Stocking question

I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 Damsels and I'm currently adding my cleaning crew. I want to get 2 Banggai Cardinals and 2 Clown fish. From what I've read so far I need to get rid of the Damsels but is there a solitary type fish that will go well with the Cardnials and Clowns? I'm pretty sure 7 is my limit for a 55 gallon.
I'm not planning on corals yet but would like to have the option later . One of the live rocks I bought had a red mushroom on it so that's a nice bonus.

Thanks for any input.

 

There are many fish that could be added singly to your 55.What type of damsels do you now have? Do you really not want to keep them or are you thinking that you shouldn't?

 

Which damsels and how big are they? FTR, I've had damsels in every tank I've owned and have never had any issues with over-aggression. Given enough rockwork, they tend to keep to themselves and only protect their territory like any other reef fish.

 

After you get rid of the Damsels or change up the rockwork so the Damsels aren't as territorial, you could add some different types of fish, such as:

Gobies
Blennies
Wrasses (Make sure you have a top over the tank)
Dwarf Angelfish
Basslets
Chromis
Firefish
Hawkfish
Jawfish (Covered tank)

Pick some fish that you like from there and we can help you stock

 

I'm not sure what kind of Damsels. They are royal blue are are approx 1 inch.
I like them but I read that they get aggressive with age. I was going to keep them until I saw a problem . So is 7 fish ranging from 1" to 3" ok?

 

+1,there are some damsels that are less aggressive than others and many that are a beautiful addition.

 

NO, IMO, too many fish for your 55 at that point, but I'll be blasted here soon for that opinion.

It's not so much about the fish being somewaht happy, it's about waste export, etc.

 

I respectfully disagree, Todd.

FTR, I have 4 fish- Domino, Three-stripe, and Yellowtail damsels and a Cleaner wrasse in a 20L. I have no sump or skimmer, I feed daily, and I have no issues at all with nutrients. I will add that I run GAC religiously (always have) and maintain a large, diverse CuC.

Stinky Pete~ Of course you can't add them all at once; add 1 or 2, then wait 2 weeks to allow your biofilter to catch up. Also, ensure that you're getting smaller species- adding a tang at 1 - 2 inches won't stop it from reaching 12+.

 

I've had a purple/yellow tail Damsel in my tank since day one! He's as mellow as they come and I now have 11 other fish in there with him in my 75gal. I guess it's a case by case basis. Add a couple fish and see how they react. I wouldn't add much LR in case you do need to catch them at a later point.