Starting to think about fish

Hi Guys,

My tank is just about to finish its cycle and I am thinking of adding the first fish in about 2-3 weeks. I have a 55 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. The plan right now is to have a FOWLR with a couple shrimp, feather dusters, and a good CUC.

I know that damsels are very hardy and are good fish to begin with, but I know that they can get aggressive. I am also not sure that I want to keep it. Nothing against damsels at all, but I think that I want different fish. I think that I remember reading that it is best to add your most shy fish first so that they can be acclimated to the tank. The fish that I was looking at were 2 Ocellaris clowns, a small Threadfin butterfly, and whatever else would work. My wife really wants a hippo tang but I know they get big. Do most LFS take back fish if they get too big? Would this be an okay community and in what order should I add them? Thanks in advance!!!

Regards,
Ivy

 

ill take a shot at this somebody correct me if im wrong, if it is a good lfs then they should take it back no problem and offer some store credit.

also clowns, then i would make sure your tank is stable then butterfly from what i have read they are tough to keep then you could get a really small hippo and just take it back when it gets to big

 

LFS: Mine does, you can sell the fish back to them, they will give you some store credit. 2 Clowns would be nice but if they start hosting something ( Powerheads, rocks,sand, etc.) in the tank they will be aggressive as well. I put a damsel in first and then about 3 weeks later added 2 clowns and the clowns chase around the damsel ( Yellow Tail Damsel ) so...it's your ultimate choice. .

 

I'm not too sure if a 20gal would fit the threadfin as they can get quite large. Yes you can add your most shy fish first. I believe that they thrive better when they establish their territory first. But if ur doing this, you need to make sure that your water parms are stable. Another thing you may want to consider is the fact that butterfly fish eat coral.
I guess some LFS' would take back a fish but Idk.
HTH
Cheers

 

Thanks for the information and advice guys. I didn't think about the clowns hosting things in my tank and being territorial. I have to run to the LFS sometime in the next week, so I will ask if they take fish back. If not, I guess I could always look for someone that will take a donation. Thanks again!!!

Ivy

 

The butterfly gets pretty big too, 8", and if you ever decided to go reef you would have to get it out of there. It also might eat some of your inverts too, be sure to look into that. Do you really want to have to fish out 2 fish in a year or two?

Personally I like flasher and fairy wrasses, most of them stay smallish (3-4"), love to swim around, have great color, and are generally good community members.

Have you looked at the pygmy angels, centropyge genus? They would do great in a 55g FOWLR.
Dwarf Angelfish: Flame Angelfish and other Dwarf Angels

 

Thanks for the info. I totally forgot to mention it but a flame angel is definitely on my list to get. I will snoop around and see if the butterfly will eat some of the inverts. Thanks again!!!!

 

i would reccommend the yellow tail damsel...they're only about 5-6 bucks and u can get rid of it after your sure yer cycle is complete....taking a chance on the oceallaris seems like an expensive venture....i would avoid the blue velvet (javanese) damsel though, just removed mine because he showed aggression to my clowns and gramma while they were in the bag acclimating