When can fish be added?

A

Aceaviator182

New member
Hello all,

My tank finished its cycle (using the raw shrimp method) about a week ago. I've had the tank going for about 3 and a half weeks. I had a large diatom bloom that started around 5 days ago and it seems to be getting over it. The CUC took care of most of the diatoms on the live rock, but the sand bed is still about 50% covered. Tank specs are as follows:

  • Coralife Biocube 29
  • 2 Hydor 425's running on a smartwave controller
  • Stock lighting
  • 25 lbs caribsea fiji pink live sand
  • 25 lbs Real Reef live rock

I have it stocked with 1 nas. snail, 4 astrea snails, and 1 skunk cleaner shimp. All are doing very well and have been in there for about a week and a half now. Cleaner shrimp is trying to clean everything and I have been feeding the tank with flakes daily.

Current Tank parameters:

  • Ammonia: 0ppm
  • Nitrite: 0 ppm
  • Nitrate: 10 ppm
  • PH: 8
  • KH: 8
  • Salinity: 1.025 SG
  • 78 degrees

I was wondering when I should start (slowly) stocking fish. I was thinking of starting with a clown or a pair.

Thanks in advance.
 
I looks like you should be good for fish now. If you think you'll end up with a pair of clowns, I would get two at the same time. Then go gradually from there. But, if you think you are going to add other types of fish as well...you may want to start with those. A pair of clown will be pretty territorial, so you could add those last to be safe. (Especially in a 29g)

Do you know what you want your final stock list to be?
 
Most people choose to start with a damsel or something similar. They are cheap, and super hardy. You could give it a try, your perimeters look stable enough. If your inverts are doing fine, youll likely be just fine.
 
Rubasu said:
I looks like you should be good for fish now. If you think you'll end up with a pair of clowns, I would get two at the same time. Then go gradually from there. But, if you think you are going to add other types of fish as well...you may want to start with those. A pair of clown will be pretty territorial, so you could add those last to be safe. (Especially in a 29g)

Do you know what you want your final stock list to be?
Click to expand...

YOu beat me to it. A fellow Wisconsin dweller as well.

Spotted Cow FTW.

-Andy
 
No damsel in a 29 except clown types.
You can start a fish (goby, blenny or clown) in quarantine now. When your cleanup crew (get some cerith snails and micro-hermits, about 10 of each) has worked on that sandbed for about 4 weeks, it will be more mature and ready for fish. Hastening it or skipping quarantine can lead to starting all over.
 
Rubasu said:
I looks like you should be good for fish now. If you think you'll end up with a pair of clowns, I would get two at the same time. Then go gradually from there. But, if you think you are going to add other types of fish as well...you may want to start with those. A pair of clown will be pretty territorial, so you could add those last to be safe. (Especially in a 29g)

Do you know what you want your final stock list to be?
Click to expand...

Not sure what my final stock list will be. I know I am going to have more fish than just clowns. I'm still trying to get a game plan down. I need to look more into a quarantine set up though. I am on a college student budget so I already dumped most of my extra cash into the tank so far. I know quarantining is a important part of the hobby however. What would be the minimum tank size for a quarantine setup?
 
Sk8r said:
No damsel in a 29 except clown types.
You can start a fish (goby, blenny or clown) in quarantine now. When your cleanup crew (get some cerith snails and micro-hermits, about 10 of each) has worked on that sandbed for about 4 weeks, it will be more mature and ready for fish. Hastening it or skipping quarantine can lead to starting all over.
Click to expand...

My goal is to have a reef tank and i've heard negative things about keeping hermits with corals. Would you say the good outweighs the bad?

Thanks
 
Aceaviator182 said:
My goal is to have a reef tank and i've heard negative things about keeping hermits with corals. Would you say the good outweighs the bad?

Thanks
Click to expand...

My hermits don't bother any of my coral - But if they did, I would take them out. I have some blue-legged hermits and they don't bother anything. Well, they kill snails for sport...but that's another story.

Kava said:
YOu beat me to it. A fellow Wisconsin dweller as well.

Spotted Cow FTW.

-Andy
Click to expand...

Mmm...Spotted Cow! Where in WI?
 
For hermits only get scarlet legged hermits, the others murder for the heck of it. Scarlet legged hermits are wonderful additions to your tank and do a great job of cleaning up.
 
I agree with others to try and get a list together. More than likely the clowns would be best added last. Also what type of clowns are you looking for, some are more aggressive than others.

If you are only going to be QT one or two fish at a time then you could probably get away with a 10g. I am also assuming your going to stay with the smaller nano fishes. If you want to do the TTM (tank transfer method) for ich then a couple 5g buckets can be used. Good luck just my 2 cents.
 
With firefish, have a good jump-screen! They're Olympic jumpers. And can go through the slits in many downflows.
 
I would stick to one firefish. Unless they are a mated pair there is a good possibility one will kill off the other. I believe even mated pairs can be a bit sketchy after awhile.
 
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