what type of fish is perferrable for a beginner

[ejay1]

okay I have begun my nitrogen cycle and over the next few weeks I am going through the process of what type of fish to put in.

What type of fish should a newbie to saltwater aquariums start out with. what type of fish go well with a clown fish??

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard. What size tank is this and what type tank will it be ? Reef, FOWLR FO ???

 

[ejay1]

Welcome aboard. What size tank is this and what type tank will it be ? Reef, FOWLR FO ???

right now its fish only...I have a couple of cured and partially uncured live rock and live sand in my 30 gallon tank

 

[Fish Dude]

In my opinion, there are a lot of great beginner fish. And bottom line, whether you are a beginner or expert, these fish are held in high regard:

Royal Gramma's stay a good size for a smaller tank. Afforable and hard to match the colors.

Clown fish are a great choice. I prefer to keep one only.

A dwarf angel after the tank matures. Flame, Coral beauty, Lemonpeel

Cardinal fish like the pajama or higher budget banggai

Hawkfish like the flame and longnose are fantastic fish with tons of personality.

Blennies like the midas and canary are real characters.

These are just some of my favorites. Stay away from triggers, tangs, lionfish and large angels because of the tank size and I would limit to four fish.

 

[melosu58]

Just make sure your tank is cycled. If you have some uncured LR in there then you`ll need to keep an eye out for possibly another cycle if you already have cycled your tank. Looks like a pretty good list mentioned above.

 

[Atari]

Another vote for a flame hawkfish. They are very hardy, eat just about anything and great personalities. It's like having a puppy in your tank because they get all excited and wag their tails everytime you walk up.

 

[Innovator]

I would not add a hawkfish as your first fish because of the eventual territorial nature when trying to add other fish down the road. Yes all fish become territorial, but hawkfish have strong jaws that can inflict quite a bit of damage. I would add a hawkfish close to last on a fishlist and especially in small aquaria.

 

[roka64]

Take a browse here:
Saltwater Fish: Marine Aquarium Fish for Saltwater Aquariums

Get some stocking plans and we can help further. Otherwise you will quickly become overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Feel free to try other sites as well.

 

[ejay1]

what type of fish go well with a clown fish....I know I at the least want a clown fish. that was one of the main reasons I chose SW aquarium over FW.

oh and my liverocks seem to be changing colors....like red....is that normal???

 

[Benjithecookiemonster]

I would not add a hawkfish as your first fish because of the eventual territorial nature when trying to add other fish down the road. Yes all fish become territorial, but hawkfish have strong jaws that can inflict quite a bit of damage. I would add a hawkfish close to last on a fishlist and especially in small aquaria.

Agreed... This fish should be added after other fish due to territorial issues.
Marine Fishes explains this in detail. ; )

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

...

oh and my liverocks seem to be changing colors....like red....is that normal???

That depends. Is it "hard" red that doesn't come off, or "soft/slimy" red that brushes off the rock in sheets?

 

[melosu58]

I would not add a hawkfish as your first fish because of the eventual territorial nature when trying to add other fish down the road. Yes all fish become territorial, but hawkfish have strong jaws that can inflict quite a bit of damage. I would add a hawkfish close to last on a fishlist and especially in small aquaria.

I agree with James. The hawkfish should be last.

 

[ejay1]

That depends. Is it "hard" red that doesn't come off, or "soft/slimy" red that brushes off the rock in sheets?

it looks like somebody painted the rock red...it isn't soft

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Then it's coralline algae... that's a good thing and is perfectly normal. Means your tank is maturing nicely.

 

[want2findnemo]

Hey check this out

Marine Fish Species

and this will help

Compatibility Chart for Marine Fish