I’m gonna stick to melanaurus or coris depending what my lfs has. If the melanurus grows I can return
This is an cruel and unethical mindset to have. Fish aren’t inanimate objects that you can just dispose of when you get tired of them or their care becomes too expensive or inconvenient. Many fish have long lives, extensive and expensive care requirements, and require adequate size tanks. If you’re not willing or able to provide those care requirements long term (and/or have contingency plans for when they outgrow the tank or you’re unable to care for them), then don’t get the fish. And LFS aren’t a rental service, you shouldn’t be buying fish with the intention of bringing them back to the lfs in a year or two (or less).
What you want or like is secondary to what the fish needs to be healthy and happy. In reading through all of your threads it really seems like the well-being of your fish is a secondary or tertiary concern for you, behind what you think looks cool and how much an adequate tank will cost. Less expensive reef tanks are possible, but there’s no such thing as an inexpensive reef tank, and if you’re going with less expensive, your stocking has to reflect that (ie keeping fish and corals that will thrive despite the lack of better equipment or a larger tank). Given your absurd ideas about aquacultured corals and fish (you say they’re unhealthy, even though the opposite is true, aquacultured corals and fish objectively have better survival rates in captivity), you’d think that the health of your fish and corals would be the top priority. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like that is the case.
Look, I can empathize with being your age and being excited about starting your first marine tank, but you’re aiming way, way above your experience level. And if it seemed like you were really on top of the care requirements for the fish you want to keep, it might make sense, but that doesn’t seem to be where your head is at. You’re going to end up flushing a bunch of money (and fish) down the toilet if don’t reassess your goals and your priorities in this hobby. We all want you to succeed, but you kind of seem determined not to.
