Ladies & Gentlemen,
I am just about ready to add another fish to my tank and have some uncertainty about my fish plan. So, I was hoping someone here might have some good input for me. Let me describe what I am working with.
First, the tank...
It is a 29G tank with a 10G sump/refugium below. Total water volume is somewhere around 35 Gallons, I believe.
Next, currently stocked stuff...
In the main tank, I have one fish - a lawnmower blenny. More significant mobile inverts include a cleaner shrimp, two peppermint shrimp, an emerald crab, a fighting conch, and then a small pile of various hermit crabs and snails. I also have a brown/tan serpent star and a black brittle star in there. In the sump I have about 4 nassarius snails and a chunk of chaetomorpha.
Oh, and I should mention that the tank contains a small pile of softy corals. They seem to be doing quite well.
Current plan ideas...
My wife and had been leaning pretty strongly toward getting a couple of clownfish. I was thinking about Cinnimon Clownfish as they seem to be small enough to be passible for my tank size and are a little different then the average Percula or Ocellaris that most people choose. (No offense, clownfish owners...)
However, I have been thinking that before I added the clowns, I would like to add a small docile fish of some sorts. My thoughts had strayed quite a bit toward gobies, especially the sorts that will sift sand. However, I am not sure I found a good small sand sifting goby. Maybe I am remembering wrong.
And, just for a recap, the fish would be as follows in that plan:
And that fish #2 above became a Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse. Then I read how they are great in groups (1 male, 1+ female) as the male will then flash more regularly for the female(s), showing off it's brilliant colors. So maybe fish #2 became 2a and 2b?
Now, I have a choice to make. You guys can (please!!!) give me some input on the wisdom of these choices.
First Option: 2-3 Wrasse Only
Abandon the idea of clownfish and just go for 2-3 of the above wrasse. The idea would be to get a male and 1 or 2 female, as the male will then show off it's colors more, etc.
Fish Count: 3
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
Second Option: 1 Wrasse & 2 Clownfish
Go for the a single wrasse now, and then add the cinnamon clownfish later.
Fish Count: 4
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 1 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
... 2 Cinnamon Clownfish
Third Option: 2 Wrasse & 2 Clownfish
Go for the pair of wrasse now, and then add the cinnamon clownfish later.
Fish Count: 5
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
... 2 Cinnamon Clownfish
Fourth Option: 2 Wrasse & 1 Clownfish
Go for the pair of wrasse now, and then add a single cinnamon clownfish later.
Fish Count: 4
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
... 1 Cinnamon Clownfish
My personal favorite is the Third Option with both the wrasse and the clownfish. However, my concern is whether that would overload my tank, either concerning bioload or overcrowding.
And now specific questions...
First of all, any and all suggestions are welcome.
Secondly, here are some specific questions that I had in mind:
I am just about ready to add another fish to my tank and have some uncertainty about my fish plan. So, I was hoping someone here might have some good input for me. Let me describe what I am working with.
First, the tank...
It is a 29G tank with a 10G sump/refugium below. Total water volume is somewhere around 35 Gallons, I believe.
Next, currently stocked stuff...
In the main tank, I have one fish - a lawnmower blenny. More significant mobile inverts include a cleaner shrimp, two peppermint shrimp, an emerald crab, a fighting conch, and then a small pile of various hermit crabs and snails. I also have a brown/tan serpent star and a black brittle star in there. In the sump I have about 4 nassarius snails and a chunk of chaetomorpha.
Oh, and I should mention that the tank contains a small pile of softy corals. They seem to be doing quite well.
Current plan ideas...
My wife and had been leaning pretty strongly toward getting a couple of clownfish. I was thinking about Cinnimon Clownfish as they seem to be small enough to be passible for my tank size and are a little different then the average Percula or Ocellaris that most people choose. (No offense, clownfish owners...)
However, I have been thinking that before I added the clowns, I would like to add a small docile fish of some sorts. My thoughts had strayed quite a bit toward gobies, especially the sorts that will sift sand. However, I am not sure I found a good small sand sifting goby. Maybe I am remembering wrong.
And, just for a recap, the fish would be as follows in that plan:
- Lawnmower Blenny (in tank already)
- UNKNOWN FISH, POSSIBLY SAND-SIFTING GOBY
- Clownfish #1
- Clownfish #2 (same breed as clownfish #1, added simultaneously)
And that fish #2 above became a Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse. Then I read how they are great in groups (1 male, 1+ female) as the male will then flash more regularly for the female(s), showing off it's brilliant colors. So maybe fish #2 became 2a and 2b?
Now, I have a choice to make. You guys can (please!!!) give me some input on the wisdom of these choices.
First Option: 2-3 Wrasse Only
Abandon the idea of clownfish and just go for 2-3 of the above wrasse. The idea would be to get a male and 1 or 2 female, as the male will then show off it's colors more, etc.
Fish Count: 3
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
Second Option: 1 Wrasse & 2 Clownfish
Go for the a single wrasse now, and then add the cinnamon clownfish later.
Fish Count: 4
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 1 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
... 2 Cinnamon Clownfish
Third Option: 2 Wrasse & 2 Clownfish
Go for the pair of wrasse now, and then add the cinnamon clownfish later.
Fish Count: 5
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
... 2 Cinnamon Clownfish
Fourth Option: 2 Wrasse & 1 Clownfish
Go for the pair of wrasse now, and then add a single cinnamon clownfish later.
Fish Count: 4
... 1 Lawnmower Blenny
... 2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
... 1 Cinnamon Clownfish
My personal favorite is the Third Option with both the wrasse and the clownfish. However, my concern is whether that would overload my tank, either concerning bioload or overcrowding.
And now specific questions...
First of all, any and all suggestions are welcome.
Secondly, here are some specific questions that I had in mind:
- How am I doing on tank load? I feel this might be pushing it a bit, but perhaps still within ok ranges of fish count and compatability.
- Next, the clowns. Anyone have an opinion on the type of clowns that I add to my tank? Percula and Ocellaris are good options as well. Would either of them be a better choice for my tank and allow me to go with Option Three above?
