Request for aquascape advice , first coral recommendations, and fish for 29 gallon

[Fishkins88]

Good morning reef2reef community,

I am new to the hobby and have a 29 gallon tank that has been running well for about 6 weeks. I have live rock, 60 watts of light, and will be adding a protein skimmer this weekend. Right now I have 3 small fish. They are a clownfish pair and a firefish. I also have a small cleanup crew of 6 snails which I plan to expand this weekend. No pressure to respond. But, any advice is greatly appreciated.


I am interested in getting some beginner corals. Can you recommend some beginner friendly soft corals for this tank?
Also, can you advise on how to tweak the rocks for a better aquascape? Is more liverock needed ? This is a tall tank I am not sure how to use the height well.
Finally, my wife has expressed interest in having a more colorful fish other than red / orange. Do you have any recommendations if I can add another and if it would fit in well with the other 3 ? I am interested in a royal gramma, but do not know if this is too many fish or too aggressive for the tank?

Below is a picture of my tank. Any input is greatly appreciated. I am such a fan of this community and the many beautiful tanks. I aspire to improve mine to draw out its full potential.

Very respectuflly,

fishkins88

 

[Sebastiancrab]

You can't go wrong with leathers, xenia (they can spread and will need to keep on separate rock), zoas and ricordeas.

 

[Jekyl]

Need at least double the rocks imo.

 

[Sharkbait19]

What I would do is pick a side and build up a lot with rocks. Not only does it create more hiding spaces, but also more places for corals (as well as different light levels in the tank).
As said, leathers, Xenia, gsp, zoas, and shrooms all are great beginner corals.
Royal grammas are basically harmless, very rarely do they cause problems, and that is usually in smaller tanks. The clowns are going to be the meanest fish you have.
I’d also recommend a shrimpgoby + pistol shrimp for the bottom of the tank. Very fun to watch.

 

[Fishkins88]

You can't go wrong with leathers, xenia (they can spread and will need to keep on separate rock), zoas and ricordeas.

Thank you. I will check those type out.

 

[Jekyl]

Currently your rock work is good for 1 fish. As in there's only one spot for hiding/sleeping

 

[Fishkins88]

What I would do is pick a side and build up a lot with rocks. Not only does it create more hiding spaces, but also more places for corals (as well as different light levels in the tank).
As said, leathers, Xenia, gsp, zoas, and shrooms all are great beginner corals.
Royal grammas are basically harmless, very rarely do they cause problems, and that is usually in smaller tanks. The clowns are going to be the meanest fish you have.
I’d also recommend a shrimpgoby + pistol shrimp for the bottom of the tank. Very fun to watch.

This is great advice. I will definitely pick up more liverock this weekend and try this out. The shrimpgoby concept idea sounds great. I have toddlers who would love this.

This is why I love this community . So much great advice. Thank you

 

[Fishkins88]

Currently your rock work is good for 1 fish. As in there's only one spot for hiding/sleeping

Smart. I will definitely be getting more live rock this weekend

 

[Sharkbait19]

At this point, if the tank is cycled, you can get away with dry rock - it’s cheaper that way.

 

[Fishkins88]

What I would do is pick a side and build up a lot with rocks. Not only does it create more hiding spaces, but also more places for corals (as well as different light levels in the tank).
As said, leathers, Xenia, gsp, zoas, and shrooms all are great beginner corals.
Royal grammas are basically harmless, very rarely do they cause problems, and that is usually in smaller tanks. The clowns are going to be the meanest fish you have.
I’d also recommend a shrimpgoby + pistol shrimp for the bottom of the tank. Very fun to watch.

 

[Fishkins88]

Hey Sharkbait19, I bought some more rocks and tried a new scape. I have a few more rocks, but stopped at this amount. Just wanted to share an update.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Definitely looks a lot better when fuller!