55g fish suggestions

[MikeDeL]

I've been wanting to change my 55g FW tank for awhile. Im considering African Cichlids. But lately I have been tossing around the idea of turning it into a SW Fish only tank( :roll: it will probably end up becoming a reef tank). What would be some good choices for a 55g fish only tank. Non-reef safe fish would be good, to keep it from becoming a reef, but they can still be reef safe.


Thanks,
Mike

[CD]

What would be some good choices for a 55g fish only tank


Tell us what you would *like* to keep, and we'll go from there (as far as compatibility between your choices). I'll bet you've had your eye on *something*, right? :) :)

Wendy

[MikeDeL]

I'll bet you've had your eye on *something*, right? :) :)

Wendy

Yeah, just about everything. I'll see if I cant come up with a list tomorrow, its getting too late to think right now.


Thanks,
Mike

[CD]

I'll see if I cant come up with a list tomorrow


That's cool :)
Also, think about how much live rock you would like to put in (to determine swim space).

Later!
Wendy

[Richard]

If it were me I'd try to do something unique, maybe a mangrove tank with...

Group Of:
Pajama cardinals
Scissortail gobies or maybe another type of dartfish

Better yet:
Seahorses & Pipefish with mangroves & seagrasses like manatee grass or turtle grass.

Or a nice colony of pearly jawfish, maybe 8-10 of them.

Or mangroves, seagrass and stuff collected from the texas coast.

Or mangroves a some kind of eels

Or...

Ahhh nevermind...there are too many options.

Here's a little bit on mangrove aquariums http://members.ozemail.com.au/~thebobo/afm.htm

[GaryP]

In addition to what was already mentioned I would sugguest:

How about a big school of anthias or firefish?

A predator tank: triggers, lionfish, small groupers (my favorite is a miniatus).

[sharkie]

Don't do it Mike. Stick to Africans! :d

chiu

[MikeDeL]

How bout some of these?
*Lion Fishes
--Shortfin Lionfish(Dendrochirus brchypterus)
--Spotfin Lionfish (Pterois antennata)
--Red Volitans Lionfish (Pterois russelli)
--Volitans Lion fish/ Common Lion fish (Pterois volitans)

*Jawfishes
--Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons)
--Goldspecs Jawfish (Opstognathus sp.)

*Butterfly Fishes
--Threadfin Butterfly (Chaetodon auriga)
--Blackback Butterfly (Chaetodon melannotus)
--Doublesaddle Butterfly (Chaetodon ulietensis)
--Pearlscaled Butterfly (Chaetodon xanthurus)

*Clownfishes
--Maroon Clown, Gold Stripe (Premnas biaculeatus)

*Tangs
--Atlantic Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus)
--Powder Brown Tang (Acanthurus japonicus)
--Whitecheek Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigricans)
--Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

*Triggerfish
--Pinktail Triggerfish (Melichthys vidua)
--Niger Triggerfish (Obonus niger)
--Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus)
--Rectangular Triggerfish ( Rhinecanthus rectangulus)
--Black belly Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus verrucosus)
--Scimitar Triggerfish (Sufflamen bursa)
--Bluechin Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)
--Crosshatch Triggerfish ( Xanthichthys mento)

Any gobies or blennies that would be ok in there? Or I could do a Hawiian tank and get all my fish from Sam.


Thanks,
Mike

[GaryP]

Mike,

I would eliminate the Tangs because those could go into a reef or other community tank. I'm afraid you would have problems with most of the butterflies that you mentioned. A few of the triggers you mentioned could also go into a community or reef tank.

[MikeDeL]

They dont have to be non-reefsafe. As long as I have a few fish in there that arent reef safe I should be ok keeping from wanting to add corals. As far as the butterflys which ones would you suggest I avoid? All but the Pearlscale have a 4 of 5 rating in my book, with the Pearlscale at 3.


