Beginner group of fish & coral?

[Jade.a.deacon]

Just wondering what is the best group of fish and coral to buy for my beginners tank of 94L?
I would like some clown fish and anneame along with other colourful fish and coral, what group types are they split into?
Many thanks. Jade.

 

[glb]

Clownfish are the best! They're hardy and really fun to watch. I'd wait on the anemone for now. If I'm converting right, your 84L is about 20g. Anemones can be hard to keep and they also move around. I was advised against getting one in my nano. The clownfish don't need them in tanks. In the wild they're used for protection but in a tank the fish will be happy without one. I'm certainly not an expert on this so hopefully others will chime in. As far as corals, zoas are pretty easy. I'd start with inexpensive ones! I also started with Florida ricordea (a mushroom), green star polyps and after a few months an acan lord. Watch the green star polyps because they grow fast and can take over the tank if you don't trim them. I'd wait at least a few months before adding coral to let the tank stabilize. I waited three years before I started with coral and kept only fish for that time. I did a lot of research during that time to prepare. Plus I was in school so I didn't have time to start with corals.

 

[DSP]

Clownfish are the best! They're hardy and really fun to watch. I'd wait on the anemone for now. If I'm converting right, your 84L is about 20g. Anemones can be hard to keep and they also move around. I was advised against getting one in my nano. The clownfish don't need them in tanks. In the wild they're used for protection but in a tank the fish will be happy without one. I'm certainly not an expert on this so hopefully others will chime in. As far as corals, zoas are pretty easy. I'd start with inexpensive ones! I also started with Florida ricordea (a mushroom), green star polyps and after a few months an acan lord. Watch the green star polyps because they grow fast and can take over the tank if you don't trim them. I'd wait at least a few months before adding coral to let the tank stabilize. I waited three years before I started with coral and kept only fish for that time. I did a lot of research during that time to prepare. Plus I was in school so I didn't have time to start with corals.

+1 great advice

 

[Jade.a.deacon]

Thank you, I just thought if I don't add coral for a while it will look really plain in the tank with just brown/ grey live rocks in it? I will defiantly get clown fish I think they are gorgeous! And I thought that clown fish HAD to have the anneame so it's good to find out they don't! Trying to find out so much from this site before I add any fish as researching is quite hard, none of the sites give you the whole information you need! This is all helping alot thanks! Ahh see I've just come out of college into full time work now so want to focus on having a hobby on my days off, only 18 so money is a bit tricky, not dashing out on the most expensive things haha. Jade.

 

[Eienna]

Check out the chalk basslet, as well. A rather underrated little fish, partially because photos don't show that their "chalk" stripes seem to glow under reef lighting. Peaceful, hardy guys. Just don't get more than one - they could very well start bickering with conspecifics in that size tank. They're also not terribly expensive. I got mine for $20.

Avoid xenia and clove polyps. They're easy - a bit too easy. They have a tendency to take over and you can't 'trim' xenia. Even if you remove it from the rock it can grow back from bits left behind. Clove polyps can be isolated on a rock on the sandbed away from the rest of your rockwork, but you don't have the space to pull that off.

Some people don't like mushrooms because they can get out of hand, but I hear you can kill the extra polyps (assuming you don't sell or give them away) by injecting them with kalkwasser paste.

Oh, and please avoid damselfish and dottybacks. Generally meeeean little butts when they get to be adults, and extremely difficult to remove from your tank once you have them. Chromis and Clownfish, though they're from the same general family as damsels, can be nicer. Ocellaris (aka False Percula) clowns seem to be the most peacefup, followed by the perculas. Nations and tomatoes may be the worst from what I've seen. Just a heads-up.

 

[Jade.a.deacon]

Thank you! Ill defiantly have a look into that! And oh really any more fish/ coral you reccomend ? Any that are very entertaining to watch / beautiful colours? X

 

[glb]

Actually, the rocks will gradually get covered with coralline, which is a pink algae that is beautiful. It's a sign that you have plenty of calcium in your tank, and it will grow on its own. If you take things slow, you'll learn as you go and not spend too much money.

