Best beginner fish.

[SkeletalUnion]

Best beginner fish recommendations for a 75L dry rock only tank?
Also should I add any invertabrates?
Regards

[jacob.morgan78]

Assuming the tank is cycled and everything, you should make a list of all the fish you would eventually want in your tank and stock the tank with the least aggressive fish first. Some good first ones can be chromis and cardinalfish. Hope this helps!

You should also put in a cleanup crew. An assortment of different snails would be good. Google "cleanup crew for fish tank" and you should find some sites... your LFS would have some good options too!

[Greybeard]

Good beginner fish: Clowns, damsels, some wrasses, some blennies, chromis, some basslets, some angels... You're looking for hardy, disease resistant fish. There's lots. Try and go with captive bred, if you can... they're more used to tank conditions, and usually do better in a new tank.

Inverts, I'd probably restrict to snails, hermit crabs, maybe a brittle star, cleaner shrimp things like that.

Please, don't put fish in a tank that hasn't cycled yet. It's cruel, and unnecessary. There's dozens of 'Fishless cycle a marine aquarium' pages on the net. Pick one.

[SkeletalUnion]

Thanks for the prompt replies, i also like the idea of captive bred species.

[Sk8r]

Do not put multiple damsels in less than 100 gallons. And do not get any dascyllus type damsel for a smaller tank.

[SkeletalUnion]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Do not put multiple damsels in less than 100 gallons.

Ok, I would have liked a junior pair of clownfish and some invertabrates as I am aware that the tank is technically "nano" and I would just like it simple. Iv read alot about keeping reefs and the idea of live rock seems a bit daunting because of so called hitchikers or things Im not familiar with. I have read also that invertabrates (although a good clean up crew) require more attentive water chemistry even more so? Hermits for example would be great but theres just so much conflicting information everywhere I feel regarding how things should be kept, housed with etc.

[jacob.morgan78]

Originally Posted by SkeletalUnion

Ok, I would have liked a junior pair of clownfish and some invertabrates as I am aware that the tank is technically "nano" and I would just like it simple. Iv read alot about keeping reefs and the idea of live rock seems a bit daunting because of so called hitchikers or things Im not familiar with. I have read also that invertabrates (although a good clean up crew) require more attentive water chemistry even more so? Hermits for example would be great but theres just so much conflicting information everywhere I feel regarding how things should be kept, housed with etc.

It's fun learning everything though! You can have two clowns in the same tank... I think clowns are generally exempt from the damsel rule... I think more than two is frowned upon though.

[Sk8r]

hitchhikers are a lately overblown fear. I have quite a variety of them, most of which are no problem, really, actually desirable; I have aiptasia---they come and go, not being that bad an issue; and the only one I wouldn't relish coping with is, say, a eunicid or mantis, or caulerpa algae, but observing your rocks during cycle and also conditioning them in a prolonged dark warm soak (if not rife with life) is pretty good precaution.
And yes, 2 clowns even in a 30 are ok, if small species.

[SkeletalUnion]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

hitchhikers are a lately overblown fear. I have quite a variety of them, most of which are no problem, really, actually desirable; I have aiptasia---they come and go, not being that bad an issue; and the only one I wouldn't relish coping with is, say, a eunicid or mantis, or caulerpa algae, but observing your rocks during cycle and also conditioning them in a prolonged dark warm soak (if not rife with life) is pretty good precaution.
And yes, 2 clowns even in a 30 are ok, if small species.

Thanks, its good to talk to people who care alot about what there doing and have good experience of it.

[GimpyFin]

A starry blenny would be on my list. Great for smaller tanks, hardy, have hilarious personalities, and possess the best eyebrows in the business.

[QuiGonJay]

+1 on captive bred. Harder to find (except clowns) and a bit more expensive (though not that much IMO) but worth it. They eat well and are very hardy plus better for the reef. I have two tanks, one with captive bred clown pair and orchid dottyback and pajama cardinals and the other with captive bred yellow watchman goby and radial filefish. The ora website can give you an idea of the species available, there are more than you might think!

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[MiataRacer]

I'd recommend a firefish, they don't need a big tank, they're docile, and they're very hardy. I had an ammonia problem in my QT tank for a while, and my firefish was completely fine through it. He's been living in my display tank for months with no problems now. The one thing I would caution is I've read a lot of firefish can be very timid, hide and starve if they're bullied, so you would need to be careful about what fish to put with the firefish. As for the concerns about hitchhikers on live rock, you could try getting some Real Reef rock. My live rock is all Real Reef, and it doesn't contain any nasty hitchhikers.

[Sk8r]

FIrefish are Olympic jumpers: have a jump screen.

My own favorites for a 75 or 50 are blennies and gobies. You have to keep a little phosphate/algae in a blenny tank, but they are great clowns. Also pearly jawfish and yellow watchman gobies.

[Cabo31]

Another vote for clown fish

[TauntingBeef]

if its a nano I would get a couple of yellow clown gobies

[lonbrat]

Originally Posted by GimpyFin

A starry blenny would be on my list. Great for smaller tanks, hardy, have hilarious personalities, and possess the best eyebrows in the business.

I personally believe the lawnmower blenny has the best eyebrows in the business

But I would say a type of algae blenny would be great for the tank like a starry blenny, black blenny,or lawnmower blenny (all eat algae)

Maybe a goby like a yellow watchman.

And you can definitely have clowns, though they don't have near as much personality as a blenny IMO

[mandarin_goby]

Bangaii and pajama cardinals are really hardy and good-looking fish. I love mine.

[cincyjim]

Loved my Lawnmower blenny. Great personality! Definitely a clown, preferably not the aggressive Tomato Clown. As others have said, gobies are very nice too.

[Drblakjak55]

Love my jawfish. Made himself a cave and if I throw in ten pieces of rubble he distributes them around. Very timid around other fish


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[firemountain]

Quick question...is this your first saltwater tank? Do you have a quarantine protocol in place? Are you placing your fish order online....or are you using a LFS? Are you prepared to treat some diseases if they present themselves?

Just asking because the Chromis and Anthias while easy beginner fish....they are know to having been coming in with Uronema lately from LA/DD. I would maybe wait on those fish depending on the answers to those aforementioned questions. Crypto....not horrible disease to deal with....others like Velvet, URonema, etc etc are far worse.

I just don't want to see start off with a bad fish that is disease prone, that infects your DT. You will then have to go fallow. Just trying to help you maximize your enjoyment. Blennies, gobies, jawfish, assessors, are nice starters.

I would invest in a small quarantine tank for observation of the fish. As time goes on, and the more time and $$$ you have invested in the tank, the more you want to keep it disease and hitchhiker free.