Fish for my aquarium

[Isaiah Langston]

Hello, I am new to the saltwater world and want to get a FOWLR tank. I will get a 56 gallon column tank.

I am looking to get a few clown fish, some dotty backs, a goby or two, a porcupine puffer, a couple dart fish, some anthias, maybe a few tangs, and a mandarin dragonet. Are all these fish compatible? How many fish could I get? How many of each? Is the tank big enough for all of these or do I need to narrow it down? And could I get a starfish? And finally how much $$ would I be looking at per fish?

I am going to put around 50 lbs of rock in. Would that be enough for 1 mandarin? I am not looking to get a sump or a fuge.

What kind of lights would I need? Does it matter?

What kind of maintenance do I need to do and what kind of filter do I need?

Thanks

 

[mjlash22]

Welcome!
Puffer I believe can be posineous when scared, be careful with that. Overall, seems like you have too much on your want list. Tangs, especially, need a lot of space. A 56g may be ok for one small tang, but not several. I would shy away from a mandarin, as they are more difficult to care for and need a well established tank.

50lbs of rock will be fine for your size tank. In terms of the mandrin, see above, plus they need copopods (spelling may be wrong) more than live rock amount. fuge is your best friend for that.

Take a look at the light forum for a lot of information regarding lights. You have tons of options from Halide, T5, LED, Halide/T5, T5/LED. I have used LED on my last 2 tanks. Kessil and currently AI Hyrdas.

In terms of your filter question, do you have a sump? Or is your tank an all in one. Skimmer for sure. I'm also a big fan of carbon reactors. A lot of people like GFO reactors, and there are a ton more types of reactors out there.

Hope this helps calrify some of your questions.

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Welcome!
Puffer I believe can be posineous when scared, be careful with that. Overall, seems like you have too much on your want list. Tangs, especially, need a lot of space. A 56g may be ok for one small tang, but not several. I would shy away from a mandarin, as they are more difficult to care for and need a well established tank.

50lbs of rock will be fine for your size tank. In terms of the mandrin, see above, plus they need copopods (spelling may be wrong) more than live rock amount. fuge is your best friend for that.

Take a look at the light forum for a lot of information regarding lights. You have tons of options from Halide, T5, LED, Halide/T5, T5/LED. I have used LED on my last 2 tanks. Kessil and currently AI Hyrdas.

In terms of your filter question, do you have a sump? Or is your tank an all in one. Skimmer for sure. I'm also a big fan of carbon reactors. A lot of people like GFO reactors, and there are a ton more types of reactors out there.

Hope this helps calrify some of your questions.

Ok, I’m fine without the puffer or tang, I want to see if I can get by without a fuge, sump, or skimmer, as I don’t have that much money to spend, however I still would want a few clown fish, I really want a mandarin, dart fish, a goby or two, and a dottyback. Would that be more reasonable? And how many could I get of gobies, dart fish, clownfish, and dottybacks, I only want 1 mandarin if it is doable.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Krzydmnd]

Ok, I’m fine without the puffer or tang, I want to see if I can get by without a fuge, sump, or skimmer, as I don’t have that much money to spend, however I still would want a few clown fish, I really want a mandarin, dart fish, a goby or two, and a dottyback. Would that be more reasonable? And how many could I get of gobies, dart fish, clownfish, and dottybacks, I only want 1 mandarin if it is doable.

Thanks for the feedback!

Most here will suggest reading up on Mandarin care requirements. They are considered a difficult fish to keep because they require a lot of pods to feed on that just isn't realistic in a new tank. Minimum suggestions are a year and even then that you are confident you can support their dietary needs.

Very beautiful fish so I can appreciate your desire. Chances of surviving more than a few weeks are very low in a new tank unfortunately.

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Most here will suggest reading up on Mandarin care requirements. They are considered a difficult fish to keep because they require a lot of pods to feed on that just isn't realistic in a new tank. Minimum suggestions are a year and even then that you are confident you can support their dietary needs.

Very beautiful fish so I can appreciate your desire. Chances of surviving more than a few weeks are very low in a new tank unfortunately.

Thanks, any other fish you would recommend instead? Any with the colors like the mandarin? Is there any way I could get it sustainable enough for a mandarin? If not that’s fine too

Really appreciate the feedback

 

[mjlash22]

Take a look at liveaquaria.com. They have a beginner's section under marine fish. Take a look around there and see what strikes your fancy.

 

[Krzydmnd]

Thanks, any other fish you would recommend instead? Any with the colors like the mandarin? Is there any way I could get it sustainable enough for a mandarin? If not that’s fine too

Really appreciate the feedback

Blue spotted jawfish is one to consider vs Mandarin.

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Blue spotted jawfish is one to consider vs Mandarin.

