Fish Stocking Options for 57g

[Rcpilot]

I'm putting together a 57g reef tank with a 20g refugium and an Icecap24 sump. Looking for suggestions about the fish I can put in the tank. This is an old Oceanic tank with 36x18 footprint and 21 tall.

It will be a mixed reef with mainly LPS and zoas. I won't have any softies or SPS. Fish must be reef safe. No eels. No large fish. Nothing that eats my CUC.

I like schooling fish but not sure this tank is big enough. I'm thinking 6 or 8 flame cardinals or maybe some dartfish (ptereleotris).

I want a goby. Either a diamond watchman or yellow watchman or a yellow clown goby.

I'd love to hear the community recommendations.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Do you know the scientific name for the flame cardinal you are considering? If you mean the common Apogon from Florida, they tend to fight one another.
Jay

 

[JCM]

I had that exact tank for years. My stock list was

5x dispar/ignitus anthias group
1x meleagris Leopard wrasse
1x radiant wrasse
1x flame wrasse
1x melanarus wrasse
1x "kwazulu" fairy wrasse
1x yellow tang
1x marine betta
1x geometric pygmy hawkish
2x clownfish
1x potters angelfish
2x firefish

I dont think I've ever written it out before. It sounds overstocked when I do but they were all together for 5+ years. I think I ended up removing the melanarus because it was a bully but everyone else got along well.