 

[Jade.a.deacon]

Thank you, that does sound very lovely, and free which is a bonus! Haha. I will take my time for sure, don't want to loose a load of fish from rushing it all!

 

[Eienna]

Thank you, that does sound very lovely, and free which is a bonus! Haha. I will take my time for sure, don't want to loose a load of fish from rushing it all!

Right. As a friend of mine put it, nothing good ever happens fast in saltwater. Go slow.

Let me think....dude, could you translate the liters into US gallons? I'm horrible at envisioning liters. XP

Coralline algae can be pink, red...I think sometimes it even comes in purple.

 

[Marshall O]

94L is roughly 25 gallons. For tanks that size, some other options would be Firefish (I love my Helfrichi!), Possum Wrasse, smaller Blennies in the Ecsenius family (such as the Tail spot), Assessor (I have a tank bred Yellow and love it!), a Watchman Goby paired with a Pistol Shrimp, smaller Cardinalfish, etc. But you are looking at 3, maybe 4 max if they are all smaller for a tank that size.

 

[Eienna]

Agreed. 4, MAAAYBE 5 (though this would be pushing it) depending on the amount of rockwork. Give it at least three or four weeks between additions so the system has time to catch up, and DO NOT add fish if you have an ammonia or nitrite reading. Speaking of reading, if you're using test strips, pitch them and get a liquid kit. Even if you can only afford API (the master kits can be obtained at a reasonable price on Amazon.com), it is much more reliable than the strips. I have known people who had their test strips reading low or zero when the values were actually so high it was killing their fish. Go for the liquid kits.

 

[Jade.a.deacon]

Okay thanks! Does that include crabs and coral in the maximum of 5 or just fish? I think I will look into test kits on eBay and get some before my tank comes Monday, all exciting stuff! X

 

[Eienna]

Okay thanks! Does that include crabs and coral in the maximum of 5 or just fish? I think I will look into test kits on eBay and get some before my tank comes Monday, all exciting stuff! X

Just to clarify, that's five SMALL fish, and always research before you buy. Flasher wrasses, for example, are small but entirely unsuitable for a tank of that size simply because they're extremely active fish. Some fish, despite being labeled as 'peaceful,' do not get along with their own species or may have specific other species they will tend to fight with.

Invertebrates and corals are in a slightly different category. A good cleanup crew consisting of shrimp, snails, bristleworms, copepods and the smaller types of amphipods, and other small creatures is great for your tank. They reduce the waste to a size and composition that the bacteria can finish reducing, and keep things like algae under control. Depending on the invertebrates you choose, you may or may not be able to have a lot of them.

Other than perhaps dwarf hermits, I would avoid crabs. They are usually safe scavengers but they are opportunistic, and given the right conditions they might fight with and/or eat other inverts, small fish, or maybe even your prize zoanthid garden you just bought for s couple hundred bucks. Why chance it when you can have shrimp that do essentially the same job?

 

[Jade.a.deacon]

I'm plannin on gettin clown fish for sure, just wondering what other fish, what about gobies? They look pretty cool and I've heard they protect the clean up crew ? Thank god because I really do want to get a few different coral, after a while I would like anneame is that reccomend in my tank ? Maybe a few mushrooms like suggested before and some zoas?

 

[Eienna]

I'm plannin on gettin clown fish for sure, just wondering what other fish, what about gobies? They look pretty cool and I've heard they protect the clean up crew ? Thank god because I really do want to get a few different coral, after a while I would like anneame is that reccomend in my tank ? Maybe a few mushrooms like suggested before and some zoas?

Gobies are cool but many do have a tendency to dig, which can upset rockwork and cover your corals with sand. I think that part about them "protecting the cleanup crew" refers to the fact that some will pair up with a certain kind of shrimp, sharing the hole.

Corals can be aggressive, sending out tentacles to sting and sometimes even digest other corals. Again, research is key. You will have to learn just how closely you can pack in different types of corals.

