# Stocking a 30 gallon tank



## zelda1805

Sorry if I posted the in the wrong section. Anyways, I just got a new 30 gallon tank. It has one inch of live sand and about 20 pounds of live rock right now. It has two hang on filters that filter 162.5 gallons per hour, so all together there is 325 gallons per hour. I think this is sufficient? I plan to filter it for two months then start adding fish. Out of these fish would would be compatible with a flame angel, a pair of percula clowns, and a firefish goby?

Antenna Lion Fish (4 inches long)
Picasso/Humu Humu Trigger Fish (3 inches long)
Copper Band Butterfly Fish (4 inches long)
Any other Suggestions?


Also, I know some of these fish will grow out of my tank in 2-3 years, but I plan to return the to my LFS anyway because I am moving in 2 years. And if any of the fish really get too big, I have a 55 gallon tank with one octopus that I could move it to.

Also, if this stocking is not good, what would you recommend?
Thanks =]


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## Pasfur

zelda1805 said:


> Sorry if I posted the in the wrong section. Anyways, I just got a new 30 gallon tank. It has one inch of live sand and about 20 pounds of live rock right now. It has two hang on filters that filter 162.5 gallons per hour, so all together there is 325 gallons per hour. I think this is sufficient?


I would prefer to see a protein skimmer on this tank, but given the tank size you could get away with this. The live rock and live sand would be your filtration system, and the hang on filters should not contain any biologically active surfaces. Instead, the hang ons should make heavy use of activated carbon or other similar chemical media.

You would increase the odds of success by adding a small hang on skimmer. At bare minimum something like this: Rio Nano Skimmer Protein Skimmer
I would personally use a much larger unit, such as:
Coralife 65 Skimmer Coralife Super Skimmer 65
Keep your eyes open online, the Coralife Super Skimmer 65 is usually available at a discount during the holiday season.



> I plan to filter it for two months then start adding fish. Out of these fish would would be compatible with a flame angel, a pair of percula clowns, and a firefish goby?
> 
> Antenna Lion Fish (4 inches long)
> Picasso/Humu Humu Trigger Fish (3 inches long)
> Copper Band Butterfly Fish (4 inches long)
> Any other Suggestions?


Is this the same Firefish Goby that you posted in another thread about having a possible parasite? What was the outcome?

In terms of compatibility, none of these fish work in your set up. Honestly, these fish are not even close to something you should be considering. The marine hobby is not like freshwater. You can't take large fast growing fish which produce a ton of hormones and put them into small systems. The aggression and stress levels would be off the chart and disease results nearly 100% of the time. 

You already have 3 fish that will swim in the open water in a small 30 gallon tank. My suggestion is to add a couple of rock dwelling species, such as Jawfish, Watchman Gobies, or a Royal Gramma.
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## zelda1805

Thanks for the great advice :-D I would be mess without you loll. Anyway, I don't have any fish in the tank yet. I meant I was thinking of adding a new fire goby to the 30g tank. The fire goby I have now is in a 10 gallon by itself. Also, I did the freshwater soak and it came off. So far I haven't seen any other problems . 

I live in India and unfortunately cannot get the two protein skimmers you recommended. My LFS has some protein skimmers but either they are really cheap ($5-$10), or they are huge. I heard the cheap ones do virtually nothing and the huge one are for like 300 gallon tanks :-?. I'll ask if they could import some that are the right size. And the variety of fish they is somewhat limited (no jawfish for example).




Pasfur said:


> The live rock and live sand would be your filtration system, and the hang on filters should not contain any biologically active surfaces. Instead, the hang ons should make heavy use of activated carbon or other similar chemical media.


​

Just wondering, why shouldn't there be biological filtration in the hang on filter?

Out of these fish which do you think could be compatible with each other.

Bangii Cardinal
Flame Angel
Royal Gramma
Bicolor Blenny
Lawnmower/Algae Blenny
2 inch Blue Tang (lol, I know this is unlikely, just hoping ;-))
Firefish goby
Maroon Clown

There are more that they have, is there any others you would suggest?

Thanks so much!


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## Pasfur

zelda1805 said:


> I live in India and unfortunately cannot get the two protein skimmers you recommended. My LFS has some protein skimmers but either they are really cheap ($5-$10), or they are huge. I heard the cheap ones do virtually nothing and the huge one are for like 300 gallon tanks :-?. I'll ask if they could import some that are the right size.


If you could post a few pictures of what is available, or direct me to a web site that ships to India, I can try to help.



> Just wondering, why shouldn't there be biological filtration in the hang on filter?


Check this out:
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...-filtration-101-how-differs-freshwater-31955/

Bangii Cardinal - yes and easy to care for if captive bred.
Flame Angel - yes, and great in pairs.
Royal Gramma - yes, a good rock dweller.
Bicolor Blenny - yes, another rock dweller.
Lawnmower/Algae Blenny - Not for you. To small a tank to support dietary needs.
2 inch Blue Tang (lol, I know this is unlikely, just hoping ;-)) - No. Can you say 17'' size within 1 year?
Firefish goby - yes. Good one.
Maroon Clown - to aggressive for this size tank.


