Livestock suggestions anyone?? :)

Not really in my opinion. only genus categories that have many many options is wrasse and gobies. Clwons are usually a given. but generally the rst are small, thinner or burrowers. and the wrasse cat is limited as well once you single out non reef safe ones. I mean there are options, dont get me wrong but you guys with the larger tanks have several times the amount of options. and guys with large FOWLR tanks...wow.. have thousands as many options.

(I guess part of this is....., I want a larger tank. lol)

 

there are gobies, blennies, cardinals, damsels, chromises, pseudochromises, clowns, wrasses, some puffers, dwarf angels, anthias, basslets, dottybacks, hawkfish, hogfish, hamlets, goatfish, squirrelfish, and some frogfish. and each individual species in each of those genus. thats a crap load of fish. if somebody doesnt have the funds or desire to have a larger tank they can work just fine with this selection.

 

Lol i'm with you anthony, I walk into my LFS and I want it all haha. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. My fish list is changing by the minute . Any longnose hawkfish owners out there? I love how those little guys look. How do they do with other fish, inverts, corals etc..?

So what do yall think I should get?!

 

What are you talking about dude? Half the fish you just named you CANNOT have in a 40 gallon breeder.
there are only 2 cardinalfish (a fish he mentioned he did not want mind you)that are common. You say Theres "Cardinal Fish" as if its a large category. and the bangai cardinal(endagered bangai cardinal) Is a fish that some will not get morally, which I also believe unless tank bred) and as I said really is a group fish.

Anthias also are fish that get very large and are free swimmers that require lots of east to west swimming space. Only if you keep this schooling fish singular(not recommended) could you consider this. Usually you want 1 male and 3 female maybe 2. this limits your options with other species in a tank that size.

Puffers? Well first i guess if you dont mind a fish that will eat inverts and nip on clam mantles, then be my guest include these. Puffers are not reef safe dude. Only 2 of which mind you are small enough for a 40 gallon tank.

Squirelfish. I rarely see many species of these at the lfs but again never seen one requiring less than a 70 gall tank.

Goatfish?? r u kidding? they require 120 gallon plus min tank size.

Frogfish/anglers are not for the novice aquarist and I would not recommend any type of frogfish with the size of the fish in his tank. They will eat a clown in one swallow.


pseudochromise and dottybacks are the same fish. and I aready mentioned them.

..uhh....No it's not... you act as if each genus has like 100 species of fish, when this is simply not the case. The remainder of your list

Chromis. (Which I already mentioned and also a fish the OP mentioned he wasnt interested in)nontheless i believe there is 3 reef safe species, only one of which requires less than a 40 gall tank and thats assuming you get one single fish of this naturally grouping fish.

Hogfish. again only a handful of species that I know off. and only 1 species acceptable in a 40 gallon or less tank. and that one species eats inverts.

clownfish which he already has. Damsels which are very agressive and a clown which is a damsel in itself.

Dwarf angels. (hit or miss reef safe)

So that leaves, gobys, blennys and the fish the o.p mentioned. . all of which I already recommended to him.
not to mention the numbers game. for instance once you select one of the handful of species or "genus" left, thats it for that species. You cant do two types of clown pairs, or more than 1 goby type or several wrasse etc the way you can in a LARGER tank. Its 1 and done unless your pairing.

Im trying to tell him his most realistic selections. Giving him suggestions. Narrowing where his search should be.... not giving him false info as such included in the comment above. As I stated for the 4th time...Choices are limited compared to larger tanks.

 

If you have stable rockwork, An amazing fish that I love and laugh at a lot is the Blue Spotted Jawfish, an amazing gold and blue spotted fish that loves to burrow and is very comical when doing so. Often times he will poke his head out and when a fish swims by he will open his mouth reaaaaaally wide as if to say "Hey this is mine, mine, get awaaaaaaaaay". They do not move to much and are very docile as well, definatly a center piece to a tank, only downside is the price of $150

 

+1 to inwall. Very good point he had. I was very confused at the way my clowns seemed to dwell in the same spots. Then I found this was in there personality. Clowns look best in an aquarium when hosting somthing imo.

but to his point you will want to pay attention to how a fish swims and not just how they look. You will find that the way in which a fish swims plays a large roll in how natural a feeling it brings to your tank..



My yellow coris wrasse was my last addition. I had been so reluctant at first because I thought there where more visually appealing fish as choices but now Im very glad I made that selection. The wrasse by far is the most graceful looking swimmer I have. Its hard to explian, but the way a fish swims and grazes adds to the beauty in ways phyisical appreance alone cannot.

Inwall is 100% accurate in his post.


I recommend looking into a wrasse. I was unaware of the personality as well. Mine sleeps in the sand bed and has a bedtime even before the lights go out. He dissappears every night around midnight and reappears around 9 in the morn. everyday. Its pretty cool. lol

+1 on the jawfish. extremly cool fish. However, this would eliminate a burrowing goby as an option as not enough sand bed for both. assuming you did pistol shrimp with him. So that would be a choice. Shrimp/goby pair or jawfish.

 

Does anyone own a blenny? Or know anything about them? Obviously I'm looking for a docile and reef friendly blenny. I know this would probably mean I would need to drop the goby off my list, but i'm starting to like blennies more

Also what are some good friendly wrasse species?

 

I have a 6-line, and he's very active swimming in and out of the rockwork. I know other people like them as well.

Do reconsider chromis. I have 2 of them not because they're the best looking fish, but because they do not hide in the rocks, and tend to draw all the other inhabitants out into the open. It's actually very hard to get chromis to shoal in a tank, and one should not count on it happening.

 

if you are going to put information on this site your job is to encourage, not to discourage. many people do great with a small tank it is not at all required to have a large tank. sure there are a lot more fish you can have in a larger tank but there is still tons of selection with a small tank. there are plenty of beautiful fish that are small enough to fit in a 40 gallon. there are definately more fish that can fit than fish that cant.

 

I dont discourage, I inform. As I think i know since ive had a tank his size for a couple years and know what his choices are. I have been suggestful through thread and personal messeges. You obviously are missing the point. If you stop being a pessimistic person youd understand im giving the OP a narrower targeted list to choose from. Which is what he asked for. You on the other hand are braoding the list and misinforming.