what about this?

[blondie_00]

i am getting ready to set up a 29 gal biocube. and i was wondering about this fish list i always like to know what i am going to put in there. i know that i have to let it cycle for a while i was thinking about 3 months.
three blue gree chromis
three pajma cardnials
one scooter bleny
one dwarf long nose hawk
and a small star fish...dont know what kind any suggestions? and of course a coupple snails and hermits.
i know thats alot but i was wanting to know the opion of difrent ppl. i thought that i might be able to squeez in the bleny because they are in the rocks most of the time. the cardnials and chromis stay small as does the dwarf hawk. if that isnt too much what about a strawberry basslet added in last. i know if i went to my lfs they would say oh yeah they would be find but i know someone that has tangs and angels and about 8 other fish in his 29 and its BEAUTIFUL! thanks for the input!

 

[Jordan55]

Hey.

Welcome to RC!

I personally do think you fish choice will work.

The cardinals and chromis will become a solid 3 inches when full grown. That right there is realy pushing it. These fish both like the open water to swim around it. Maybe not so much the cardinal fish, but the chromis do for sure. Not to mention, thats a lot of bio load right there. So I really say just ditch the chromis, or maybe get 1, and maybe a cardinal or 2.

Second, the hawkfish can become a solid 5 inches. So you may want to re think that one also.


I think that if you are looking for a community tank with fish and corals and the whole 9 yards, shoot for smaller fish such as gobies, clowns, grammas, psuedos and blennies.


Good luck!

 

[BLKTANG]

{welcome}

i second Jordan55 the hawkfish is a no-no.

 

[BLKTANG]

[welcome]

i think this works?

 

[blondie_00]

SOUND GREAT

SOUND GREAT

HEY THANKS FOR THE ADVICE!!! THAT SOUNDS GREAT! ITS SOMETHING THAT I CAN DEFFANATLY LIVE WITH. BUT I WAS WONDERING ABOUT A STAR FISH. IS THIS OK. IF I WIPE OUT THE HAWK AND CHROMIS AND JUST GET THE 2 CARDNAILS AND A PINK PSUADO? AND IF SO DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? I DONT WANT A CHOCLATE CHIP AND THE SPINEY ONES ARENT MY STYLE...LOL.....TOO MUCH LIKE A HARY SPIDER. AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP. I AM EXCITED TO GET STARTED CYCLING

 

[BLKTANG]

certain starfish will munch on coral so i would do some research.

 

[blondie_00]

bump

 

[Poorcollegereef]

yeah, i would try to keep the bioload as light as possible for the first 6 months (about one inch of fish for ever 6-10 gallons, if you go by thats semi-rule) but thats my opinion. starfish are really tricky sometimes and unless it is a brittle/serpent star they are really out of the reach of beginners and starfish are not good with high bioloads. Add your fish slowly, over the couse of months after a complete curing cycle, this will aslo allow you to have time to figure out what you REALLY want, and yes, your tastes change after a few months in the hobby.

by the way, what type of skimmer are you running in the 29? Also what other methods are you using, deep sand bed, a fuge, # of pounds of live rock? Remember, live rock is great filtration but displaces watervolume so you might only have 22-25g of actual water.

In my 40 gal system which is about 17+ months old, I have a clown, royal basslet, 6line, chromis and a bar goby. a total 15 inches in 40 gallons but I also have a Remora Pro skimmer and a fuge which helps alot.

If you want a constantly active fish, some of the small wrasses are wonderful, plus alot better color to them than other fish

 

[kaserpick]

I agree with the wrasses; my six-line has been tons of fun. Also agree with Poorcollegereef on bioload. Keep the load light at first and then add gradually. Patience is always good with this hobby.

Thumbs up!
Kaserpick

 

[Kyle6357]

If you buy cardinals buy tank rased. I have had 6 wile caught ones die from a parsite that only affects the cardinals. You will find youll get them home and they do well for like 4 days, then start to get a white feces and then die. It dont harm other fish but at about $20 shot it gets expensive. I just then turned to tank rased cards and they are AWESOME.......and living.

 

[mister crabs]

3 month cycle is probably overkill.....besides id be amazed to see anyone able to wait that long! LOL probobly a month is long enough....but dont rely on a set timeframe, your water parameters will tell u when ur ready for fish!

 

[Poorcollegereef]

I must disagree with mister crabs, although tank parameters are the holy grail, your water parameters may have settled down but the tank can still lack the needed bacterial number and diversity of a heavily stocked tank.

Yes, I was one of those individuals who did rush it and my tank struggled for two months. If you care about keeping your fish alive and healthy plus you dont want to waste a lot of $ trying to rescue a tank, then be patient. Add your fish slowly so that the bacteria can increase to meet the bioload. Also try to startwith the least aggressive so you have a more community tank.

I have wasted a lot of $ trying to push the limits of a tank. I ordered some live rock a few weeks ago and the ammonia and nitrites were at 0 within six days however that dues not mean they have stopped curing and there is no die off but rather the bacterial load that I introduced from my established tank was able to meet the polution from the live rock so it took six days for the bioballs, skimmer, filter media that I was culturing for 3 weeks in my main tank to meet the bioload of live rock.

I know it is tempting to go out and get everything all at once but instead make a weekly trip to the local fish store and buy one thing at a time. (also try an QT is possible unless you trust the LFS with your life and know their own 2 week QT methods).

Finally, there is a reef members who has this saying in their sig ...

The only think that happens quickly is disaster

... now if I can only remember who that was