Thanks,
Mike

[GaryP]

Mike,

Check with Instar. He's our resident expert on butterflies. He's partial to Copper Bands but is very knowledgeable about many species. He's probably going to warn you off of keeping butterflies in a new tank. Butterflies are going to need a very mature tank. When he answers your question, it would be good to pack a lunch before sitting down to read it.

My thinking on a FO tank is what would I want to keep that I couldn't keep in a reef tank? That's the slant my response was based on.

Gary

[MikeDeL]

Will I have any problems mixing any of these fish? Can I mix Triggers? Can I mix Lionfishes? Can I mix Tangs? Can I mix Butterflies? Will I have any problems with them mixed together? If the biggest problem with Butterflies is the maturity of the tank, I dont have any problems holding off putting one in there until later down the road. I will probably take the clowns and jawfish off the list. What kind of cleaners would be good in a tank like this?


Thanks,
Mike

[MikeDeL]

Thanks for the help so far. I have narrowed down my list some.

*Lionfishes
--Shortfin Lionfish(Dendrochirus brchypterus)
--Red Volitans Lionfish (Pterois russelli)

*Jawfishes
--Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus aurifrons)
--Goldspecs Jawfish (Opstognathus sp.)

*Butterflyfishes
--Threadfin Butterfly (Chaetodon auriga)

*Tangs
--Atlantic Blue Tang (Acanthurus coeruleus)
--Whitecheek Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigricans)
--Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

Triggerfishes
--Niger Triggerfish (Obonus niger)
--Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus)
--Black belly Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus verrucosus)
--Bluechin Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)

How are these selections? Do yall see any compatability issues? What kind of grouping and numbers would yall recomend? This is a list of my TOP choices if yall see others on the list that might be more suitable let me know.


Thanks,
Mike

[CD]

*Lionfish - Personally, I would go with the Red Volitans (Russell's Lionfish). It is not as reclusive as the
Shortfin, and easier to get to accept "dead" food. Not aggressive towards other fish (except
*other* Lionfish).
*Jawfishes - Both of the ones you expressed interest in are better off with docile tankmates. Wouldn't
recommend (personally). I haven't found any species of Jawfish that do well in a aggressive
tank from the books I am referring to for this purpose. (Someone who has tried a Jawfish
in an aggressive, and had success may be better suited to direct that particular issue).
If you are looking for a sand stirrer, maybe a Goby w/b a better choice. Something like a
Pinkspotted Shrimp Goby...they are much more aggressive, and more capable of surviving in
an aggressive FOWLR tank.
*Butterflyfishes - The threadfin is probably a good choice. It is one of the more-aggressive members of
the family, and will accept a wide variety of aquarium foods. Needs a varied diet. Best
chances for survival in a more mature tank.
*Tangs - Atlantic Blue - would probably do well with the fish you are selecting, but a 55G w/b too small
of a tank to keep this fish in (IMHO). Maybe a 100+G, but not a 55G. Same goes for the
Whitecheek. The Yellow Tang would probably be a better choice here. Or maybe even a Brown
Tang (Scopas)
*Triggerfishes - All good choices, but the Picasso would be the least "offended" by the smaller tank size.
Besides, they have the *coolest* personalities!

Just remember, you are not only choosing fish for compatibility, but also to keep in mind the size of each fish when it is fully grown. You don't want them to feel crowded, as it is not a comfortable situation for them, and generally aggressive fish will become even *more* aggressive if they don't have enough of their own space. Oh, also I saw in one of your earlier posts that you may be interested in a Maroon Clown. When we had our 135G FOWLR aggressive tank, we had a Maroon, and it did just fine.
HTHs :)

Wendy

[MikeDeL]

What about an eel of some kind? May be a Snowflake Moray, or one of the smaller eels?

[CD]

I've always thought the Hawaiian Dragon Morays were gorgeous, but they eat fish tankmates. 31.5" max length, and really beautiful! Did you decide on some of the fish inhabitants? That would help on the eel choices.

Wendy