Green star polyp

No problem. It's better to find out as much as you can before about an animal before you buy it. You can go online and do research on them, or you can post questions here. They keep fish in small tanks in stores because they usually don't have them that long, as they are just trying to sell them as quickly as possible. But if you tried to keep a fish like that in a small tank for the rest of its life, it would stress out and die pretty quickly.

I have a trigger in my 240 gallon tank, and I'm hoping that as long as I keep him well fed, he won't bother any of my other animals :).
 
Yeah well theres still one thing that im a little confused about. Where exactly should my water jet be at? Right now I have it were my corral and mushrooms get water flow. I dont know if I done it right but I think I can tell a big difference today on them growing. Yesterday when I got the tank they were the size of a pencil erasers, and now today they are lookin like half dollars.
 
It's normal for them to expand and contract like that. They don't grow that much in one day, but they will change their size throughout the day. You should place your powerhead aimed somewhat towards the surface of the water so that it creates a ripple on the surface. This helps to oxygenate the water. Most people put their powerheads in the back corners, aimed diagonally at the front glass.
 
Ok I will move it up. Is the corals and mushrooms fine without the direct flow/pressure? Or will it still be getting a flow when its move to the top?
 
They are fine without the direct flow. If the jet of water is hitting the glass, then some current is going to bounce off the glass and indirectly hit stuff in the tank. You may want to look into getting one more powerhead and putting one in each back corner.
 
ok what gph on the powerhead should I use in the 30 gallon tank? Also if you dont mind could you tell me a couple good starter fish that would work in my tank? Thanks!!!
 
Add another powerhead to match the one you have now.A maxijet 600 or 900 are some of cheapest and most reliable powerheads.You can try a Koralia model 1 also but they cost a bit more.They have a much gentler wider flow and magnet mounts is wayyyyy better than suction cups.

Clownfishes,dartfishes(firefishes),some gobies,basslets and pseudochromis(dottybacks) make good candidates for a 30g.I'm sure there's more but my mine is going blank.
 
Thanks for your help so much!!! I think tomorrow im going to get a Mandarin Dragonet goby. Love the coloring on those fish and they say there peaceful which is always good!!!
 
No!!!! Don't get a mandarin! Like I said, research before you buy! A mandarin will starve to death very quickly in your tank. They are one of the worst fish for a beginning tank.

Most mandarins will only eat live foods, such as pods. A tank that's less than 6 months old and without a refugium will not be able to provide a mandarin with enough food. They are not an easy fish to keep, at all, in a new tank.
 
Oh no,not a mandarin!
They are not really a goby,its a dragonet.Besides not all gobies will do well in a 30g.The smaller watchmen gobies are okay.Mandarins need way mature tanks with a lot of live rock.I don't think a 30 will ever support a mandarin.
 
It sounds like you have got some great advice already. It is difficult at the start of this hobby to be patient. Especially when we see a fish that we really like. We have all been there. One of the benefits of this forum is to learn from others' mistakes so you don't have to make the same ones. It seems as if you are really interested in this hobby. I am really glad for that. Now is it time to allow the wisdom of those who have been doing this for years to run its course.

Your mushrooms will be fine, a dragonet will be dead in a week. Guaranteed. Your tank is just too new. Nothing needs to be decided tonight. Sleep on the info you have received and start researching fish better suited for your tank tomorrow

-Doc
 
Oh ok so I guess I won't be getting a dragonet lol. What about tang fish? I know they need tons of room to swim but is there a certain one that would be good in a 30 gallon tank? Thanks again.
 
I guess I should have put that I have gotten the tank from a previous owner that has had it established for over 2-3 years now with the same live rock and sand in it. So it is not actually a new tank. The previous owner had told me that he actually had two of the mandarin dragonets in it before he sold it to me. So since it has been established for so long are there any other fish that would do good?
 
Here are a few tips to make your efforts here much more successful. I can tell you really want answers. I will help you get them. quickly. First, there is a "thanks" button on the side of the posting reply. Don't be afraid to use it.

