If you follow and adhere to the proper guidelines recommended for fish keeping, then starting your aquarium won’t be a headache factor. A 30-gallon tank may be referred to as a ‘nano tank’ since it holds 30 gallons of saltwater or less. This type of aquarium has its benefits, in addition to its size that looks stress-free to maintain.
A bigger fish tank is easier to maintain for a beginner. That is what the experts claim. The reason behind this is that the higher volume of water provides a buffer to any sensitivities in water quality and temperature. However, the fact is that any tank is easy to maintain if you follow the proper guidelines in fish keeping.
Top Fish for a 30 Gallon Aquarium
To start your new nano reef tank, you should consider the choice of small saltwater fishes that could be best suitable for your tank. You should ensure that the chosen fish species aren’t aggressive and that they are compatible with each other. Let’s now move to the best saltwater fish for your 30-gallon tank.
Clownfish (Ocellaris Clownfish)
This little orange and white fish is commonly known as Nemo. Read on What Fish Are in Finding Nemo? to know the other types of fish that were in the 2004 Disney released movie. Let’s now move to the best saltwater fish for your 30-gallon tank.
The Clownfish are easy to care for and fun to keep. They exhibit great personalities, which means they get along well with many other saltwater fish for aquariums and creatures from the bottom of the deep.
Clownfish live in sea anemones and also in families. The factor makes it easier for an aquarist to keep them in the 30-gallon tank. This species gets along well with a wide variety of other fish and critters, including angelfish, dartfish, puffers, gobies, and many more. This saltwater fish moves slowly and is also a relaxed fish that enjoy a symbiotic relationship with other anemones. They thrive well in tanks with live rock and aquatic plants. The species is ideal for a beginner and can be found anywhere including Live Aquaria, That Pet Place, and Vivid Aquariums.
Royal Gramma
The Royal Gramma Basslet can live with other saltwater fish. This purple and yellow fish are very colorful, entertaining, compatible with fish of similar temperament. The Royal Gramma is generally peaceful and is unique. They are ideal for nano reef tanks with somewhat subdued lighting. They are also great for beginners who are having a bit of knowledge of marine tanks and nano tanks. Since this type of fish love to hide among the rocks, ensure you provide a ton of decor. They like to feed on a meaty diet of brine shrimp, any quality meat with carnivore frozen preparations, and Mysis shrimp.
You can find royal gramma basslets in a majority of sites including My Saltwater Fish Store, Live Aquaria, and Vivid Aquariums.
Pajama Cardinalfish
The fish bears the name Pajama Cardinalfish due to their unique patterns. They appear to be putting on a set of polka-dotted or checked pajamas. They have yellow and green faces with a black band around their body. The Cardinalfish has bright polka dots on their tails. These, at times, look like little checked patterns.
This species of fish is active at night when they feed despite loving to keep to themselves. They cherish to hide during the day, particularly among live plants and rocks. They are also the best saltwater fish for beginners as they are pretty easy to take care of. Their great temperaments and ability to work with feeding needs make them outstanding to have in your 30-gallon tank. They ignore invertebrates and love to socialize with small fish that are not big to eat them.
These little types of fish are bought at Aqua Locker, Live Aquaria, and Saltwater Fish.
Bicolor Blenny
The unusual ‘split’ coloring gives this species the name Bicolor Blenny or two-colored blenny. Male Bicolor Blenny is usually larger and usually experience a succession of color changes while breeding. You will love it when this species pop in and out among the crevices and rocks located at the bottom of your fish tank. Bicolor Blenny is also a friendly little species, and they are spunky. Since they love to pop in and out among the crevices, loads of hiding space and perching spots ought to be provided to them. Although these little types of fish may pick on smaller types of fish like gobies, dartfish, or fleshy coral polyps, they are usually peaceful at most times. They also thrive in larger spaces. They are environmentally friendly as they help maintain and control algae. The fish do this by feeding on the algae!
Bicolor Blennies are bought online at Vivid Aquariums and Petco.
