What can I put in a 28g?

[Teej]

Hi!

Just got a new 28g FOWLR tank going and am trying to figure out what I want to put into it. I have a couple weeks at least left before it is ready for any fish as I am letting it cycle at the moment.

Specs:
Fluval 205 filter (with carbon)
BakPak 2R+ skimmer
18lbs of cured live rock which I will up to 33lbs when the cycle is complete

I have never done a FOWLR so I have a couple of questions about what I can responsibly stock (my last experience was with a reef tank that I stocked very few fish in).

1) I would like to make this a predator tank with only a few fish in it. I was wondering the feasibility of...
-Clown or Picasso trigger: I would get a small one knowing that it would probably outgrow the current set-up in time. If I went this route I would probably not try to pair it with any other fish.
-Lionfish: What exact species would work best and is this feasible?
-Puffer: Would a puffer be ok and would it be compatible with the lion?
-Tangs: Would a hippo tang (or any other tang) work with any of these fish and be ok for this size tank?
-Any other cool fish I should consider?

2) What inverts can I have in the tank? I know this is dependent on what fish I get, but I am curious what others have in a tank like this. The normal clean-up crew would seem to be an easy snack for the fish listed above...

Sorry for the novel... I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say. Feel free to mention anything else that you would change about the set-up.

TJ

 

[daugherty]

no way to the triggers or the tangs at all the tank is to small even for small ones.
you could do some research on a dawrf lion. and i think a puffer will also not be happy in a tank that small.

 

[stagofdoom]

Its looking like most of the fish you want wont fit in a 28 gal. Tangs and triggers need atleast a 55-75 tank. A dwarf lion possibly could fit in a 28

 

[Teej]

Ah I figured I that might be the case. Thanks for the quick responses. So it looks like I should go with a dwarf lion fish. Are there any serious concerns with their venom? I know I will get it at least once...

Any other fish I should consider?

TJ

 

[stagofdoom]

Well with a lionfish everything that can fit in its mouth could possibly be food so if you do get a lion your fish selection is very limited due to size of the tank and the lion eating it.

 

[cthegame]

+1 all of the above. If you get the lion fish, it will probably be the only fish in that tank since it will eat most of the fish you can put in a 28g tank. Id avoid tangs & triggers and even the lionfish.

 

[Teej]

If not a lion, what kind of fish do you think would be a good fit? I have awhile to figure it out so I am open to any suggestions :)

TJ

 

[stagofdoom]

You could put a few smaller fish in the tank.

www.liveaquaria.com

Look around on there on some smaller size fish and you will be limited to how many you can put in the tank as well. I had 2 clowns, a Royal Gramma and a goby in my 24 and I wasnt going to put any more in.

 

[littleyea1]

you can get a dogfaced puffer and black belly trigger which is a lot cheaper then picasso but looks the same and I got them small and had them for a long time in a 29 gallon aquarium I also had a snowlfake eel which i still have they all do well , they don't do well though with clownfish if they are small , the eel will definitly eat them it also has to do with what the fish are common to like if they are all put in the tank at the same time , then ever other fish you add later looks like food to them. i think you would be fine , if you can keep a reef tank you can def. keep a fish only tank

 

[yote]

A 28gal is really to small for a predator tank.Nearly all the predators grow to big.
I'd look at maybe some clownfish,chromis,maybe some shrimp,starfish.Stuff like that.

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree that any type of tang or trigger is out of the question. Like others have said, a dwarf lion would probably be alright for a while, but it'd have to be a lonely fish, as it will eat anything else that would fit in that tank. Not only is a 28 gallon too small for a predator tank, it's even hovering on the edge of being considered a "nano" tank (nanos typically include tanks up to 24 gallons in size).

 

[PufferGuy]

for a 28gal you could get away with a dwarf angelfish which are pretty cool, you could pair that up with a lion i would think since they are large enough to not get eaten. Also, a ribbon eel might be alright since they arent very space demanding.