Ideas for 50 gallon stock list

[Curtispants]

I'm looking for some ideas for a tank I am thinking about purchasing. It's 24x24x20 for 50 gallons. It will have a sump/refugium and will house corals of each type.

Fish on my 'wish list' are:

clownfish pair of some type
firefish - either a purple or helfrichi
pistol shrimp/goby pair
mandarin down the line
blenny of some sort - any suggestions?
yellowheaded jawfish - would this be possible with the shrimp/goby pair in the same tank?

Snails, crabs, brittle star and shrimp will make up the cuc.

What can you suggest for my 'main fish'? Obviously the tank size limits me, as does having coral...but I'm sure there's a perfect show fish for this tank that I'm just not thinking about. Would a flasher wrasse be ok in this size tank with the above roommates?

 

[hobbzz]

For blenny I would do a midas. And the jawhead and goby will be fine in the same tank. I had that combo a few times before.

 

[sugardaddy1979]

Check out the lawnmower blenny. Not pretty, but a lot of fun to watch and will usually eat hair algae too.

How about a nice fairy wrasse for the show fish? Probably too short for a flasher. Or maybe you could do Orchid dottyback.

 

[SDguy]

I'd pass on the jawfish... they really like deep san beds

 

[JTJreef]

I have a yellow head Jawfish in my 55g. But they do need a deep sandbed. My favorite fish because of its personality. Fairy and flasher make really good show fish. I have a female/submale flame fairy wrasse. Flasher wrasses stay smaller and are better for small tanks. I'm kinda pushing it with a flame in a 55. I had a lawn mower blenny but had to relocate it. Really aggressive towards goby/ long shaped fish like my Jawfish and shrimpgoby. But it was added first and got more territorial.

 

[Curtispants]

I was trying to avoid a lawnmower blenny if I could, it's just too common. I've had a few before so I really wanted fish you don't see in EVERYONE'S tank, fish I haven't had before, and obviously find ones that will fit this tank perfectly.

I've never had a Midas Blenny and everything was going good until I read this:

The Midas Blenny is an excellent candidate for a reef tank. It is a beautiful, deep golden-yellow with a shadow of blue under the chin and bright, blue-rimmed eyes. When swimming, the motion they use is very eel-like.
This blenny will appreciate a minimum tank of 30 gallons or larger with numerous rocks on which to perch. Sometimes, the Midas Blenny will vex small planktivores and has been known to nip at firefish and gobies. Larger tanks are advantageous as many of the Midas Blenny's aggressive behavior traits seem to relate to a confining tank situation.

Unlike most blennies, the Midas Blenny requires a meaty diet including finely chopped crustacean flesh, mysis and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, along with frozen herbivorous preparations, micro and blue-green algae.

I plan on firefish, and a pistol shrimp/goby pair. Does this mean the Midas is a no go in a 50 gallon? And the BioCube29 is still even a possibility.

 

[sugardaddy1979]

I do hear from time to time that the midas can be a jerk. Usually not as much in bigger tanks, but your mileage may vary depending on the particular specimen you get.

 

[Rea17]

Midas blennies get pretty big too. How about a tailspot or bicolor blenny? They are fun to watch and adorable.