40G sps fish!

[kvosstra]

Hello friends: after a nearly 2 year hiatus, I am again setting up my 40g sps reef. The tank will be primarily SPS, no anenome, and few soft corals, if any. In contrast to previous tanks, I am going with about 1/2 the rock I previously used, and my goal is to provide a species tank for a pair, trio, or harem of one fish.

Accordingly, I am looking for suggestions.
Fish NOT being considered.
Anthias (too much feeding)
tangs (tank is too small)


Here are some of my thoughts:
1. Trio or more Royal gramma - cheap, but nice looking fish, fun interaction, but common.
2. Pair of dottybacks - could do magenta's and get a few, or something more interesting like a pair of Mucullochi's
3. Harem of wrasses - please suggest
4. Harem or smaller set of pygmy angels - golden's would be nice, but I am hesitant with the known proclivity for nipping at coral.
5. Group of Apagon's (lepticanthus, or paravalus (SP).
6. Clowns - pair or more?
7. Group of gobies - something like court jester's or other fish with a bit of animation.
8. Pair or group of basslets - something like the yellow assessor, swiss basslet, etc.

Please let me know if you have additional suggestions, or have experience with a particular set. I have have the trio of gramma, dotty's, apagon's and clown's before, this does not weigh for or against them, just that I know about them and their needs from personal experience.

 

[MikeandNicole]

A group of gold assesors would be great in that tank. They are reef safe, hardy and provide nice color in the tank. You can a harem of them pretty easily, and they will not be costly if you get ORA tank bred ones.

Clowns are best kept in pairs.
Any angel can pick and in that sized tank you are really limited to C. argi
Gobies would be nice, but depending on the goby you might not see them. If they are bottom dwellers or rock dwellers they might disapear in the tank and it will look empty. I love my barnacle blennies but even in a small tank you won't see them until you feed.

 

[SecretiveFish]

Personally, I would get 3 chalk basslets and a goby pair (although that may be a high bioload).

I have only had a singe chalk basslets, but it was a very attractive and active.

 

[michael_cb_125]

I really like Liopropoma Basslets. I personally keep L. carmabi and can say they are exquisite reef fish. These are my favorite readily available Lios:

L. carmabi
L. multilineatum
L. latifasciatum
L. mowbrayi
L. rubre

A pair of any of these would be very nice in any reef tank.

~Michael

 

[Toddrtrex]

For that sized tank, I would forget doing any harem of dwarf angels -- the tank just isn't big enough.
For clowns, just a pair. Stay away from the larger/more aggressive ones, they tend to like to move frags.

In my 40 breeder, I have a C. venustus, a pair of clowns (( on Perc, one B&W O )), goby/shrimp pair and a pair of bangaii cardinals. The dwarf will nip from time to time, but have notice no damage and the PE on my Millis is great.

 

[muffe]

+1 on chalk bass. Cool little fish indeed.

 

[kvosstra]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone -
I'm thinking no on clowns - just too generic, and I want to do something different.
I love dwarf angels, and would love to go with a pair, but, I do fear the tank is too small for even these fish. (although many of you have been successful keeping them in a tank this size)
As for multiple types of fish in the tank, I am really staying away from that, this is going to be a species tank.

That, in my mind, leaves the basslets, as I first alluded to and many others of you have stated.

The chalk bass are certainly readily available and inexpensive, but, since I have never owned them - can any of you provide your experience with them, as activity within the tank, hiding, etc.

L. carambe would be nice - but, not sure I am willing to spend $1500 on a pair.
Any experience with L. Swalesi? Are the colors vibrant once they are settled?

Thanks for your thoughts everyone Happy reefing.

 

[michael_cb_125]

Check out these guys:

~Michael

 

[kvosstra]

michael - can you quickly identify each of those 5.