Starting from scratch

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

Good morning everyone! I currently have woken up an hour early just because I can't stop daydreaming about my tank I set up yesterday. Im brand new to this but Im feeling pretty positive! I currently have a 29 gallon saltwater tank with only 3lbs of live rock (i know i need a lot more) and it is being filtered by a Marineland 160. Its going through its cycle now and I know I have weeks before I can put fish in, but that isn't stopping me from thinking about them. My question is... what fish/ how many/ in what order can i put them in? The more colorful the better! I know 100% i want a few clown fish... and inverts... i just need to know when to put them in and which fish will work best together. Also how long do i wait between each one. Any help would be great! Thanks!!

MaiReef · Mar 6, 2017

Welcome to R2R!
Patience is the key to a good aquarist.
You didn't mention coral. There is a bit of difference between the husbandry for a FOWLR(Fish Only With Live Rock) and invertebrates than one with coral.
Either way you definitely want to wait for the cycle.
A pair of clowns is a good way to start with a few invertebrates(snails and/or hermits first), if you want those in there. Remember it is your tank and take your time selecting livestock. Read about them and how they interact.
The amount of total number of inhabitants will vary based upon their adult size and their compatibility with the other tank mates. If you are going to view closely to the tank you can add smaller fish that are very colorful like clown gobies. I have seen a tank of that size with just blennies and gobies look amazing and have quite a few inhabitants(10-15), but if you go with clowns and then other fish of that size you may just want about 4 or 5. Size matters and so does their behavior.
For example, clowns can be territorial, especially if you add a anemone(wait 9 months at least after fish and they will do much bettter).
Here are a few gobies that are colorful

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

Just live rock at the moment! In the future i would like to consider reef and anemones! So when I'm ready to add fish should i just put the clown fish and wait. How long until i can introduce some new friends?

Chrisfish · Mar 6, 2017

Welcome to R2R

Maritimer · Mar 6, 2017

Welcome aboard, Natashamarie!

MaiReef's right - there are lots of fun gobies, and most don't take a lot of space - they've also got some pretty interesting behaviors. Many of them will stay at or close to the bottom or to the rock, but the firefish will hover above it, giving some motion to the mid-water area. A royal gramma or possum wrasse are also possibilities - but it's your job to figure out which fish you'll enjoy looking at for the next 5 - 10 years! Not a bad job, really . . .

How long to introduce will depend on your tank's cycle and bio-filtration capacity, and on the territorial demands of the resident fish. If you get a pair of ocellaris clowns, for instance, and they're fairly young, they'll be willing to accept new residents - but as they get older, they'll be less welcoming.

~Bruce

FL-Reefer-addict352 · Mar 6, 2017

Welcome to r2r Natasha. I would let it go with lights for a couple weeks and then Introduce a clown or pair of clowns for they will help your tank cycle but then it's all up to your tank watch your water parameters closely and once there all in check SLOWLY add a little more livestock but b be sure to give some time between introduction of new tank mates to give your tank time to adjust to the bio load

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

Thanks!

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

FL-Reefer-addict352 said:
Welcome to r2r Natasha. I would let it go with lights for a couple weeks and then Introduce a clown or pair of clowns for they will help your tank cycle but then it's all up to your tank watch your water parameters closely and once there all in check SLOWLY add a little more livestock but b be sure to give some time between introduction of new tank mates to give your tank time to adjust to the bio load

When you say lights do you mean leave my tank lights on for a couple weeks? Sorry im a complete newbie right now.

FL-Reefer-addict352 · Mar 6, 2017

Lol no leave your lights on your chosen light cycle and let your tank run normal or how your going to have it running for a couple weeks

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

FL-Reefer-addict352 said:
Lol no leave your lights on your chosen light cycle and let your tank run normal or how your going to have it running for a couple weeks

Someone told me a month... then I read 2-3 weeks. Which have you found success with?

MaiReef · Mar 6, 2017

You do not need lights to cycle your tank, but that is up to you. 6-8 hours of light a day is a good start depending upon what lights you have. Once cycled a pair of clowns will be fine with a few inverts. I personally would wait two water changes and let your tank gets established more and have at least a month in between fish.

Base adding fish based upon your parameters. Don't add if you have ammonia or nitrites.

40B Knasty · Mar 6, 2017

Welcome to R2R! Here are some food for thought fish that I had in a 20g for a year and now in a 40B. Grammica Lined Dartfish, Swissguard Basslet, Spotted Mandarin, Randall's Prawn Goby, Yellow&Purple Wrasse and Last Bar Gray Clown.

40B Knasty · Mar 6, 2017

MaiReef said:
Welcome to R2R!
Patience is the key to a good aquarist.
You didn't mention coral. There is a bit of difference between the husbandry for a FOWLR(Fish Only With Live Rock) and invertebrates than one with coral.
Either way you definitely want to wait for the cycle.
A pair of clowns is a good way to start with a few invertebrates(snails and/or hermits first), if you want those in there. Remember it is your tank and take your time selecting livestock. Read about them and how they interact.
The amount of total number of inhabitants will vary based upon their adult size and their compatibility with the other tank mates. If you are going to view closely to the tank you can add smaller fish that are very colorful like clown gobies. I have seen a tank of that size with just blennies and gobies look amazing and have quite a few inhabitants(10-15), but if you go with clowns and then other fish of that size you may just want about 4 or 5. Size matters and so does their behavior.
For example, clowns can be territorial, especially if you add a anemone(wait 9 months at least after fish and they will do much bettter).
Here are a few gobies that are colorful

What is that red and gold striped goby you have! That one is amazing looking

FL-Reefer-addict352 · Mar 6, 2017

I wait a couple weeks and then add my clowns and then I'll wait 2-4wk after adding them to add any other fish let your tank finish it's cycle in the 2-4wks the fish "poop" will help with the cycle you can always keep posting your water parameters on here there is a huge helping presence on R2R and I'll follow to add my .02

40B Knasty · Mar 6, 2017

How are you cycling your tank? I always bought a table shrimp from the grocery store for like .40¢ and put it in the sand bed and let it rot. Just know. When you start to add more live rock. You now have to cycle those rocks too.

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

40B Knasty said:
How are you cycling your tank? I always bought a table shrimp from the grocery store for like .40¢ and put it in the sand bed and let it rot. Just know. When you start to add more live rock. You now have to cycle those rocks too.

Ahhhh so confusing! Okay so if I add more live rock today thats alright because its only been a day since I started... i never should have put water in the tank with just 3lbs of live rock.. first mistake. The fish will have nowhere to go! What is considered a cycle? Is it based on time or water quality??

MaiReef · Mar 6, 2017

Water Quality. Your cycle is complete when you add ammonia(through straight ammonia or food or another source) and it is gone within 24 hours and you have nitrates instead. Ultimately you are looking for ammonia to spike, then nitrites, then nitrates.
A raw shrimp would do it.

Natashamarie · Mar 6, 2017

MaiReef said:
Water Quality. Your cycle is complete when you add ammonia(through straight ammonia or food or another source) and it is gone within 24 hours and you have nitrates instead. Ultimately you are looking for ammonia to spike, then nitrites, then nitrates.
A raw shrimp would do it.

Can I add the shrimp at any time? How long does it stay in there? Until it decays?