Interesting and active fish

[Sirsmiley9]

I am getting a 40 gallon reef, and as of now i would like to get

2 occelaris clownfish
1 firefish
1 yasha goby/banded goby with a pistol
1 yellow head jawfish
and i want to know if anyone has any suggestions for some active fish because my tank seems to lack much movement

 

[clsanchez77]

I think you have a pretty good list there. Will you have a deep sand bed with rubble for the jawfish? For a 40g, I think you have a pretty good list...maybe a algae blenny of some kind. Not sure I would add anything else.

 

[GatorScott]

Blue green chromis!! Always swimming.

Also wrasses are always moving just watch out for some of the semi-aggressive ones. Because IMHO if a wrasse is semi aggressive that means aggressive lol

 

[clsanchez77]

I personally held off on suggesting wrasses because I though the combination of having clowns in a 40 gallon might be too much. But if you can find a small, peaceful and reef-safe wrasse, that will be a great suggestion. Wrasses are probably the best active open water swimmers, but in a 40, it might be too much for the clowns as they like to own their territory.

 

[Sirsmiley9]

i know that the blue green chromis is a schooling fish would it be ok alone, and with the wrasse i dont think I really want due to its reputation also would the blue reef chromis be like the blue green chromis in activity and hardiness

 

[ncaldwell]

Maybe a Midas blenny and a starry blenny?

 

[Sirsmiley9]

I like the starry blenny but does it stay near the rocks or bottom because I already have two bottom dwellers but would the pajama cardinal/Bangaii cardinal be active

 

[Efranco]

I like the starry blenny but does it stay near the rocks or bottom because I already have two bottom dwellers but would the pajama cardinal/Bangaii cardinal be active

Pajama/Bangaii cardinals like hanging around the top of the tank, at least IME... but they kinda just float there, not very active swimmers

 

[clsanchez77]

i know that the blue green chromis is a schooling fish would it be ok alone, and with the wrasse i dont think I really want due to its reputation also would the blue reef chromis be like the blue green chromis in activity and hardiness

This is hotly debated as really only juvenile chromis are a schooling fish...and its really shoaling, not schooling. The difference being in that they individually maintain their own territories but the territories overlap in feeding. Also, lately, chromis have been coming in infected with Uronema from multiple sources and have a poor survival record in QT. There is an active thread regarding this on the fish disease forum (and was actually the sole reason I joined R2R). So I would stay away from them right now. I have two in my tank and that is the result from QT'ing two batches of six. I have kept seven in a 90 gallon for several years a decade ago, but I just cant seem to keep them today.