ExiledInfidel666 said:
Flame Angle
Maroon Clown
Figi Blue Devil
Yellow Clown Goby
Green Manderin
Royal Gramma
Flashlight Fish
As DJconn mentioned I tend to keep more fish in my aquariums than most folks would. I think the number of fish you have would probably be ok in either size tank, with the size refugiums you mentioned. However I think you might want to rethink your mix.
Flame Angle - Can be agressive, known to nip at SPS, LPS and clam mantles. Since you said you want to keep clams and SPS, I'd cross this one off your list and look for Coral Beauties, or Potters Angels, which tend to have a better track record in this area. Or keep an eye out for ones from fellow hobbyists or LFS in your area that have had one in with SPS/Clams for several months.
Maroon Clown - Tomato clowns and maroon clowns are two of the most agressive and territorial clowns you can get. I have to constantly remind myself of this because the small gold-stripe maroons are my favorites. I had a friend who's GSM had gotten big enough to be that dark brick shade and gotten that bull-dog face. It got very agressive in his 180 reef so he put it in his agressive/fish only 180. It killed a qeen angel about twice it's size and a volitan lion that was nearly triple. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I'd choose wrasses, and damels and other fairly tough fish to go in a tank with these guys, and I'd put the juvenile clown in last. That way it's coming into a tank that has the other fish in it already, and it'll possibly be more accepting of them being in it's territory later. Although when they get big all bets are off as to how they'll behave.
Figi Blue Devil - I've had one. They're agressive as all damsels are. However they're actually known to be a more agressive damsel than most.
For some reason mine was always very shy, and it hid in the rockwork most of the time. But I'm chalking my experience up to mine being the exception not the rule. I fully believe that these guys are very tough little fish, and are likely to harrass other fish. I actually know a diver whose girlfriend was chased off a dive site and back into the boat by a bunch of these fish.
Yellow Clown Goby - Peaceful little guys, but depending on who you talk to these guys are known to kill acro corals. They like to perch in them, and the acros are irritated so the polyps don't extend enough to stay fed. If your tank was HEAVILY stocked with SPS you might risk it, because the hope would be that it wouldn't stay in one piece long enough to cause problems. But if you only have one or two pieces it's certainly possible that you won't have them for long. Lose two or three $40-$80 corals to a $8 fish, and it won't be in the tank for long. BTW, from what I've read, this goes for the brown and green clowns, and the citron gobies as well.
Green Mandarin - Good job scratching this off the list. Add it back only if you go for the 50, and only if you let your tank mature for several months.
You mentioned people getting them to eat bloodworms, mysis, flake etc....Yes it has and can be done. However nearly everyone that tries it fails. If you decide you want to try them, and you've gone with the 30, have the LFS folks feed brine, if they hit on it you MIGHT have a chance of training yours over to feed on mysis before it starves to death in your system. If you decide on the 50, then by all means after your 6 month mark start trying to find a healthy one at your LFS, stay away from any that have a sunken belly at all.
Royal Gramma - These guys are very colorful, and fairly peaceful. Try waving your fingers near the top of a tank of them. If any of them start towards the top ,(thinking you're about to feed them), try to get one of those. Mine was wild-caught, (or just stupid), and stayed in the rockwork for nearly 3 months before it started coming out. I had him in the tank for just over a year and he NEVER got to the point where he'd come out to eat if you were near the tank. I had to feed, then walk 2-3 feet away, or he wouldn't come out. ORA breeds these guys and IMO ORA-raised RG's are better socialized for our tanks, but even the ORA ones can be skittish.
Flashlight Fish - These are friggin cool fish. One of the LFS here in town actually had a few, and I'd have gotten a couple if they hadn't already been paid for. Keep in mind that they seem to do better in a group, than singly, and they need dark spots in the tank to hide during your photoperiod, since they're nocturnal. This might be problematic to arrange in a 30gal. They also might not do well with really agressive fish. I'm not sure if you'd need to feed after the lights went off to make sure they got enough food or not. I don't have any direct experience with them, either in my tanks or in friends tanks.
Before I moved I had 17 fish living peacefully in my 55gal tank, more or less for a year and a half. My mentor and friend was amazed that it worked, he had less than half that many fish in his 180. I tended to buy everything as juveniles, and tried to keep the more agressive fish as the last ones introduced to the tank. I certainly lost some, and made some stupid mistakes. For example I didn't listen to some advice and put a neon dottyback in at one point. It pretty much attacked anything that I put in the tank after it. I had to trap him out. I started the tank with 5 damsels. The fiji, a blue velvet, a domino, one just maked as a blue damsel, (although it had a yellow tail), and a zebra. They all got trapped out except for the fiji, during the course of the 28months the tanks were up before moving. Since moving I've bought and had to trap out a gorgeous purple tang. He was happy in my tank, but everything else in it with him was miserable. :wink:
These are just my opinions, but I did 6 months of research before water went in my tanks. My wife and I made a big list of the fish that we liked, in the order of how much we liked them. Then immediately started crossing off the ones that wouldn't work in our size tank. Then we picked out the top 2-3 from the list and made sure that they'd get along, then started crossing off ones that wouldn't get along with these guys. I still experiment from time to time, (purple tang), and I still lose fish, but I do try very hard to make sure something will fit in with my existing fish before I purchase it.
but its not even that pretty of a fish, maybe il just put some nice green brain coral in there oh and maybe change the royal for a black cap basslet, idk, this is why im asking all fo you for you personal opinions
