Stocking help for 29 gallon

Karliah

Drug Maker Extraordinaire
I have a 29 gallon AGA aquarium with built in refugium/sump. I will have a pair of clownfish, but am looking for suggestions for other tank mates, both other fish and CUC. I was a considering a pair of skunk cleaners and a pair of peppermint shrimp... Would this work? Also what other critters for the cuc? Snails, micro starfish, etc.
As for fish, I like the look of firefish, but don't know how they'd get along. So definitely need ideas.
Any suggestions or critiques of my posted ideas are much appreciated.
 
Sounds like a good idea to me. As long as you stick with the smaller species like A. ocellaris and A. percula, you should be fine with a pair of clowns and a few miscellaneous fish. I think a firefish would be good, but only if added first to the tank. Additionally, you might want to take a look at an Ecsenius blenny, they're awesome fish, and E. bicolor is also good at keeping algae away. That would bring your fish number up to 4 (the maximum amount of fish I'd risk in a 29 gallon tank).
Skunk cleaners are native to the Pacific ocean, while peppermints are more Caribbean shrimp. I'd go with skunks for the color and locality, as well as their identifiability. I don't know about keeping more than one large shrimp species...but I think you might be able to swing it.
Snails: Asterinas are you friend. So are Nassarius and ceriths. Stomatellas are a new favorite of mine. Don't bother with hermit crabs unless you really want a pristine sandbed, and even then the chance of a clean bed is iffy.
CUC: Micro stars are good. So are bristleworms. Amphipods and copepods are good, as are mysis that come in with the live rock.
 
Thanks! Yes it will eaither be a pair of ocellaris or percula, whatever is available when I'm ready to purchase. I'll have to look into the blennies. Do they have similar requirements/parameters as clowns?
I think I'll try both shrimp species as both would hopefully breed to supplement a different type of food occasionally.
I was leaning that direction with the snail assortment so I'm glad you think the same. If I just had the first three you mentioned, what quantities of each would you recommend?
As for copepods and amphipods, which species would you recomend for each? I know some aren't as highly thought of as others.
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Edit:
Also with the firefish, did you only recommend one because you only feel comfortable with 4 fish in a 29 gallon, or is there another reason for not having two/a pair?
 
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Blennies: Parameter wise (salinity, etc.), yes. Requirements: Bicolors are herbivores, and need the appropriate foods. They'll relish all meaty foods you give, but veggies (seaweed, nori pellets, etc.) is required. I recommend them because they do keep part of the tank clean of algae, but they do still need food.
Shrimp: I'm not sure, but I'm pretty positive that the eggs hatch during night. This means no food for the fish unless you larval snag them or collect them out of the sump.
Snails: I'd start with 5 Asterinas, 10 Nassarius, 7 ceriths, and as many stomatellas as you can stomachella. They'll eat algae, and the Nassarius will scavenge detritus. Both Nassas and ceriths will stir the sandbed as well.
Pods: Gammarus-looking amphipods are good additions to the tank. I'm not too certain about other amphipods though. As for copepods, I like Tisbe and Euterpina, as well as those that come in on live rock with no coral attached. You're looking for harpacticoid copepods (benthic pods), not calanoid (pelagic). Some people like Tigger pods, I don't.
Firefish: I do only feel comfortable with 4 fish in a 29 gallon tank. However, unless you can absolutely, positively, ascertain that the 'pair" of firefish you're getting is established, I wouldn't chance it. Dartfish/Firefish are hard to come in male/female pairs due to the lack of physical distinction between sexes, and if you get two of the same sex (male-male or female-female), you'll probably end up with only one. Unless you want to go the ways of the cichlid breeders (buy 6 youngish ones, hope for the best in a larger tank).
 
Wow you are just a plethora of great info. And "stomachella" xD that's great.
That's way more snails than I would have thought to get, good thing I asked.
And I definitely don't want a battle so one firefish it is.
Thanks so much for all your help!
 
I have a Fire Fish and a Six Line Wrasse in my QT right now. Them seem like the best of buds. Always around each other and sleep near each other. Liveaquaria.com has a compatibility list on their website as well for fish that can go with each other. Also you can post in the intended fish buy stickies and they are usually really good at getting back to you fast.
 
