Newbie - Started my JBJ Nano 28 gal. A few ???

[autigers34]

I recently bought a 28 gallon JBJ NanoCube Intermediate. It's my first aquarium and a hobby I plan to share with my young son.

I bought live sand, live rock and saltwater and after everything cycled through we added two clownfish two days ago....and they're still alive. Baby steps.

A few questions.

The waterflow from the nozzles seem to really affect the fish. They're always swimming vigorously and never seem to rest. I also have the Ocean Pulse Wavemaker, but was under the impression I didn't really need to use that until I added coral. At this point should I be using the Wavemaker? Also, where should the waterflow nozzles be aimed? Do I ever need to turn the waterfow off for an extended time to give the fish a break.

Second, when should I add a clean up crew? Would a couple of snails, a shrimp and a crab be sufficient. Will they fight?

Lastly, what would be a good third fish to add to the mix and how long should I wait to do that?

Thanks in advance and I'm sure I'll have more questions soon. Looking forward to being an active member of these forums.

[chrisfont23]

Like u said, give it time. I would think that the fish would like the extra current. If they're blowing around and all, it's probably a warning that it's too strong. Keep in mind - some fish, like Lionfish, are not strong swimmers so if you plan on keeping weaker swimmers, might want to rethink your layout.

As for the cleanup crew, they are usually the first thing added. I tend to recommend nassarius snails and small blue/red legged hermits. The nassarius snails burrow in sand and keep it stirred. The hermits are good for picking. Usually, the smaller ones are not aggressive with the snails, but this is just from my experience. As I grew my CUC, I added a Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber and a Serpent StarFish. I would not recommend adding either until your tank is fully matured, as they will most likely starve. I also avoid any crab bigger than a hermit for fear that some crabs are just evil little buggers and well - I won't take a chance with corals.

Finally, I too added clowns first. My sons loved them. We continued with the cast of Finding Nemo and added a Blue Hippo Tang. I think the Tang is hit or miss, depending on the aquarium size. I would not put one in anything smaller than a 90 so that's not going to work for you. I think a firefish or a bangaii cardinal would be a good choice. Both are not aggressive and the temperment will mesh with the clowns. If you are looking on the exotic, check out the fuzzy dwarf lion - pretty neat fish. Despite the pick though, one more will probably max you out as you don't want to overstress your biofilter and create too much load.

Hope that helps.

[thegrun]

The wavemakers would have two advantages for you, first by constantly alternating the flow they help dislodge detritus and pull it into the filters and secondly it would reduce the overall water flow since only one pump is running at a given time. That said I ran two MJ1200s which have more flow than the stock pumps when I had a JBJ 28 without problems. I would aim at least one of the pumps towards the water surface for better gas exchange and to reduce the water flow lower in the tank.
As posted above, your CUC should be it the tank now. Start small and add to the numbers as your tank matures and algae/food increases.
I would add a third fish as soon as it completes its quarantine. The longer you wait the more territorial the clowns will get, they can be very protective and fight other fish in a small tank like yours. A six line wrasse would be able to defend itself against aggressive clowns.

[MrClam]

What type of clowns? You are pretty much full regardless of species, but some species are particularly mean so you wouldn't be able to add anything. If you have some of the more peaceful clowns you could try adding a goby/pistol pair. They are interesting to watch and will likely be left alone. Or possibly a banggai cardinal.

I would not do a firefish as they are very passive and shy. I had two clowns and a firefish in a 120g and there was some chasing/aggression. I imagine this would be amplified in the 29g.

[chrisfont23]

What type of clowns? You are pretty much full regardless of species, but some species are particularly mean so you wouldn't be able to add anything. If you have some of the more peaceful clowns you could try adding a goby/pistol pair. They are interesting to watch and will likely be left alone. Or possibly a banggai cardinal.

I would not do a firefish as they are very passive and shy. I had two clowns and a firefish in a 120g and there was some chasing/aggression. I imagine this would be amplified in the 29g.

That's a good point. The firefish was a little passive and my damsels manged to chase him around a bit. I think a 29 is a decent sized footprint so that you can get another fish in there, but it's definitely on the fringe. Depending on how you arrange your rockwork, your corals etc., you might be able to define some territories, but aggression of course should always be considered.