Hello, i need advice

[PufferGuy]

Hello everybody, I have always loved having aquariums and recently i had to get rid of my 90 gal freshwater tank because it was too big to move to the college I am recently attending. Instead of the 90 gal, my friend was trying to get rid of his 10gal brckish tank with 2 F8 puffers, so i took it off his hands. Now, i know that for 2 F8 puffers a tank that size is not really big enough but there havent been any problems so far.

That was a little background but my real question is:
I want to get a full saltwater tank but it cant be too big. 30 gal is probably the largest i can go due to space limitations. As you can tell from my name, I love puffers and would love to get one of the smaller puffers you can get which is a Valentine(? correct me if im wrong) and also 1 or 2 other fish to keep it company such as clowns(? good/bad idea). I dont really know all that much about liverock/sump pumps(what is it?)/etc but im a fast learner and im looking forward to learning from this site.

Any ideas/thoughts on the tank i want and the fish combo would be greatly greatly appreciated because i want to be well informed before i make any decisions.

Thanks

[daugherty]

a sump pump is a pump that pumps water from the sump to the display tank. always use in a reef ready tank and some people get overflow boxes to use one but since you want a pred tank you really only need a canister filter and some live rock. the live rock is the best filtration you can have in a tank. and in a 30 gal that you are going to be very limited. maybe an eel?

[PufferGuy]

so the puffer/clown combo is a no go in a tank that size? also, if i wanna get some coral/anemones/etc in there, i know there is a special lighting needed? care to shed some light on that?

[michelle]

the clowns with the puffer are something I've heard people do before, May I suggest, (at risk of being scorned) that you check the puffer forum www.thepufferforum.com "pufferpunk" seems to head it up, and I have to say she is good with all puffers. I have signed up there for help with starting a freshwater puffer tank. but they are very knowledgable about fresh/brackish/marine puffers.
Just in case you'd like to look around there.

[PufferGuy]

a site i was looking on said that puffers are not "reef safe" and the clowns are, what does this mean in terms of setting up my tank?

[RyanG]

It means that puffers will eat corals and invertabrates.

[Bifferwine]

Hi and welcome!

You will need special lights for corals and anemones. I suggest starting with a fish only (FO) tank, then upgrading and getting good lights later on if you decide you want to convert to a reef tank. The best reef lights for a 30 gallon tank would be T5s. A set of T5s would run you a couple hundred bucks to several hundred bucks, depending on the brand, size, etc.

Puffers are not reef safe, in that they tend to eat invertebrates. Not so much coral, but mostly crabs, shrimp, snails, etc. (your cleaner crew). You will have a hard time keeping a cleaner crew with a puffer, and cleaner crews are essential for reef tanks, which is why it's unusual to find puffers and corals in the same tank.

Since puffers are considered "predators", they are usually kept with other predator fish. Clowns tend to be aggressive and would make good tankmates for the puffer.

[yote]

Welcome to the reef.
Looks like everybody already has you covered pretty good.

[PufferGuy]

live rock is ok with a puffer correct? also, i wouldnt have room for a sump, and i asked one of the guys at a fishstore that specializes in saltwater fish around here about it, and he told me that for a 30gal i can get away without a sump but my best bet would be to go with a cylinder filter?? i dont know what this is but he said its more bio firendly than a standard HOB filter? can anyone shed any light?

oh and speaking of bio load... would a puffer and 2 clowns be good for a 30 galon?