Mollies
Mollies are a unique collection of little community saltwater fish that can add some interesting layers to your fish keeping activity. There a wide variety of mollies black molly, balloon molly, golden molly, lyretail molly, Dalmatian molly, and short-finned molly. Their varying shades and types make them a unique choice with tons of different colors and looks that can pop in any aquarium setting. Another interesting point about mollies is that they can also be freshwater fish far from being saltwater fish. They help keep the aquarium clean by eating algae – though you still a protein skimmer. They are generally easy to house with other brackish water fish due to their peaceful nature.
Mollies are easy to find online since they are a wanted species. You can try shopping for them at Arizona Aqua Gardens, Live Aquaria, or Petsmart.
Lawnmower Blenny
The Blenny is a perfect fish breed that is suitable for any saltwater aquarium apart from reef tanks. They are not ideal for reef tanks as they nibble on corals. If you need to get control of algae, then this is the best fish you will need to add to your fish tank. The fish eats algae and will enjoy a hardy saltwater fish in their stock. They are medium-sized and love to stay at the bottom of the aquarium, where they hop from rock to rock-eating algae. They should stay away from similar species and as well as fellow Lawnmower Blennies.
You can find these awesome species at Saltwater Fish, Vivid Aquariums, and Petco.
Shrimp Goby
The Yellow Watchman Goby or shrimp/prawn goby has shades of yellow with blue spots. It is a burrower and thus needs a large room for swimming. They do well in the sandy substrate. Since they are jumpers, they should only be kept in aquariums that have tightly fitting hoods. The irony with this type of fish is that they are friendly with different species but aggressive the species of their own except for their mates. It is because of this that they make the best aquarium fish you’ve never seen as they are easy to care for in an aquarium.
The Watchman Goby is available at Saltwater Fish, Live Aquaria, and Blue Zoo Aquatics.
Banggai Cardinalfish
They are a very nice option for beginners and thrive well in a peaceful reef tank. They love subdued lighting, generally quiet homes, and small caves. Their relaxed nature and size make them ideal for a 30-gallon tank. Banggai Cardinalfish is among the easiest fish to breed at home. They are mouthbrooders, and their males can hold up to 25-fry in their mouth for a four to six-week period.
This breed ought to be fed slowly but not to the point of overfeeding. The Cardinalfish should be given ample time to ingest food. The fish are ready to snatch a bite and the fish dart in and out in precise short bursts. This type of fish also makes friends with sea urchins and anemones creating a perfect and fun pairing in the aquarium.
The breed is available at multiple online retailers including Vivid Aquariums, Blue Zoo Aquatics, and Aqua Corals.
Talbots Demoiselle
The Damsel is the last saltwater fish for a 30-gallon tank on our list. It is also called Talbot’s Damselfish. They are an easy-care breed with vivid and purple and yellow or orange coloring. The fish defend their territory as they age, which makes them aggressive towards other fish. They are a very active species that need the 30-gallon tank or large sizes. The large size helps to reduce any aggression far from providing the breed with plenty of space for hiding or escaping from other aggressive breeds.
They feed on meaty live foods, similar plants, and algae. Always use top-grade options that will not load up the diet on artificial ingredients or grains. The breed is reasonably priced, easy to care for, and very hardy.
Several websites like Live Aquaria, Blue Zoo Aquatics, and Saltwater Fish contain this type of fish.
Final Thoughts
A 30-gallon tank is an intermediate tank that offers you a little more space to experiment. If you have considered aquascaping, this may be a great tank to have. If you wish to know the best invertebrates to put in your 30-gallon tank, look at our article on Best Saltwater Invertebrates.
While saltwater aquariums have higher maintenance than freshwater aquariums, choosing the correct will make the process easier and leave room to learn from minor mistakes. If you are unsure about maintenance, look at these maintenance and service plans. You may also like our article on Best Saltwater Fish for 55 Gallon Tank in case you will need to upgrade to a much bigger gallon tank.
