Adding more fish to 40 gallon

[TailspotBlenny]

I’m going to be moving 3 of my fish to a smaller soft coral only tank I’m currently cycling. So I want to add 2-3 more to my 40 gallon LPS and zoa reef. I have a lot of rock work with caves and swim-throughs . This is a 40 lagoon so it’s 35 long x 16 wide x 13 high.

Existing stock list:

Midas blenny
Tailspot blenny
Royal gramma (hides constantly, not due to others aggression as far as I can see)
Springer damsel (very peaceful so far)
Cleaner shrimp

I want fish that swim openly most of the time.

My ideas (3 from this list):

Lubbock wrasse (seeing mixed opinions on 40 gallon size)
Chalk bass
Azure damsel (okay to add with established Springer damsel?)
Blue/green chromis
Black cardinal

Any opinions and advice on these fish with my current list would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FlyinAg]

Skip the chalk basslet and go with a lantern basslet if it comes down to one of those... But you mentioned that you wanted a swimmer and I think both of those like to hang out in the rocks

 

[The_Paradox]

I would think Cardinals. They’re as dumb as Fruitloops even by fish metrics but they are always out.

 

[TailspotBlenny]

I had a chalk bass in a previous tank and he was out all the time. So I’m leaning towards that one. I have heard the assessors are more reclusive.

I’m more unsure about the Springeri damsel accepting the Azure and chromis.

Anyone have a black cardinal? Haven’t heard much about them. May be kind of boring but I like black.

 

[NeedAReef]

love my azure but it was the first fish 2 years ago....not sure it would work in your case never had a springeri

 

[littlefoxx]

Clowns or banggani cardinals (however thats spelled). Both are always out but different swim patterns

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m going to be moving 3 of my fish to a smaller soft coral only tank I’m currently cycling. So I want to add 2-3 more to my 40 gallon LPS and zoa reef. I have a lot of rock work with caves and swim-throughs . This is a 40 lagoon so it’s 35 long x 16 wide x 13 high.

Existing stock list:

Midas blenny
Tailspot blenny
Royal gramma (hides constantly, not due to others aggression as far as I can see)
Springer damsel (very peaceful so far)
Cleaner shrimp

I want fish that swim openly most of the time.

My ideas (3 from this list):

Lubbock wrasse (seeing mixed opinions on 40 gallon size)
Chalk bass
Azure damsel (okay to add with established Springer damsel?)
Blue/green chromis
Black cardinal

Any opinions and advice on these fish with my current list would be greatly appreciated.

Azure and cardinal, Best bet

 

[danenelsen]

I’m going to be moving 3 of my fish to a smaller soft coral only tank I’m currently cycling. So I want to add 2-3 more to my 40 gallon LPS and zoa reef. I have a lot of rock work with caves and swim-throughs . This is a 40 lagoon so it’s 35 long x 16 wide x 13 high.

Existing stock list:

Midas blenny
Tailspot blenny
Royal gramma (hides constantly, not due to others aggression as far as I can see)
Springer damsel (very peaceful so far)
Cleaner shrimp

I want fish that swim openly most of the time.

My ideas (3 from this list):

Lubbock wrasse (seeing mixed opinions on 40 gallon size)
Chalk bass
Azure damsel (okay to add with established Springer damsel?)
Blue/green chromis
Black cardinal

Any opinions and advice on these fish with my current list would be greatly appreciated.

Wouldn’t

• Lubbock’s 40 gallon is probably too small. (Although you could get a smaller wrasse like a Possum)
• Chalk Bass is likely to hide in the rocks for most of the time.
• Azure is a hit or miss with the Springer Damsel.

Would

• Chromis, they can be inclined to disease, but if you can get a quarantined one, it should be fine.
• Cardnals, I’ve never heard of a Black Cardnal, so I don’t know specifically about those, but my Pajamas are always out-and-about.

 

[TailspotBlenny]

Thanks for the advice. I ended up getting a chalk bass and azure damsel. I ordered the black cardinal but unfortunately they didn’t have a healthy one for me so I never got it.

I knew the Azure might be a gamble with the Springeri. The Springeri has been in the tank for a year. The Azure I received is much smaller by comparison. The first day the Springeri chased the Azure into a corner and I was prepared to move one into another tank I have. Luckily he was not nipping his fins and gradually he let him have more space and now he has half the tank and the Springeri has the other half.

I’m happy with the chalk bass so far. He has his little cave but also spends plenty of time out in the open. Beautiful fish. I got the captive bred one and it looks just as nice as the wild one is had years ago. (Hopefully they did actually send the captive bred that I paid $10 more for).

The Springeri also chased the chalk bass around a little but it rarely happens now. Still I would not recommend anyone wait as long as I did to more fish after the Springeri was established. Or of course adding it last would be good.

 

[TailspotBlenny]

Also something unexpected was that my Midas blenny, who I’ve never seen go after anyone, started to challenge the Springeri while he was chasing the Azure. But the Midas doesn’t do that to anyone else. Maybe the Midas is the real boss of the tank? I think he may have been the reason the Springeri stopped chasing the Azure.