suggestions for first fish

[aquarius75]

Hello again yall

Refresher I am running a 30 glln with LR only. I do not have the high out put lights on. sooooo, that being said. I am looking to add my first fish.
I have so far in there
8 nassa snails
1 astraea snail
6 crabs

I am also looking at adding a peppermint shrimp and/ or an emerald crab? and a chocolate chip starfish....would these do ok n with fish? The lady at the store assured me it would be ok but a second oppinion would be nice. She did also mention the starfish will eat the crab if they are not fast enough.

Also any suggestion for any other of these types of things would be welcome also. Thank you again....

 

[aquarius75]

Forgot to ask how many habitants/ fish would a person suggest for this size tank?

 

[bawel]

I would suggest a hardy fish to try the water, I think a damsel would be a good start, but it depends on what kind of fishes you like. I've heard about choc chip starfish not reef-safe, but not sure about eating the crabs. Has your tank fully cycled yet?

 

[aquarius75]

Hi Bawel,

I took water samples in Friday to the store for testing. They said the salt was right on and to give over the weekend for the rest to come down. I plan on going tomorrow so that will give it another three days.

If all good then I was going to get something new, just wasnt sure what all I could get or how many. I was thinking to add one of the fish and one of the other mentioned critters. I dont want to over due it and stress everything out.

So far have only lost two snails n they were history by the time I got them home.

Though I had a scare today as I saw what looked like a hemit crab laying dead out of his shell, only to my suprise I still had six live crabs! LOL I was just introduced to the activity of molting. WHEW!!

 

[bawel]

Hi aquarius,

You should get yourself a saltwater master kit for just basic testing so you can tell if the water is ready to be put anything. Yes, you don't want to overstock nor putting anymore when the tank is not fully cycled. I'm just afraid that you put those snails in when you're not supposed to yet.

Here is the article about cycling your tank.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/3/1/Cycle-your-salt-tank/Page1.html

Do you have a fully cured LR or uncured? Usually there's a saying 1 livestock per 5 gallon, but I'm not sure. It also depends on the sizes that it would grow too. Please check www.liveaquaria.com where they have recommended beginner saltwater fishes.

 

[aquarius75]

HI again.
Yea I was afraid of that also especially after reading that article. I was going with what the lady at the store was telling me to do, which happened before I read the article, so therefore bought my new SW family. I am praying they make it through n so far have done very well. The lady at the store said she thought my tank had already spiked n was now very close to settling to where it should be. So we shall see, I guess.
I am picking up that master test also as I live about 50 miles from this store.

So on a happy note praying for the best n hoping to add a new member soon. Do you have any suggestions on how many habitants can be in a 30 glln? I dont want it over crowded as I have seen some that way and its not really to my liking, but I do not want it barren either.

Oh also I found my first little worms this morning n some very tiny baby snails. Though I have no idea what kind as they are very small. I am hoping that is all positive sign of success!!

 

[bawel]

Hey there,

I don't know about the worms and baby snails, you think your snails are mating already?

In any case, a master test kit will be useful as you don't have to bring to your LFS to check the water, as soon as ammonia and nitrite is 0, you should do PWC.

As for inhabitants, I think you can have at the most 4-5 fishes, but those are in the small growing scale, which means, I think they shouldn't grow more than 2-3 inches. Also, don't add the fishes too fast, after the first fish, you can start adding the second one in 2 weeks time.

Maybe some experts here can chime in to be sure of how many and what's the time lapse between the new fishes as I'm also a newbie and I just started putting a clown fish as my first one.

 

[aquarius75]

Well wouldnt that be something if they were already starting familys!! LOL
Not sure I did put in LV cured rock n live sand so could be from that also. I was just so shocked to see them in there.

So much to know n I am one of those that has to DO IT RIGHT!!! Looks like a long road ahead...........I am so appreciative for your advice....thank you very much......congrats and good luck with your also.

 

[melosu58]

It`s really hard to say how many. It will vary by the size of the fish and if they are a messy eater. Basically it depends on the bioload that your fish will put on the tank.

 

[Tank2379]

Hello again yall

Refresher I am running a 30 glln with LR only. I do not have the high out put lights on. sooooo, that being said. I am looking to add my first fish.
I have so far in there
8 nassa snails
1 astraea snail
6 crabs

I am also looking at adding a peppermint shrimp and/ or an emerald crab? and a chocolate chip starfish....would these do ok n with fish? The lady at the store assured me it would be ok but a second oppinion would be nice. She did also mention the starfish will eat the crab if they are not fast enough.

Also any suggestion for any other of these types of things would be welcome also. Thank you again....

IMO.I would recommend just going with 2 Clown fish I would skip the Chocolate Starfish and Emerald crab, I would also suggest getting ride of the crabs as well and just stick with Turbo Snails.

 

[aquarius75]

Hi Tank
Thank you for your thoughts. Is there a specific reason why I should not go with the starfish n crabs?

 

[Yellow Tang 2]

A Valentini puffer is good but it will eat your shrimp.

 

[bawel]

Puffer in a small tank? are u sure?

 

[Tank2379]

Hi Tank
Thank you for your thoughts. Is there a specific reason why I should not go with the starfish n crabs?

Sorry I don't know if your going RO or FOWLR for you are going Reef Only the Chocolate Star fish can destroy or knock over your coral. Your Emerald Crab can sometimes eat on your coral and Coraline algea. IMO all depends on feeding... Crabs all in all can become and issue over time as they can end up catching your Fish sleeping at night and start eating them. Snails are much safer IMO....

 

[aquarius75]

Ok I am a FOWLR. I did not realize the crabs could catch the fish. I will have to think on it some more. It is fun but overwhelming also as I have so many different choices with such a small space.....kid in the candy store LOL..... thank you.

 

[cofano32]

i agree with tank go with clowns or damsels and you can find snails for everything

 

[Justin_Toronto]

do some research on nano community fish.. (fish that do not grow very large).
most goby's (there's a large variety in terms of shape/color/character), clown fish, firefish, some basslets, and your usual assortment of snails, peaceful stars (i.e. serpent stars), various types of non-aggressive shrimp, etc.

Here's a list of some peaceful nano fish to get you started, there are more... but this is a good starting point: Nano Fish

 

[Yellow Tang 2]

Puffer in a small tank? are u sure?

Yeah it can stay in a 26 gallon

 

[Tank2379]

IMO... This Gobie would work out great for your nano if you would want to start anywhere.

 

[aquarius75]

Thank you all, and that is a cute little fish. Thank you for showing me.