Starter Fish?

[finchfishs]

Hey all, i got my tank working good now...my LFS said to come back on thursday i think and get starter fish. Any good reccomdations? on personality or anything that would be good. I have a 40g tank. Thanks

 

[mikeyjer]

I would just get a couple of green chromis to start with, they're hardy fish and not super aggressive like the damsels....

 

[mr.p]

I wish people would recommend those more then those damsels. You think by the name and because they are starter fish that damsels are peaceful, what a misleading starter fish.

 

[ophiura]

Starter: do you mean to cycle the tank or after the tank is cycled?? This may have been covered before but if it is a newly set up tank and you are looking for fish to CYCLE the tank then I don't suggest any - use shrimp from the grocery store or fish food (cheaper, cheaper, cheaper). If first fish in AFTER the cycle and all chems are good, then I would suggest something like clowns, dottyback, gramma...
What sort of fish were you looking to keep in general?

 

[jayc]

Chromis and clowns are both good starter fish.

 

[jdragunas]

I think you should get the "Pocket Handguide to Marine Fishes", sold on this site.

It's a great book to have. It tells you what kind of fish are compatible with eachother, what size tank they need, what they eat, etc. That way, you can figure out what fish you want to have in the long run, and you won't be stuck with a "beginner fish" that isn't compatible with the fish you want to eventually get, or one that will outgrow your tank... Did you get all that? And don't always trust your LFS, as most of the time they're just looking for a sale.

 

[mikeyjer]

I would still suggest Green Chromis cause they're very inexpensive and hardy for a beginner. They also get along with most fish, but not with(example) Triggers & Lions cause they would try to eat'em. Clowns are nice, but cost 4-6 times as much as one Chromis depends where you get'em. My two Green Chromis has been through everything we've gone through. We even bought two others and they didn't survive through all the disease, but these two did. It was amazing that they were able to survive through all that. We had those two little guys since the very first day we got the tanks. They came from the previous owner who had the tanks for 2 years and we had them for 8 months. But like the previous post have said, becareful who you have in your tank cause it can be a problem down the road, but you can't have too many anyway cause you only have a 40 gal tank. Get a book and read up on it. Good Luck!!

 

[tang3]

I started with the Damsels and there fine with everythin but I would probly go with the green chromis (maybe) id look into it I wouldnt start with clowns tho

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by Tang3
I started with the Damsels and there fine with everythin but I would probly go with the green chromis (maybe) id look into it I wouldnt start with clowns tho
The Damsels are hardy fish too, but they're very territorial and aggressive. I wouldn't put them in first, but it all depends on the fish too. Different fish different personality. I personally add them in last!!