Stocking a 40

[Chibils]

Planning my build and I want to do a better job with this one than the last one. It's a 48 x 12.5 x 14 inch (120 x 30 x 35 cm) tank of 40 gallons (160lt). I won an acrylic Pro Clear Aquatic sump at a local club meeting that holds about 30 gallons, so it's going to be 40 gallons DT and 70 gallons TWV.

I have a long list of "wants" that need to be pared down to an acceptable level.

wanted: fish in italics are high priority
- wrasse - rhomboid, bathyphilus, or lineatus. not sure what would be best for my tank.
- Talbot damsel - Chrysiptera are the most peaceful of the damsels, and I have been told Talbots the most peaceful of the Chrysiptera. I also absolutely love their coloration. Has anyone ever kept Talbots in groups like chromis damsels? Very interested in this idea.
- cardinalfish - either ORA threadfins or ORA yellow stripes. 3 or 4.
- pearly jawfish - who doesn't love these guys?
- yellow assessor - from ORA of course. Love these guys but if I have to cut someone from the list it may be him.
- Rainford's goby - ORA of course. Had one of these in my 90 years ago and I love them.
- whitespot pygmy filefish - ORA is breeding these now, and fingers crossed they don't eat corals as far as I can see.

I know it's way too many fish, but I've never had any of the above and I'm not sure what their care requirements are beyond the basics. Are any of them too big/active for my tank? Will a fairy wrasse outcompete the rainfordi goby for pods? That kind of stuff. I need to narrow this down to something less bloated. As you can see, buying captive bred fish is important to me, as well as some fish that you don't see in every tank.

Cheers
Scott

 

[jraker]

wrasse - personally, I would go with a flasher wrasse

damel - try and get a starcki if you can find one, otherwise just add the damsel last

cardinals - they will pick each other off. only get one

pearly jawfish - yes I know, they are super lovable. But a tank specifically designed around them would be best. They require a pretty deep sandbed of mixed coarse substrates about 5"-7" deep. They will not do well with more active fish like damsels and wrasses, because pearly jawfish are more reclusive fish. I wouldn't get it.

Yellow assessor, rainsford goby, and pygmy filefish sound good to me.

 

[Chibils]

Thanks jraker. I'm not a big fan of the flasher wrasses. Are the fairies I posted too big for my tank? If so, what what fairies (If any) can you recommend? And why a starki damsel over a Talbot?

I can skip the jawfish. Would one yellow stripe and one threadfin cardinal kill each other?

Lots of questions again - thanks.

 

[jraker]

I don't know too much about wrasses, but I would go with a cirrhilabrus wrasse of some sort. They will stay a little smaller (not over 4").

The starcki damsels tend to be more peaceful, and IMO are much prettier than talbot damsels. A talbot will be fine, just be sure to add it last (aggression).

I don't know too much about cardinals either, but if you add them at the same time they should be fine.

 

[Chibils]

Rhomboids look like they max around 4", and bathyphilus around 3.5". I really prefer the rhomboidalis, but I'm not sure my tank offers enough room for him to stretch his legs. Or even enough for a bathyphilus. Calling on eatbreakfast eatbreakfast here!

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[Chibils]

Is my tank too small for a fairy wrasse? Are there any other wrasses I can keep? Coris or flasher? Flashers aren't my first choice but I'll take what I can get.

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[scooter31707]

Flashers are going to be your best option. Most Fairy wrasses are recommended at 55-70 gallons or bigger.