29 gallon stocking help

[Kai]

Hi everyone,

I have a 29 gallon (12x30x18h) with a 20 high sump that I'll get to start stocking after a 76 day wait for my rock and CUC to ensure it's pest free. The refugium area is 10" x 12" x 8" high with the baffle but the height might be increasing once I get my plumbing issues worked out. I plan to have a reef and I do prefer the look of soft corals over hard corals but I don't want to limit myself with my fish stocking. I used the comparability chart and other information on Live Aquaria to figure out which fish I could potentially get and I wanted to see what sort of advice or recommendations you all have. I will be running a Curve 5 in the sump.

These are the fish that I like, it is NOT A STOCKING LIST. It is merely the fish that I am considering, I DO NOT plan on putting all of these fish in my tank. This is a list that I would like to pick my stock from.

I have a peppermint shrimp in my CUC along with a bunch of snails, and a couple hermit crabs.

I definitely want a pair of clown fish, LFS breeds them and I plan on getting them at about 1" in size if a little bit smaller, I like the idea of getting to see them grow.

Other than the clown fish, these are the fish that I like... I know some of them seem to be a border line, and one says on Live Aquaria that you need to have a stocked fuge, now does that simply mean that I need to have pods in my fuge and they will make their way up the return pump on their own, or will I need to spot feed? I do not want anything high maintenance that needs to be spot fed daily, or that are too tricky eaters. I notice Live Aquaria frequently only lists live food as what the fish eat, is this the only food these fish could eat or will any be fine on pellet/flake etc.

+Pair of clownfish- LFS Breeds these
+Royal Gamma- I've heard some mixed review on the temperament of these fish...
+Dusky Jawfish
+Six Line Wrasse
+Kaudern's Cardinalfish- LFS Breeds these
+Cave Transparent Goby
+Diamond Watchman Goby- I'm not sure if my tank and fuge would be big enough for this one and I would much rather play it safe than get a fish that's going to be unhappy in my tank
+Sharknose Goby
+Neon Goby

Another thing that I really care about is where the fish come from, I really do not want to contribute to taking these fish from the ocean so sustainability is important to me, I don't know LFS's status on breeding the other fish. Are there any others that I could have a pair or more of, Live Aquaria says some gobies can be kept in mated pairs, is that unreasonable for a beginner? Are they like clownfish where if you get them young it could work? Do I just have too small of a setup for that? I'm in Northern NJ does anybody know of any places that breed these fish or get them from a breeder?

This is the display, I know some fish say they need a lot of rock work, but I'm not sure what is considered a lot. The two bottom rocks on either side have a sort of cubby in them, and the branch of coral is a tunnel to the other side


Any advice and opinions are welcome.

 

[Haus]

In a smaller setup I think anything with a questionable temperament would be more likely to be territorial or aggressive. I’d consider a Pygmy wrasse if you want a wrasse in there, 29 is too small for a six-line unless you’re going to trade it off when it grows. I suggest a firefish-beautiful, peaceful, and would work in a small setup. My royal gramma gets territorial in my 65, and cardinals can even be surprisingly aggressive at times.
I’d always err toward the side of smaller bioload. A pair of clowns with a firefish and Pygmy wrasse plus inverts seems fully stocked for a 29 gallon to me.

 

[raccioppi83]

2 clowns and a tailspot blenny would be my suggestion

 

[Hawkeye]

All of the gobies except the diamond are fine in my opinion. The DWG has a max size of 6" and folks have a love/hate relationship with them due to the amount of sand they stir.

clownfish are a type of damsel so do not be surprised as they age that they carve out a spot that they claim "theirs". I would suggest a false perc or true perc rather than a maroon since the latter can get very big.

I would also suggest adding a firefish to your stocking list. Note that the firefish does like a bolt-hole to dive into when frightened. Otherwise they end up 'carpet surfing'.

A caution on the dusky - depending on the size of your other fish and shrimp relative to it's mouth - you have to be cautious.

 

[MadReefer]

Bunch of clown gobies might look cool.

 

[mnat]

Dusky jawfish can eat smaller fish so I would leave him off
Royal gramma and six line wrasse can get very territorial and kill other fish so a gamble on either
In a tank that size I would skip the diamond goby, they will go through all the micro fauna in your sand real quick which might not be beneficial to the goby or your tank.

ORA breeds the cave gobies so you should be able to find a captive bred one.
Might want to look at pygmy wrasses, assesor basslets, barnacle blennies, maybe a smaller flasher wrasse, pearly head jawfish