Any ideas on what livestock to add to my new 30 gal tank?

salt0727

salt0727

Member
The hubby and I have a new 30 gallon tank that is finished cycling and ready for some fish. We already have about 10 red leg hermit crabs that came with our rock, 2 peppermint shrimp, 1 3 striped damse and 1 blue tail damsel. What other fish do you guys recommend? We would like to get 2 clown fish possibly one black and one regular. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Well what do YOU want???? I know you have heard this before...BUT....AT LEAST get rid of the striped damsel....the yellow tail is mean too...BUT stays small....so MAYBE a bigger fish will intimidate IT
2 clowns is a good start......but add fish slowly.....
I would plan your stock list BECAUSE you really don't have a lot of options with a 30G...so look and see what it is you want to see in YOUR tank
 
lanachka

lanachka

New Member
in my old tank I lost 6 fish to Damsels. They just kept on killing my fish so I had to get rid of them. Take them back to the store and ask for store credit. Most mom and pop shops will buy it back from you
 
S

saxman

Guest
+1000 on the damsels. the thing to remember is that clownfish are nothing but nasty little damsels in fancy pajamas, so if you really want them, add them last.
also, you'll need to feed those hermits. you have about 7 too many for that size setup to support, esp. if it's a new tank. if/when you add snails, they'll be eaten by the hermits due to starvation.
 
salt0727

salt0727

Member
thanks guys, the hermits came with the rock and they all seem to be doing ok. we have no snails but ill keep that in mind. any other suggestions on fish?
 
C

cbj84b

Guest
Hey salt0727,
Have you looked into getting a goby/pistol shrimp combo? I bought them and although they do not get along they are both fun to watch. Remember to just have fun with thehobby and enjoy the fish you both get.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by mooseythemoron
http:///forum/post/3290134
Really ?!?!? I thought they are the best hardy fishes to cycle the tank. And they look lovely in shoal of 6+
Do you have any Damsel Horror stories to share??

First of all you should NEVER cycle a tank with something that's live...that's just cruel
I had 2 black 3 spot damsels in my 225G that actually BIT both me and my husband drawing blood
you could not put your hand in the tank....I HATED THEM....I had to take my whole tank apart to get them out
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by mooseythemoron
http:///forum/post/3290134
Really ?!?!? I thought they are the best hardy fishes to cycle the tank. And they look lovely in shoal of 6+
Do you have any Damsel Horror stories to share??

This was very common years ago; but is totally unnecessary. A dead shrimp from the market will do the same thing. I would never trust the advice of anyone who is so unaware of things like this, or just wants to make a buck. "How to get rid of damsels" may be the most common topic on this forum. As long as you have them, they, not you will decide what you can keep in your tank. You're right, they are pretty little fish. But they will torment anything, including each other and your crabs. A group in a small tank will usually result in just one; survival of the fittest.
 
salt0727

salt0727

Member
ok what if we got rid of the damsels, what fish would you guys add? we def. want 2 clown fish, we were think about getting a black n white and a regular one. Any suggestions on which type to get? Also we liked the mandarin goby but if we did get one we would wait probably at least another 6 months. We liked the firefish and coral beauty. We really just want to add lots of color to our tank.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
see post 5

I wouldn't put a coral beauty in a 30G....look at all the different types of gobies there are too
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3290151
see post 5

I wouldn't put a coral beauty in a 30G....look at all the different types of gobies there are too
I agree. lots of sites will list a 30 gal as about the minimum size tank for lots of dwarf angels. But; IME&IMO, these angels need lots of LR to graze on if they are to thrive and a 30 gal can't hold enough. If you get the 2 clowns, be sure they are color varieties of the same species. Different species of clowns won't tolerate each other when grown. If you get 2 juvi clowns, they will probably form a pair an (IMO) look much more natural when they are the same color morph. They are one of the fer fish that do form bonded pairs and the bigger female will become quite territorial. I'd suggest tank raised Amphiprion Ocellaris, they are the least aggressive clowns. You have a small tank and limited options; but if you research well, you can have a beautiful tank with 3-4 small fish max.
 
mooseythemoron

mooseythemoron

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3290135
First of all you should NEVER cycle a tank with something that's live...that's just cruel
I had 2 black 3 spot damsels in my 225G that actually BIT both me and my husband drawing blood
you could not put your hand in the tank....I HATED THEM....I had to take my whole tank apart to get them out
Wow, they are that bad... thanks for sharing!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top