Good starter fish?

[eatbreakfast]

That top one looks like one of the blue damsels, one of the less aggressive ones. They're a bit nippy, but not horrible, just don't put them with timid things.
Not sure what the yellow one is. Keep an eye on him.

Agreed on info about blue damsel. The yellow damsel appears to be a Stagastes species. They usually arent too bad, but a tick more aggressive than Chrysiptera species.

Favorite easy fish:

Vroliks or Melanarus wrasse ($30-40), Coral Beauty Angel ($15-30), Orchid Dottyback ($25-40), Bangai or Pajama Cardinals ($10), Pairs of fairy wrasses (both male OK, $20-400 lol), Yellow Watchman Goby ($20), Green Chromis ($4-7), Firefish ($10-30), Yellow Tang ($20-40), Yellow Foxface ($20-40), Flame Hawkfish ($30-50), Ocellaris Clowns ($10-30), Black Ocellaris Clowns ($20-50).

I think that gives you every color, several shapes of fish, and they're all pretty hardy in my opinion. I would avoid nearly any other angel, and most other tangs until more established. Even sailfin tangs can be edgy in new tanks. Purple tangs are hardy as snot too (perhaps hardier than yellow) but they fetch $150-300 so I didn't mention them. Buy the above fish and you'll have a neat community.

I would skip the yellow and purple tangs in a 40g as they get too large and have a bit too much personality for that size tank. I would also skip the foxface as they also grow too large for a 40g.

I don't suggest green chromis, they often come in sick.

This is just dependent on how they are cared for in the supply chain. I have found that stores that get them direct shipped rather than through a wholesaler end up with much healthier green chromis.

Consider a rooster waspfish. They're venomous, but not dangerously so, and they only get 3" long. They'll eat very small fish, but they're too small to threaten most things.

Rooster waspfish are certainly a very cool fish, but how dangerous their venom is varies person by person. For most people it is not overly dangerous, but in a manner similar to bee and wasp stings some people are much more greatly affected.

 

[JackFrost3423]

Would it be overkill to add a pair of clowns, a coral beauty, an annenome, and a fire shrimp? I would donate the damsels back to the fish store. All I have in there now that I would keep is the diamond goby.

 

[AdamNC]

I bought a diamond goby today. Let's see what happens.

Make sure you have a lid or a screen top, they like to jump.

 

[JackFrost3423]

I have a lid, he isn't getting out!

 

[3FordFamily]

Agreed on info about blue damsel. The yellow damsel appears to be a Stagastes species. They usually arent too bad, but a tick more aggressive than Chrysiptera species.



I would skip the yellow and purple tangs in a 40g as they get too large and have a bit too much personality for that size tank. I would also skip the foxface as they also grow too large for a 40g.



This is just dependent on how they are cared for in the supply chain. I have found that stores that get them direct shipped rather than through a wholesaler end up with much healthier green chromis.



Rooster waspfish are certainly a very cool fish, but how dangerous their venom is varies person by person. For most people it is not overly dangerous, but in a manner similar to bee and wasp stings some people are much more greatly affected.

forgot it was a 40 gal

 

[Arringar]

If you want to have a better variety of options you should definitely remove the damsels.

That being said, if you intend to keep the damsels you should be safe with some of the hardier pygmy angels like Flame or Bicolor in addition to what has already been mentioned here.

 

[JackFrost3423]

I ate my own words. How did he escape? I found him on the floor this morning.