First Fish?

"nemo" / clown fish are good hardy fish. What size is your tank? most people think damsels are a pain in the butt.

You could start out with chromis. Peaceful, cheap fish. I agree with no damnsels. They will harass any other fish to the point of death. If you decide on chromis, getting them in odd #s is suggested. Clown fish would be great for your 2nd addition but we do need to know what size tank you have before making suggestions.

chromis are great. Started my tank like that and still have a small school of them circling my coral with my other fish. Another good starter fish that are a bit more colorful and flashy are certain dartfish like the zebra barred dartfish. They swim in th open almost all the time, colorful, iridescent, and love to be in pairs or small groups. My pair are always together and seem inseperable. However, not all dartfish will tolerate each other. Clownfish are good if your tank is big enough (like 50 gal for a couple). I got rid of my pair because they harrassed my other fish just like damsels do and I had one yellow jawfish go on hunger strike by hiding in his hole until he starved to death.

i have had good results with percs in tanks smaller than 50. i keep some for over a year before shutting down my tank.