40 Gallon fish ideas

[eliaslikesfish]

Hey all,
I have a 40 gallon tank that I’ve had for about 4 months.. I have 2 clownfish, 1 Midas Blenny, 1 fire shrimp, and 1 blue hippo tang (size of a quarter, yes I’m aware she will soon need to move into a bigger tank) just added my first soft corals and they’re doing great… I am wondering if there is any other small fish that I could add while the blue tang is small or if I’m pretty much at the max for a 40 gallon. If I can add 1 or 2 more, are there any fish that weigh more on the colorful side?
Edit: Should I add more of a clean up crew as well? The fire shrimp is the only invert I have currently..

Thanks in advance,
Elías

 

[CasperOe]

A royal gramma is a lovely, peaceful and colourful fish that matches the tank size you have And it's fairly light on the wallet as well..

When will the blue tang move out? You may wait adding more fish, but I don't reckon it will make much of a difference to be fair!

Just make sure you get a good home for him soon, he does not belong in a 40 gallon tank (.. but you know that already! )

 

[eliaslikesfish]

A royal gramma is a lovely, peaceful and colourful fish that matches the tank size you have And it's fairly light on the wallet as well..

When will the blue tang move out? You may wait adding more fish, but I don't reckon it will make much of a difference to be fair!

Just make sure you get a good home for him soon, he does not belong in a 40 gallon tank (.. but you know that already! )

Thank you! I have seen the royal gramma's at my LFS and was thinking that could be a good option..
I plan on moving the tang out once my tank hits the year mark so hopefully 6-7 more months, but then again I don't wanna be cruel.. I know they need and love a lot of space to swim back and forth so potentially even before that year mark.. They're just so pretty haha.

 

[CasperOe]

Thank you! I have seen the royal gramma's at my LFS and was thinking that could be a good option..
I plan on moving the tang out once my tank hits the year mark so hopefully 6-7 more months, but then again I don't wanna be cruel.. I know they need and love a lot of space to swim back and forth so potentially even before that year mark.. They're just so pretty haha.

Do you have a larger tank ready- of so, move him straight away! I know the temptation, but I don't like not being able to offer my pets the environment they need!

Anyhow, back to the royal gramma- go for one of them! They are gorgeous in my mind and fun to watch!

A bicolored blenny might be another good option! Or a cardinal fish of some sort!

 

[jkcoral]

+1 for the royal gramma. Pretty little guys.

I’ll mention a few others:

- orchid dottyback. Affordable and vibrant
- pink streak wrasse. One of my favorites, but they cannot tolerate any aggression from other fish
- possum wrasse. Not very colorful, but neat. Cannot handle aggression
- golden assessor (pretty, but more $ and maybe too much yellow).
- Pygmy angel/cherub angel (maybe)

And I’m happy to hear you plan on upgrading for the tang. It might be small now, but they can grow quickly in their young years. So while it’ll be fine for a bit, sooner is always better for moving up in size! Your Midas blenny will appreciate it too! Those guys can get bigger than most people think!

 

[CasperOe]

+1 for the royal gramma. Pretty little guys.

I’ll mention a few others:

- orchid dottyback. Affordable and vibrant
- pink streak wrasse. One of my favorites, but they cannot tolerate any aggression from other fish
- possum wrasse. Not very colorful, but neat. Cannot handle aggression
- golden assessor (pretty, but more $ and maybe too much yellow).
- Pygmy angel/cherub angel (maybe)

And I’m happy to hear you plan on upgrading for the tang. It might be small now, but they can grow quickly in their young years. So while it’ll be fine for a bit, sooner is always better for moving up in size! Your Midas blenny will appreciate it too! Those guys can get bigger than most people think!

That's a great list there, I have never heard about the golden assessor! I like that one, may very well go for one of these in my tank!

 

[eliaslikesfish]

Do you have a larger tank ready- of so, move him straight away! I know the temptation, but I don't like not being able to offer my pets the environment they need!

Anyhow, back to the royal gramma- go for one of them! They are gorgeous in my mind and fun to watch!

A bicolored blenny might be another good option! Or a cardinal fish of some sort!

I don't have a larger tank yet but I absolutely love this hobby since getting into it so I would love to upgrade my tank size in the future, probably not soon enough for the current blue tang so I'll probably end up bringing her back to my LFS. I'm heading there today actually and gonna look into getting a gramma or maybe one of the wrasse or angel's that @jkcoral mentioned. Thank you so much for the advice!

 

[CasperOe]

I don't have a larger tank yet but I absolutely love this hobby since getting into it so I would love to upgrade my tank size in the future, probably not soon enough for the current blue tang so I'll probably end up bringing her back to my LFS. I'm heading there today actually and gonna look into getting a gramma or maybe one of the wrasse or angel's that @jkcoral mentioned. Thank you so much for the advice!

Best of luck going forward! I was not criticising, just keep in mind the needs that some of these fishies has!

Let us know if you're bringing home something cool!

 

[eliaslikesfish]

+1 for the royal gramma. Pretty little guys.

I’ll mention a few others:

- orchid dottyback. Affordable and vibrant
- pink streak wrasse. One of my favorites, but they cannot tolerate any aggression from other fish
- possum wrasse. Not very colorful, but neat. Cannot handle aggression
- golden assessor (pretty, but more $ and maybe too much yellow).
- Pygmy angel/cherub angel (maybe)

And I’m happy to hear you plan on upgrading for the tang. It might be small now, but they can grow quickly in their young years. So while it’ll be fine for a bit, sooner is always better for moving up in size! Your Midas blenny will appreciate it too! Those guys can get bigger than most people think!

Thank you for the list! I'm going to head to my LFS today and see which of those fish they have and hopefully pull the trigger on one of them.
I appreciate your advice!
Any thought on if I should add more of a clean up crew also?

 

[eliaslikesfish]

Best of luck going forward! I was not criticising, just keep in mind the needs that some of these fishies has!

Let us know if you're bringing home something cool!

I appreciate it, and I understand where everyone is coming from when they talk about tangs needing more space, who would want a living being to be miserable just for someone's satisfaction, right?

One more question for you.. Should I add more of a clean up crew in your opinion? If so what would you reccomend? That is one thing I really haven't looked much into since getting into the hobby.
I appreciate the prompt responses!

 

[jkcoral]

Thank you for the list! I'm going to head to my LFS today and see which of those fish they have and hopefully pull the trigger on one of them.
I appreciate your advice!
Any thought on if I should add more of a clean up crew also?

If your shrimp is the only one currently, I’d definitely add some clean up crew. I personally am a big fan of trochus snails and think they are the best “jack of all trades” cleaners, and they will also breed in your tank.

A Mexican turbo would be good too. Those guys decimate algae.

 

[jkcoral]

That's a great list there, I have never heard about the golden assessor! I like that one, may very well go for one of these in my tank!

They are kinda pricey, but pretty! And they will sometimes swim upside down haha!

 

[CasperOe]

I agree with @jkcoral .

Also, some zombie snails - and i love my tuxedo urchin!

 

[eliaslikesfish]

If your shrimp is the only one currently, I’d definitely add some clean up crew. I personally am a big fan of trochus snails and think they are the best “jack of all trades” cleaners, and they will also breed in your tank.

A Mexican turbo would be good too. Those guys decimate algae.

okay cool, I’ll get some snails… how many do you think I should start with?