Next. if you flood us with questions on the same thread, it can become difficult to track and we get lost. make a separate question per thread and that way you can refer back to your threads to get info fast

Next. There are multiple previous posts to refer to about many questions a beginner may have. Feel free to flip through them to gain lots of knowledge.

Next. Patience. Be patient. Your tank needs patience. Changes too fast will result in a crash that will cost your time, money and suffering.

Last. Listen. If you ask a question, you can expect a good answer. Nothing is more frustrating that putting time and effort into helping a fellow reefer, only to watch them ignore you and kill a good animal. If you ask a question, please follow the advice. Trust me, you don't want to be the butt of all our jokes. There are some REALLY smart people on this site.

About a tang. There is no tang that will fit a 30 gallon tank. Buy a good book to research your fish choices. May I recommend: Marine Fishes from pocket experts. Once you read that book and make a few choices that will fit your tank, then ask us about our experiences with them. We all tend to have our specialities. Thanks for listening

-Doc
 
I agree with Doc, there aren't any tangs that will fit in a 30 gallon tank. I would recommend, before you buy more fish, that you buy more live rock. It seems from the picture that you posted that your tank is very light on rock. You want to aim for 1 to 2 lbs rock per gallon. So, for your tank, 50 to 60 lbs of live rock is a good thing to shoot for. Live rock will serve as your tanks primary source of biological filtration. The more rock you have, the higher your water quality will be. You will be very limited in how many fish you can keep in your tank with the small amount of rock that you have.
 
Your best bet is to find a mandarin that is eating frozen.Maybe his was eating frozen food.About 99% of the mandarins you find at the fish store won't eat frozen and will just starve to death in a 30g regardless how long it has been up.A 30g, just isn't isn't large enough to support a pod population large enough for one,IMO.The previous owner must of had a male and female mandarin,two males go in and only one comes out,if you get what I mean.

You answer your own question about tangs,they need plenty of swimming room.It will only get Ich and other illness from being stress in a 30g.Most tangs grow 10'' plus so no tang is suited for a 30g.
 
Hey SalteeDogg, here are some good fish for your tank that you could think about adding. Read up about them and see if you like any of them:

Coral Beauty Angel - Centropyge bispinosus
Flame Angel - Centropyge loriculus
Royal Gramma - Gramma loreto
Banggai Cardinal - Pterapogon kauderni
Spotted Cardinal - Sphaeramia nematoptera
Clown Goby (Assorted) - Gobiodon species
Firefish Goby - Nemateleotris magnifica
Purple Firefish - Nemateleotris decora
Scissortail Goby - Ptereleotris evides
Royal Dottyback - Pseudochromis paccagnellae
Strawberry/Purple Pseudochromis - Pseudochromis porphyreus
Six Line Wrasse - Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

All of those species would do well in a 30 gallon tank, and all are relatively easy to keep. And I also think that Marine Depot Live is one of the best sites out there if you want to look an animal up, their info has always been very accurate in my opinion.
 
even though they grow slow, there is no tang that will be a healthy fit for a tank that is less than 90 gallons. Most of them need 125+. Some people try to keep them in tanks much smaller than that, hoping to keep them healthy for "a while" but they always seem to get stressed out without enough swimming room and they just die. The problem with that is when they die, they tend to take other fish with them due to Ich

-Doc
 
You've got great advice from the top pros of the site.
I dont remember seeing anything on what type of filtration your running.
If you dont already have one,invest in a good skimmer.Get more rock,and slow way down.
I think I would be looking at rock before fish at this point.You have plenty of time to stock your tank.Pick the fish you like the most and research it untill you know exactly whats its needs are by heart.
 
Yes I have what I believe the guy said a cpr back pak skimmer with a regular filter to go along with it. In the middle of the skimmer has alot of what looks like grass the guy said natural was like the best way to go. I actually got a good deal on a 6 inch green closed brain coral for like 15 dollars today. Once the guy touched it to get it out it shriveled up so right now im just waiting on it to inflate back to its size. Hopefully it wont take a week to open back up. lol
 
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