30 gallon tank, Dwarf Lion Fish!

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Well, I figured out my lighting I am going to do. I am going with one AquaticLife T5 HO Light Link Fixture. I talked to the guy's down at "The Reef" in Indianapolis and they said it was a good light that I can add to in the future. I am going to put a timer on it as to control the day. My question is should I have a completely dark tank at night? I did with my fresh water tank and fish didn't seem to mind. Where I plan on having it some natural light will come in. I could get the timer to turn the lights on at 8AM so some of the sun light will light up the tank a bit before full lights come on.

Also do yo think that having a Six line wrasse in the tank with the Dwarf Zebra Lion and a Pixy/Spotted Hawkfish would be ok? You already know I was going to put in the Hawkfish and the Lion. I know it's a risk putting in each fish with the Lion. I was going to buy the Wrasse as large as I can get it and planned on putting it in first before the other two.

I don't really care about the Wrasse (I don't want to kill it), so if you don't think it's a good Idea I will just stick with the two I planned on. I just thought it would add a little extra color to the tank. What order of fish should I put them in? Should the Lion and Hawkfish go in together or should I put the Hawkfish in first than the Lion? If you guys think a Wrasse would be ok, should I go. Wrasse first, wait a week, Hawkfish wait a week than Lion?

With all the information gathered I didn't think about fish order yet. :p
 
As much as you think the lionfish is aggressive, their personalities are usually really laid back, it's just feeding time they get aggressive. Rule if thumb, if it fits in the lionfish mouth, it will probably end up there. How long is your tank? I will finish my reply when you answer. You will like having the wrasse!
 
It's the standard 29 gallon tank 30" x 12" x 18".

I went to the store and saw all the fish I was thinking about. They were smaller than I thought. I know they are young fish, but still not as big as I thought. I saw a fully grown Six Line Wrasse and wow really good looking fish. I was thinking about buying it fully grown so it would be bigger than the lion. It's a little more, but might be worth it for it not to be eaten. The Hawkfish I saw was not the one I wanted, but it was really small. 2in at most. Here is a picture of my new tank. Bare but I hope soon full. I am glad I panted it black, looks a lot better than oak.

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The reason I ask about the length of the tank, is so you know what total amount of fish you should be able to have in it. It is a general rule of thumb to not exceed the amount of fish than the length of your tank.
 
So you have 30in of fish to play with. What was your list? I can help you with what order to get them in.
 
I don't think that basing the # of inches of the length of the tank by how many fish you can have is a good rule of thumb. That would mean he could have 10 three inch fish or 6 five inch fish! That is waaay too much for a 30 gallon tank. My 70 gallon has weird dimensions (5 ft long), but that doesn't mean I'm going to put 7 ten inch fish in there! I've heard that 2 gallons per 1 inch of adult fish is a good rule (but this is from PETCO so I don't really agree with this too much). I later read that 5 gallons per 1 inch of an adult fish is best. Really depends on the bioload and work you want to do. Have to balance it out though!
 
I was only thinking of 3 fish. I was only go with two fish, but they seem really small when I seen them in person and not online. :p

Six Line Wrasse, Blood Red Hawkfish, and a Dwarf Zebra Lion. One or Two Tuxedo Sea Urchin That is all I was thinking about. What scared me is the small size of each fish before adult hood. I know that the Lion is laid back, but don't want to wake up and see that the Lion just had a gourmet meal on me. :p
 
Obsurereef, this is where we will have to agree to disagree. Yes, it depends on the bio load. So in a 30 gallon tank, a person can only have basically 6 inch of fish???? Which would basically be 2 clowns?!?!? I like going by the inches of a tanks length, rectangle ones. As long as a person has proper tank filtration, based on salt and not fresh, has a protein skimmer, doesn't over feed, has a proper clean up crew( if permitted) and changes water adequately( when water needs it, not when only once a month comes around and the water is on the brink of bad parameters), then a person and their fish should be fine.
 
