What next?

[ichthyogeek]

So I'm officially a college student now. Which means that my fish tanks are all back home...but my parents want to add more fish into the 55 gallon reef tank I have. Currently, there's about 40-50 pounds of Pukani/mixed live rock, 2 yellowbelly damselfish (C. hemicyanea), maybe a banggai cardinalfish(?), and the CUC. The left third of the tank is reserved for some sort of burrowing fish/Caulerpa prolifera garden, and the other side is complete reef-ish. Buuut, what should I add? My original plan for the tank was to grow fish out to maturity and take them out for breeding while keeping an aesthetically pleasing tank, so I'd like to add pairs of fish. However, my parents, who control the money, don't want to spend too much on anything aquarium related. What should I add? Here're my thoughts so far:

No clowns. No exception. They all hate me and die on me no matter what I give them and the water parameters. Easy as they are to breed and everything...

Dottyback? I'd love to have a less expensive pair, but it's really hard to get them when they're about to mature...

banggai cardinalfish-been there, tried to do that, and all I get is dead cardinals .

dwarf angelfish? maybe?

Requirements:
Must be relatively cheap (i.e. less than 30$ for a single fish).
Must be able to stand up to kupang/yellowbelly damsels.
Preferably-breedable, or reports of eggs in the tanks.
Preferably-pairable, so as to go with the breedable aspect.
Must be-hardy. Has to be able to withstand non-pristine conditions (i.e. no 0,0,0's across the board on nitrogen cycle). I can only change the water every 3-4 months (yes, I know, y'all are cringing right now) because those are during breaks and stuff.
Must be-hungry. I like fish that actually eat and give feeding responses.
Must be-easily orderable. Since my aquariums are at home, it has to be easy to order the fish through an LFS, since my parents don't trust DFS LA or any other site (for good reason).

Suggestions? I have till Thanksgiving to think about it...and homework crowds out the fishy thoughts most days....

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Any one of the beautiful species of Mollies. They can easily acclimate to saltwater and breed like rabbits. Cheap, oh yah can be had on sale for $1 nomally $2.50 Plus the best part is they will eat algae. There are so many choices when it comes to mollies not only in color but in body design. Check them out I think you'll like what you see.

 

[ichthyogeek]

But aren't mollies mostly freshwater fish that live in the top water column that prefer slow moving water? How do I begin even to get them acclimated to fast flowing water?

 

[joshbrookkate]

When I had to be away from my tank for a few months, i had my daughter look after it. But I did not add anything new during that time. I used this as a time for her to get comfortable learning about reef tanks. So now, she is my go-to gal when I need to be away. But if I had added or changed things (especially with less than perfect water parameters) she would have been more nervous and enjoyed it less.
Why complicate things while you are away at college?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

No, just acclimate the same way you do any fish into your saltwater tank. I squirted 10 ml from a syringe 4 times in 20 mins then put them in. They are both doing fine. They are actually a brackish water fish and they can take full salt of a reef. My salt is at 1.026

 

[ichthyogeek]

It's not really complicating things, just adding another fish or two. I think it would be different if I added a "complicated" invert like a coral or clam, but with fish, I feel more comfortable since I (and be association my parents) have been keeping them for upwards of 10 years.

As for mollies...I'll definitely look into them, do you recommend any varieties aside from tattooed (ethical dilemma) and fat/"heart" mollies (I don't think they'll survive in the tank). Are there any other saltwater fish to be recommended?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Just get any mollies that make you feel good and happy to see. All of them will be fine in saltwater and they will provide you with lots of free live food on a regular basis as they have 40-60 live young. So just whatever color trips your trigger. Also there are swordtails, lyre tails, sailfins and a whole lot more. Each of those has multiple colors to choose from. Of course I'd make sure you get a male and female. While picking out the female get a fat prego one about to pop.