New 40 gal tank, which fish to put in?

rotarymagic

Active Member
It appears you want some aggressive fish or stuff that kills stuff... I would recommend the following for your 40gallon... a white or yellow wartskin angler or a rhinopias. They're more ambush predators but use camoflauge to their advantage. I would put more rock in the tank, try to sell the cannister used. If your tank isn't drilled, you could always put a hang on the back skimmer on it. I'm not sure if you've seen the thread in the reef section on the algae scrubber, but I'd check it out as they do export alot of nutrients very quickly and keep the tank clean.
If you really wanted something cool for your 40gallon, you may be able to pull off a bimac octopus, but you'll REALLY have to escape proof it since they can break alot of stuff with ease and get through really small holes. A friend of mine had one years ago that built a castle out of bones (of mice lol) and shells of crabs, etc... it was rather funny. While they octopus may only live a few years, you can help prolong their lifespans by keeping the water really cool i.e. 68F with a chiller designed for this.
If you have any further questions and feel that others may flame you on your thread, please shoot me a pm. I don't bite if you're truly trying to get advice and get set up properly. Best of regards.
 

mboswell1982

Active Member
dude, we are just trying to help, you are the one getting all defensive, a lot of the folks on here have been in the same situation you are, and are trying to give you advice from their own experience, and no one, and i mean no one, wants to see a ton of fish die while you are still learning about all of this man, so thats why we're trying to help you out
 

oceansidefish

Active Member
so, that being said, i think im going to just stay with what i have and essentially trade out the fish when they get too big.
Dude I want you to have a really cool tank, I don't want to flame you. However, that being said. What you are saying is like saying....
Hey, I really want a great dane but I only have a 2x2 yard to keep him in. So when he gets to big I will get rid of him and get another one. Same thing with fish. I am guessing you would not do that with a dog. Even when they are small the fish you want will be to big.
 

wpost2

Member
Originally Posted by mboswell1982
http:///forum/post/2838237
dude, we are just trying to help, you are the one getting all defensive, a lot of the folks on here have been in the same situation you are, and are trying to give you advice from their own experience, and no one, and i mean no one, wants to see a ton of fish die while you are still learning about all of this man, so thats why we're trying to help you out
at what point am i getting defensive? you're forgetting that all of the information i came to this site with was absolutely false. excuse me if im a bit ill-informed and pissed that my expectations of having a tank of lionfish, puffers and eels or a tank of angels, tangs, butterflies, and inverts has suddenly been changed to a tank of clowns, gobies, wrasses, and a super-small angel. wouldnt you be furious?
trust me, i REALLY appreciate all of this advice. it is just a lot to take in, given what i was SOLD and what i was TOLD both being completely bunk. so now im stuck trying to figure out what i can salvage out of this and if it is even worth the trouble.
 

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by wpost2
http:///forum/post/2838281
at what point am i getting defensive? you're forgetting that all of the information i came to this site with was absolutely false. excuse me if im a bit ill-informed and pissed that my expectations of having a tank of lionfish, puffers and eels or a tank of angels, tangs, butterflies, and inverts has suddenly been changed to a tank of clowns, gobies, wrasses, and a super-small angel. wouldnt you be furious?
trust me, i REALLY appreciate all of this advise. it is just a lot to take in, given what i was SOLD and what i was TOLD both being completely bunk. so now im stuck trying to figure out what i can salvage out of this and if it is even worth the trouble.

