[tussinhead]

Hello all,

I'm new to Reefland and the saltwater aquarium hobby in general. I really like the site, and have enjoyed browsing through the posts. Haven't found one that addresses my exact issue, though, so here goes:

I started by mixing up my water and adding the LR and some of that "beneficial bacteria" from the refrigerator at the LFS. About two weeks later, I did a 30% water change, shook off (in a separate tank, of course) the dead stuff that had accumulated on the LR, and added the substrate.

Another week has now passed, and my ammonia levels are close to zero, my nitrite is at zero, and my nitrates are at around 5 ppm. These numbers don't really make much sense to me, based on what I've read thus far about the nitrogen cycle, but I digress.

I was planning on doing a FOWLR aquarium, but the LR has all kinds of stuff living on it, in addition to the coralline algae I was expecting. What I've been able to identify so far are tube corals, cup corals, feather dusters, two kinds of anemones, and a couple orange-colored sponges. There is also at least one bristle worm in there, and some small buglike creatures running around on the LR.

So, my question is, when I pick fish to put in this tank, should I be picking only "reef-friendly" fish? Will fish that are not considered "reef-friendly" eat my corals and anemones? I wasn't planning on having to worry about this, but now that all these things are living in the tank already and since they do look cool, I think it would be a shame to put fish in there that are going to eat them!

My original plan was to put a couple groupers and snappers in this aquarium. Is this still a viable plan, or will they eat my cool volunteer corals and anemones, etc.?

Sorry for the long post, and thanks in advance to any who reply!

[salttanker]

First off, welcome to Reefland!



I see by your posting that you have a 29G FOWLR. In this case, you will be a little limited as to what you want to put in your tank. liveaquaria.com has some good benchmarks as to what size fish/tanks are required.
Live rock is a fascinating thing, isn't it? I love to see all the life on there. There are some fish that will eat the little critters, and some that won't. In this hobby, it is all about research. Before you begin adding fish, I would purchase a book called "THE CONSCIENTIOUS MARINE AQUARIST", by Bob Fenner. This is an awesome book, and most people on this board will recommend it as well. This is the first thing I did before purchasing fish. This way, you can get a good idea on which fish would be compatible with your setup. HTH

Mike

[tussinhead]

Thanks, Mike!

I'll take a look at that site and will also see if I can find the book you recommended.

Anyone else?

[jinhvn]

The book you're looking for is eaily found in Reeflands book gallery. I also am new to this hobby and have been researching before I set up my tank. I purchased The conscientious Marine Aquarist and they'll give a discount on The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta if you buy at the same time. Haven't had a chance to read the 2nd yet but the 1st is quite educational!Good luck!

Or I should say they had a discount when I bought mine. Not sure now.

Originally Posted by tussinhead

Thanks, Mike!

I'll take a look at that site and will also see if I can find the book you recommended.

Anyone else?

[Poseidon]

Welcome to REEFLAND!!!

First off, Mike is absolutely right, a 29 gallon tank is really going to limit what you can keep. I would suggest a Dwarf Angel, like a Coral Beauty, to start. Also you can keep a couple of clowns, like A. Ocellaris. Just make sure to get them at the same time, and make sure one is substantially smaller then the other. Another fish you good keep would be "fire Gobies" just make sure you have a lid of some sort cause they are jumpers. I am afraid your tank is WAY to small for groupers or snappers, they would be terribly cramped in there. Good luck with your tank and remember your LFS is not your only source of info, we here have nothing to gain by helping you, and we aren't trying to make a profit from you either!

[saltjunkie]

there is absolutly no way you can keep a couple of groupers and a snapper in that tank.....

the above post with the mentioned type of fish should be considered..

do some research, and you will be very pleased with the tank you will develop...

[RUSSELL]

I would go with at least a 55 gal tank this way you will have more room and more choices ,besides a 55 gal tank is cheap ,cost about 75.00 here new

Originally Posted by saltjunkie

there is absolutly no way you can keep a couple of groupers and a snapper in that tank.....

the above post with the mentioned type of fish should be considered..

do some research, and you will be very pleased with the tank you will develop...

[tussinhead]

Hi again, and thanks for all the responses!

After reading the posts, I have reconsidered the grouper/snapper idea, and I obtained a Hi-Hat (Equetus acuminatus)and a French Angel (Pomacanthus paru). Although neither of these was listed as a "reef-compatible" species, I decided that I would take a chance and if they killed my anemones and corals, oh well. They both seem very happy so far, though, and neither of them has messed with the inverts at all! I followed the recommendation in another post I found in the forums here, and am keeping them both well-fed (frozen brine shrimp and BIO-Blend Marine Staple Diet) so they don't feel the need to peck at my LR so much!

RUSSELL, I got this tank free with a stand, so I'm not going to upgrade to a bigger tank just yet. I do hope to eventually, though, and when I do, I'm getting one of those Panther Groupers, darn it!

Thanks again, all, and please let me know if I've done something wrong or if you think I'll regret my choices. I have lots of friends to give these fish away to if I need to!

[Penguin]

Wow, no offense but a French angel is an incredibly poor choice for a 29g tank. These fish get about as big around as a bicycle tire.

[tussinhead]

Penguin,

Isn't the size of my tank going to limit the angel's growth? He's about an inch long right now. I have a friend with a 350 gallon tank, so I can always give him away once he gets too big, right? How will I know when it's time to give him away?

Thanks.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by tussinhead

Isn't the size of my tank going to limit the angel's growth?

Not really.

There's a lot of good information here:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fi...s/parufaqs.htm

[tussinhead]

Thanks for the link. Hmm, that is not very encouraging, is it? I guess I will have to make plans to find the angel a better home sooner rather than later.

[tussinhead]

reposted as new thread