Saltwater aquarium questions

[Chiclid addict]

Hello all I am looking to set up a 29 gallon saltwater aquarium and have a couple questions 1. What size/brand filter should i use 2. What lighting do I need 3.what fish should I put I. There I was thinking about 2 clown fish for sure and 2 four stripe Damsel fish what other fish should i gay or is that to much and last but not least how long should I cycle it for? is it 4-6 weeks like freshwater usually is 

Edited January 7, 2021 by Angelfishlover

[FrozenFins]

I have the seachem tidal filters on my 20 gallon nano reef to be exact its the Tidal 35. For your tank I would either do the Tidal 35 or the Tidal 55, both will do. As far as what lighting, are you wanting to do a reef tank with lots of corals or fish only tank? The lighting won't matter if you plan on doing it without corals. As far as what lights for corals I try to find any light that says it is good for coral growth and has a appropiate amount blue lighting along with good reviews. I use the nicrew saltwater light for my reef tank and no issues. Yes cycling a saltwater tank is the same as a freshwater tank. 2 Clownfish are a great option for your tank. All though I wouldn't do any damsels they are very aggressive. 

Here are some fish that I really like:

-Clownfish (all though you said you already are gettign that)

-Flame Hawk

-Midas Blenny

-Cleaner Shrimps

-Fire Fish

-Snails

-Bonsai Cardinals

Just an FYI it is a little more expesnive if you plan to go on the reef tank route as you may find that you need a protein skimmer, which is a pretty penny.

[Chiclid addict]

31 minutes ago, James Black said:

I have the seachem tidal filters on my 20 gallon nano reef to be exact its the Tidal 35. For your tank I would either do the Tidal 35 or the Tidal 55, both will do. As far as what lighting, are you wanting to do a reef tank with lots of corals or fish only tank? The lighting won't matter if you plan on doing it without corals. As far as what lights for corals I try to find any light that says it is good for coral growth and has a appropiate amount blue lighting along with good reviews. I use the nicrew saltwater light for my reef tank and no issues. Yes cycling a saltwater tank is the same as a freshwater tank. 2 Clownfish are a great option for your tank. All though I wouldn't do any damsels they are very aggressive. 

Here are some fish that I really like:

-Clownfish (all though you said you already are gettign that)

-Flame Hawk

-Midas Blenny

-Cleaner Shrimps

-Fire Fish

-Snails

-Bonsai Cardinals

Just an FYI it is a little more expesnive if you plan to go on the reef tank route as you may find that you need a protein skimmer, which is a pretty penny.

I am still on the fence about coral I am still in the research phase thank you for your advise 

[Chiclid addict]

37 minutes ago, James Black said:

I have the seachem tidal filters on my 20 gallon nano reef to be exact its the Tidal 35. For your tank I would either do the Tidal 35 or the Tidal 55, both will do. As far as what lighting, are you wanting to do a reef tank with lots of corals or fish only tank? The lighting won't matter if you plan on doing it without corals. As far as what lights for corals I try to find any light that says it is good for coral growth and has a appropiate amount blue lighting along with good reviews. I use the nicrew saltwater light for my reef tank and no issues. Yes cycling a saltwater tank is the same as a freshwater tank. 2 Clownfish are a great option for your tank. All though I wouldn't do any damsels they are very aggressive. 

Here are some fish that I really like:

-Clownfish (all though you said you already are gettign that)

-Flame Hawk

-Midas Blenny

-Cleaner Shrimps

-Fire Fish

-Snails

-Bonsai Cardinals

Just an FYI it is a little more expesnive if you plan to go on the reef tank route as you may find that you need a protein skimmer, which is a pretty penny.

Could you please link to a good protein Skimmer for a 29 gallon tank 

[FrozenFins]

5 minutes ago, Angelfishlover said:

Could you please link to a good protein Skimmer for a 29 gallon tank 

I wish I could. I am not a expert in saltwater as I have only kept my reef tank for a month or two now. I was able to answer your questions because those were reletivley the same questions I had when starting up my reef tank. I am hoping more forum members can pipe in on this.

[Chiclid addict]

3 minutes ago, James Black said:

I wish I could. I am not a expert in saltwater as I have only kept my reef tank for a month or two now. I was able to answer your questions because those were reletivley the same questions I had when starting up my reef tank. I am hoping more forum members can pipe in on this.

Thank you so much for your help 

[Andy's Fish Den]

6 hours ago, Angelfishlover said:

Could you please link to a good protein Skimmer for a 29 gallon tank 

There are several good hang on back skimmers available in the hobby these days. I know Reef Octopus makes a couple, but they may be too large for a 29. 

[gardenman]

I last kept marine fish many years ago (back when Nektonics was the king of marine aquarium products) and the old Nektonics undergravel filters had a protein skimmer cup that attached to the uplift tubes and worked great. While those filters are long gone, you can buy air driven protein skimmers these days that are essentially the same, just without the UG filter attached for much less than the price of an external protein skimmer. There are a few hang on back filters that include a protein skimmer also. Coralife makes one, but I'm not sure how long they'll support it as while it's still available at multiple retailers for a good price (under $50) it's not listed on Coralife's product page which means they may have already discontinued it. That could make getting replacement filter pads, and parts tricky. (I have about ten old filters that you can no longer get parts or pads for, so I speak from experience here. When you look at a filter, check the manufacturer's web page to be sure they're still supporting it.)

As to fish, I have to agree that anything in the damselfish family is likely going to be overly aggressive to clownfish. I love Mandarins in a smallish marine tank. They're a stunningly beautiful little fish that hugs the bottom of your tank, but can become very friendly and even eat from your fingers. I've had two and both were amazing little fish. "Experts" these days say they're hard to keep and feed, but mine ate bloodworms, brine shrimp and even flake food that found its way to them. Both lived well over a year.

[Lemon]

2 hours ago, gardenman said:

. I love Mandarins in a smallish marine tank. They're a stunningly beautiful little fish that hugs the bottom of your tank, but can become very friendly and even eat from your fingers. I've had two and both were amazing little fish. "Experts" these days say they're hard to keep and feed, but mine ate bloodworms, brine shrimp and even flake food that found its way to them. Both lived well over a year.

the reason they are considered for experts is because they eat up to several thousand copepods copepods a day and need to eat frequently