Restarting tank the right way

[Xenos]

Hello, I'm sure you remember me. My boyfriend and nephew killed all their fish and I'm the only one willing to ask questions on how to do it right. I now have a 29gal aquarium, four large pieces live rock (to form hiding spaces), one black spiny sea urchin, a chocolate chip starfish, and a crab of some sort. My rocks have lots of brown algea and red coral? Also a bush of algea (I have no idea what kind). I have a whisper filter and a Bac Pac protien skimmer and biological filter. My tank has been set up for a few months, we killed everything by over populating. I am recycling the water and doing water changes.

Can any one give me some ideas of fish and how many? The more examples of groupings the better. Dont forget to mention how many. Thank you so much.

 

[Zack]

For a 29 gallon I could see like a couple clowns and maybe a royal gramma, did you have any type of fish in mind?

 

[Sam]

Well based on my reading, the rule of thumb would be 1" of fish for every two gallons of water at a max. Keep in mind when you get fish that they will grow, so buy them based on how big they will get as adults when you size for your tank. I would definitely look into getting a few more critters like snails to help with the algae problem. For that size tank, I would probably select one main fish that will be your centerpiece and then based on its potential size, stock the remaining with fishes that may be compatible. Remember that even though you have a 29 gallon tank, you have live rock in there that displaces your water volume, so be careful in adding livestock. Last bit of advice is to make sure that your tank is fully cycled before adding anything else and carefully monitor your levels as you add livestock, one at a time. Good luck

 

[Xenos]

Thank you for all your help, however unfortunately my tank cracked while I was at work leaking water everywhere. I am going to abandon the saltwater tank for a while and enjoy my fresh water. I'm about to have an emotional break down. I had to relocate my inverts tonight. I am puzzeled and very distraught.

 

[Sam]

Very sorry to hear about your problem. Make sure that the tank is sitting perfectly flat. If there were any stress points on the bottom, this could cause any tank to crack. Good luck with our FW, anything we can do to help, just yell.