Fish List from the Boyfriend! HA!

[Oceanwave45]

So we are going to be making changes regarding the live stock.

We are keeping the following
2 Clown Fish
1 Anthias

However, Mike picked out some fish he wants. I had to laugh because we will not be able to get all of these. Our tank is only 38 gallons.

So I was wondering what live stock from this list would be the best idea. This is what we are looking at! Keep in mind my boyfriend doesn't know much about fish, so he is just picking out the prettiest!

Take a look!

Coral Beauty Angel

Flame Angel

Regal Angel - We really Want

Princess Damselfish

Pacific Jewel

Flame Damselfish Aggressive

Chevron Tang

Purple Tang

Atlantic Blue Tang

Lineatus Fairy Wrasse

Velvet Fairy Wrasse

 

[GK3]

So we are going to be making changes regarding the live stock.

We are keeping the following
2 Clown Fish
1 Anthias

However, Mike picked out some fish he wants. I had to laugh because we will not be able to get all of these. Our tank is only 38 gallons.

So I was wondering what live stock from this list would be the best idea. This is what we are looking at! Keep in mind my boyfriend doesn't know much about fish, so he is just picking out the prettiest!

Take a look!

Coral Beauty Angel

Flame Angel

Regal Angel - We really Want

Princess Damselfish

Pacific Jewel

Flame Damselfish Aggressive

Chevron Tang

Purple Tang

Atlantic Blue Tang

Lineatus Fairy Wrasse

Velvet Fairy Wrasse

Personally I think any tang will quickly get too big for that tank. Also I don’t like damselfish at all because as you said, aggressive. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Orm Embar]

LiveAquaria has a tank sizing guide for different fish; while it may not be authoritative, it looks generally reasonable from what I've seen. I'd agree that you need a bigger tank for tangs . . . and a darn big tank for all of those! Your Regal Angel, per LiveAquaria, has a minimum tank size listed of 125 gallons (10" max fish size).

While LiveAquaria lists 70 gallons for dwarf angels, I'm not familiar enough with them to really comment but that seems a little big for minimum size to me.

 

[Claus84]

LiveAquaria has a tank sizing guide for different fish; while it may not be authoritative, it looks generally reasonable from what I've seen. I'd agree that you need a bigger tank for tangs . . . and a darn big tank for all of those! Your Regal Angel, per LiveAquaria, has a minimum tank size listed of 125 gallons (10" max fish size).

While LiveAquaria lists 70 gallons for dwarf angels, I'm not familiar enough with them to really comment but that seems a little big for minimum size to me.

I know people put them in smaller tanks than 70g but dwarf angels are very active and explore every inch of the tank so i think 70 is actually pretty reasonable, don't think its particularly fair to put one in a 38, just my opinion

 

[Oceanwave45]

Yeah that’s what I was thinking too. Is they any tang or angel that can go into this size tank? The tank sizing differs from website to website

 

[TvanB1]

IMO
The only fish on the list that would be suitable for a tank that size would be the damsels, but they won’t play well with the clowns.
There are many fish that would go well in a tank that size however, such as gobies, hawkfish, firefish, possum wrasses, blennies, cardinals, etc...
I would do 4-5 fish at most in a 38.

 

[Claus84]

IMO
The only fish on the list that would be suitable for a tank that size would be the damsels, but they won’t play well with the clowns.
There are many fish that would go well in a tank that size however, such as gobies, hawkfish, firefish, possum wrasses, blennies, cardinals, etc...
I would do 4-5 fish at most in a 38.

Flame hawkfish might be a good call, similar colour scheme to the flame angel. Always wanted one of these myself

 

[Dsnakes]

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[DSC reef]

If your looking for a dwarf angel look at the flame back. Centropyge ancanthops.

 

[eatbreakfast]

For an angel I would recommend a cherub, they are the smallest in the genus.

The genus Chrysiptera has colorful and peaceful damsel species.

Use this opportunity to get permission for a bigger tank to get more of the fish from the wishlist.

 

[Tautog]

Yep, no angels or tangs, Or damsels
Wrasses, gobies, blennies , stay small for a small tank

 

[Maritimer]

... And among the wrasses, look most closely at the possum wrasses or pink-streaked wrasse.

~Bruce

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

If the cherub angelfish is too plain for you, check out the african flameback angelfish, they're a bit pricier but definitely show some strong coloration and movement in an aquarium.

 

[Mikedawg]

Have you thought about a Royal Gramma? Colorful, peaceful and hardy: would be a good complement to your clowns and Anthias

 

[eatbreakfast]

If the cherub angelfish is too plain for you, check out the african flameback angelfish, they're a bit pricier but definitely show some strong coloration and movement in an aquarium.

I would advise against a flameback for a 38g. They get big enough, and are active enough to be cramped in that small of a tank.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I would advise against a flameback for a 38g. They get big enough, and are active enough to be cramped in that small of a tank.

I've seen reports that they do well in as small as 30 gallons from fellow hobbyists, I understand they are very active and such, but for all intensive purposes both them and the cherub get to around 3 inches in length and it takes a while for them to get that long. My LFS gets cherubs and flamebacks in at around an inch, so there's at least 2-3 years before that angel would outgrow a 38 gallon and odds are OP would upgrade within that time as they got more acquainted with the hobby

Fishbase has them listed at max being 2.9" long and more commonly at around 2.4", relatively the same can be said about the cherub angel you originally suggested (it's actually listed at a max of 3.1"). Based on that alone and my firsthand experience working with these fish at the UWF research aquariums, I would say that they are suitable in a well-maintained 38 gallon system with plenty of rocks to poke around in and explore

But I agree with everyone else, no tangs in a 38 gallon

 

[eatbreakfast]

Fishbase is wrong on flamebacks then, they aren't very reliable for max sizes on many species, if you look. I"ve had full grown flamebacks get to 4.5", whereas cherubs have all stayed under 3".

Also flamebacks and cherubs both have a lot of bossiness for Centropyge species, so given the extra size on flamebacks, I still advise against it for a 38g. You will see other aquarists accounts of their aggression from others that have had them for a few years.