Beginner 65g Tank

[stephvw16]

My husband and I are going to be getting a 65g tank to start a reef tank at home. My husband had a 40g growing up but I have very little experience with fish. We have a toddler who is obsessed with fish too.
We've been trying to find a list of reef safe fish so we can plan out how we want to stock the tank. The only thing we know we want for sure is a percula clownfish (Though should we get a pair? It seems as though most people have them in pairs.). My husband likes Angelfish (lionfish are his faves but not an option in the size I want.) but they don't seem to be the best choice.
Does anyone know of a list of reef safe fish/invertabrates? Or can anyone recommend a good combination of beginner fish? Thanks!

 

[frankthetank]

Psuedos are very colorful... I have a royal psuedo.
Goby's are very full of personality... though they can jump. I've had two jump before.
I think everyone should have a blenny. I love the scooter blenny.
you can really have some fun with inverts. I'm fascinated with them. From emerald crabs, to hermits, to sea cucumbers, lettuce nudibranches, coral banded shrimp (only shrimp you can have in the tank though), cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, and much much more.
There's a few thoughts.

 

[stephvw16]

Oh yeah! I forgot I wanted a cleaner shrimp. How many of those would you have in a 65g?

 

[cooqie]

u should only put 1

 

[frankthetank]

Originally Posted by Cooqie
u should only put 1
Cleaner shrimp?? You can have more than 1.

 

[azfishgal]

I think false perc clowns prefer to be in pairs, so I would buy two. Besides the clean up crew (IMO you can do two cleaner shrimp) mentioned above I would add a Royal Gramma, maybe Bangaii Cardinals (those also like to be paired). Blennie or Goby is a must.

That's just a few ideas. Welcome to the saltwater world. Be prepared to go larger with your tank, it always happens.

 

[ukcats]

Welcome to the boards!
Have you cycled your tank yet? With your husband already having a tank you prolly already know this but make sure you take it real slow with a new tank and ask a lot of questions. Trust me it will save you lots of headache and $$$$$ in the long run. Good luck!

 

[stephvw16]

Thanks for the welcomes! We haven't bought our tank yet (I've been out of work since October...bummer...) but I'm expecting a large loan check this week. We'll be getting one sometime at the end of June I think. My husband is also thinking of building a custom tank as he works in the glass business. We'll see about that though...
We're reading up on the whole process at the moment and I'm figuring out the cycling process. Thanks for the ideas. Keep the coming!

 

[ukcats]

Originally Posted by stephvw16
Thanks for the welcomes! We haven't bought our tank yet (I've been out of work since October...bummer...) but I'm expecting a large loan check this week. We'll be getting one sometime at the end of June I think. My husband is also thinking of building a custom tank as he works in the glass business. We'll see about that though...
We're reading up on the whole process at the moment and I'm figuring out the cycling process. Thanks for the ideas. Keep the coming!
No problem. Since you haven't bought a tank yet might I suggest a 75 gallon instead? That extra foot of width allows you to keep more fish and also a larger array of them. In this hobby size doesn't just matter, it's a pretty big deal!

 

[azul1994]

Once the tank is more established you could go with a Flame Angel, or Coral Beauty.