[jaydm93teg]

Ok guys, 55 gallon tank im goin with 30lbs of TBS rock and 20lbs of other live rock......my tank will be done cycling prob in a week or so.....im wondering i want Fish only with live rock so can people i guess help me make a list of some really cool and bright fish that i can put together in my tank.

also what kind of bulbs (lighting) should i get to be good for my tank that will bring out the color of my fish and such like that.

im thinking my first 2 fish are going to be 2 clowns....help me make the rest of the list thanks guys

[saltjunkie]

some kind of very active, smaller wrasse.. maybe a dwarf lion..
a smaller humma humma trigger, and a small yellow tang.. all would be decent fish...


All of these fish will get too big for a 55 eventually.. and all are heavy big eaters, so your filtration will have to be up to par...

And i am not saying to get all of these,, that would be just too much....

if you want a simple cheap beautiful tank...

buy an ass load of all kinds of damsels..... you wouldnt believe how pretty and active your tank would be!!!!!

[jaydm93teg]

damsels.........hell no. I had 3 damsels to help cycle my tank and all they did was chomp at each other and pick at each other one little mean ass damsel ended up eating the tail fins off of the other 2 and they both died as soon as my tank is done cycling im getting rid of the one damsel left and am gonna pick up the 2 clowns...................would i be able to get a puffer fish?? if so what kind or what is the name of the one i could go with

[Sueet]

Originally Posted by jaydm93teg

damsels.........hell no. I had 3 damsels to help cycle my tank and all they did was chomp at each other and pick at each other one little mean ass damsel ended up eating the tail fins off of the other 2 and they both died as soon as my tank is done cycling im getting rid of the one damsel left and am gonna pick up the 2 clowns...................would i be able to get a puffer fish?? if so what kind or what is the name of the one i could go with

Hi... don't know about puffers, but for color, I would strongly recommend a flame-angel ... They're really bright, beautiful fish, and they're small-ish (bout 4 inches or so full grown), so would be great in a 55. The coral beauty is a pygmy angel too, and is very nicely colored (though darker than the flame angel) but you can't keep both, only one of the pygmy type per tank, or they will fight. I definitely agree with the clowns too, they're great fun to watch, and very personable friendly fish!

[jaydm93teg]

so im thinking 2 clownfish...can i go anymore than 2 clownfish maybe 3 or 4 i really love those fish.....and them that flame angel....maybe a dwar lionfish and then i really want a puffer and a seahorse......what do u guys think about the puffer or the seahorse.........my girlfriend really wants the seahorse so i was gonna try to get one just let me know thanks guys

alos what kind of bulbs do i need to get

[Sueet]

Originally Posted by jaydm93teg

so im thinking 2 clownfish...can i go anymore than 2 clownfish maybe 3 or 4 i really love those fish.....and them that flame angel....maybe a dwar lionfish and then i really want a puffer and a seahorse......what do u guys think about the puffer or the seahorse.........my girlfriend really wants the seahorse so i was gonna try to get one just let me know thanks guys

alos what kind of bulbs do i need to get

Seahorses are VERY fragile creatures! NOT good for a new tank, and NOT good for a mixed fish tank... especially with aggressive fish like puffers or LIONfish!
Lionfish will ultimately probably eat all those smaller fish, they will eat anything that is too small/too slow to get away from them. (And a 55 is probably too small for a lion anyway)

As for multiple clowns... Not in a 55 gal, I would strongly recommend against it. They would probably be ok while they were very young, but as they start to mature, they will begin fighting..... One will become female, one male, and the others would probably end up getting hurt/killed because they were in the 'pair's territory. It would be ok in a much larger tank, where there is room for all, but a 55 is too small.

For a fish-only tank, the lighting is only important in letting you see the fish, so any setup that has either 50-50, or 1 regular white/1 actinic blue bulb would be fine. Some people use all actinic, but that is a matter of personal taste (very very blue).

[jaydm93teg]

so so far the only things on my list are the 2 clowns.....and the flame angel.....what else are descent to put in a tank such as mine??

how much do those actinic bulbs run?? thanks

[Sueet]

Originally Posted by jaydm93teg

so so far the only things on my list are the 2 clowns.....and the flame angel.....what else are descent to put in a tank such as mine??

how much do those actinic bulbs run?? thanks

How about a basslet? They're pretty small, and some have really awesome coloring (like the Royal Gramma) .... also you might want to consider a blenny, but if you get a scooter blenny (which isn't really even a blenny, it's a dragonet)... some of them will not adapt to eating a non-living diet, which means if you don't get one that will eat, it will starve itself to death... Literally. ... Also, if you get a scooter, check the gut before you buy, make sure it is not already starving (lfs' have a bad habit of not paying attention to things like that...watch for severely concave gut area)

For a fish-only setup, any normal fluorescent fixture will work... Probably would want at least 2 bulbs tho, to be sure you have enough light to see by in a 55. I probably wouldn't pay much more than $40, or maybe $50, and you could probably get it cheaper at home depot or some other local place, and just get a blue/actinic bulb to go in it.

[jaydm93teg]

why couldnt i just use the lights that goes on the hood that came with my tank? couldnt i just buy the bulbs the right size that will fit my hood?