Stocking Ideas for 55 Gallon

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Optimist1979

New member
Hello all. I setup my new 55 gallon about 3 months ago with LR and a Bubble Magus NAC5 skimmer. It's fully cycled now and now I'm ready to stock it with fish! It's a bare bottom tank with a mesh screen cover and I plan to make it a mixed reef.

Here's my stocking list so far:
2x occelaris clowns
1x Possum Wrasse
1x Yellow Assessor
2x Bangaii Cardinals (tank raised)
1x Fire Shrimp
2x Peppermint Shrimp
1x turbo snail
banded trochus snails

Any recommendations for another fish? I'm pretty much open to anything at this point.
 
I'm sure you'll get suggestions for a small angel as a "centerpiece fish". That's what I would add; but wait a while and let your tank mature. Small angels need lots of mature LR to provide enough algae for grazing.
 
Optimist1979 said:
Small angelfish? So something like a Coral Beauty or Rusty Angelfish might be ok in a 55 gallon mixed reef?
Click to expand...

No dwarf angel is 100% reef safe, no matter what, you are always taking a risk. Having said that, there are A LOT of success stories, and many people have no issues. And I can't say I disagree with the idea of a nice rusty or lemonpeel or a flame even as a "showpiece" fish.

If you decide to go that route, I'd add coral frags slowly, and monitor the angel for some time in between stocking your tank with coral. That way if you do have a nibbler, you won't lose a whole reef tank by adding the angel after you've spent hundreds of dollars on coral. m2c
 
I'm tempted to try my luck with an dwarf angel, but I don't want to risk any coral being picked on. I'm beginning to realize I don't have a lot of choices considering it's only a 55 gallon and it's a bare bottom tank.

What about a Midas Blenny? Or a Ember Blenny? Any chance they would pick on a Yellow Assessor or a Possum Wrasse?
 
My midas blenny is a great fish. It will stay hidden at first and will likely find a hole to be his home base. After a couple of weeks he is out almost constantlyabout mid to upper level in the tank but stays to one side.
 
I'd skip the angel: 20% chance the most reefsafe of them will take to nipping coral. And once they start, there's a problem.

Gobies like the yellow watchman, blennies like the tailspot or starry, or lawnmower; royal gramma (but not with the assessor: they're both basslets, as I recall); wrasses get along with all the above. One chromis. Not all of the above...mix and match: you can have about 4-5 fishes of the size you name in a 55. All these stay close to the same size. Your clowns are likely to be the pushiest fishes in there. Hold off on the anemone until the tank is about a year old. It's tank stability and food chain complexity that will be at issue with a nem.
 
I love my inhabitants so far...

2 clowns - if anything, i would maybe not get clowns next time... they're kind of boring!
diamond goby - great bottom feeder, this guy is always digging in the sand
flame angel - people love the striking color, haven't had any problems with him
yellow coris wrasse - really fun little fish, nice yellow color, he's either 100 mph or zero
mystery wrasse - by far my favorite fish, he swims around the tank like a shark, dodges in and out of rock work, has unique color...

i looooove wrasses
 
Side note! I actually think clowns are kind of boring. If I was going to do it again, I'd probably get two black ice clowns if I were to get them again.

Cardinals can be kind of boring to me too. They look like aliens but they pretty much just sit there.

Shrimp... I love shrimp. I've had a coral banded, fire, and cleaner. The cleaner died for whatever reason (maybe murdered). The coral banded is very active and neat. The fire shrimp pretty much hides all the time. I've heard that's common.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I had a Yellow Coris Wrasse back when I used to have sand. Great personality, added a lot of color to my old tank.

I have to admit, I am bored with Cardinalfish too. I feel like I'm adding them just to fill the aquarium. Not sure if I can substitute them with a goby though since it is a bare bottom tank. Maybe a solitary chromis, like what sk8r suggested? Would it be ok alone?

So now I'm deciding on either a Midas Blenny or a Tailspot Blenny...or an Ember Blenny? ever heard of that?
 
Optimist1979 said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I had a Yellow Coris Wrasse back when I used to have sand. Great personality, added a lot of color to my old tank.



I have to admit, I am bored with Cardinalfish too. I feel like I'm adding them just to fill the aquarium. Not sure if I can substitute them with a goby though since it is a bare bottom tank. Maybe a solitary chromis, like what sk8r suggested? Would it be ok alone?



So now I'm deciding on either a Midas Blenny or a Tailspot Blenny...or an Ember Blenny? ever heard of that?
Click to expand...


Yeah the diamond goby and coris wrasse need sand. Ive heard great reviews about starry blennys.
 
Ok I updated my list. I feel like I could add one more fish to the list

2x Occelaris clowns
1x Possum Wrasse
1x Blue Assessor
1x Midas Blenny
2x Fire Shrimp
2x Peppermint Shrimp
1x turbo snail
several banded trochus snails
1x clam (squamosa)
1x red serpent sea star
1x tuxedo urchin
LPS, softies, montipora caps
 
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