Another stocking post!!! "Unique" ideas for 29 gallon bare bottom reef???

[MoshJosh]

Set up my 29 gallon tank and rehomed all the previous fish. Only inhabitants are astrea snails, turbo snails, blue leg hermits, and a coral banded shrimp. Pic:

I wanted species only multiples (nano school), however, having trouble choosing fish. . . black bar chromis? Yellow stripe cardinals? Others???? I entertained the idea of group of damsels. . . though after research it sounds like a not great idea. . .

Then I though maybe one centerpiece fish INSTEAD. Dwarf lion?

Just looking to do something a bit more "unique", no clown suggestions please. . .

 

[o2manyfish]

If you want to do a group, in that size tank, I think you would be better off with fish that are not open water fish - ie cardinals or damsels.

First choice would be assesors, but while they are great for giving a reef tank a great feeling of authenticity for being a reef, they are very exciting fish.

A group of Royal Grammas would give you some bright attractive colors. For the most part they will stake out areas of the tank as theirs, but then come together to interact and occassionally flares gills at each other.

Possibly the most active, which could be really nice in that size tank would be a group of captive raised pseudochromis. Arabian, Springeri, Sankeyi, Frimandi - All of these captive bred do really well as community fish. A group of these of either all the same or mixed would provide a whole bunch of activity in an amoungst your rocks. These are not open water fish so they are going to stay really close to and within the rocks.

Dave B