What do you think about this reef community?

[danelam]

I'm trying to plan a community for my 55g tank which already includes a maroon clown. She's quite outgoing and I think she could be quite territorial so I've tried to get a few other more aggressive fish. So in addition to the maroon clown how does this sound:
1 Volitans Lionfish
1 Blue Tang (only a small one)
1 black back butterfly
1 snowflake eel
1 blue flasher fairy wrass
PLUS a cleanup crew

I guess I'll add corals later.

What do you think? Have I gone overboard? Or are there some that are incompatible. I'm unsure about the eel, but wouldn't mind having one.

 

[FinalPhaze987]

The lion will grow large quick and eventually consume anything that can fit in its mouth. The blue tang grows quick as well and even a smaller one requires at least a 6 foot tank with ALOT of swimming room...The rest sound fine to me, just as long as you dont go wild on the clean up crew.. i.e 100 snails, 100 hermits, etc... you know what i mean..

 

[FinalPhaze987]

The lion will grow large quick and eventually consume anything that can fit in its mouth. The blue tang grows quick as well and even a smaller one requires at least a 6 foot tank with ALOT of swimming room...The rest sound fine to me, just as long as you dont go wild on the clean up crew.. i.e 100 snails, 100 hermits, etc... you know what i mean..

 

[danelam]

Do you think a dwarf lion would work? And I guess some false perculas are a no no witht the maroon right - did I mention he's been alone for a year and a half

 

[cindre2000]

The largest Lion I would put in a 55 is a antenna lion; however, even that lion needs to be moved to a larger tank after a couple of years. Your best bet if you don't plan on upgrading is a fuzzy dwarf or standard dwarf lion. Both only get to about 6".

Do you mean a powder blue, regal, or atlantic blue Tang? None of these fish would work in a 55g long term, the regal could be acceptable for a little bit since if you get one of the tiny ones that are so prevelant. However, a tang that small might be a tasty snack for a lion. The only tang I would consider short term for that size tank is a small zebramosa (yellow, purple, scopas, etc), a small bristle tooth, or maybe a tiny regal (however, regals eventually need a much larger tank than either groups previously mentioned).

The minimum size for any of those tangs is a 75g and I feel that is pushing it. Most of the lions larger than the dwarves probably need at least a 120 unless they are by themselves (than maybe a 75g).