Fish Suggestions

[LBFish]

As some of you already know I just started my first saltwater tank recently. Ultimately I want to be able to focus on corals. I haven't decided what corals yet, but I have the lighting for just about anything I will want to put in there. So far, I like the zoos, feather dusters and mushrooms.

I'm looking for suggestions about what fish I may want to look at for my tank that are reef safe and relatively easy for a beginner. It's only a 28g tank so I am assuming I will only have 3/4 fish.

Also, any suggestions for cleaning crew would be helpful too. I am hoping to get a cleaning crew this weekend and maybe a fish too.

Thanks!

 

[sen5241b]

Although some corals will tolerate low nitrates, many do not. Even very low phosphates can kill corals. Unless you can consistently keep theses chems low I would not invest a whole lot of money in corals. On the other hand there are some corals that tolerate low 'trates and that don't need advanced lighting.

 

[Kwater]

I would recoment anything in the lps or soft coral section. I would not recomend sps corals. As far as cleaning crew goes never buy a cleaner wrassie, but i would hightly recomend 2 hermet crabs. Most hermet crabs are only good in a system of 1 crab per 10 gallons, i belive it is the same with snails too. Cleaner shriimp are good too. If they are tank raised thats how i got mine. Because in the wild they eat mostly what they get off the fish. They eat other stuff but in a nano aquarium there is not a whole lot to eat what they eat iN nature. But i would still recomend one. Also clownfish are good nano aquarium fish.

 

[tankedchemist]

In my 29g, I have a clownfish (must have), a tailspot blenny (algae eater and very amusing), a watchman goby with his buddy the pistol (also awesome) and a flame angel (a total b*tch! Don't do one). I also have 1 fire shrimp which is the awesomest invert ever. My cuc is 1 now giant emerald crab (little ones are way less likely to knock stuff over), 1 scarlet hermit and 1 blue eyed hermit, 2 ea of nassarius snails, turbos, and astrea, and 1 neat pompom crab.

My cuc does a good job, but at first you probably won't need quite that much. I think all my fish are perfect for this tank except the angel... Avoid them.

 

[yote]

For your fish,a couple of firefish would look good.Any of the smaller fairy or carpenter wrasses,and as Tanked mentioned,a couple of clowns.
For the CUC just start with a mix of 4 or 5 snails.I dont like the turbos because their like a D-9 dozer in a strip pit,they knock every thing over.But asterias,trochus,cerith,and nasserius snails are all good.Just dont go adding 25 or 30 at once.You want to add them slowly.Just enough to keep algae cropped back.Any more than that and your just wasting your money because they start starving to death.

 

[Bifferwine]

You can safely keep 3 or 4 fish in a tank that size, so you have a few choices. All of what other people have mentioned, and I'll add cardinal fish too. Pajama and banggai are two of the most popular. They are very peaceful and reef safe.

 

[LBFish]

Are angel fish just a bad idea in general for a 28g tank? I really like the coloring on the Flame Angel and the Coral Beauty Angel. But, I also don't want aggressive fish that will pick on the other fish and eat at my corals...

 

[dcantucson]

Angels as a whole will pick at corals. :(

 

[yote]

When it comes to the dwarf angels like the coral beauty and flame,you have a 50/50 chance of them nipping your corals.They usually arent to aggressive toward other fish.

 

[Melosu58]

I had a bad experience with my 2 dwarf angels in my reef. I would not chance it because if they do start munching on corals you`ll have to tear the tank apart to get them out.

 

[Sharkie]

I'd say totally go with any of the fish mentioned above. with the angels its a 50/50 that they may pick at corals, mine have never seemed to bother them much thankfully (i had a coral beauty). Damsels are even a good choice if you want something small that isn't going to eat your corals. warning that some may be agressive towards other fish. Firefish are fun and so are clowns, heck you COULD get a small eel if you wanted... mine did GREAT in my reef (lol most people wouldn't do this but i think its pretty spiffy) before i moved him to his 50.

for a CUC get either a few skunk cleaner shirmp or a fire one. stay away from coral banded shrimp, they tend to knock things over and i hear are more aggressive than the other types. I have a skunk and a peppermint in my tank currently and they do a great job. Don't get cowrie snails, they are cool but some eat corals (i had one much on some of my zoos). go with nassarius snails, they do a great job of cleaning the sand bed :) and anything else people mentioned above! nano tanks are fun (i have 3 currently), just be sure to stay on top of your water changes and testing with it because of the water quailty needing to be 100% perfect in a smaller setup

 

[tankedchemist]

Yes, dearf angels are a bad idea in a tank that small, unless you have only that fish. They are territorial and if they can't stake out enough space, they'll constantly harass the other fish. Mine routinely chases my clownfish and tailspot blenny into the overflow compartment. Just my experience with the things-- I wouldn't do it

 

[daugherty]

fire fish. a lawnmower blenny

 

[LBFish]

Thanks for all the suggestions, i've started out with a black and white misbar clown and an azure damsel. I also got a couple of snails. Next on the list in a couple weeks I think is going to be a twinspot goby and a couple hermit crabs :)

 

[winyfrog]

be sure the twinspot is eating before you purchase it, they are sometimes tuff to get to eat and will starve to death.

Sounds like you have a good start.