opinions on a few fish and critters

[steve r]

i know you have probably gotten this alot in the past, but i am new and if you dont mind share your thoughts on these fish for our 29 gallon SW with 40lbs LR and 40lbs LS. also 130 watts PC lighting. daylight combo and actininc combo bulbs . i know we can only have a few of these. put together from this list your best combo of animals for our tank feel free to add or make suggestions. we have done our own research but i wanted the "pros" opinion as well

ocellaris clown
maroon w/ gold strip clown
royal gramma
fridiman pseudochromis
lemon peel angel
bi color angel
lawnmower blenny
scooter blenny
yellow watchman goby
scotts velvet wrasse ( scotts multicolored wrasse )
yellow striped velvet wrasse ( i may be wrong on this name )
other fairy wrasses?
bubble tip anemone ( for clown, or other anemone )
long spiny urchin
sandsifting star
mushrooms or polyps
cleaner shrimp
peppermint shrimp
fire shrimp
snails ( which ones? )

thanks
steve r

 

[crage34]

i love my sixline wrasse...very beautiful fish!

 

[Wolf]

Don't do 2 different clown species.

 

[nodoubt471]

i am assuming this is just a list of possibilites and you arent giong to add all these fish to your 29 g

i am a big fan of ocellaris clowns, they are really personable, easy to care for, and easy to feed. you mention an anemone- most anemones need MH lighting and a mature tank (one that has been set up for more than a year).

the maroon will soon get too big for your tank.

the fridmani pseudochromis (or orchid pseudo) and the royal gramma are both good choices, but only choose one- they will fight with eachother otherwilse.

both of those angels will son get too large for your tank as awell. if you want an angel, consider one of the pygmy varieties- such as a coral beauty, or a flame. but keep in mind any angel will pick on any corals you ahve in your tanks.

i would pick the lawnmower blenny over the scooter. scooter blennys are actually dragonets, and require a mature tank with a steady population of copepods. lawnmoers do a good job of algae control too, and are quite amusing to watch.

i have no experience with 6 lines, or as you say yellow stripe- but i hear good things about them. as for the rest of the wrasses i also dont know- there are others who can answer this better than me.

i think that cleaner shrimps and peppermints are the best shrimps to get, the rest can be a little difficult to keep or dont play well with others.

as for snails, i personally like nassisarus or turbos. turbos however fall over a lot, and you kinda have to pick them up, they arent good at righting themselves.

mushrooms are a good beginner coral, but keep in mind the thing i said about angels. also, they require higher lighting than NO or VHO, usually at least PC for them to thrive.

just IME, IMO

HTH

 

[Edmonton Eskimo]

I have an ocellaris clown myself and I wish I would have went with the maroon clown. I also have a yellow watchman goby and it hides a lot. I love my coral beauty and I've never had problems with it eating corals. I would stay away from the spiny urchin as they are known(not always) to strip your coraline algae. As far as shrimp I have a fire shrimp and a skunk cleaner shrimp and I think they are the coolest thing I have. In a 29 I would stick with smaller species unless you are going to upgrade in the future

 

[steve r]

thanks for the info guys. i was only looking for 3 or 4 fish tops. the list was just possibilties. basically which clown, which pseudochromis or royal gramma. you get the idea. the two angels i mentioned i have seen listed under the dwarf angels and have similar sizes to the coral beauty.

thanks again for the info
steve r

 

[austinsdad]

That scotts velvet can get rather large and is a food hog. Don't think he'll do well in a 29g either. A smaller wrasse, maybe the sixline is small enuf. Although, you may have turf issues with a six-line and a orchid dottyback/fridmani pseudochromis seaching the rocks in s smaller tank. Wide open on the mushrooms IMO. They dot the aquascape nicely.

I kinda like the thought of all 3 shrimp, although maybe only 2 of each in a smaller tank. The cleaners and fires for being nice decoration and cleaners, and the peppermint for keeping aptasia at bay.

I also agree the ysm (yellow striped maroon) clown is gonna get too big. I'd go for the farm raised perc clown (very friendly but I never had an anenome, so I don't know if that's the best choice if you want one), either gramma or orchid dottyback, and a shrimp goby with a pistol shrimp. I agree also about the turbo and the nassarius. Gonna need some hermits too to round out the cleaning crew.

Never had angels, but I'd be hesitant in a 29g. I got the feeling you may want the reef experience at some point since mushrooms and other polyps are on your list and angels don't do well with reef as a rule.

Let us know what you end up deciding. Good luck!

 

[nodoubt471]

at any rate, if you must have the angel, go with the lemonpeel. they are hardier than bicolor IME. neither will do well in a 29 g. they need more room than coral beauties and flames.

just IME, IMO

 

[steve r]

i will pass on those two angels. i dont want to get anything that wont be comfortable in my tank. i also like the idea of two of each of those shrimp.

how about this

ocellaris clown
lawnmower blenny
orchid dotty back
a few mushrooms
2 cleaner shrimp
2 peppermint shrimp
2 fire shrimp
a "handful" of turbo and nassarius snails
a "handful" of hermit crabs

thanks for the help
steve r

 

[JG]

ocellaris clown ( i find them more difficult than a clarki)

maroon w/ gold strip clown ( read that they are more aggressive )

royal gramma ( have not had one )

fridiman pseudochromis ( supposed to be a really good choice - watch out for the imposter which looks like it , but is very aggressive)

scooter blenny ( love these - need copepods - but one of my favorites)

yellow watchman goby ( have two gobys - wheeler watchman and decorator - nice fishies )

long spiny urchin ( coralline algae eaters?)

sandsifting star ( have a brittle star - way cool critter )

cleaner shrimp ( had one - decorated goby ate him )

peppermint shrimp ( neat guys - hide a lot )

snails ( which ones? ) ( Turbos have worked well for me )

Have Fun !

 

[nodoubt471]

that revised list sounds excellent. you should have a happy tank when everything is said and done!