The Perfect Fish Set Up - And the Perfect Tang?

[roypersson]

Hello,

I'm all done cycling the tank, building the sump, introducing set up fish (Chromis) and trying my hand at beginner corals (Button, Frogspawn, Kenya Tree). Time to get fish!!!

The specification I have for this hobby is that I want it to be as low maintenance / simple as possible.

Thus...
1) fish with special diets are a no go.
2) fish that will kill snails and crabs are also a no go.
3) It's a small tank (55 gallon) so fish that I am going to have to trade out of the tank in 6 months are also a no go.

So given all the research I'm looking at having...
1 Six Line Wrasse
2 Purple Firefish Goby
1 Bangaii Cardinals
2 Yellow Belly Sebae Clownfish
1 Some kind of Tang

With the exception of the Tang; these fish are pretty hardy, won't outgrow my tank, and eat just about anything (can be kept on flakes if I am away for a week).

But that Tang... that is the question. Is there a Tang that works here? I read a Naso accepts flakes and is hardy but the tank should be over 100 gallons in size. I could always trade the Naso out when it gets larger if I had to I guess.

But I figured I would throw this line up of easy keep fish out there for everyone to critique.

Thanks for the read!

Regards,

 

[NYreefNoob]

1 Six Line Wrasse- can become very nasty and territorial
2 Purple Firefish Goby-known jumpers
1 Bangaii Cardinals
2 Yellow Belly Sebae Clownfish- one of the more agressive clowns imo
1 Some kind of Tang-your tank is too small

But that Tang... that is the question. Is there a Tang that works here? I read a Naso accepts flakes and is hardy but the tank should be over 100 gallons in size. I could always trade the Naso out when it gets larger if I had to I guess

tangs are very hard to catch, and dont buy a fish that will outgrow your tank in months and a naso is definately out of the question for a 55g

 

[LatinP]

Tangs also need seaweed, you said no special diets right? Have you looked into dwarf Angels yet?

 

[roypersson]

So let's turn this conversation around a bit. What 6 fish could I stock my tank with that would not destroy my coral / inverts and would be as low maintenance as possible? I don't mind having to provide special feeding say once / twice a week. But I just don't want a feeding cycle so complicated that when I go away on business for a week that my fish end up dead on me.

 

[NYreefNoob]

you have a canopy of a cover for top of tank ? i am a huge fairy\flasher wrasse person myself,

 

[LatinP]

In a 55 you're really limited, BUT I really like something like:

Coral Beauty Angelfish​

(Centropyge bispinosa)

Pygmy (Cherub) Angelfish​

(Centropyge argi)

Flameback Angelfish (African)​

(Centropyge acanthops)

Bicolor Angelfish​

(Centropyge bicolor)

Lemonpeel Angelfish​

(Centropyge flavissima)

Flame Angelfish​

(Centropyge loriculus)​

​

Dwarf Angels are beautiful fish, better sized than a Tang for your tank and require no special diet, mostly hardy as well. +1 on what NYreefnoob said above if you can get a cover on the tank.
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[albano]

1 Six Line Wrasse- can become very nasty and territorial
2 Purple Firefish Goby-known jumpers
1 Bangaii Cardinals
2 Yellow Belly Sebae Clownfish- one of the more agressive clowns imo
1 Some kind of Tang-your tank is too small

tangs are very hard to catch, and dont buy a fish that will outgrow your tank in months and a naso is definately out of the question for a 55g

+1 Bangaii Cardinal, not really a great choice, either!

 

[basiab]

Keep to your rules. No fish that will outgrow tank.

You can keep only one dwarf Angle in that tank.

Cardinals in general are good. Not sure what the objection above is about. You can have a school of them. Spotted cardinals are also nice.
The six line is also a good one just make him the last one.
A Royal Gramma is a very colorful fish. also needs to be one of the last.

Not sure what you mean low maintenance. You don't have to diaper them. Just feeed them quality food and try to have a variety. Just keep away from those that need special feeding. Most in the hobby don't need special care.
Clowns can be territorial so try for the more peaceful ones.

 

[LatinP]

Keep to your rules. No fish that will outgrow tank.

You can keep only one dwarf Angle in that tank.

Cardinals in general are good. Not sure what the objection above is about. You can have a school of them. Spotted cardinals are also nice.
The six line is also a good one just make him the last one.
A Royal Gramma is a very colorful fish. also needs to be one of the last.

Not sure what you mean low maintenance. You don't have to diaper them. Just feeed them quality food and try to have a variety. Just keep away from those that need special feeding. Most in the hobby don't need special care.
Clowns can be territorial so try for the more peaceful ones.

+1 I didn't mean add all 6 I was just giving you examples of different Angels. They typically will fight if more than 1 of their species is in their territory.

 

[roypersson]

I read that Angels will eat corals (maybe). Is that going to be a problem? I'm planning on focusing my hobby on coral - not the fish.

Thus I just want simple fish that won't over complicate the enjoyment of my hobby; which is being adept in learning / growing various corals.

So given this should I just stick with Clowns, Chromis, Goby, and a Wrasse? Any other good suggestions for fish that take flake and other simple foods? I'm trying to stay away from fish that require me to feed them more than once a day and require me to continually buy a wide variety of foods. Ideally any fish in my tank needs to be able to take dried foods for at least a week in the event I go away on business. Or is what I am looking for not even possible (I'd have to hire a fish sitter?)

Thanks for all your comments thus far. I don't want to buy any fish until I know what the end goal / set up looks like.

Regards,

 

[reefmaniac]

The Cherubs and falmebacks are generally better suited for a reef, They tend to pick at corals the least. I would reconsider the 6 line for some other wrasse. I put a 6 line in my tank 4 months after my melanarus and it still killed it. The yellow coris wrasse is nice as well.

 

[coralnut99]

Chromis will eventually revert to being just another damsel. Without a distinctly larger dominant/assertive fish in the tank, the schooling instinct will disappear and you'll be left with one. The bangaii has much less chance of survival than any tang would. That's the toughest fish to feed on your list. A smaller yellow tang isn't going to outgrow your tank in months. It just doesn't work that way. Scopas and Kole tangs would work too. Be VERY fussy about choosing specimens. No pinched bellies and colors should really stand out. Healthy YT shouldn't have any hint of dull coloring or bumpy texture. There's nothing easier than putting a sheet of nori on a feeding clip. If that's too much maintenance, you're in for a rough ride. The 6-line will do away with some smaller inverts. I bought a tiny one last year and put it in one of my frag tanks, and it's grown very well without ever being directly fed. Don't even consider adding all 6 at one time. A sure-fire path to failure. The tank is too new to handle the shock that feeding all those fish will bring. A 55G is a good beginner's tank. A 90G has a very similar footprint, and will give you many more possibilities as you get into corals further down the line.