Thanks! I'll check out the wrasse. When I get a list together of what I plan on getting then I'll post in there.
 
+(1/2) on the sixline. Both the ones I got were never truly aggressive, but they did a bangup job on eradicating all forms of benthic life (pods, worms, etc.) in the 29 gallon. And from what I read, they'll be aggressive. A better choice would be a Halichoeres wrasse (h.chrysus is my favorite so far). Karliah, I never mentioned the wrasses because mine jumped, and my LFS told me to get it a bigger tank eventually (I'll agree with them on this one). I don't feel that a 29 gallon tank is big enough for most elongate wrasses based upon my observations of my H. chryus.

Also, post your list here too please!
 
Sorry for the late update, I've been camping without service. On the 28th on our way home we will be passing through the town closest to our with a LFS (an hours and a half away) and I will get some LR from there. I'll also see what livestock they have available, and if they have anything from these suggestions here, and depending on how the fishes personality strikes me, I may pick something up.
I've decided to get the clownfish (ocellaris) from a home breeder in florida. I've also decided to get both kinds of shrimp, as the worst that could happen is one pair becoming food for the other pair. If the LFS I'm stopping at has either of these shrimp I'll pick them up.
I'll try to keep you all updated as things progress.
P.s. How do you post pictures?
 
So I stopped at the LFS yesterday and got a six line wrasse, purple firefish, and 1 skunk cleaner shrimp (I would've got two but they only had one). The clowns will be shipped the next time I have a day off. I will get another skunk cleaner, two peppermints, and an assortment of snails over time.
 
Update:
The six line and the firefish are best buds, the skunk cleaner has already molted once, and the clowns are arriving Thursday morning.
I got some chaeto that had at least two hitchhiker snails so far, which I tossed in the main tank. They're tiny, black, and look like cerith snails, and I'm hoping that's what they are.
 
Update:
The tank is now totally stocked as of about an hour ago. Well, maybe with the exception of a second skunk cleaner shrimp, not sure if I'll add one or not.

Previous list:
Purple firefish
Six line wrasse

Stocked yesterday:
2 babylon snails
5 trochus snails
5 certith snails
15ish dwarf hermits
2 peppermint shrimp
Emerald crab
Porcelain crab
Short spine urchin

Stocked today:
2 hybrid ocellaris/percula clowns (parents were snowcasso and photon misbar)
 
As you can see from the last video, the firefish hasn't taken to kindly to the clowns. The wrasse is just extremely curious about everything I've put in the tank, and hides a little more. I'm sure he'll come around eventually. But the firefish is holding his ground, er, water... as it were.
The clowns took immediately to that anemone (siliconeatus fakeiniaria) but as I write this the firefish is hovering over it, so they won't go near it.
The firefish should come around eventually as well (I hope)
 
Nice fish.

How old is your tank? Saw you mentioned getting LR and all your livestock at about the same time. If you have not cycled the tank, you are gonna have some issues fast.
Are you monitoring ammonia? This seems like a lot of life added in a short time, even for a cycled tank.
 
There's no such thing as a dwarf hermit. Dwarf hermits become adult hermits that kill all of the snails and other hermits, until there's only one or two left. This world is not long for your cerith snails, as they prefer their shells the most. The only snails I haven't seen a hermit take out were Nass. snails, mostly because they're hidden all of the time.

I also have a 29g tank, and the two hermits I have left, from 6 or so is PLENTY.
 
Stocking help for 29 gallon

I guess I forgot to mention on a previous post that I got some LR. The tank has been up for about two months and the live rock has been in there for a little over a month (I would have put it in when I set up the tank, but the closest fish store was in the next town, an hour and a half away)
When I added the live rock I put in the recommended amount of biospira for a 29g just because I already had some on hand.
At that time there was no measurable nitrites, nitrates, or ammonia (it had just been a tank of water before the LR). When I woke up the next morning there were measurable nitrates. Dosed ammonia up and it was gone within 5 hours.
Since I added everything yesterday I've been keeping an eye on it. Biggest waste producers I added yesterday were the whelks, and even though all that other stuff seems like a lot, when you look in the tank it doesn't look like I've added anything, especially with the dwarfs being sooooo small (for now)
Then today the clowns went in so I'll definitely be keeping a closer eye on it tonight/tomorrow.
 
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