Which Fish and How many can I keep in a 55 gallon reef tank?

A

Adriano Da Silva

New Member
Hello there, I have recently purchased a 55 gallon aquarium (curved with a tight-fitting lid) and live rock which will all be set up soon.

I have already planned out which fish I would like in the aquarium. Of course I wanted a tang/surgeonfish just like many others but then after realizing how much space I actually have I realized that it's not a good idea. The same goes for a Saddle Valenti Puffer or a Dwarf Lionfish. I would have liked to keep them, but eventually they get big and might become very aggressive towards their tankmates. Plus, there's so many other fish out there that can are much easier to care for, and won't stress you or make you pull your hair out. All saltwater fish have that "wow" factor, whether it would be a clown trigger or a fairy wrasse. I have considered putting most of these fish in the tank.

* Mated pair of captive-bred Clownfish (Ocellaris or some other type of Captive-bred Clownfish)
* A Coral beauty/Dusky Angelfish
- Mated Pair of Banggai Cardinalfish
- A Hawkfish (Blood Red, Longnose)
- A McCosker's Flasher Wrasse or Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse (I heard that Bluestreak Wrasses will help keep the tank clean, so they are also an option apart from the other two.)
- A Royal Gamma
- Damselfish that can be kept in a small group
- Yellow Prawn Goby *or* Red/Green Mandarin Dragonet, granted I will keep an eye out to make sure that they have plenty of food.

*: I am planning on definitely putting these in the aquarium.

I've taken into consideration their size and I know that the fish mentioned are either reef-compatible or should be kept with caution. I also tried to chose fish that are unique with different shapes and sizes so they don't begin to fight each other for territory. In short, I would like to know which of these fish can be kept in this size tank together and if they can all be kept at the same temperature? Thank you all in advance. ;)
 
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jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Lol when i say 55g and tangs i was ready to hammer you. However unlike too many people you did your home work. Well done.
Now personally id take a 75 over a 55 any day for sw. That said a dwarf lion and saddle puffer would be fine. I say this bc i have both these fish together with a maroon clown and yellow tail damsel.
From your list damsels are best avoided. A mated pair of cards can be tough to find. Other than that i have all your listed fish and they mix well. Your limited tho on how many you can get so pick carefully
 
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Adriano Da Silva

New Member
Alright, thanks alot for pointing that out. I would definitely get a 75 gal but due to space requirements i can really only have a 50 gal to keep my bedroom simple. I understand what you mean by limited, but i should just stick with a few of the larger ones i mentioned and possibly add a saddle puffer?
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Just a mix i would do. The lion, saddle, clowns, mandrin later down the road. Obviously the clowns first, let them get some size. Then add your lion if u want. Personally i like a zebra dwarf lion. They take to frozen fairly easily.
Also a tight lid is a no no u want atleast some of it open for gas exchange
 
iidylii

iidylii

Active Member
My brother has a 55 and his list is

Mimic saddle puffer
Pj Cardinal
Pair clowns
Pair golden head gobies
Flame hawk
Kole tang
Scooter blenny
Coral beauty

I think that's all lol

But yeah nice list...Live aquarias divers den section of the website often has trios of pj cardinals and bangaii cardinals fairly regular
 
lmforbis

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
What are the dimensions of the tank. A curved front 55 not as long as a standard. Something to keep in mind. That means less square footage in the rocks for territories. I agree with Jay. No damsels. None are good in groups anyway. I'd stick with either oscelaris or percula clowns. The dwarf lion should be fine just keep it well fed. They don't really swim much just kind of hover. Sometimes it can take a while to get them feeding. No mandarin. You need a much larger well established tank for a mandarin.
 
A

Adriano Da Silva

New Member
iidylii said:
My brother has a 55 and his list is

Mimic saddle puffer
Pj Cardinal
Pair clowns
Pair golden head gobies
Flame hawk
Kole tang
Scooter blenny
Coral beauty

I think that's all lol

But yeah nice list...Live aquarias divers den section of the website often has trios of pj cardinals and bangaii cardinals fairly regular
Click to expand...
I like that list. I was not too sure about a puffer in a 55gal but now that I've actually seen people keep them well fed in a 55gal i feel a bit more reassured.
 
A

Adriano Da Silva

New Member
lmforbis said:
What are the dimensions of the tank. A curved front 55 not as long as a standard. Something to keep in mind. That means less square footage in the rocks for territories. I agree with Jay. No damsels. None are good in groups anyway. I'd stick with either oscelaris or percula clowns. The dwarf lion should be fine just keep it well fed. They don't really swim much just kind of hover. Sometimes it can take a while to get them feeding. No mandarin. You need a much larger well established tank for a mandarin.
Click to expand...
The tank is about four feet long by two feet wide. I was sure that the mandarin needed a little more space with quite a few other fish, but I put it on the list just to get other people's opinion about keeping one in the aquarium. And say I do get a dwarf lion or a saddle puffer, should I be introducing them as one of the last fish or just a while after I put in the clownfish, royal gamma and goby?
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
The gramma could be iffy with the lion. Slender fish are more likely to be eaten. A full grown one would probably be ok tho. My oldest gramma is huge. My newest is maybe an inch. A goby same issue. Wider fish like clowns, dwarf angels, ect are less likely to be dinner. That said the vast majority of lions sold are small. I mean maybe an inch. So you could add when ever. Just make sure nothing to small is added once it gets full grown
 
lmforbis

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
Because the are sometimes harder to get feeding I'd do the dwarf lion early and I'd get a pretty small one. They aren't aggressive like say a damsel or trigger but they are predators that can eat anything that fits in their mouth so you want them eating well, not hungry, when you add other fish. I seems that if the lion wasn't eating well and other small fish were swimming around he'd be more likely to see his tank mates as a snack.
With a mandarin it isn't swimming room that is the issue it is the population of pods your tank can support. It is just not likely to be successful in a small tank with no sump/refugium and the mandarin will slowly starve to death. In a 100+ gallon tank with an established refugium and large pod population mandarins cAn thrive. Even then they say a year before trying to add a mandarin.
 
jay0705

jay0705

Well-Known Member
Thats an excellent point. Live ghost shrimp maybe need to start the lion feeding. Then frozen krill and frozen prawns should be offered to wean them off live.
 
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