And Baron, sounds like an awesome, and well planned lineup of fish, all different swimming patterns. Just give them all their own place to sleep(caves), places for the Hawkfish to perch, and substrate for the wrasse to play with and rock work to go in and out of for its enjoyment. Take pics when you get them all, and add the wrasse first, lionfish second and hawk last. Oh and all the inverts before the fish.
 
Everyone has their opinions and ways of doing things, and I don't completely agree that 1" of grown fish for every 5 gallons is right, I mean if you wanted a really low bioload that would be the way to go. What I think is best is considering all the factors, so how much surface area on the top for gas exchange (not that anyone really thinks of this), filtration, skimmer or no skimmer, & your willingness for maintenance. The more fish, usually the more territorial they will become as each fish is trying to claim it's own space and overcrowding can result in aggressiveness. I think Baron has a good amount of fish, any more and I'd say it's too much. However, I still don't think that just giving 30" of fish for how long the tank is can be a good rule...not to be rude, but how would you decide how many fish is okay in a taller tank, or a really long tank with only 6" width or other shapes (cubes, hexagons, circular, etc.). I think picking fish that will be alright in the appropriate size tank, and how much waste they will create, and how big they will get, etc. will be a good way to determine how many fish to add. Even if you do a ton of water changes frequently, I still think it's wrong to put 10 damsels or 10 clownfish in a 30 gallon tank (just an ex. for size). Lastly, why all inverts before fish? Invertebrates are not as hardy as some fish are, they are more sensitive to nitrates and can't handle drastic changes in pH and salinity like some fish can. I'd say start with a CUC, get the wrasse if nitrates are about 10 ppm (max. 20) and then go from there. So yes you could put inverts in there, but since you just started, you might have trouble getting all the levels correct every time.
 
Thanks Elude82.

There is so much contradictory information on online websites it's good to come to a place where others have done this before.

For instance, A lot of websites say that a dwarf zebra lion will be fine in a 30 gallon tank, but I have came across two that said a 55 would be minimal for them. Same fish, different online store. So I don't know what to think sometimes, but I have talked to many people before I have decided what fish to put into my tank, so I am confident that I will be fine.

Also, I do water changes every two weeks once the tank has been up for a while. I will be doing it once a week for a while. Just as an update, I got the Fluval 206 filter so now I just need the Protein skimmer and the light. Once that is good, I will get the small stuff like sand and a new power supply. Than I will buy the rocks and get to work. I am going to order my rocks online, because every place around me only sales cured live rock. So any suggestions on good live rock websites?
 
Obsuredreef, didn't mean to contradict you, but I was only stating my opinion, even said it while stating it. And if you would read my posts again, you would see the reasonings of my opinion. I am stating my opinion based on facts of what I have already done. With my trial and errors! Also, yes, my first tank ever was a 56 gallon column, and yes column and other odd shaped tanks are in fact the most difficult to maintain based on how many fish per gallon, and other things people debate about. and the order I said to put the live stock in is the most logical in my opinion. First the inverts which are absolutely the highest at risk. Why?: when introducing fish to the tank they will look at them more as part of the environment rather than food. yeah, they will still have a chance of getting picked on, but the chance is lessened greatly. second being the wrasse: why?: because put of the other fish, by far the least aggressive. Third: the lionfish: why?: because although people who don't know too much about aquariums see a lionfish, see it, and just think its some tough fish that just is very aggressive, when in my opinion are aggressive, but only when food is in front of them. Besides that, I feel they are like a Foxface, they are in aggressive tanks because of poisonous spines that deters others from conflict against them. And finally: the Hawkfish, why last???? doesn't look the most aggressive comparing the lionfish and him, but there is a reason why you get those little guys slightly smaller than most in the tank, they are the true aggressors most of the time, when put in tanks with aggressive fish. And the Hawkfish is more known to make meals out of inverts than other fish in aquariums. I am not trying to sound cocky or superior, this is all just by experience. I am also lucky to have a small Scooter Blenny in a tank full of well known aggressive, if not psychotic fish, to name a few: a humu humu (Picasso) triggerfish, a Lunar Wrasse, and a Blood red Hawkfish. Feeding time is a frenzy, but the Blenny will eat side by side with the 3 eating the same piece of clam, fish, shrimp, etc. and I have a firm belief it has to do with my order of introduction and how my steps are in doing it.
 