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## zelda1805

Thanks so much! want to add that it is a actually a 40 gallon tank, not 30 gallons. Yay for more swimming space :-D And I'm not sure if I mentioned this but it is a long tank. Is that okay for all the fish I asked you about? Also, I opened up the filter and took the sponge and the ceramic rings out, leaving just the carbon. Is there any other filter media I could put in the empty space besides carbon? And have you heard of Zeolite? Is it any good? Thanks!


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## Pasfur

zelda1805 said:


> Are any other filter media I could put in the empty space besides carbon? And have you heard of Zeolite? Is it any good? Thanks!


I don't really want to tell you what to do and have you blindly take action. It is important that you understand why you are taking these steps so that you can understand the goals you are trying to accomplish.

Zeolite removes ammonia. You will not have ammonia accumulation in your tank as it currently is set up, so the addition of Zeolite would not benefit.

I would personally just use a phosphate free activated carbon, or run the unit empty for water flow purposes only. You could add the occasional filter pad, removing it within 24 hours. Sometimes the water may get cloudy after scrubbing algae, etc, so the filter pad can be a quick solution, especially if you are about to have company over and want the tank looking tip top.


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## zelda1805

Pasfur said:


> I don't really want to tell you what to do and have you blindly take action. It is important that you understand why you are taking these steps so that you can understand the goals you are trying to accomplish.


Not trying to sound rude or offensive at all but I am most defiantly not "blindly taking action." I'm really interested in fish and plan to major in marine biology and I enjoy researching and learning about fish and how to take care of them.

Anyways, I went to my LFS and asked if they had any other protein skimmers. They said they have one at their warehouse for my size tank by the brand reef octopus. I recognize the name and I understand that they are high quality. Is this correct? 

I'm not sure about getting flame angels for two reasons: One, they are imported from the U.S. and I'm not sure how good they will be after shipping; Two, they are over priced, for a pair it is about $150, and I don't think that's reasonable compared to the prices of liveaquaria, $74 for a pair (where I do most price comparisons).

What would you say about a Auriga Butterflyfish? I know sometimes Vegabond Butterflys are sold under that name but I know how to tell the difference. I My tank is 36 inches long. Do you know how fast they grow? I think if it is ok, the stocking will be 1 small Auriga Butterfly, 1 bicolor blenny, 1 purple firefish, and 1 royal gramma. If not, same thing except instead of the butterfly, a Kaudern Cardinal and a pair of false Percula clowns. Does this sound okay? I know in freshwater, you add the peaceful fish first and the aggressive ones last. Is this the same for saltwater fish? And lastly, I plan on adding a fish once per month, quarantining them in a 10 gallon for a week before the main tank.

I really appreciate you helping me


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## zelda1805

zelda1805 said:


> What would you say about a Auriga Butterflyfish? I know sometimes Vegabond Butterflys are sold under that name but I know how to tell the difference. I My tank is 36 inches long. Do you know how fast they grow? I think if it is ok, the stocking will be 1 small Auriga Butterfly, 1 bicolor blenny, 1 purple firefish, and 1 royal gramma. If not, same thing except instead of the butterfly, a Kaudern Cardinal and a pair of false Percula clowns. Does this sound okay? I know in freshwater, you add the peaceful fish first and the aggressive ones last. Is this the same for saltwater fish? And lastly, I plan on adding a fish once per month, quarantining them in a 10 gallon for a week before the main tank.


I realize that the butterfly is a open water fish and will grow to fast and big for my tank. I also read your article on quarantining and what order to add the fish. So I should quarantine each fish for 3 weeks starting at 1.016 and with water changes bring up till 1.022-1.025 over that period, correct? What do you think about 1 kaudern cardinal, 2 perc clowns,1 bicolor blenny, 1 purple firefish, and 1 royal gramma. Sorry for the double post


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## Pasfur

zelda1805 said:


> Not trying to sound rude or offensive at all but I am most defiantly not "blindly taking action." I'm really interested in fish and plan to major in marine biology and I enjoy researching and learning about fish and how to take care of them.


No offense taken at all. It is impossible to hear tone of voice on the internet. One thing that I think makes this forum so great compared most other sites is that most everyone here takes everything with a positive spin, assuming you mean the best. Which is how you took my comments. ;-)



zelda1805 said:


> I realize that the butterfly is a open water fish and will grow to fast and big for my tank. I also read your article on quarantining and what order to add the fish. So I should quarantine each fish for 3 weeks starting at 1.016 and with water changes bring up till 1.022-1.025 over that period, correct? What do you think about 1 kaudern cardinal, 2 perc clowns,1 bicolor blenny, 1 purple firefish, and 1 royal gramma. Sorry for the double post


Good decision to avoid the Butterfly. Not only are they not good for the tank size, but they are a real step up in difficulty and require a more experienced eye. Put that fish on your list for the next tank. 

I like your new stocking list. Good fish, generally sturdy, and also most of those can be found captive bred, which is a great bonus. I might replace the BiColor Blenny or Royal Gramma with a Watchman or Diamond Goby, just for the behavioral differences. It would make for a more interesting tank to watch. 

I quarantine for 3 weeks at 1.016. If after 2 weeks everything has been perfect with the fish, then I begin daily increases in salinity via water changes until the salinity matches the display. Generally after 3 weeks the fish is ready to be added to the display. If the fish is of a more sensitive nature, I then like to quarantine for 4 to 6 weeks total.


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