29 Gallon Fish Only Tank

[splenda21]

Hey Everybody,
I'm moving into an apartment that only allows tanks less than 30 gallons. I'm thinking of a Valentini Puffer, but what are some tank mates that can go with it in a 29 Gallon tank?

 

[splenda21]

I was thinking about this:
Valentini Puffer
Mandarin Dragonet
Ocelaris Clownfish
Blue Damsel
Pajama Cardinal (if it can fit)
Let me know what you guys think. To much??

 

[jay0705]

Prob minus the damsel. I'd add the Mandy last and you'll want lr in your tank BC the eat the critters that live on it

 

[pegasus]

Unless you get a "tank-raised" mandarin that eats prepared foods, DO NOT put one in a 30 gallon tank. The majority are wild caught and eat pods only. You can't put enough live rock in 30 gallons to provide enough pods to feed even one mandarin. For best success with (wild) mandarins, I suggest 75 gallons / 75 lbs LR per mandarin in a mature (6-12 months) tank. Some people have success in smaller tanks, but they are constantly buying pods to keep up with demand. This gets expensive very quickly. Price a 16oz bottle of Tisbe copepods (mandarin favorite), and you'll understand. 200-400 pods per bottle, and a single mandy will eat that in a day. I seeded my mature 125G tank and 30G refugium with well over 5000 amphipods and copepods over several months before purchasing my mandarin. I've only had him a month but as a result proper preparation, he has doubled in size.
The valentini puffer shouldn't be kept in a tank less than 30 gallons, so you're already a gallon short. Might get by with it if it's the only fish in the tank, though. You may want to consider other cute, smaller fish for the 29G. Clowns grow 3"-6" depending on which kind, so you have to think about the future. Two 6 inchers will take up a lot of real estate in a 29G.

 

[jay0705]

I want to start this by saying this is an exception. My Mandy and red scooter both wild do eat prep food. I posted on here about this BC I was shocked!!!!! To see them both eating pellets. Now w that said. If u can find nutramar prawn roe, they will eat it. I use it to fatten up new arrivals of dragonet's. I love these types of fish. So I buy it online. Most people assume they will eat normal food. Wrong!!!!! Why mine eat pellets BC I kept them alive long enough to figure out there food too. Lots of lr, a bottle or more of live pods and sum prawn row and yes u can keep a Mandy in a small tank. This will not help fish that are already beyond help tho. Sunken belly's and such. W a healthy active fish start w bottle pods and roe. Then watch and wait. It took a 2 months for my Mandy to eat pellets and shrimp meant for other fish. The scooter bout 2 wks. Idk why? They don't eat pellets that's all I've ever read! But I tell u now when a pellet goes in that tank they both go nose to nose w my fox face for them! Lol and he's a pig lol

 

[pegasus]

You are very luck, jay. I had to watch two female mandarins die because I ordered them online and they were starved when I got them. I knew the moment I first saw them that they would not live. They were far too skinny. The first one live 17 days, and the replacement lived 3 days. I wrote the vendor a very ugly message and let them know how disappointed I was. I wrote them after the first one died and told them it was too far gone when it arrived. I told them I didn't want to watch another one die. They sent me another one in worse condition. I then told them to not give me a credit for the second one because I would not buy any more fish from them... and I told them a few other things too that might not be appropriate for this board...
I feed small new life spectrum pellets because my clowns are still small and they love them. I keep hoping to see the mandarins eat some too, but they pass right over it. I will see if I can find some Nutimar Prawn Roe and see if they will accept it. If they don't eat it, then as long as I have a health population of pods, I won't be worried. Like I said, you are very lucky. It can be hard, if not impossible, to get wild mandarins to eat anything besides pods. Most will starve to death before they will accept anything else. That is the norm...

 

[jay0705]

Hikari s pellets are what mine eat. I haven't tried the new life ones but I've heard good things about them. The roe comes frozen. All fish like it,except my hawk lol. Yes I really think the biggest issue people have w mandarins is there in such lousy shape when they get them. I've almost gotten some to try and "save" them but u know there just too far gone. Thank god mine do eat frozen BC I had to hypo my fish due to ich and w no lr in hypo means no pods.