Hey guys new to the site, you all have a lot of good things to say and seem knowledgeable. First off I will tell you my setup: I have a 29ga tank, Aquaclear 50 filter, 15lbs of premium live rock, and live sand. My tank has been cycling for 19 days now and everything has been pretty good thus far. I have added some livestock such as a hermit crab and peppermint shrimp a week ago, and 5 days ago a damsel. I added the shrimp to kill my apitasia (which it did), and then a damsel to help cycle. So far my rock is forming coraline aglae and my test say the water is perfect. I saw a slight high level of nitrates but i changed the water and they are fine now. So my question is when can I add some real fish. I understand my tank size limits me but i was thinking of adding a powder blue tang, foxface rabbitfish, clownfish, and some more inverts. I understand i can't do this all at once my next step will be the clown but when do you suggest i try adding him. Any suggestions or warnings I would greatly appreciate. Thanks
New tank many question please help
- Thread starter Ukfan369
- Start date
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
any tang or rabbit fish is out of the question in a tank that small, even the smallest of tangs need atleast a 75 gallon tank since they need the room to swim. and since you added a damsel to your tank you are even more limited because damsels are very territorial and even kill fish that come into their territory, so your first step should be to take him out and add some more live rock. you wanna aim for 1-2lbs of live rock per gallon of water minimum. then you can add one fish every three weeks
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
also welcome to the site
messiah023
Reefing newb
UK Fan,
Dustin is right, those fish are WAY too big for the 29g.
Remember, after you put your rock in there, you actually will only have about 20g of water.
I have a 29g tank as well. You will be limited, but you can still have a nice tank.
Decide if you are going for a reef tank or a fish only tank.
If reef, you will need some good lights.
I ran a filter, like you, when I started. After I added fish, the nitrates spiked and caused many problems due to the filter.
I got rid of the filter, added a hang-on-back skimmer from Octopus and threw in (2) K1 pumps for water circulation.
This is my tank pic. You can get yours looking really good with some careful planning and strict maintenance.
In my tank : (2) clowns, (1) fairy wrasse, (1) starry blenny, (2) peppermint shrimps, (1) cleaner shrimp, (1) brittle star, (1) sand sifting star, (1) serpent star (baby), and a handful of snails.
Good luck, go slowly and ask lots of questions.
Dustin is right, those fish are WAY too big for the 29g.
Remember, after you put your rock in there, you actually will only have about 20g of water.
I have a 29g tank as well. You will be limited, but you can still have a nice tank.
Decide if you are going for a reef tank or a fish only tank.
If reef, you will need some good lights.
I ran a filter, like you, when I started. After I added fish, the nitrates spiked and caused many problems due to the filter.
I got rid of the filter, added a hang-on-back skimmer from Octopus and threw in (2) K1 pumps for water circulation.
This is my tank pic. You can get yours looking really good with some careful planning and strict maintenance.
In my tank : (2) clowns, (1) fairy wrasse, (1) starry blenny, (2) peppermint shrimps, (1) cleaner shrimp, (1) brittle star, (1) sand sifting star, (1) serpent star (baby), and a handful of snails.
Good luck, go slowly and ask lots of questions.
yote
In Memoriam
Those guys got you covered pretty dang good.
Welcome to the reef.
Welcome to the reef.
reeffreak
Reef pro
I agree with what Dustin and Messiah suggested.
Welcome!
Welcome!
Piggy
Reef enthusiast
They have you covered Welcome to the reef.
yote
In Memoriam
MHO,Purple up is a waste of money.Keep your calcium,magnesium,and alkalinity up,and coralline will grow.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
purple up is hit or miss, some people have great success and some dont see anything. but even if it doesnt work for growing your coraline, itll atleast give you some added calcium
lightcs4
Loving to learn
I would just be patient on the Coraline. It will come and from other's posts, you may wish it wasn't so thick.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Hi and welcome! Good advice so far. A 29 gallon tank is too small for a tang or rabbitfish, but there are plenty of other cool fish that will do well.
I have found that Purple Up works, but others say it doesn't. It's a toss up if you want to try it.
I have found that Purple Up works, but others say it doesn't. It's a toss up if you want to try it.
daugherty
part time reefer
rub the coraline that you have with a soft toothbrush it will rub the spores oof and they will spread around the tank.
cthegame
Reef enthusiast
i hear alot of people saying good things about it but i never used it or really had a reason to. coraline is an algae and you might even eventually get a coraline outbreak in your tank like i did. On the front glass on a daily basis...For some, it can actually be a pain. Give it time and you'll get plenty of it.
yote
In Memoriam
Just keep your parameters in line,and I can just about guarantee that in a years time you'll hate coralline.
