help with stocking my tank

[rbby228]

hey guys I've been doing weeks of research and I'm my tank is slowly starting to come together. i would like some help with picking out the livestock with for my tank. as of right now my tank is empty and i would like to have crustaceans in my tank. also i might possibly get corals in the future however that is not decided yet

my tank is a jbj 45 gallon with a tunze 9004 protein skimmer to go with the filters that came with the tank.

this is a list of the fish I'm considering:
snowflake eel
pair of clownfish
black and white clownfish
purple dotty back
dwarf lionfish
diamond goby
saddle valentini puffer or blue spotted puffer
black cap basslet
a reef safe wrasse
blenny

i realize that i can't have all these fish because my tank will be overstocked however I'm hoping you guys can help me pick whatever fish that would be best from the list

 

[Jeff4777]

I would scratch the snowflake eel, keep only 2 clowns per tank not 3, get rid of the dottyback (they are evil little things), dwarf lion fish (will eat your fish sooner or later), and puffer (Puffers don't work in reefs, although some have done it. Those people are experienced and accept the risks with it / understand the stipulations with that. Even then it may have to get removed.)

Especially you mentioning reef and crustaceans.

 

[jraker]

For a 45 a pair of clowns, the basslet, a wrasse (get a flasher wrasse), and a blenny sounds good. As said above, do not do the lionfish, puffer, or eel. They just will not work out. Also do not get the diamond goby. It's main food source is the microorganisms in your sand, so in order for a diamond goby to thrive, it needs a large tank with a mature sandbed, something a 45 won't be able to accomplish. There are some other cool goby options, like a goby/shrimp pair. Add that to the list I said above and you should be maxed out on fish. Hope this helped.

 

[rbby228]

thanks guys for your recomendations. i have a question with buying fish. i know you can order them based on size. is there anything i should know about ordering smaller sized fish? for example if i order a pair of clowns that are small, they should still grow to full size correct? i don't know if when ordering fish the smaller size is due to genetics or the age of the fish. sorry if this is a stupid question.