tank comming soon) thanks to all for the input sofar

 

[Reefer07]

Ya, seahorses need their own tank I would say.
And are you talking about the shrimp goby and pistol shrimp?

 

[agreeive?fish]

Reefer07..iam notn sure exactly what she is wanting other than a shrimp and goby that has the symbolic relation ship..iam not up to bate on small fishes or any inverts..working on it though

 

[scott11]

I would look into a midas blenny, very colorfull, fun to watch, and a randals goby w/ pistol shrimp.

 

[Sitarangi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13032413#post13032413 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scott11
I would look into a midas blenny, very colorfull, fun to watch, and a randals goby w/ pistol shrimp.

I second a midas blenny. They are prone to jumping so keep on a lid and don't keep any mean fish like damsels (Thats whats made my midas jump). Same goes for firefish.

How about a fairy wrasse, they'll do perfect and their are absolutely stunning to look at.

Schools of chromis are fun to watch NTM cheap and much more peaceful alternative to damsels. I wouldn't keep more than 5 in a 29g.

 

[agreeive?fish]

thanks fpr the replys keep em comming

 

[Lotus99]

I have an orchid dottyback (pseudochromis fridmandi) that's been a really great fish. It should work in that size tank. He's not friendly to anything that's the same shape as he is, but he's very attractive, tank bred, and has been very healthy.

 

[agreeive?fish]

well here is her genral list {subject to change her mind (my mind that is) as fast as she changes clothes}

Royal Gamma
indo chromis
b/w clown fish
scissor tail goby
pearly gudeon goby
purple firefish
jawfish(would like pearly but the sand bed depth so will probably go with a tiger)
randals goby/pistol shrimp
fire shrimp

does anybody see any issues here ..please speak up either way..good/bad which ever it may be