What first? Fish, cleaners, or both??

[old salt]

My 29 gal is almost cycled. I was going to start out with 2 maroon clowns, but I'm wondering if I should get some cleaners first to deal with the brown algae. Can I add the fish AND some cleaners (crabs, snails, etc.) or will that overload to fast and cause another cycle??

 

[jacrmill]

my understanding is that inverts dont really effect the bioload of the tank, so thats not a big deal. but i wouldnt worry about a clean up crew on that brown algae, cause itll start to go away any time now by itself. i think a clown is a good hardy fish to start with right after the cycle. if you still wanted to though i wouldnt see the harm in adding some inverts too. but i dont know if id add 2 maroon clowns right after the cycle cause they can be kinda big. to me that changes the load kinda quick. might wanna add just 1 and some inverts. but if i were you id wait and get some other opinions too.

 

[old salt]

My intent was to get small clowns... i wanted to get a pair so they wouldnt fight....

 

[evad1029]

That should work fine. Try to find some tank raised clowns if you can they tend to be smaller and more hardy.

 

[old salt]

sounds cool... i definitely like the maroon and true percula... will that make tank raised harder to find??

 

[jacrmill]

are you talking about getting maroon and a percula? cause 2 clowns of different species dont tend to mix to well. if you get a mated pair of maroons or perculas you should be ok. tank raised shouldnt be too hard to find, thats all my lfs sells when dealing with perculas.

 

[old salt]

not both... 1 or the other....

 

[goofieones]

I would see no problem with adding two small clowns both of the same species. You can also add a clean-up crew, which will also help you get rid of any left over food, if some happens to make it to the bottom. Inverts don't add that much of a load and your tank won't recycle, just remember that you won't be able to add any fish that think of inverts as food, like puffers, triggers.. unless of course you don't care if they are eaten.

 

[beth]

Well you have a 29gal...a bit on the small side, and you don't mention what type system you have or the filtration??
I'd suggest additing the clowns, let your bio-load get thru that then add the cleanup crew.
Slow, Slow, Slow is the key to having a happy new tank and a happy hobbyst.

 

[old salt]

I've got an eclipse 3 filter....