Stocking ideas

[TheoneandonlyME]

Im going to build my first saltwater aquarium (with corals) which is going to be 55 gallons. And i need stocking ideas for easy fishand corals too. Im going to do a bit of research on compatibility today so some of my stocking options might sound strange. In there, i would really like 2 mocga clowns, any king of goby and maybe a cheap dragonet. Help me with your magic r2r!

 

[AydenLincoln]

Diamond goby they shift through sand I love mine, a tang is also an option, or a few schooling fish like green chromis. And add a clean up crew that involves crabs, snails, shrimp, etc.

 

[TheoneandonlyME]

Diamond goby they shift through sand I love mine, a tang is also an option, or a few schooling fish like green chromis. And add a clean up crew that involves crabs, snails, shrimp, etc.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I think a tang would be too big so i switched it with a flame angel. Going to add the green chromis too. For the clean up crew im going to just get the basic version. (Which i will search a bit later).

So by far the list is:

-2 mocha clowns
-diamond goby
-a dragonet (if i find a cheap one, my budget is really low
-flame angel
-clean up crew
-5 green chromis

 

[Cool Ethan]

Thanks a lot for the suggestions! I think a tang would be too big so i switched it with a flame angel. Going to add the green chromis too. For the clean up crew im going to just get the basic version. (Which i will search a bit later).

So by far the list is:

-2 mocha clowns
-diamond goby
-a dragonet (if i find a cheap one, my budget is really low
-flame angel
-clean up crew
-5 green chromis

I highly suggest doing some reading about the dragonnets. They are not easy and not recommended for new tanks. They almost always require an established copepod population as most will not eat flakes/pellets/frozen foods.

The flame angel isn't always coral friendly, so keep that in mind. Some people get lucky with one that doesn't care, other people aren't so lucky.

Other popular options that are generally peaceful and beginner friendly:

• Royal Gramma
• Firefish
• Cardinal Fish
• Midas Blenny

 

[shakacuz]

bicolor blenny, yellow coris wrasse, 2 fire fish, 2 clowns, goby/pistol pair would be a good stock list for a 55. keep in mind a 55g is narrow meaning rock work would likely restrict swimming spaces

 

[TheoneandonlyME]

I highly suggest doing some reading about the dragonnets. They are not easy and not recommended for new tanks. They almost always require an established copepod population as most will not eat flakes/pellets/frozen foods.

The flame angel isn't always coral friendly, so keep that in mind. Some people get lucky with one that doesn't care, other people aren't so lucky.

Other popular options that are generally peaceful and beginner friendly:

• Royal Gramma
• Firefish
• Cardinal Fish
• Midas Blenny

bicolor blenny, yellow coris wrasse, 2 fire fish, 2 clowns, goby/pistol pair would be a good stock list for a 55. keep in mind a 55g is narrow meaning rock work would likely restrict swimming spaces

Im gonna mix the two of these.

New and improved list:
-coral beauty
-2 clowns
-2 fire fish
-diamond goby
-clean up crew
-5 or 6 green chromis
(Thanks for the help the both of you).

 

[shakacuz]

Im gonna mix the two of these.

New and improved list:
-coral beauty
-2 clowns
-2 fire fish
-diamond goby
-clean up crew
-5 or 6 green chromis
(Thanks for the help the both of you).

i would cut the “school” of chromis to 3, chances are once they establish their hierarchy there will either be casualties or the others will just hide all the time.

my 2cents

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Diamond goby they shift through sand I love mine, a tang is also an option, or a few schooling fish like green chromis. And add a clean up crew that involves crabs, snails, shrimp, etc.

I like these suggestions but be careful on the tang as many will quickly out grow a 55g.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

i would cut the “school” of chromis to 3, chances are once they establish their hierarchy there will either be casualties or the others will just hide all the time.

my 2cents

I didn’t really know that chromis were that bad? However for myself I think less chromis, but replace them with more fire fish. We absolutely love ours. Groups of 3-6 are awesome.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Im gonna mix the two of these.

New and improved list:
-coral beauty
-2 clowns
-2 fire fish
-diamond goby
-clean up crew
-5 or 6 green chromis
(Thanks for the help the both of you).

The coral beauty is also reef safe with caution. Any angel can be an issue. Keeping them well fed can help but that leads to possible problems with nitrates and phosphates long term. 20 yrs ago my cousin had an ebli and it was perfect in his tank for months maybe even a year. He got too busy and rehomed everything to me. I put it in my reef and it immediately started eating corals. Couldn’t get it caught and lost $$$ in corals. Research smaller tangs? Royal grammas are beautiful and colorful, plus once comfortable they are usually out a lot.
fairy wrasses are reef safe and can add color plus they are swimmers who are out and visible most of the time. So any of these three could be viable options. Just double check mature size on the tangs. I know purple, desjardini, regal blues, get too big for 55.

 

[Derrick0580]

Chromis are part of the damsel family as are clowns, will eventually become aggressive. Add firefish first as they are the most passive. If you want corals, a sand sifting goby isn’t a wise option as it will sometimes bury coral with sand. Maybe a yellow watchman with a randalls pistol shrimp. Look into a royal gramma or a black cap basslet. You want nassarius snails, trocus snails, astrea snails, and a handful of blue legs and make sure u get plenty of extra empty shells of random sizes for the blue legs or they will kill your snails for their shells. A 55 is too small for a tang. A good centerpiece fish for a tank that small would be a midas blenny or something along those lines. Cardinal fish make great fish for smaller sized tanks and aren’t too aggressive and active, just have to watch them with small ornamental shrimp. If you must have a mandarin, save up and get a captive bred one and have your lfs prove it is eating frozen food. I have 3 mandarins in my tank but I also culture copepods. Nano fish are what you want to look into as they are going to be your best bet as a 55 is sort of a tank that is in limbo on size, not big enough for larger fish yet not small enough to be a true nano, so technically you can have a few more fish if they are on the smaller side. Hawkfish are cool to have as they don’t have swim bladders and “perch” on the rocks and watch their surroundings! Dottybacks and smaller wrasses can keep pests in check but add them close to last as they can get territorial. There are a lot of options for small colorful fish, just do your research, google is your friend!