ideas for my 40 gallon tank

[The_Reef_Keeper]

Hey guys I am about start a 40 gallon tank. I need some advice on what fish to chose. It will have coral and inverts in it. Here are some of the fish that i was thinking about putting in (Not all of them)

Ocellaris Clownfish
firefish
longnose hawkfish
flame angel
blackcap basslet
tailspot blenny
yellow prawn goby
hi fin red banded goby
neon goby
yellow wrasse
blue/green reef chromis
Bangaii cardianals

Please give me tips about which of these fish are good and which aren't
thank you so much!:fish1:

 

[scooter31707]

I would take the Flame Angel off the list. IMO, due to their aggression, I would do at least a 70 or bigger. I would maybe drop 2 of the gobies. You may want to be mindful of the Blackcap Basslet as they can be very aggressive to smaller/passive fish and newcomers. I would recommend the Falco Hawkfish instead of the Longnose.

 

[The_Reef_Keeper]

Thanks!

 

[SLOreefer805]

Clownfish are the best choice. They are iconic saltwater fish, will host corals and anemones, and will be active and not really hide. Plus they are great in pairs, eat pretty much any food, inexpensive, and are relatively healthy fish. Nuff said!

 

[CAPSLOK]

Only one of the "shrimp" type gobies. Either would be fine with the neon goby though. And neon gobies are great little fish, so I highly recommend getting one.

Cardinals are fairly low key fish that just kinda hang there - they are also nocturnal so don't do all that much during the day. Though they are visible, they can be boring if you are looking for personality.

Hawkfish will eat shrimp. Also have read that they could potentially be dangerous to very small fish, not sure whether anyone has experienced this or not.

 

[bat21]

Hawkfish and yellow wrasses (any Halichoeres wrasse species) can eat shrimp. So if you want cleaner shrimp or a pistol shrimp to pair with one of the shrimp gobies, I would avoid these fish.

So of your list, for a 40g, I would go with the following for a peaceful community:

Ocellaris Clownfish
firefish
tailspot blenny
yellow prawn goby
neon goby
blue/green reef chromis
Bangaii cardianals

I would just get one of each. Unless you really want a pair of something, I would vote cardinals. But this is already probably pushing the ideal bioload. But just go slow, and see how the tank handles each addition. I would probably start with the firefish. He will be the most timid and will need to pick out a good bolt hole.

 

[cougareyes]

Tailspot blenny, fuuny fish with tons of personality and grazes on your algae. will make friends with your other fish and buddy up so it's fun to watch.

 

[scooter31707]

Yes Hawkfish and Wrasses have the potential to eat inverts, IME if the shrimp is in before the fish, I had very good success. This is why I recommended the Falco Hawk, as they don't get that big and most shrimp actually grows bigger than them.