New 40 gal tank, which fish to put in?

[wpost2]

Got a 40 gal FOWLR, canister filter, and a 24" light boasting 20,000K. I am looking at the following combinations, and wanted advise on whether or not my fish will work together in this tank, will not outgrow it, or whatever else:
Combination 1:
Dwarf Lionfish
Small Puffer of some sort (is there a puffer that will fit in a 40 gal?)
Snowflake Eel
Combination 2:
Green Mandarin Dragonet (i'd like to get 2 maybe?)
Angelfish (either an Emperor or a Blueface)
Butterfly fish (Longnose)
Cardinal (Pajama)
Tang (Achilles, Powderblue, Purple, or Sailfin)
Inverts (lobster and starfish)

 

[oceansidefish]

OK scratch both of those lists...
No on the first althogether
No on the second for the mandrins (need large well established tank) angel butterfly and tang. Lobsters and stars need established tanks.
Here's what I would go with....
Wrasse: sixline, possum etc....your choice of ONE
Pair of clowns
Pair of cardinals
can alternate a goby or a blenny (starry, tailspot etc)

 

[wpost2]

I'm talking about down the line. I'm not talking about my starter fish to get the tank ready.

 

[subielover]

That's all the tank can handle though. This is not a large tank, so any of the messy eaters (aggressive) won't work

 

[wpost2]

you're telling me 40 gallons can't hold a mandarin, an angelfish, a butterfly, a cardinal, a tang, and a lobster? maybe i should take out the cardinal or the angel?

 

[mboswell1982]

well, the mandarins require special food that a new tank just will not provide for them, the angels you want get wayyyy too big for the size tank your going with, same with the tang to be honest, is this your first tank? if so, you may want to stick with hardy fish, til you get used to it, cause a lot of fish require special care and feeding to be able to keep alive.
the list i would do.
pair of clowns, preferably b&w O. clowns
pair of shrimp gobies, complete with shrimp
mccosker's wrasse
and a pygmy cherub angel

 

[premilove]

why canister filter? i had some bad luck with them on my 75. i was on the verge of a tank failure until i made a fuge. now the tank is running great.
i was told if you use canister filters, change media evvery 2 weeks for SW. that got too expensive for me. i dont even need to do anything for the fuge except empty the skimmer collection cup

 

[mboswell1982]

thats why on my specialty build im going with a 40g custom sump/refugium lol cause of the whole canister being such a pain issue

 

[wpost2]

yes this is my first SW tank, but im not putting in lame fish. i am a smart guy and will do the proper research prior to putting in any delicate fish. i certainly didnt drop ~$1000 to put in a couple of nemo fish and some boring shrimp. if i wanted bland fish i'd have stuck with fresh water, which i've had for years and got sick of. i dont mean to be brash, your advice is very helpful, but if i did all of this work and put in those fish i would be heavily disappointed.
as for the canister filter, was this a bad choice? as far as i have read they are very good filters but just require extra maintenance.
also, would i need a protein skimmer in this case?

 

[robertmathern]

I would recomend getting a skimmer and a good one at that. A fuge is the best wat to go and if you make it yourself much cheaper than a canister filter. But I would not say canister filters are bad if maintained properly. But with that said anything not maintained properly will do more harm than good.

 

[subielover]

Not sure what the problem is with clowns and gobies, and maybe one small angel.

The tank is too small for tangs and any aggressive fish. Maybe you should get a bigger tank if you really want those other fish.

 

[wpost2]

i guess im just pissed because the local fish stores, two in fact, both told me these fish would have plenty of room in a 40 gal. and that goes for my first combination as well. now i am suddenly being told that my tank is not only small, but REALLY small, and that all of the fish i want require a tank of like 75 gal+. you can understand that this is beyond disappointing.

 

[wpost2]

im thoroughly considering returning all of my stuff and starting over. i dont feel like it is worth it to do all of this and then end up with boring fish. i'd like to buy a tank that will fit on the current surface i have available which is 32 x 19 inches. if i were to get a 75 gal or 100 gal tank would i need to replace my Aheim Professional II Canister Filter? if the answer is no i think im going to just return this tank and get a bigger one.
is it possible to get a 75 or 100 gal tank that would fit on my surface? i really don't want to buy a tank with a stand, that is way too pricey..

