Is 30 gal too small for a newbie?

Go with 1 clown only not 2 for now. Or if you want a super hardy fish get a yellowtail damsel.

 

yeah i have a blue damsel that was my first fish. I would mail him to you if I could catch him ;D If he doesn't survive your tank then nothing will. A clown should be pretty hardy too since they are of the same line as a damsel. I say go with a 30 if that's what you got. Not sure where you live but craigslist is great for getting a bigger tank. Fish like most hobbies has some great deals since people buy stuff new and then give up.

 

Exactly what I was thinking. I had major ph issues when I was new. All I had was one clown in my tank, and though she stressed until I got it right, she lived until I took my tank down and gave her to my buddy. Almost 2 years old...

 

Stick with your 30! I have faith in ya! With the advice that these guys can give ya (Other than upgrade ) you'll get it! I had problems with my tank (40g) at the beginning
(4 months ago) and these guys were awesome! Try the clowns again.. my friend can't seem to even get a clown in his tank without it dying, yet he has 2 tangs that are very happy in there... gl and as most here will say "Reef on!" and "Happy Reefing!"

 

why are you beating yourself up, none of this maybe your fault. life has a learnig curve, we dont everything out of the box. which is why were all here. patience. remember the fish came from a lfs. any skimmer is better than no skimmer.

 

is it to late for a plenum?if you don't have a bunch of rock work set up alreaddy you may try a plenum in the sand bed.i did that with my daughters new ten gallon after loosing 2 clowns in a row and it fixed it.i took everything out and put the plenum in and put everything including the same water back in.its just a peace of egg crate wrapped with fiberglass window screen,i fasten it on with zip ties,then cover it.look uo plenum for a more exact method.a wk later i got her a clown again and she's had it 6 months now.if its to late to put one in,concider it for your next tank,you can even put it in the bottom of your sump,you will get it right in time .

 

when I started cycling i got a great deal on 3 rocks and some fish... went to pick them up & i fished out 2 clowns & a damsel. the guy said there was another damsel but he was nowhere to be found. thought he crawled in one of the rocks & was dead. he turned everything off when i left then 2 weeks later i got a call and he said i forgot a fish! apparently he was cleaning out his sandbed and found the other yellow tailed damsel buried in the sand. he rushed it over, i took twice as long acclimating him and now he is one of the most active fish of the four. i vote for yellow tailed damsel as most hardy after that experience... he lived in a tank with no flow for a month, lived in the sand for 2 weeks then got switched to a cycling tank and still survived!!

 

hang in there...

 

I started my 29g June of last year and, after reading and researching wondered if it was too small. But, I joined 3reef and forged ahead. Now, 8 months later, my corals are thriving. At first, I diligently changed the water, check the params seemingly constantly. Then, I mellowed out and changed the water maybe every 6 weeks and tested water every 2 weeks - maybe. I think, and I know some agree, that you can over maintain a small tank. At this point, yes, I would love to have a larger tank but only because I could add more coral and SPEND MORE MONEY! 3reefers will show you the way and it'll be fine. ;D;D;D;D

 

I went back to the LFS with my wife to get a damsel but the guy insisted that he give us two free clowns. This was two days ago, this morning one had died and the other one seems fine. I have noticed on all four fish that there seems to be a white string like substance that appears around the gills area. Almost looks like skin pealing from a sun burn. I also noticed that I have alot of hydroid jellyfish on the walls of the tank.

How important is it for me to get the fish out of the tank when they die? The hermit crabs have him behind the tank and I dont want to tear the tank apart to get him. Thanks for all the replies.