New Tank: Fish + Coral + Inverts

bigdookie

bigdookie

New Member
Hello all,
I am starting my first saltwater tank. I have done research and have been lurking on this board for awhile to determine my angle. I would like to start with beginner saltwater fish (damsels, clowns etc) but I also want to host soft coral. Coral and enomnes seem to be in the same family, but everything I have read discourages newbie saltwater enthusiats from stocking enenomes. Is soft coral a good option? If so, what kind. I would also like to host inverts like crabs and snails. Any particular species I should keep in mind?
I will be running a 55gal setup with a fluval fx5 canister filter (i don't have the time or space to setup a sump).
Any suggestions?
 
nissan577

nissan577

Active Member
anemone you mean???? and if you wanna keep an anemone you have to have some great lighting around like T5 to Metal Halides.
No damsels to start off so. Get the Cycle going but thats it no adding fish.
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
After the start up of your cycle, when you have the correct water parameters, you could probably do mushrooms and zoanthids. Research their lighting requirements and flow requirements, and meet them, and they are a pretty hardy coral. +1 on not adding damsels and read up on fishless cycling. Knowledgable hobbyists don't use fish to cycle anymore dispite what your local fish store says.
 
blanquita

blanquita

Member
I let my tank cycle for almost 2 months before adding any fish. After that I added a damsel which died from ich due to light flickering on and off (caused stress). I then got another damsel and he lived for a long time until he started to attack my clown. SO my point damsels are evil. only use them for a while then donated the to the LFS or free on craigslist. I wouldn't advise an anemone until you have successfully kept fish and zoas alive for 6 months.
 
extinct 1ne

extinct 1ne

Member
Do not use a damsel
Trust me, they are a pain in a reef...most of the time they will mess with other fish. You won't be able to get them out once your rock is in.
Some people recommend using a small piece of table shrimp to get started.
Soft corals are fine with most lighting, I have soft and lps under t5 lighting.
I would start with some Zoanthids or Polyps. They seem to be the easiest from my experience.
 
nissan577

nissan577

Active Member
IMO i would start with shrooms, or leathers and zoas as well but some need some specific requirements
 
bigdookie

bigdookie

New Member
ok.. so the consensus is NO damsel, because they are aggressive etc.
I am aware that I don't just dump the fish in right away. I should start with inverts and coral first as the tank establishes itself.
What fish can I then potentially use in my new habitat down the line.
 
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