And Baron, when you get the live stock, I will tell you my steps of how I introduce my fish to tanks and new tankmates, wether people agree or not.
 
I didn't question the fish that are put into the 30 gallon. I understand lionfish can be timid, but are aggressive in the sense that they eat anything that fits in their mouth (a comparison to an anglerfish might be suitable). I kind of agree with the inverts going in first if it's an aggressive tank which this pretty much is because of the lion. With peaceful reef safe & invert safe fish, I'd have a different opinion. There isn't a right or wrong way...and as you can see there's even contradiction on here :lol:. Everyone has their own experience and ways of doing things and I guess you'll just have different options to choose from.
 
I think three fish in a 30 gallon tank, that 95% of the websites say require a 30 gallon as minimal! Will be fine.
 
Don't worry obscurereef, I don't completely disagree with you either. And yes we all will contradict ourselves and each other in some ways in time. I am just going by experience. For example: order of fish that I feel should go into his tank. I have a an aggressive tank, as I said a Humu Humu triggerfish, a Linar wrasse which is also nicknamed the Lunatic Wrasse, a 5 inch Blood Red aka Hawaiian Hawkfish, a Fu Manchu Lionfish, a Stars and Stripes Dogface Puffer, a Valentini Puffer(which everyone said wouldn't last a day in the tank), a maroon clown( probably the most aggressive clown, etc, and out of all odds a Scooter Blenny! Yes, a small 3 inch Scooter Blenny. When I told everyone at my LFS I was putting the scooter Blenny and valentini puffer in my aggressive tank they laughed, and called them expensive snacks. I had no other choice at the time, I was taking down a smaller tank, found homes in my other tank for some of them, but had these two left out. Couldn't stick the valentini in the other tanks do to my abundance of inverts, and the scooter Blenny couldn't mix well with my mandarin. I feel it was the way I introduced them to the tank that they didn't become a snack. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention in my aggressive tank....I keep my horseshoe crab!!!!! and not one fish messes with him. Lol
 
Wow I'm really surprised that your scooter blenny is alive! They are a type of dragonet (like mandarins) and don't they have special food requirements and are docile? There are exceptions, but to me that seems like an overstocked aquarium. Not trying to be the "stock police" or what not...but fish can outgrow tanks. I'm sure they're happy so I'm not trying to scold or insult you by saying it seems like a bit much for a 55. The horseshoe crabs are mostly in the sand so it would be hard to get to him since he's hidden so much. How big is he and how long have you had him. I might consider getting one eventually, but they get more aggressive when they are larger. Something that really got me interested is not only do they look awesome, but they are more related to spiders than crabs, their blood is blue, and their blood is pretty close to the worth of gold I think (not that I want any)!
 
Yep, the Blenny does not belong, and actually is going against all odds being on there. Oh, I apologize, the aggressive fish are not in the 55 gallon tank, my inverts and other fish are in there. my aggressive fish are in another tank. Lol and I plan on retiming them to an even bigger tank in the near future. To at least a 200-300 gallon tank. They are all still not full grown. And yes the bio load sounds a little heavy, but my filter is rated way over the gallons of the tank, my protein skimmer too! Also, I do once a week water changes as opposed to waiting and stretching the water out too long and doing it once a month. The whole 20% change once a month that people go by, I don't follow. I like my fish having better quality water more often. I basically do 10% changes every week. so I can get away with having more fish. If I didn't do these things I wouldn't dare adding that many fish.
 
Sounds like a nice upgrade, but a huge project. I think 10% every week is best also (I do this too). The more frequent, the less time waste has to decompose and increase the nitrates.
 
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