I can completely understand your frustration, I've been duped before and had to do alot of expensive R&D of my own because of false info.
If you want some killers, get you a 180 or 240gallon tank, that's going to be what you need to pull that off. Its not what you want to hear, but is not a lie either.
Micropredators=dwarf cuttlefish, bimac octopus, anglers/frogfish, scorpion fish/rhiopias. If you wanted to be crazy you could always get a banded krait (an elapid related to cobras that hangs out in saltwater mangroves..) for your tank, just don't get bit and they typically only feed at night.
SWF sells this guy too..
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=4
 

mboswell1982

Active Member
dude, ive actually had a guy working at an LFS tell me i could keep a shark in a 20g long tank, thats how these guys work, they want to sell the stuff, so they will tell you anything in the world to sell things, and while the pygmy cherub angel is small, he's absolutely beautiful, and makes a great addition to any tank, and while i know u dont like the nemo fish, have u looked at all the different varieties there are of those guys? im goin with the b&w O. clowns because i dont like the look of the typical nemo's. if you want man, take a look at my future tank build in the fish only section, complete with diagrams of what im considering doing. and look at all the other builds, people on here have gotten really creative, and all of us will help you do whatevr it is you decide to do, thats what we are here for man
 

stanlalee

Active Member
you cant do much in the way of what you are looking at with 32" to work with (regardless of gallons). If you have a 40g long or even a 30g long (36") you could do a dwarf lionfish, toby puffer and dwarf golden moray eel (if you dont mind a $300 eel). they wont have plenty of room but they'd have the bare minimum. you just cant throw them together in less than 3ft of real estate to roam. needless to say list two even just by a casual look or bio of the fish in question reveal they are too large for such a small tank. List two is 150g territory.
that is basically why most of us with small tanks do reef tanks. No such thing as an interesting/exciting small FOWLR tank unless its species only. If you cant have the large angels, puffers, wrasses, triggers and tangs ect not very exciting. species only small tanks like seahorse/pipefish or dwarf angler/scorpian fish are okay.
 

rotarymagic

Active Member
dwarf golden morays sell for $125 to $150 unless you're buying from a scam store.
the bay of e had many awhile back.
 

stanlalee

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rotarymagic
http:///forum/post/2838342
dwarf golden morays sell for $125 to $150 unless you're buying from a scam store.
the bay of e had many awhile back.
on this site they go for $315 and at DFS in the DD section they have one going for $400. I have never actually seen one for sale in a store.
 

rotarymagic

Active Member
Originally Posted by Stanlalee
http:///forum/post/2839055
on this site they go for $315 and at DFS in the DD section they have one going for $400. I have never actually seen one for sale in a store.
that's a rip off... my LFS sold one for $180 awhile back.
the bay of e... man... cheap cheap, reliable seller.
 

wpost2

Member
so here's what im thinking, now that i've accepted the fact that im not getting what i originally wanted. tell me your thoughts on this combo, and note that they are listed in terms of preference, the top being my favorite:
Coral Beauty Angelfish
Fu Manchu Lionfish? (I'm assuming he will not be able to exist in this tank)
Saddle Valentini Puffer
Yellow Stripe Maroon Clown
Pygmy Yellowtail Angelfish
Purple or Red Lobster
As per the advice I was thinking of going with a coral tank as well. So what of the above can I have plus coral?
Also, what other equipment will I need? Do I need to ditch the canister filter and go with a protein skimmer? What about other things I may need to do?
 

mboswell1982

Active Member
you are gonna need a sump, and what not, if you want, check my build im looking at doing in the fish only section, at the end of the build, its got a list of all im gonna get for my tanks, that should give ya a good idea on what to get for ur set up as well. as for the fish list, im gonna leave that to the other folks on here to help ya out with that one. but, that set up i worked up should help ya a lot for your tank. i scratched my canister filter idea for a sump/refugium, with a mag drive 1800 pump and a protein skimmer in it, so thats prolly the way you should go.
 

wpost2

Member
a sump would be a separate tank, would it not? i do not have a stand and have no place for a separate tank. what about my canister filter plus a protein skimmer? would that suffice?
 

mboswell1982

Active Member
dude, you are really really realllllyyyyyy gonna wanna get a stand, either buy one or build one, im having to custom build my stands, but thats cause my tanks are gonna be custom built, but thats just me LOL but seriously, u can build a nice stand, by lookin through some of the other threads on here an gettin some ideas, and a sump beats a HOB filter/skimmer any day of the week, its less work, less mess, and healthier tank IMO
btw, where are you putting your tank if you dont have a stand for it?
 
Top