40 gallon saltwater tank stocking up list

[whaddisfish]

okay, this is gnna be my first saltwater tank after keeping freshwater for 4 years. Ive spent alot of time researching on all the marine species out there. I think im not gnna keep a fOWLR, but there wont be many corals (Not as much as what reefers do in their REEF TANK) and the corals would be beginner corals. but the problem is i need advice on livestock.

rite now ive roughly came up with my stock list, but it seems overcrowded (in my opinion) so i need help from u guyz to whther cut it down or tell me its fine or anything else to keep in mind.

So heres my rough live stock (i think it needs to be cut down):

1 flame angel
2 ocellaris clown fish
1 yellowtail damsel
1 green banded goby
1 neon goby
1 humbug damsel
2 shrimps and other essential clean up crews

Also plz tell me if some arent compatible with each other and will cause problems

 

[whaddisfish]

oh and i forgot theres also 1 more guy in the stock list:
so heres the new stock list:

1 flame angel
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 yellowtail damsel
1 green banded goby
1 neon goby
1 humbug damsel
2 shrimps and other clean up crews
1- purple orchid dottyback

 

[Fishfriend1]

I wouldn't put two damsels in the same tank... TBH, I wouldn't put any damsels in that tank. They will fight and probably bully the other fish.

If you get two clowns, they should either be a pair already, or you should ask your LFS to pair them up for you.

What kind of shrimp are we talking? Some could be risky to have in a reef tank.

The CUC should consist of a few hermits, some snails, and the rest is optional. Be careful with selecting the hermits, not all of them are reef safe.

Besides that, I think you've made a nice selection of stocking, though I don't know anything about dottybacks.

 

[greech]

1 flame angel - Beautiful fish that will do fine in your 40B but if you do add corals it may nip/eat them. Hit or miss.
2 ocellaris clown fish - No problem and you don't have to buy them as an established pair. Buying 2 juvenile clowns will result in a pair. Others ways to pair them as well.
1 yellowtail damsel - Agree with FF1. You'll likely regret adding this fish.
1 green banded goby - No problem.
1 neon goby - No problem.
1 humbug damsel - See above
2 shrimps and other essential clean up crews - The dottyback may eat these
1- purple orchid dottyback - Could have some aggression against the gobies since the will all hang around the rocks but I think you'll be ok. If you try this fish with shrimp, add the shrimp first and let them get some size on them.

Removing the damsels, I don't feel that you will be overstocked assuming you have a good skimmer and/or stay on water changes. You may be able to add 1 or 2 more small fish like the GB goby/neon goby size. By the time you add the other 5 fish, you should have a good idea on what your system can handle. Other option would be to add a pair of each type of goby.

 

[whaddisfish]

arent yellowtail damsels the most peaceful damsel out of all damsels? and if im planning to add a humbug, it will be the guy to be added into the tank so wil that be okay?
Greech-u sed ill regret having this fish- u mean regret adding it becuz of its coloration or personality or what?
do purple orchid dottybacks spend most of their time hinding in the rocks and dont come out except when feeding? cuz if they do i mite take them out because there is no point adding a fish which is not to be seen regularly.

And for the shrimps there are gnna be skunk shrimps. i havnt looked much into the shrimps so plz giv me advice. i wnna know whats the best shrimp for cleaning up and are reef safe?
Greech-r u saying that i can add a few more gobies to the livestock i have (including the damsels)

 

[Khemul]

There is a type of "yellow tail" that is rather peaceful. What species do you have?
Half the damsel species can be given the common name "yellow tail".

 

[greech]

If this is the yellow tail then I have never seen a peaceful one...

And the humbugs are not known for being passive either. The reason I said you will likely regret it is because of aggression. Lots of people start with these, either to cycle a tank or because they want hardy starter fish and end up having to remove them (often having to tear their tanks apart to do so) so they can keep other fish. If you do end up with the damsels, I would add them last.

I was saying that if you remove the damsels from the list you could probably add back a couple of fish but they would need to be fairly small like the gobies you are looking at. 5 is a pretty good number of fish for a breeder but depending on the size of the additional fish, how well you maintain the tank, how much you feed, etc., you may be able to squeeze in a couple more.

 

[whaddisfish]

the blue yellowtail damsel fish
this guy http://www.google.co.th/imgres?q=bl...7&tbnw=144&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

 

[whaddisfish]

i am planning to add the damsel(s) last. but do u think housing a humbug and a blue yellowtail damsel(the one in the link) will cause any problems? will the humbug bully the blue yellowtail to death. (both will be added last)

 

[Khemul]

Here is the thing with damsels. There are some that are more peaceful. Chrysiptera springeri is generally considered peaceful. Chrysiptera parasema and Chrysiptera talboti do get thrown in there with them also. Talboti is probably correct. The problem with parasema is that they look very similar to about half-a-dozen other species of damselfish. If it is a true parasema it may be less aggressive, but that is by damsel standards. The last damsels I removed from my tank (I still have a bunch of Amblyglyphidodons, which are rather peaceful) were removed for harassing a new dwarf angel. The damsels were half its size.

It is a toss up a lot of the times. You could get an extremely calm one. You could get an extremely aggressive one. You could get a calm one that decides as it gets older that it is breeding time and it should become extremely aggressive. That is why so many people hate damsels. Their aggression grow as they age so you can't tell how they'll be until they've been in the tank for a while (once you put them in a tank it is damned near impossible to remove them without ripping the tank apart). If you know for sure that it is a true yellowtail and not one of the similar looking species then it could be worth a try. I'd skip the Humbug unless you really love them and must have one.