40G breeder stocking advice

[Miniblade]

Alright, got a 40 gallon breeder as the title states and I'm looking for stocking advice. It is a macroalgae/gorg/softies tank. Current stocklist is a snowflake eel that unfortunately is stunted due to the past owner, and an aiptasia eating filefish. I have a aqueon 400 canister filter with a RFG return head (about 10x tank turnover), and a macro-aqua M50 HOB protein skimmer. I have an absolute ton of copepods, small bristleworms, dorvillidae worms, and other small critters in the tank.

What fish would you guys suggest that wont get munched by the eel? The eel is maybe 1.5" in diameter but is about 1ft long, as I said he's stunted due to PO. In the past he has torn a smaller twospot goby in half, and ate a decent sized cleaner shrimp so I'm definitely wanting to avoid small peaceful cylinder shaped fish such as yellow watchmans, firefish, and jawfish.
I was thinking something along the lines of a Splendid Dottyback, a Royal Flasher Wrasse or a Yellow Coris Wrasse (leaning towards the coris for pest control), one of the larger Centropyge angels (either a Rusty Angel or a Herald's Angel), and a Valenciennae Wardii goby. Royal Grammas never work out for me otherwise i'd get one. You guys think I'll be fine with this list? Any other stocking advice would be appreciated as well. I like a good bit of top movement with a bit of bottom interest.

 

[JoJosReef]

@Slocke may be able to help with the snowflake compatibility. Fairy and flasher wrasses will sleep in the rocks in a mucous cocoon, as opposed to the Halichoeres chrysus (not a Coris wrasse), which will sleep in the sand--no idea which would be more susceptible to predation. But I'd go with a smaller fairy in a 40B over a flasher since flashers prefer more zooming space. Maybe a lubbocki or an exqusite, which are a bit more assertive than a pintail or brunneus. Or you could get a mean old maroon clown!

 

[Miniblade]

@Slocke may be able to help with the snowflake compatibility. Fairy and flasher wrasses will sleep in the rocks in a mucous cocoon, as opposed to the Halichoeres chrysus (not a Coris wrasse), which will sleep in the sand--no idea which would be more susceptible to predation. But I'd go with a smaller fairy in a 40B over a flasher since flashers prefer more zooming space. Maybe a lubbocki or an exqusite, which are a bit more assertive than a pintail or brunneus. Or you could get a mean old maroon clown!

I used to have a ruby red longfin flasher but when I upgraded the light to a higher intensity light he stressed out so badly that he got velvet and consequently killed everything in the tank except the eel. Also my sandbed is a solid 4" deep for anyone wondering.

 

[fishywishy]

I think any fish over 4 inches should be fine, especially ones the move fast like dwarf angels and wrasses. So I think that list is fine, although splendid dotty backs can be really bad bully’s to your other fish.

 

[Miniblade]

I think any fish over 4 inches should be fine, especially ones the move fast like dwarf angels and wrasses. So I think that list is fine, although splendid dotty backs can be really bad bully’s to your other fish.

Yeah, he was gonna be the very last one to go in. I was gonna do the wardi, then the wrasse, then the angel, then the splendid. If I do it in that order I should be fine. Only reason I'm getting the dottyback is because the other alternative is getting 2 yucatan mollies but i like the coloration and behavior of the splendid a lot more. Also I have tons of caves, nooks, and crannies for the dottyback to stake his claim so we should be good

 

[Miniblade]

Decided to sub the Wardi for a Banded Sleeper Goby. Banded Sleeper Gobies are a bit more aggressive which should deter the eel from eating him a bit more, plus they're a little more interesting imo. Also gonna go with a Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse as my LFS can get them for 50 whereas the royals are 75 minimum

 

[Miniblade]

Figured out what I'm doing. I was gonna do the 40 as a mostly peaceful tank other than the snowflake since it's at the end of my bed and I wanted a lot of color and movement. I recently bought my wife a 40 gallon as an upgrade to the 30g she as. That 30g currently houses a cherub angel and an algae blenny. Those + chalk bass + some peaceful gobies + carpenter's flasher wrasse are being put in her 40g, which I was planning to do something similar in my tank sans the angel. I figured since she's doing a peaceful tank with the fish I was planning on getting, I should do something different. I decided I'm gonna man up, conquer my fears, and add an antennata lionfish and fu man chu lionfish. I've always been scared of being stung by a lionfish because of a story my dad told me when I was younger. When he was around 18, he worked at a fish shop. The owner had a volitan lion in her personal tank, my dad was deep cleaning the tank, didn't see the lionfish, and one thing lead to another. But I finally decided to conquer my fear and get lions.

 

[littlefoxx]

Figured out what I'm doing. I was gonna do the 40 as a mostly peaceful tank other than the snowflake since it's at the end of my bed and I wanted a lot of color and movement. I recently bought my wife a 40 gallon as an upgrade to the 30g she as. That 30g currently houses a cherub angel and an algae blenny. Those + chalk bass + some peaceful gobies + carpenter's flasher wrasse are being put in her 40g, which I was planning to do something similar in my tank sans the angel. I figured since she's doing a peaceful tank with the fish I was planning on getting, I should do something different. I decided I'm gonna man up, conquer my fears, and add an antennata lionfish and fu man chu lionfish. I've always been scared of being stung by a lionfish because of a story my dad told me when I was younger. When he was around 18, he worked at a fish shop. The owner had a volitan lion in her personal tank, my dad was deep cleaning the tank, didn't see the lionfish, and one thing lead to another. But I finally decided to conquer my fear and get lions.

See my comment in your other post about the lions. But I will warn you, I am deathly allergic to them. Found out the hard way, got stung by mine and did not expect to go Anaphylactic Shock and have to be rushed to the ER. Almost killed me to be honest. So be ware! Had to get rid of my lions for this reason