Good Beginer fish list?

Ok I know thats a broad title. And probably something thats almost impossible to fulfill. So let me try to narrow it down.

This is the first time i have done a saltwater tank. I havent had a freshwater tank in years. So I need hardy fish. I know I want to eventualy have more reef organisms but it seems like developing a good hand taking care of my fish before i start introducing more delicate things is in order. I pretty much want to start with a clown fish. Seems also that damsels are really hearty. ok so let me give more info.

What i got (not sure whats relevant):
40 gallon tank
2x96 PC fixture
Ramora Protein skimmer
Aquaclear 300/70 mechanical filter
No sump
Couple of powerheads
Couple of heaters

Getting:
40lbs of live rock (from premium aquatics)
40 lbs of sand (live and base)


So I mentioned having the clown fish dream (like most) and I know one day I want the anenome thing

And reading the Concientious Marine Aquarist I got the understanding that I should plan my fish list ahead of time.

So how many should i have?

I thought maybe 5.
So:
As I said the only thing i know i want is a clown (maybe 2 so they can be friends)

What else?

Thanks!!

 

becareful with damsels.
Mated pair of clowns is good.
Be slow!!! I only have 3 fish in my 65 Gallon thats been set up for over 2 years

 

As far as clowns go, most of them are agressive towards each other unless they are paired(mated) or introduced at the same time. The ones with the rounder shape like a tomatoe clown is more agressive then then the longer bodied percula.

A general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per 5 gallons of water unlike 1 inch of fish fer gallon of water in fresh water because saltwater fish are more agressive.

You are on the right track for starting a good tank. You can goto Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums and look under marine fish, they have a beginner section and they also have a tank bred section. Tank bred fish are already adapted to tank living unlike their wild counterparts, tank bred=hardier fish. Also at Live Aquaria they have a chart for each fish saying if they are reef safe or not, how agressive they are as well. I use to always use their site as a reference before I purchased anything locally.

 

Good research on the plan your fish a head of time.
The reason for that is so you know and have seen most fish out there before you stock. This way when you plan you can work out compatibility issues a head of time. A big problem many people have is poor planning. They see a pretty fish and buy it. Then they see another pretty fish and get it also. All impulse buys. Then if there fish are actually compatible they find another fish they like and do not have room for it and then are forced to give up a fish or let them battle it out for themselves and let the strongest survive.

So as you can see if you do your research on the different fish you won't be going into the pet store and getting expensive fish that you are not ready for.

best of luck.

 

With salt, it isn't the number of fish but the size of them that matters with regards to the number of fish you can keep successfully. And bottom fish do count towards the total amount-unlike freshwater tanks where you don't really have to count Cats and Plecostomus' for instance in your count of fish in your tank.
You really want to do alot of research to make sure you choose wisely-regarding temperment, care requirements and husbandry!

 

I generally start by choosing 2 must have fish and then watching the local fish stores for the types they get in on a regular basis to flush out my other selections.

For example, I had to get a clown for my son since he thinks he has got Nemo and I wanted a Mystery Wrasse. My first fish were a O. Clown and Firefish and then I added a Yellow Watchman Goby/Randall's Pistol Shrimp pair and I am going to wait about another 2 weeks before I finally added My Mystery Wrasse from his quarantine tank to my main tank.

I originally wanted a Midas Blenny or a Flame Angel or Flame Hawkfish but got the Goby/shrimp combo because a symbiotic relationship in a fish tank is cool in its own right.

I had plans to add a 4line wrasse but I dont want to chance it with my Mystery so I will not add any more fish and just add a Purple Linckia Sea Star and the Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp who usually resides in my quarantine tank. I then intend to turn my quarantine tank into a refugium with Macro algae and pods. A short light upgrade and then it will be on to corals and at that point I might add 2 clown goby or a Spotted Mandarin and call it finished.

Many will say this fish load is too much but by the time most of the fish reach adolescence There will be a total of 76 gallons, 65 lbs Live Rock and 80 lbs live Sand between tank and refugium, which should be fine for stability and since my fish choices and aquascaping were ment to minimize aggression I should be ok.

 

Hey guys informative as always. I have to say this site has been my daily grind. Thanks everyone for being so good about answering questions and being so helpful to a noobie like myself.

Glen.

 

ooh begin fish huh well first off welcome to the saltwater world it is definetly one of the most rewarding hobby. i started this hobby about 2.5yrs ago, i remember the first few fish that i had they were demsels (all three of them)to cycling the tank, which was a mistake . most damsel are agressive and some are super agressive and i happen to pick out the super agressive one. when my tank was cycled couldnt get them out cause they hide between the rocks got frustrated left they them in the tank and put a nemo in it........poor nemo.......then i had no choice had to take all most of the rocks to catch those evil demsel.

if u are planning on cycling ur tank with some cheap fish get couple of small blue/green chromis the are not aggressive. the thing i like about them too is once ur tank is cycled and u cant get them out of the tank easily just keep them cause they will get along with other fishes. they are not that attactive but if u have room u can add couple more of them to form a school then they will be very nice.

nemo: they can be aggresive too towards each other so plan if u want more than one introduce them to ur tank the same time from the same source and not too much in size difference either.

firefish: they are very peaceful and the are very nice especially the purple firefish again they dont like each other too much get either one or three ur choice. being that u have a 40g just get one for the variaty.

blenny: nice fishes very fun to watch. again one per tank. you might want to consider to have one a blenny cause they eat algaes.

all these fishes very hardy easy to keep cause they except all types of food. there are of course alot more other species for beginners but these are the only one i had kept due to the fact that i have corals and some dont go well with corals. u might also want to plan and ask ur self will u get in to the coral field.

Good luck

 

Great advice from every one! Its good that you are planning ahead and not impulse buying. Just remember that when buying fish you need to take into account how they will impact other inhabitants or future inhabitants of your tank. For example, if you plan on keeping ornamental shrimp, that many wrasses will harass them, if not eat them.

As far as a first fish, I'm partial to Royal Gramma's. Colorful fish, stays small and not aggressive.

A good reference book to buy is A Pocket Expert Guide called Marine Fishes by Scott W. Michael T.F.H. Publications.

Good Luck!

 

Ok so symbotic Relationships are probably someing more exciting to me than anything else. So sounds like I will definately doing the yellow watchman goby/pistol shrimp. Should i count the shrimp towards my 1 inch per 5 gallons equasion?
And i want the clown fish, will probably do a pair. I like animals to have friends makes me feel a little better about keeping them stuck in a tank together.

Symbiotic relationships are awesome. Are there other ones similar to the goby/pistol shrimp that I might want to consider?

But since my tank is so small(i cant belive im now considering 40gallons small, my how your perception changes as you learn) I guess that would be about all i could handle

I see why so many people find the need to grow.

So exciting, you guys have so many good suggestions, I wish i could do them all!! but I understand the need to pratice restraint.