29 Gallon Build

[showjyr]

Tank is done...aside from paint that I'll do when I paint the stand. I went a little picture crazy but it shows everything I did.

I used plumbers putty to make the little dams and duct taped the inside to catch the glass.

The weir has a cover to keep out the odd snail or crab.

I used cheap diamond hole saws from ebay and the worked great.

 

[chrissaysyes]

doing an awesome job man, never seen anyone make a cover for their weir before.

 

[showjyr]

Thanks, as for the cover it just pops off. Glued 2 tiny pieces of acrylic to the bottom to prevent movement.

 

[chrissaysyes]

righto, did the same thing for my pico tank but decided to remove it to promote gas exchange.

 

[showjyr]

Thought I would be safe. I don't want any misguided snails plugging my drain and flooding the room.

On another note. Didn't you have some shrooms that you would be willing to part with?

 

[chrissaysyes]

I do but then theyre not really worth what you would have to pay for me to ship them, not to mention, this time of the year I'd be really nervous shipping corals especially since I've never done it before.

 

[showjyr]

Yup your probably right.

 

[SkiFletch]

Thought I would be safe. I don't want any misguided snails plugging my drain and flooding the room.

Heh, forget snails, fish that jump in there are a PITA! Great idea on the cover

 

[showjyr]

It should be pretty much anything proof. This is my first tank with a sump so I want to take all the precautions I can.

Now fish....Ive been thinking. I know I want a Six Line, Purple Fire Fish, a Pair of Clowns, and I already have a Lawnmower Blenny. I'm stuck on what to get for clowns.....any suggestions/reason for choice? I would also like suggestions on other reef friendly fish I could keep.

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, you have your Percula/Ocellaris clownfish which are pretty common, but don't necessarily host things very easily. They also don't get exceptionally large, making them ideal for a smaller tank.

Then maybe Tomato clowns, also not very hard to find, and more-likely to exhibit hosting behavior. They too don't get too large.

Clarkii clownfish IME host just about anything, although they can get a bit large, probably too large for a 29g tank. Although if you do plan on upgrading in a year or two, they might be good options if you buy them young.

Skunk clownfish are also active hosters but get pretty big and are difficult to find. There are three varieties of skunk clown, pink, orange, and I forget the third, but it looks like a cross between the pink striping with the orange of an ocellaris. Either way, too big to keep longterm in a tank that size.

Lastly would be maroon clowns... IMO, they're not even suitable in a 55g tank since they're very aggressive fish and grow very large.

 

[showjyr]

Do the Percula/False Percula/Ocellaris vary in color much or are they generally the same? I wanted a skunk pair but realize they get too big.

 

[chrissaysyes]

nothing you would notice with an untrained eye. True percs tend to have thicker black outlines than false, and I'm pretty sure percs are a deeper orange than occs but I may have that backwards.

 

[showjyr]

Ok then. I guess the decision maker will be availability.

I just cut out some egg crate to fit over the tank as I plan on getting a few fish that are known carpet surfers. Will it cut down on my light much and will it be safe under my metal halide?

I'm pretty sure on my stocking also. See any problems?

Pair of Perc/Occ clowns
1 purple or red Firefish
1 Longnose Hawkfish
1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse or Six Line Wrasse
1 Lawnmower Blenny(already have him)

This would be about the max stocking right?

 

[SkiFletch]

It'll maybe cut your light output by 5-10%. Enough, but not really all that much to be worrysome when you're starting out with Halides. And provided the halides are at least say 4-6" from the egg crate you should be ok.

Remember, hawkfish tend to be not the most reef-safe of fishes. I've heard reports of them taking down ornamental shrimp and some corals.

And I'd go with the flasher wrasse to be honest, six lines can become very aggressive as they get older, a situation aggrivated by a smaller tank . Also there's other common flasher wrasses like the filamentosus or the carpenteri that would be suitable too depending on availability.

And as for the clownfish, as far as color goes, they're like humans. Some are more orange, some less, some have thicker black bars, some thinner... Wild-caught percs will tend to have thicker black bars than ocellaris while ocellaris will tend to be a more vibrant orange. However we humans have selectively bred them to be everything from black and white only, to all orange, both percula and ocellaris. My advice, pick juveniles with a color you like, they'll grow up to be similar

 

[showjyr]

Doesn't sound bad for the light . I don't intend on keeping sps so I should have plenty of light.

Too bad on the hawkfish I really liked them.

Flasher wrasse it is then. I don't really want anything that will terrorize my tank and the flasher has some amazing colors. I'll look high and low for a McCosker's Flasher, they're stunning.

I'll probably look for some young, well colored, ocellaris clowns. I really want to have some vibrant colors.

Any other suggestions on fish if I can't have a hawkfish......that is if you think I have room.