Cycled..Now what fish?

[oneradtek]

K so i just finished cycling for about a month and all my levels are right where they are supposed to be and i have 10 lbs of LR in a 30 gallon high tank(im in college dont make fun of the size). Not putting corals in it.....or anytihng like that.....i have a GE salt water bulb , power head, hang on back filter that is quite powerful and heater.....temp is 78....
now for the fishies......
what should i get?
:jumping:

 

[hot883]

Well, if your numbers are zero I would start with a small cleanup crew and 1 fish at a time. What is your S.G. at?

 

[jdragunas]

Please list all of your parameters, as "good" for a fish might be not-so-good for inverts (cleanup crew).
And BTW, a 30 gallon tank is much more difficult to care for than anything bigger than that, so be prepared for a lot of work. Just to let you know...

Now, for the fish, you should get whatever kind of fish your heart desires (that's the reason you started the tank, right?), as long as a 30 gallon tank will be suitable. I'd say the most common fish is the clownfish (Nemo). These guys are great, and are called "clown"fish not only for their color, but their personality too. What kind of substrate do you have? Sand? Crushed coral? If you have sand, i would suggest getting some sort of goby as well. For example, the yellow watchman goby. They're peaceful, and fun to watch. He'll get along really well with the clown.
Another fact about saltwater is that you can't have as many fish as a freshwater tank. In the beginning, as your tank is establishing, you should only have about 1" of fish per every 4 gallons of water. A clownfish will be about 1" when you purchase it, and about 3" full grown, and the goby maybe 2" or so at purchase, and will grow to about 3" or 4". in a 30 gallon tank, you should really only have 7 or 8 inches of fish. IMO, you should really have only 2 fish in your tank for the first 6 months or so, then you may be able to add a third, but that's probably the max.

When you decide to finally add fish, you should only add 1 every 2-4 weeks, so your filter and LR can catch up to the new amount of ammonia from that fish (poo and pee)... lol. This way, your tank won't overload.
Hope i haven't rambled on too much!
Jenn

 

[oneradtek]

thanx for the advice and btw, i told you to not make fun of the size....im in college and medical school to be exact, so money doesnt grow off trees, im using my old freshy tank.

but what about a small trigger or something like that to put in the tank besides the little buys, i dont care if i can only put 1 fish in there, as long as its nice lookin

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by oneradtek
thanx for the advice and btw, i told you to not make fun of the size....im in college and medical school to be exact, so money doesnt grow off trees, im using my old freshy tank.

We all start somewhere. Just have to be careful with that volume of water. Levels can sneak upward faster than they can with a larger system.

 

[oneradtek]

what about something bigger like a trigger or something ....something colorful...if its just by itslef or with one other fish

 

[sykomagnet]

you technically could. But again, research its full size and the minimum amount it can live in.
But if you want community, id put a clownfish in

 

[jdragunas]

not a trigger... they get REAAALLLLY BIG.
And hey, i was NOT making fun! We look up to people who can maintain a 30 gallon tank!
OK, if you don't mind getting only one fish, i'd recommend some sort of Fairy Wrasse. They're pretty hardy, BEAUTIFULLY colored, and fun to watch. These only get about 5", so you could probably have another fish as well.
Jenn

 

[treybomb]

i would say get some kind of dwarg angel ( they are really colorful) and a pair of nemos and maybe a shrimp goby and a shrimp IMO

 

[jdragunas]

Make sure you read up on the dwarf angels, though. I almost got a flame angel, but i read that they can be agressive, and are known for eating shrimp. Just make sure everything you get goes along with eachother.
Jenn