 

[subielover]

Absolutely, I think most of us at some point have been "taken" by the lfs. Is there anyway, you could return your tank and get something larger? Probably not, but just wanted to ask.
Have you thought of making a reef. That would be really rewarding and a 40 gallon, IMO, would be a great size to start with. You could have a couple cool community fish, and some beautiful corals.

 

[wpost2]

i just bought the tank and i still have the receipt. i can most certainly return it or i will raise hell. im in sales so i can usually sway people. so here's my current situation:
- 30 lbs of live rock - i can keep this in my old 20 gal tank temporarily, with live sand and saltwater
- 40 gal tank - have receipt, can most likely return
- glass top and light fixture - have receipt can most likely return
- Aheim Professional II Canister Filter - i have the receipt for this but i doubt they'd let me return it because it is used for a week now.
so here's the biggest problem..i'm pretty sure I can return everything except for the canister filter. can that filter handle a 75 or 100 gal?
secondly, can i get a 75 or 100 gal tank that would fit on a 32x19 inch surface?

 

[subielover]

Someone else will have to chime in on the canister, as I have zero experience with them. I prefer sump/refugiums for my filtration.

 

[cmaxwell39]

A standard 75 gal has a footprint of 48x18. I know a standard 100 gal is also a 4 foot long tank. I am not sure of the width though it may be 48x24. Something that would be close and may allow you a little more flexibility would be a 65 (36x18 footprint). That is still a little small for the large angels and the tang, but would allow you to look at some of the smaller angels such as a coral beauty or a flame angel as well as some other fish like a foxface instead of a yellow tang. A 65 would give you more options than a 40 gal would. Just some thoughts.

 

[oceansidefish]

If you really spent a thousand dollars on a 40g tank some LR and a canister filter you must have imported it from africa. If you really want the as you say "non-boring" fish you need to scrap everything you have and do a proper set up. 100g plus tank sturdy stand with a sump and a protein skimmer. Or you can use what you have and spend your money on replacing dead fish. I gave you a really good list of fish as did others. You can do other fish than clowns or you could do a frogfish tank.
The tank can only hold a cardinal out of these:
mandarin, an angelfish, a butterfly, a cardinal, a tang, and a lobster?
You need to spend some time doing a little research.... You will really need at the minumum a six foot long tank for all of the non-lame fish you want. A
IMO you might want to stick with what you have for a while and figure out how to keep all the lame fish alive. Especially depending on what kind of puffer you really want. A lionfish would eat the smaller fish you would put in the tank.

 

[mboswell1982]

ok, dude, we're just trying to help and point out that the tank you have picked out is way to small for the fish you want to keep. even though youve been in freshwater for years, as you say, it still takes a lot of time and experience to be able to take care of some of the fish you want to get. its much better to start off with the so called lame fish than to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars replacing fish every few weeks. the dragonets, they require special feeding that only a mature tank will take care of. the others, they're either totally incompatible, or just get toooo big for your tank.
and on the issue of getting a larger tank, if you have the money to drop on this, go with anywhere from a 75-125g tank, build a stand for it, its not that hard to be honest, if you know how to use tools, scrap the canister, get a nice sump/refugium hooked up, honestly, u can do that cheaper than what you would pay for the canister filter lol. im looking at doing a 40g sump for my setup that im planning, and everything im gonna need for it is gonna be cheaper than the canister filter i picked out.
also, what model canister filter do you have? and do you mean EHIEM or aheim? a sump is a lot easier to care for, and the maintenance on it is nothing compared to a canister filter, and a protein skimmer is always a nice addition to any set up to be honest, especially if you want to overstock your tank with fish, you are definitely gonna need a protein skimmer.

 

[wpost2]

what a travesty. i have the eheim professional II. should i try and return this and go with something else? i am beyond confused at this point, as it seems everything i learned from mr. fish expert at the store is null and void. i feel like the first time i bought a car.
also, i have come to the conclusion i cannot get a tank larger than a 40gal, as i simply do not have the room. 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.