New 40 gal tank, which fish to put in?

mboswell1982

mboswell1982

Active Member
really all you would need is a new light set up, what are the specs on your tank? and ill find u a set of good lights for a decent price, jsut email me and ill email you back with what i find, or have found :p and dude, have u ever really looked at all the reef safe wrasses? they are some of the most colorful fish in the sw world. and gobies are really a must have in a community tank, they'll keep the substrate nice an clean, and keep your fish nice an clean
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Hey man... I agree with what you said earlier. I think you should return everything. Not only were you sold a bill of goods from the LFS, but mainly because you spend a grand on a very mediocre setup. The reality is that if you give me the thousand bucks, I could find you a 125 gallon setup with MH lights and all the fixins. What you described should cost no more than $200-300.
If you really aren't happy with your options on community fish, then do something exotic. Rotary had some good species only options, such as an octopus, cuttlefish, anglers and frogfish. You could also do a seahorse tank. None of these types of tanks are really for beginners but if you get good advice, you could likely pull them off.
Edit... a tank full of garden eels and smaller, colorful fish like damsels would be pretty cool, IMO.
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
Actually, I just recently sold my 225 gallon setup for $700.00.
BTW, there are hang-on refugiums that you may want to have as additional filtration.
 
mboswell1982

mboswell1982

Active Member
have you looked at maybe doing a nano? with the money u spent on that system, if you can get it all back, you can buy an awesome 29 or 34g nano, it comes with everything allready built into it, which is really nice, and they dont take up as much space as your 40g would, and they'll have lights and everything that will handle corals and everything, look at the nano section and you'll see some awesome tanks
 
wpost2

wpost2

Member
so here is my updated situation: i have opted to take the route of "the only way to learn is to make a mistake." i have decided to knowingly walk into that which may be a mistake. im putting a fuzzy dwarf lion, a couple of nemos, a dogface puffer, and maybe a couple of others, likely one angel and not sure about the other. i have read and considered all of the advice thoroughly, and quite frankly here is what i came up with:
i bought a pretty good protein skimmer, i have a canister filter which can work for a tank twice this size, and i just figure hey, lets just try this out. worst case scenario is they outgrow the 40 gallon and ill bring them in and swap for some other fish. either way, that's the route im going, so wish me luck! =P
*waits for mboswell's head to explode*
 
mboswell1982

mboswell1982

Active Member
i know im not the only who's going to say this, but you are acting extremely irresponsible, would u get a dog as a puppy, knowing he'll outgrow the area you have him in, then trade him in for a new one as soon as he gets to big for where you are keeping him?
why get fish that wont work, just for them to die? thats not only irresponsible, but its immature, childish, and downright STUPID and cruel
 
wpost2

wpost2

Member
ahh, there's that predicted childish response......why am i doing this you say? because i did plenty of research and know people who have done this and it worked. i even know someone who had this exact setup, and it worked for 3 years before he upgraded his tank. and the reason he upgraded it was to add more fish, not because they had outgrown it. you are not the resident authority on fish, despite what you'd love to think.
and i dont care how many people think the same as you, because ive already spoken to MANY who have said that this is entirely possible. and also, as ive already pointed out, the worst case scenario is that i bring the fish back in and trade them. and as for your comparison of this notion of returning fish to dogs, this is maybe one of the silliest things ive ever heard. i love dogs and i love fish, but to say that buying a new fish is anywhere near equal to buying a new dog is not only comical but simply ridiculous. and im not just going to toss them in and say okay, have fun guys! if i see any of them stressing out ill abort the plan. im not the "immature, childish, and downright STUPID and cruel" person you'd love for me to be.
your opinion is no longer appreciated, though i welcome other people's input. your idea of putting a couple of wrasses and gobies in a 40 gallon tank is beyond me. dont bother typing anything (since i know you know everything there is to know) to me because i wont be responding.
 
mboswell1982

mboswell1982

Active Member
i could honestly care less how you feel about me, and i will type here if i feel like it, just to let u know exactly what i think of what you are doing, and how utterly messed up it is.
and as for being childish? childish is doing something that is liable to kill a fish for no good reason than you being too stubborn to listen to all of the experts, i know im not an expert, but, i do apparently know more than you do, and while im not an expert, and do NOT claim to be one, i do apparently have one quality that you surely donot, and that is, i LISTEN to the people who quite OBVIOUSLY know more than i do.
 
