Questions on stocking 55g

[Singlemalt80]

Hi I have a 55 with a 20gallon sump i'm turning into a reef tank. Currently I have several softy frags, 90lbs LR and some snails a hermits. For fish,
2 oc clowns
1 royal gramma
1 yellow watchmen

I want to add maybe 1 more cardinal and then 1 flame angel. Is this too many? Can I add more on top of this?

Also I plan on adding 2 cleaner shrimp and a pistol later on.

Thanks

 

[scooter31707]

I would be careful about adding the Flame Angel. A 55g is really borderline for the Flame as it will be the dominant fish in that tank and could cause hell on it's tankmates. Maybe look into some of the less aggressive dwarf angels.

 

[mcozad829]

I agree with above, while I am a flame angel fanatic, they do tend to turn into real jerks in smaller tanks and yours would be borderline.

 

[Singlemalt80]

You think it'll still cause problems even if I add the flame in last? What other dwarf angels would be more appropriate?

 

[mcozad829]

You think it'll still cause problems even if I add the flame in last? What other dwarf angels would be more appropriate?

Last is the only way that I would add a flame angel to a tank that size. But even doing that you may still run into aggression issues. If it would be easy to catch the fish out of the tank and you also have plenty of hiding places and a plan on what to do if it did become a bully then you could give it a shot. I would say it's 50/50 on whether it will bully tank mates, and fyi its also 50/50 whether it will nip corals or not.

I have never owned any dwarf angels other than flames, but I have heard the coral beauty is a little more peaceful than the flame. Perhaps someone with coral beauty experience will chime in and give their opinion if that would be a good dwarf angel for you.

cheers.

 

[scooter31707]

coral beauty can be jerks also. IMO, I still think a coral beauty will be borderline in that size tank. I believe they are a 70 gallon min for them, along with the Flame.

 

[bat21]

I think you can easily add 2-3 more small fish, but I wouldn't do the angel. Clowns and grammas can get pretty territorial at times and adding an angel to roam around could cause some serious trouble. I would only add peaceful fish from here on out. A cardinal is perfect, maybe a firefish. I am a big proponent of pygmy filefish, and possum wrasses. Both are perfect for that size tank, and are as peaceful as fish get.

 

[SFish]

If I were you I'd get rid of the 55. I would change to a 40 breeder or a 75. 55 gallon tanks suck. 12" of space is just to narrow for a decent aquascape. A 40 breeder would only cost you $40 if you don't want to spend a lot of money and if money isn't an issue I would just upgrade to the 75 which is the same size with the added bonus of more width. The 40 breeder also has more width. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Singlemalt80]

Yeah 55 does suck cuz it's so narrow but I got a good deal on tank and stand so stuck with it for now.
Thanks for the replies. Man I'm really stuck on wanting to try the flame angel but really hope it's not gonna bite me in the *** later. Got a few more weeks before I'm gonna add the last fish so well see.

 

[SFish]

I'd sell that stuff and upgrade with the money. You clearly want fish that you should have a bigger tank for anyway. Better off with a 75 gallon tank.