Fish selection question

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Jack22

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
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I just setup my first saltwater tank. It's a 55 gal tank. Finally got it cycled and now I'm ready to start stocking it. The only thing in the tank right now are 2 green chromis, 3 blue leg hermit crabs, and a couple of snails. I really like the butterfly fish, but most are not recommended for tanks smaller then 70 gal and I've been told most are not reef safe. I do plan on adding corals and other inverts later so I don't want something in the tank that will just kill them. Can anyone suggest a type of butterfly fish that might be okay for my tank, or a similar fish that may work better. Thanks for the help.
 
I dont think your going to have any luck with butterflyfish, is your tank the 48'' 55 gallon?
 
I have a 55g too. My advice is avoid dwarf angels and butterflyfish if you're doing corals. My dwarf angel ate a lot of money in corals, then have to take tank apart to catch it and relocate. Was such a pain. In my 55 I have couple Bengaii cardinals, YWG/pistol shrimp pair, bartletts anthias, 3 green chromis, b/w clown. Search liveaquaria.com and look at ideas there. Good luck!!
 
Yes it is a 48" 55. Thanks for the advise on the dwarf angels, they were one of the other fish I was thinking about if the butterfly fish didn't work out.
 
A bellus angel is reef safe. They only grow to 7'' and require a 100 gallon tank. This is my opinion tho but im sure everyone is going to disagree. The difference between your tank and a 100 gallon tank is 1 ft in lenght and 4'' wider so he should be fine. A fish aint going to know the water volume your tank is, the room it has to move around is whats most important.
 
nightryder1405 said:
A bellus angel is reef safe. They only grow to 7'' and require a 100 gallon tank. This is my opinion tho but im sure everyone is going to disagree. The difference between your tank and a 100 gallon tank is 1 ft in lenght and 4'' wider so he should be fine. A fish aint going to know the water volume your tank is, the room it has to move around is whats most important.

I'm not agreeing with that. That angel requires 100g, you have a 55g. That's about half as big as the fish needs. :(
 
I was wrong, a 120 gallon tank is 48x24..the 55 is 48x12 3/4'' so at full size still has plenty of room to turn around and still has the same amount of "running room" as a bigger tank. And you can always trade fish in when they get to big.
 
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