Very pretty fish, thanks I’ll consider it

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Would an angle fish be doable?

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Ok, would a clownfish, basslets, dottybacks, cardinalfish, angelfish, firefish, gobies, and jawfish work? Is that too much?

And would I need to get snails or anything else to clean or to get bacteria in?

And how many can I get of each fish if they are compatible, how many would fit in my tank comfortably?

 

[mjlash22]

Depends on how much of each you want to put in. Inverts (including snails) are very typical additions to tanks. No need to put them in until the cycle is complete though. They won't have anything to graize on anyway.

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Ok, I know I sound really stupid, but what exactly is a cycle?

 

[Isaiah Langston]

Depends on how much of each you want to put in. Inverts (including snails) are very typical additions to tanks. No need to put them in until the cycle is complete though. They won't have anything to graize on anyway.

Would 2 of each be good?

 

[Isaiah Langston]

And how many snails and shrimp should I put in my tank after it cycles?

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

@Isaiah Langston, I would recommend reading through this. It will guide you through the setup. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/ There is a lot more info about getting your tank cycled before adding any fish or cleanup crew. Keep asking questions but research through this forum as well. I've had my tank setup for almost 4 years and I still don't feel ready for a mandarin. That is my dream fish but I want to make sure I am capable of caring for it properly. Research, have fun but take it slow.

 

[mjlash22]

@Isaiah Langston, I would recommend reading through this. It will guide you through the setup. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/ There is a lot more info about getting your tank cycled before adding any fish or cleanup crew. Keep asking questions but research through this forum as well. I've had my tank setup for almost 4 years and I still don't feel ready for a mandarin. That is my dream fish but I want to make sure I am capable of caring for it properly. Research, have fun but take it slow.

+1 Please do not take this the wrong way but it sounds like you have a lot to research before comfortably being able to set up a salt water tank. There is a lot that can go wrong if you do not have some foundation in which to start off of. Take some time to read through the sticky threads in the beginners forum and reef discussion forum. This info should have give you the information you need to get the ball rolling! There are a lot of people on this forum that will be glad to help steer you in the right direction so rest assured, you're in the right place!

 

[Maggie321]

You might think about springing $100 for a hang on back protein skimmer. You can keep a tank without one though.

A cycle is a process we go through at the beginning of the tank. You add an ammonia source (fish food, a raw deli shrimp). The ammonia turns into nitrites. Then the nitrites turn into nitrates. Ammonia is quite toxic to fish. Nitrates less toxic and nitrates even less. Your rock and sand will be colonized by bacteria that make the cycle work. "Live rock" is already colonized by this good bacteria. The rock is not actually alive, but has living things in it and on it. If the rock dries out or is put in fresh water, the bacteria die and it will ruin your cycle, ammonia will spike and your fish will die.

I hope that helps. There are many many threads about cycling a tank, just search for them.

Welcome to the salt water world!

 

[Jesterrace]

As mentioned you have a lot of research to do first, but on to the subject of fish: Dottybacks are mean, aggressive little buggers. About the only exception to them are the captive bred orchid dottybacks. As for Angels, there is only one I would consider for a tank of that size. A cherubfish could work, but just know they tend to be on the aggressive side, but they are generally better than the other pygmy angels. Basslets are hit and miss for their temperament.

 

[MamaLovesHerReefTank]

+1 Please do not take this the wrong way but it sounds like you have a lot to research before comfortably being able to set up a salt water tank. There is a lot that can go wrong if you do not have some foundation in which to start off of. Take some time to read through the sticky threads in the beginners forum and reef discussion forum. This info should have give you the information you need to get the ball rolling! There are a lot of people on this forum that will be glad to help steer you in the right direction so rest assured, you're in the right place!

+1 Not trying to discourage you but there is a lot to learn in this hobby. My husband and I went into this knowing nothing. We made a ton of mistakes and trusted the wrong lfs. We lost more fish than I want to admit and spent more money than we should have on equipment that is now sitting useless in our basement. You can have a great tank if you do your research, ask questions and take it very slow. The people here on Reef2Reef are here to help. They want you to be successful. When you do it right and all your fish and corals are healthy, there is no better feeling.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Slow is definitely the way to go. They cycle period is a great time to play with, aquascape, wire management, reading everything lol. it might look boring for a bit but will save you headaches down the road.
I would second the suggested hob skimmer. A good needle wheel skimmer will save you money over other filter options as no media to replace. I use a canister filter on freshwater and media alone is ~$10 a month. And dont get discouraged about a sump. They are a lot easier than they seem and can be done cheaply even if its just a place to hide equipment.

Get your filtration, aquascape, sand or bare bottom choice, settled before narrowing livestock. Then when your ready post your thoughts here

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/n...for-your-tank-post-here-and-well-help.200605/