crimzy

crimzy

Active Member
So you posted a thread asking for stocking recommendations... and then ignored every recommendation offered and decided to add inappropriate fish anyway??? Apparently you just started this thread so that people would agree that you can put any fish in any tank and there's no problem.
A dogface puffer in a 40 gallon tank?
Good luck with that.
You suggest that you will simply get rid of the fish when they outgrow your tank. What you should realize is that your fish will not tell you when they've outgrown your tank. They simply get sick and die.
Good luck with your setup. There have been lots of newbs like you who don't last long in this hobby. But not to worry, when you lose fish and throw more money away, it won't be long before you pack it up. Then me, or someone else like me will offer you pennies on the dollar for your setup.
 
premilove

premilove

Active Member
test your water. post parameters. how long did your tank cycle? what testing kit are you using? you said your rock was in a 20 gal tank, how many pounds of rock do you have? what are you using for water flow? where are you getting your saltwater from?
DUDE this is going to happen
1. you get the dwarf lion and pair of clowns, dwarf lion doesnt eat anything and dies. Alot of dwarfs will not eat in captivity. IF you do buy a dwarf make sure he is eating first. tell your scamming LFS to feed the dwarf in front of you.
2. dwarf lion eats clowns and inverts. Sounds like you did not do your research. dwarfs will eat anything they can fit in their mouth. Even though u think you have enough hiding spots, but if the dwarf is on his hunt, he will wait outside the hiding spot and eat your fish. if you get a dwarf, be sure to get another fish bigger than that. LFS are liars unless you go to Ocean gallery in Jersey. a LFS told me that i can keep SPS under pc lighting. LFS told me that i can keep a volitan lion in a 28 gal nano.
you need to understand something. CANISTER FILTERS SUCK. be prepared to change media every 2 weeks. you are upset about 1000? man check craigslist and other forums. u could have gotten a 265+ complete setup for that much. I do not know why you intended on saltwater if you didnt think you were going to spend that much. Fresh water is a lot cheaper. get some pirannha.
scratch the cfanister filter, you can still return it if its after a week even though it is used. if you cant, your LFS ripped you off. Even though they already did.
Get a CPR HOB refugium, get a aqua C remora HOB protein skimmer. TRust me that is more than enough. The light fixture you have, is it metal halide?
you said the worst case scenario, bring the fish back and trade them. from a LFS THAT MEANS THE FISH WILL NOT SURVIVE.
looks like u have never had a salt water tank setup before. you have a 20 gal tank as you stated. start with that then move up to 40. i started with a 29 hex, sold the hex bought my nano which is awesome, bought a 75 gal, now working on my 150 and i still think i am not ready for the 150. everyone on here has ALOT of experience. i guarantee they know alot more than you do since you want to keep predator fish in your tank with smaller fish and expect no one to die. They all have been thru the worst case scenario. Chances are - you stick with your canister filter, and watch the nitrates build up. you will stop changing media and get massive hair algae. THAT HAPPENED TO ME. I WENT THRU THE CANISTER FILTERS THEY SUCK. crimzy, rotary, mbosswell, they all know what they are doing. and when they dont, THEY LISTEN TO ADVICE. i regularly take their input when it comes to making decisions. Go ahead continue with the setup that you have, go thru a tank collapse. We will see in SWF "Help me my dwarf lion ate my fish!" "HELP HAIR ALGAE EVERYWHERE!" "HELP NITRATES WONT DISSAPEAR!" "HELP IDK WHAT I AM DOING!?!" "HELP I GOT STUNG BY MY LIONFISH!" i am surprised that rotary didnt post here giving his smartarse comments. lol jk rotary.
listen to others, they have all been thru experiences you couldnt even think about. I gave you suggestions that I think ytou should follow. keep a dwarf lion, by all means do not get a fu manchu they require experts, not someone who wants to put a lion with fish smaller than his mouth. sounds like your LFS loves making money off of you.
GO SLOW.
 
wpost2

wpost2

Member
its a 40 gal, not a 20 gal. i have a canister and a skimmer, heater, and solid lights.
i've scratched the dogface in lieu of the valentini. im sticking with the fuzzy dwarf though, and will make sure he eats in front of me before i buy him. other than that im doing a dwarf flame angel and a pair of nemo.
valentini: min tank 20 gal
fuzzy dwarf lion: min tank 30 gal
flame dwarf angel: min tank 20 gal
nemo: min tank 20 gal
 
