# What fish for 30 gallon tank?



## RudiG (Sep 21, 2012)

Hey everyone,
I have had a freshwater tank for the past 3 years; I recently decided that I wanted to try something new so I started setting up a small, 30 gallon saltwater tank (I do have 1.5 inches of live sand and about 35 pound live rock in it). I have had everything set up and cycling for the past 4-5 weeks. I've got my water tested at my LFS and they said everything seemed fine. My question now is what fish would be working in this tank. I know it is very small but that's what I have to go with for now (I'm planing on getting a bigger one in the future)
All i know right now is that I probably want 1 or 2 clownfish and maybe a Coral Beauty Angle. Do you guys think the angle will get too big for a 30 gallon tank?
Any suggestions on what other fish I could put in?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Your choices of Fish are good, you will not have any issues with them. 
Here are other choices for you, to many really to name them all so I'll just link to a catagory for you to choose from.
Nano Fish
Basslets for Sale: Basslet Species including the Royal Gramma Basslet
Blennies: Blenny Fish Species Including Bicolor, Striped and other Blennies
Cardinalfish
Chromis for Sale: Blue and Green Chromis and other Reef Species
Dartfish
Pseudochromis for Sale: Splendid Dottyback Species and other Pseudochromis
Gobies for Sale: Goby Fish Species Including Shrimp Gobies


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## RudiG (Sep 21, 2012)

Thanks! I really like the Cardinal fish! Ill have to make some decisions regarding the fish!
I do have another question! I am still using a power filter right now but I have read that a protein skimmer might be the smarter choice in the long run. Do you think I should get one now or wait until I have a bigger Aquarium?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

I'd wait. If you are indeed planning on getting a bigger tank, then the one you'd get for this one would not be big enough for the other. Also, to get around this, if you do weekly water changes and watch your parameters yoiu can keep the system stable.


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## RudiG (Sep 21, 2012)

Okay great! Thanks for your help!
btw, I really like the set up and the fish in your tank!!


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

RudiG said:


> Okay great! Thanks for your help!
> btw, I really like the set up and the fish in your tank!!


 :thankyou:


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

RudiG said:


> Thanks! I really like the Cardinal fish! Ill have to make some decisions regarding the fish!
> I do have another question! I am still using a power filter right now but I have read that a protein skimmer might be the smarter choice in the long run. Do you think I should get one now or wait until I have a bigger Aquarium?


A skimmer will be smarter in the long run. Changing water does not have the same effect as skimming. Water changes are used to reduce the levels of nitrates in aquaria from dangerous levels to manageable levels. Water changes should only be performed @ 25% once a month, as they can be stressful to a system and its inhabitants.


The goal of the aquarist is to get nitrates to an almost undetectable reading. This can be acheived in a few manners, but water changes is not one of them. Outlined in this article by the Advanced Aquarist (Randy Holmes-Farley) and this article by Ikegami and Kanamori, Nitrates have a direct effect on Alkalinity and zooanthallae that are directly related to each other and detrimental to healthy coral growth.

Farley points out several methods of Nitrate reduction here. A few methods I preach on a regular basis: remove nitrate producing filters (such as sponges, filter floss and pads), keep a deep sand bed (4"+. Anything shallower will not harbor the anaerobic bacteria needed to complete the nitrogen cycle) and either protein skimming or activated carbon. I right now am running an empty Fluval 205 in my 16 nano and will throw activated carbon in once I add fish. (I am still considering adding a skimmer and removing the canister so I don't have to keep cleaning the carbon bag). Water changes *do not *have the same effect as the methods outlined here and by Farley.

Welcome to the Forum and happy fishkeeping!


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Few problems with these ideas. We preach Water Changes to people when the Nitrates are High. We tell them to do water changes every day until those Trates are within aceptable levels. No diffenence in a small system, except the water changes are much smaller and do not kill the pocket book doing these. The water changes remove exess nutrients in a smaller tank as would using a skimmer.
Next, one thing I would not recommend to a new person is a Deep Sand Bed, as this can easily kill a tank if its disturbed. You accidently get in there and stir it up, and now yoiu have Hydrogen Sulfide in the tank. Which means no sand sifting snails or critters of that sort to airate the sand for you.
Ron Shimek's Website...Deep Sand Beds


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

Reefing Madness said:


> Few problems with these ideas. We preach Water Changes to people when the Nitrates are High. We tell them to do water changes every day until those Trates are within aceptable levels. No diffenence in a small system, except the water changes are much smaller and do not kill the pocket book doing these. The water changes remove exess nutrients in a smaller tank as would using a skimmer.
> Next, one thing I would not recommend to a new person is a Deep Sand Bed, as this can easily kill a tank if its disturbed. You accidently get in there and stir it up, and now yoiu have Hydrogen Sulfide in the tank. Which means no sand sifting snails or critters of that sort to airate the sand for you.
> Ron Shimek's Website...Deep Sand Beds


I don't preach water changes. At least in saltwater aquaria. They don't do anything. Live rock and live sand speed the cycle along and harbor the anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrate into nitrogen gas, which leaves the system naturally. The amount of water changes one would need to do to replicate this natural process would be astounding. Plus, as I have mentioned, water changes do not reduce nitrates to zero. Skimming, an abundance of live rock and a deep sand bed do reduce nitrates to zero. 

About a deep sand bed being a difficult system. This couldn't be further from the truth. I have kept a DSB in every tank I have kept. Those tanks had crabs, snails, sand sifting stars, gobies and other sand dwellers. They reside in and can disturb the upper layer of sand, and it is beneficial to have them do this. 

Randy Holmes-Farley is considered a very reputable and successful aquarist and I employ the same methods as him. I disagree with water changes as a method of nitrate reduction based on science.


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## RudiG (Sep 21, 2012)

*Update:*

Hey everyone,
so I decided to stay with the filter and do weekly waterchanges for now because I am probably going to get a 75 gallon tank sometime in March of the coming year and I think it would be smarter to just wait then. For now I have all the fish I wanted in there (2 Ocellaris Clownfish, 6-line wrasse, purple dottyback, and a Banggai Cardinalfish) I stayed away from the and dwarf angel because I am thinking about adding some corals and I have heard that might cause some complications. Anyway, I do have some questions regarding the corals. I know I need good lighting and I am thinking about getting a LED (my LFS has some great deals on LED's right now) Do you guys think LED would be fine? Another question I have is what some good beginner corals would be? 
If it helps my water parameters are
pH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 20
dkH: 11.5
Calcium: 410


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

LED is a perfect lighting choice.
Easy coral would be, Toadstool Mushroom, Zoas, Star Polyps, Mushrooms, Nepthea, Kenya Trees, Xenia.


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## RudiG (Sep 21, 2012)

Great thanks! Then I will go ahead and get a LED and some corals and will post some pictures! Is there a limit of corals I should add at once?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

No limit per say. One would think your just adding frags so fill er up.


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