Soft corals are the easiest to keep in general. They do grow quickly so keep that in mind. LPS (large polyp stony) corals are usually second. Acanthastrea is supposed to be one of the hardier LPS members and often very cool in terms of colors. I would suggest looking around and noting the corals you like the look of, then researching thoroughly to decide if they are right for you and your tank.

An anemone (nem for short) could be done, but not right away and preferably not in a tank that size. To be honest, I personally would not go with a tank that small. I have my first reef attempt in a 20g, and given the choice I would not do it again. It's too hard to keep the parameters stable in that water volume. This is a problem when keeping an anemone, as they are quite sensitive to such things. If it were me, I would wait until I could upgrade my tank size.

Edit: That reminds me...a lot of stores will suggest a sixline wrasse for a tank that size. Don't fall for it. Some are peaceful but more often they turn nasty enough to kill your other fish, even fish bigger than they are.

 

[Marshall O]

Edit: That reminds me...a lot of stores will suggest a sixline wrasse for a tank that size. Don't fall for it. Some are peaceful but more often they turn nasty enough to kill your other fish, even fish bigger than they are.

Very good point! I already recommended them, but the only wrasses suitable for that tank that aren't overly aggressive are the Possum Wrasses.

 

[glb]

Gobies are cool but many do have a tendency to dig, which can upset rockwork and cover your corals with sand. I think that part about them "protecting the cleanup crew" refers to the fact that some will pair up with a certain kind of shrimp, sharing the hole.

Corals can be aggressive, sending out tentacles to sting and sometimes even digest other corals. Again, research is key. You will have to learn just how closely you can pack in different types of corals.

Soft corals are the easiest to keep in general. They do grow quickly so keep that in mind. LPS (large polyp stony) corals are usually second. Acanthastrea is supposed to be one of the hardier LPS members and often very cool in terms of colors. I would suggest looking around and noting the corals you like the look of, then researching thoroughly to decide if they are right for you and your tank.

An anemone (nem for short) could be done, but not right away and preferably not in a tank that size. To be honest, I personally would not go with a tank that small. I have my first reef attempt in a 20g, and given the choice I would not do it again. It's too hard to keep the parameters stable in that water volume. This is a problem when keeping an anemone, as they are quite sensitive to such things. If it were me, I would wait until I could upgrade my tank size.

Edit: That reminds me...a lot of stores will suggest a sixline wrasse for a tank that size. Don't fall for it. Some are peaceful but more often they turn nasty enough to kill your other fish, even fish bigger than they are.

This is excellent advice! I have zoas, ricordea mushrooms and an acan lord (Acanthastrea) in my nano. The acan is probably my favorite. I've lost a few zoa colonies and I can't figure out why, because the other ones are fine. When you add coral, I'd start with zoas. The inexpensive ones are very affordable an still very pretty.

 

[mcarroll]

I would consider a different approach.

Figure out what you really like first. To me, this has to come first. I mean if you don't like it, why even talk about it?

Then figure out which of those fit in your tank.

Finally decide which of those you are willing to take care of based on their requirements. Simple!

You will be much happier with what you end up with, and it's doubtful there'd be a bunch of "beginner" species on your list.

I'm talking about fish and coral both, btw.

-Matt

 

[eliramos]

is the tank running yet?

 

[Eienna]

Most of my eventual stock list is not beginner fish, even though I'm just starting (reefs, that is - I'm coming from FW.) I fell in love with anthias at a nearby public aquarium and am designing my future 125g setup around them. The difference between being able to keep beginner fish versus more difficult ones lies in a few things.

1. How stable can you keep the parameters?

2. How intuitive are you at reading fish behavior (recognizing the early stages of bullying, for example.)

3. How much effort and possibly cost are you willing to put into keeping this animal? Can you spend extra time and ingenuity getting it eating? Are you willing and able to culture or buy live food for the species who need it?

I'm sure there's more but I can't seem to come up with it right now XD