What could I mix with a Saddle Puffer?

[floridacatfish]

I'm in the process of setting up a 150 gallon tank with a 75 gallon tank as a sump/refuge. Have 225 lbs of LR and 10 lbs of tongo branch. This is a bit of rock for a FOWLR I guess, but I have it arranged with lots of caves in a two island formation which seems to give a bit of free swimming area as well. The tank hasn't finished cycling yet, so this is all just thought & research.
1. Could a Saddle puffer thrive in a 150 gallon tank? I hear these don't get as big as other puffers.
2. What other kinds of fish could I mix with a puffer? I really wanted to get a mated pair of false percs with a anemone, a longnose hawkfish, and some sort of schooling fish (maybe chromis or is that too small?). I don't know how aggresive he would be & what fish are good tank mates. I don't really want a tang. Maybe a small angel or a mandrin in a year or so?
3. I love the look of a reef tank, but since a puffer isn't reef safe what could I do to make it look "reefy" without putting too much stuff at risk?
Please, please, please give me your input. Right now I'm just in the planning stage. So flame away as I'll take it as constructive criticism.

 

[sepulatian]

A saddle is a Toby. He stays small, about 3-4" What other fish do you have in mind. The Toby will LOVE the 150! You could stock many kinds of fish with him.

 

[hlcroghan]

Really nice to see someone who doesn't want to throw a 3 foot fish in a 150...good job!!

I would forgo the damsels. Not because they are small but because they can be super aggressive. They are hardy and like little pirahnas. Honestly. If you really want them though though, there are a couple of breeds that aren't as bad as others though. They actually can get rather large over a long period of time also.
You could definitely keep a mandarin in a 150 since you have refugium. The need lots of copepods to eat so it is good to wait about a year. In a 150 you could actually do a little larger of clown if you wanted to. I really like the gold maroons. They can get very territorial though so that may be something to consider. You could do a yellow or purple tang. They are pretty and add color. Maybe a sand sifter like a diamond goby to keep the substrate clean. Perhaps a medium sized wrasse. They are active and add lots of color. I really like the green bird wrasses. They kind of remind me of dolphins.
As for schooling, maybe some anthias? They are not as aggressive I don't think and they are very pretty. Wait for some more people to chime in. I don't have a lot of experience with those though. Or you could do some bangaii cardinals. Cool looking fish IMO.