locoyo386

locoyo386

Member
HI there,
Few things;
1.) Don't get mad at anyone here for the comments they post, cause they are only trying to help you and the fish you are trying to put in a 40g tank.
2.)I think you should have research SW fish first before buying a tank, cause that's the same mistake I made. Now I am trying to upgrade to 100g or bigger tank.
3.)I really hope you come to the conclusion (upon researching fish) that a 40g tank is just simply too small for most of the fish you listed. I been there and lost alot of time, money, but even worse lots of nice fish. Believe me when I say it's sad to loose fish to some dum idea (I thought that I would be able to do what everyones says is not possible, figuered "I am an engineer pretty smart, I could do it". The thing I learned was that It was not me, It's just the tank is too small to house that type of fish.
4.)Take your 40g and use it to house the proper fish for that size tank. I will now put 2-clowns and some Demsals. The ones I used to cycle the tank. I had them for couple months and they werent aggressive to the clown I had.
5.)Personal experience, I had a dwarf lion fish (did not worked out). I had a puffer (did not worked out). The most stupid mistake was putting in a powder blues tang (did not worked out). I had a false lemonpeel (did not worked out). Need I continue with the list?
6.)No one here is trying to tell you what to do, but you did ask for their opinnion, thus they gave you their opinnions. I hope you do consider everything posted. If you do decide to your thing, good luck.
 
wpost2

wpost2

Member
only reason i am somewhat angry is that people like mboswell are condescending to the utmost degree. as meowzer pointed out in his post "Doomed Newbies" https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=340884 it is really irritating when you get conflicting information from various sources, both citing the other to be not only wrong, but COMPLETELY wrong. so i then come here with the updated information i receive from other sources only to be talked down to as though i am an idiot who needs to research before i do anything. i just simply got sick of listening to it, because as of this moment i have no fish in my tank. anyway, to the point at hand:
valentini: min tank 20 gal
fuzzy dwarf lion: min tank 30 gal
flame dwarf angel: min tank 20 gal
nemo: min tank 20 gal
all four of these fish require a minimum tank size of 20 gallons, with the dwarf lion requiring 30, so why is there a problem, seeing as how i have a 40 gallon? also, i have a protein skimmer and a huge canister filter, a heater, lights, 30 pounds of live rock, and 2 inches of live sand on the bottom. one would think this will suffice. thoughts? (anyone other than mboswell)
[you'd really think this thread were about abortion or the death penalty or something, eh?]
 
premilove

premilove

Active Member
Originally Posted by wpost2
http:///forum/post/2837947
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?
you said u keep your LR in a 20. i said start with the 20, work your way up to a 40 since what you are doing is completely wrong. are u prepared to change media every 2 weeks? if you are, then keep the canister filter. if you do not change the media every 2 weeks JUST GET RID OF IT. go return it, get store credit idk. canister filters ARE NOT GOOD. nitrate factory for your tank please stop being so stubborn and just listen to us. do you have any idea how lions eat or even look for their prey? the second your lights turn off, ur clowns will hide. the second the lion sees the clown, he will chase after it. now the clown is in hiding. guess what the debo lion does. he waits UPSIDE DOWN hanging on rock for the clowns to come out. YOU CANNOT PUT A LION WITH FISH THAT ARE SMALLER THAN HIS MOUTH.
min 20 gal means BY HIMSELF. IF you want to do the lion, get the puffer and something more aggressive. plus that ehiem isnt that good its only 251 gph. my return pump on my nano does 295. u have to think, 251 gallons? WHAT ABOUT RESTRICTION. what about the tubing, what about the power it takes the canister filter to push UP the water into the tank. we are helping you not waste your money dude open your eyes. a true hobbyist makes the best out of his/her situation and yearns for the life span of his/her tank inhabitatnts. ppl give you problems bc you think that you are right, when you are wrong dude. u got teh wrong info from salesmen/women. they made so much money off of you and love ppl like you. you are so easy to manipulate. i cant even begin to believe why you fell for their tricks. wow
as i gave an acro frag to my buddy, i told him of this story. he started laughing. he has been in the hobby for OVER 19 YEARS. these are the ppl you want to get advice from. ppl that post to your replies are the ppl you want advice from. u are better off selling all your stuff and getting a dog. u will be happier and safer.
 
wpost2

wpost2

Member
see? this is the bs im talking about. way to be constructive. and you are hilarious in your assumption that i do not understand that a lion eats other fish. gee, does he? wow i didnt know that, god im just so dumb i dont know anything! i dont even know how to wipe myself! im just so stupid, my apologies for being such a blithering idiot. lets keep in mind MY TANK HAS NO FISH IN IT. THIS IS PART OF MY RESEARCH, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS? lol, the day that i post my tank setup WITH FISH IN IT then you can start yelling and screaming. plenty of people have put clowns and lion together, i am going to do so by putting the clowns in first, and they will be full grown. the lion will not be, and he will be put in well after the clowns. if one day he does eat one then ill do something about it, but i have done my research on this and in plenty of situations that does not occur. and yes, i am going to take that risk and maybe have my clown eaten. dear god, it is not the end of the world, it does not make me satan, a fish killer, or whatever else you deem appropriate. christ some of you people are insane. i came here for advice, not for you to bludgeon me with your holier-than-thou fish knowledge.
 
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