A few questions

[jordyboy1989]

A while ago, for some reason everything in my tank except for some hermit crabs died. now i have started over and my tank is ready for fish. here is the list that i am thinking of getting. i need to know if this is a good combo and what order to put them in.
2 percula clowns
1 anemone(still deciding on what type)
1 cleaner shrimp
1 sandsifting starfish
1 golden headed sleeper goby
and 1 porcupine puffer
Also, what anemone do you think the clowns would like.

 

[mike6969n]

well jordy,
i am new to this, but i would 86 the star i don't think your tank is big enough for it, they need a lot of room and a dsb that is well established or they will starve to death. but lets let one of the experts chime in with what they think, like i said i am a newbie too, but that is just what i have learned about stars on here. not only that, but i can also add that you need to make sure and space out your fish don't add them all at once it will be too big of a bioload on your tank and they could die. and remember always acclimate your fish don't just add them to the tank.
hope this helps and welcome to the boards.

mike

 

[jordyboy1989]

thanks for the info on the starfish. but i still need to know about everything else.

 

[tak1968]

I will try to help. First off how much live rock do u have. How long has your tank been up and running. And what kind of lighting do you have.

 

[lefty]

If your tank is a 30g, I would scratch the porcupine puffer and the sand sifting star. I personally wouldn't put a sand sifting star in any aquarium, but that's just my opinion . The puffer you want needs a much larger tank. My other concerns are the anemone and goby. Anemones require lots of light and stable tank conditions. If you do get one, make sure you have the proper lighting and an established tank. The goby you want has an adult size of around 7 inches. This is too big for a 30g tank. The two clowns and cleaner shrimp are great choices. You could stick two more fish in there and call it good. Look into the other types of gobies; I'm sure you'll find one you'll like that's more suited to your tank size.
-lefty

 

[jordyboy1989]

first of all, i have about 25 pounds of live rock, but plan to get more. my tank has been running for a few weeks. and i have a 20W 18,000K light. And even if i got a small golden headed sleeper goby, would it be OK, becuase i don't on staying with the 30 gallon, its just something to start with.

 

[lefty]

20 watts is definitely not enough light for an anemone. I don't know the exact wattage, but I do know it should be many times that.
As for the goby, why don't you just wait until you get your bigger tank? Ultimately, you are the one who gets to decide whether you'll get it or not, but I don't recommend it. The one you want is a sand sifter goby, meaning it's main source of food is derived from lots and lots of live sand. They are also jumpers. You would need a tight fitting canopy/hood to prevent their escape. It may be possible to keep one in a 30g, but I don't think it'd be the best environment for that fish.
-lefty

 

[tak1968]

Sound like you are doing good on the live rock and i would add more to. Some people say you can't put a anemone into a tank that has not been established for at least six months. I put two in my 55 gal 1 week after the first cycle and have never had any problems. And as you can see by my aviator he is about 10 inches across. Both are under pc but i am able to move them both under metal if i need to. If you only have 20 wt. and 18k then you don't have enough light for a anemone or muck of anything else. You may have enought for some low light soft corals. Hope this helps. Tak

 

[lefty]

I believe soft corals need about three watts per gallon for survival.
Also, I didn't mean to imply that anemones will die if introduced to a new tank, but they definitely have a greater change of dying due to the fact that
a.) New tanks tend to undergo parameter imbalances before reaching a stable equilibrium
b.) A person new to SW tanks may not have done the necessary research prior to buying it, thus the time would allow them to learn how to properly meet the needs of said creature

-lefty

 

[jordyboy1989]

thanks for the info. i was thinking maybe a tiger goby would work, how big do they get? and i know they're not jumpers so thats a good thing. and if that doesn't work then i'll settle for a neon goby, it's what i had before but i wanted to try something new.