Stocking Q's for a 55G Tank

[WackyWM]

Hi, I have a friend with a 55 gallon saltwater aquarium who's moving soon (mid July). He is giving me the aquarium and the fish plus everything else he had with the tank for free. He just brought the tank & some of the equipment by, and he currently has the fish in another one of his tanks. I've kept several freshwater aquariums before, but never a marine tank, so I know I probably sound like a newbie. However, I have done some research, and here's the list of fish he has that I think would work out for my new 55 gallon tank:

(1) Clarkii Clownfish (I think it's a Clarkii, but maybe it's a Sebae, etc?)
(1) Tomato Clownfish
(1) Royal Gramma

He also has afew Damsels and a 2-3" Humu Picasso, but won't the Humu eventually outgrow my 55 gallon and eat the smaller fish? And I don't think the Damsels would work out, due to their small sizes, since I was also planning on buying afew of my own fish for the tank, and here's what I planning on buying to go with the 2 clowns & the gramma:

(1) Coral Beauty Angelfish
(1) Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish
(1) Snowflake Eel

Do you think those 6 would be ok together in my size tank? Or is that too many fish? Also, I'm planning on keeping afew inverts like maybe a Serpent Starfish to help control the waste in the aquarium. What other inverts would be a good choice for me that wouldn't get eaten by the other fish?

Thanks!

[dorkfish]

I would exclude the eel, it will eat your clowns and gramma. Damsel are exceptionaly teritorial, and I would never put tem in a tank that contains anything except other damsels. The trigger (http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=253) won't completly outgrow your tank, but he'll only have about 2" to turn around, assuming you don't plan on having decor in the tank, and I wouldn't risk him with your other fish.

[Fishieness]

the trigger will definatly outgrow the tank
and i agree about having two clowns together. in most cases, it is not a good idea unless you have a very large tank.
some damsels are very agressive, so i would leave that up to you. But it doesnt sound like you will have much room for them.
The eel may prey on smaller fish, but should be okay if well fed, and they are usualy purchased pretty small so it owuld take a while for him to be that size.
i would aslo recomend keeping the fuzzy dwarf well fed with a gramma

[WackyWM]

Ok, thanks for your replies. The gramma is about 2-2.5" long, and I plan on adding the eel & lionfish last. Would it probably still be ok if I got an eel in the 6-10" range and the lionfish 1-2" long, or would that still be pretty risky? BTW... how big do the Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish really get? I've done so much research on them and just about each site says they reach a different max. size. Some sites say they won't get over 6" and other sites say that they will grow up to 9".

Thanks!

[Fishieness]

they will usualy get between 7-10 inches once full grown.
and those 5 fish should be okay as long as you have good filtration. And once the eel and the lion fish get bigger, you do run a risk of your clowns and granna geting eaten.

[WackyWM]

Okay. What inverts do you think would be a good choice for my tank? I know that if I get the eel he will probably eat shrimp, but what about starfish, urchins, etc?

[Fishieness]

Okay. What inverts do you think would be a good choice for my tank? I know that if I get the eel he will probably eat shrimp, but what about starfish, urchins, etc?
starfish and urchins will be fine as long as you get rid of the trigger, which will outgrow the tank anyways.
When purchasing an echinoderm, make sure your specific gravity is at 1.025-1.026. They are very sensitive and need a very established tank. between 6 months to a year at least. Also, when buying a starfish, make sure you dont buy one that needs to graze off of live rock like a linkia or a formia star. A chocolate chip star or other meat eating ones will be good, but will eat corals. If you want corals, brittle stars and serpent stars are just about all you can have. But once brittle stars get lrealy big, like the green ones often do, they can become predetory.

[WackyWM]

Ok, so these 6 should be ok together until the eel & lionfish get bigger?

(1) Clarkii Clownfish (Or should I take this off the list and just get 1 clown?)
(1) Tomato Clownfish
(1) Royal Gramma
(1) Coral Beauty Angelfish
(1) Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish
(1) Snowflake Eel

I probably will add a Serpent Starfish to help control the wastes in the aquarium. Thanks for the invert suggestions. I do not think I will be keeping any coral. I will also start setting up the aquarium in afew days, so I still have time to change my mind on what I want to put into the tank.

(Blue = My friend's giving it to me for free)
(Red = I will have to buy it myself)

[Fishieness]

you hsould take one clown off. And you are going to need a lot of filtration, essepcialy when the eel and lion get bigger.

[WackyWM]

you hsould take one clown off. And you are going to need a lot of filtration, essepcialy when the eel and lion get bigger.

Ok. Which one do you think I should keep? I like the coloration of the Tomato a lot better, but I found out that the Clarkii gets a bit bigger, which would be better for my situation. :huh: Thanks so much for all your help so far. :)

[Fishieness]

i ahd thought that tomatoes get bigger. Up to 5 inches. and i believe only moroons get bigger than that. I know clarkiis do get big though. well if you are correct, which i didnt think so but you could be, your eel or your lion will not be able to eat a 5 inch tomato clown. keep in mind though that they have to grow together. But once they get that big, you migtht have some filtration problems. are you going to have a sump? add more lr? what type of filtration are you goign to have?
all yoru fish will get along fine now, but you might have some nitrate and nitrite issues without proper filtration

[Fishieness]

PS: tomatos are also more agressive, but you look to be oging towards at least a semi-agressive minus the angel and the gramma.

[WackyWM]

Right now I'm not exactly sure what filtration I'll be using since I'm not the one that bought any of it, but I know he has atleast some type of undergravel filter and a Tetra Whisper 30-60 Power Filter. What else will I need? And about the Clarkii, most sites say that they get up to 6".

[Fishieness]

ditch the undergravel filter. It is old technology that doesnt do any good, just traps waste that cause nitrates. Run a lot of carbon in the whisper, get a good protein skimmer, some powerheads, and if you can, get a sump.refugium

[WackyWM]

Ok, thanks. About how much do you think it would cost to buy all that?