new 55 gallon, doing research on fish

[lziarek]

hey everyone,

I am not putting in fish until my cycle is done (using lr to cycle), but my girlfriend and I have been trying to figure out what fish to keep. I would like some opinions on how many/what types, I am providing a list of fish that interest the two of us.

large fish:
yellow tang
banner butterfly
regal blue tang
any tiger fish (these mainly interest me =) )

medium fish:
dwarf coral beauty
dwarf flame angel
2x percula clown
2x black and white percula clown
royal grama

smaller fish:
blue w/ yellow tail damsels
any type of bleeny or goby (love these guys)


now my "ideal tank" would look something like this:
2x percula clown
2x black/white percula clown
2x bluw w/ yellow tail damsels
royal grama
yellow tang
dwarf coral beauty
a goby or bleeny

is this a realistic load for a tank my size? "nemo" and the yellow tang are what my gf wants the most, but I am a little hesitant on the yellow, the tank seems to be a little on the small side. I would like to settle on a fish list initially so that I can work twoards the species I would like to keep and try to organize the aquarium for their respective needs. Obviously I have to wait on some of the fish until the tank is well established, but I would like to have an initial game plan.

 

[jennymit21]

what size tank is it?

 

[saltcreep1025]

dont get those damnsels. they are very aggressive and i gurantee you that they will eventually cause problems. also i dont know if you can mix those clowns, you might want to look into that. Yellow tangs ussually arent recomended for 55g tanks, but lots of people do it. If you plan on getting coral be weary of angles.

 

[lziarek]

its a 55 gallon tank =)

also what types of shrimp, crabs, and other inverts will be compatible? Can I keep the tang and the angel with these types of inverts? I would like to keep a cleaner shrimp, some pepermint shrimp, and a hermit crab would be nice. Will the damsels really be that big of a problem in a 55 gallon, the lfs said with enough rocks and hiding spaces they should be ok.

 

[ClamKnuckle]

the regal is no good for a 55, they need a lot of swimming room, and like rossv said yellow tangs aren't really recommended for a tank that small either.
I have a black sail fin blenny in a 55 and love him. I am planning on getting a bi-color blenny for my 90. They are both herbivores and have peaceful temperaments.

 

[lziarek]

what about the banner butterfly fish or raising a small yellow tang with the eventual goal of getting a larger aquarium?

 

[24 hours? NE!]

dont get those damnsels. they are very aggressive and i gurantee you that they will eventually cause problems.

I haven't had problems with my blue damsels, but I wouldn't mind if they disappeared and I won't replace them. They're not evil (at least the ones I have). I had a pair of dominoe damsels that I was glad to pass onto someone else.

 

[lando]

good job on doing your homework before you buy! The first thing you need to do is decide what type of tank you want...reef tank, communtiy fish, aggressive fish. Go with one species of clowns and if you get two fish make sure they are a mated pair from the LFS otherwise you could run into problems. I would not recommend the bannerfish as they are schooling fish and you need three or four of them so they will be happy. A 55 gal is not enough room for them. It is true the tangs need a bit more room then a 55 allows but a lot of people keep one in a tank of that size. One and only one. Skip the damsels. A coral beauty or flame angel would be okay but if you plan to go reef they are not considered 100% safe. I just got a royal gramma and it is still in QT. From what everyone says on this site thy are great fish with wonderful personalities. As for inverts, go with a normal clean-up crew like reef hemits and get some snails to help with algea. i love cleaner shrimp and they serve a nice purpose. Pistol shrimp/goby pair is also way cool. Hope this helps! Good luck and have fun shopping...Lando

 

[srgetz]

A coral beauty or flame angel would be okay but if you plan to go reef they are not considered 100% safe

they don't do well in newer tanks...wait till 3-6 mo. old, they nip at algae all day and can be difficult to feed (they are not going to run to flakes and pellets like everyone else), as with many butterflyfish...

Will the damsels really be that big of a problem in a 55 gallon, the lfs said with enough rocks and hiding spaces they should be ok.

But why put the others through the stress? I think the percs will get abused in that situation, there are always execptions to the rule, but I'd stay away from damsels and mixing clowns.

banner butterfly

good idea, very cool fish and reported to be very hardy...they like to be paired or grouped as well; in Fenner's well-known book he raves about this butterfly, stating they should be grouped, with at least 20gal per fish...


good luck

 

[lziarek]

I decided not to do a reef, so I am not too worried about angels, I do plan do have around 75lbs of live rock (though can anyone recomend a website with pictures so I can identify any potentially unwanted hitch hikers?). Would the blue/green chromis be a more peacable inhabitant? I would like to get a bright blue fish of some sort.

 

[sicklidkid]

I would say no on any tangs, and only 1 type of clown and try and get a pair or they will fight. Also i would forget the damsels, you could get fish that are more peaceful and more interesting. You could drop the damsels and mabey try a school of chromis. But dont go with the tang for sure unless you are upgrading soon.
HTH