What fish/fishes for a 40 gal AIO CORAL tank?

[SomeHappyFish]

If this was my tank I would go with a pair of clowns (love them and classic fish!) a sixline wrasse to control pests (and their colors are stunning, love mine in my biocube) a blenny of some kind (algae and personality) a cardinal fish (since they just float in open water and are cool) and the mandarin!

My biocube:
Clown pair
Starry blenny,
Zebra dart goby
Sixline
Cardnial
3 saltwater mollies
Neon dottyback

No issue with the sixline?

 

[littlefoxx]

No issue with the sixline?

Nope! Added him last so maybe thats why. But he keeps to himself. He is friends with my dottyback and they swim around a lot together!

 

[OrionN]

I will never keep Sixline with other small fish

 

[Roatan Reef]

I will never keep Sixline with other small fish

My Nephews 13.5 Evo Saltwater has 1 Black Ice Clown, 1 mandarin and 1 six line, and they all do great together !!

 

[Roatan Reef]

I plan to have a 40 gal cube (22x22x22 inches) AIO tank in my office. This will have minimal water change, 10% monthly. Right now open top, but this can change if the fish is a jumper.
Moderate to high blueish light (two A360W Tuna Blue)
I this tank I plan to have a MP10 for circulation in addition to the circulation pump. It has a dinky skimmer for aeration, not so much for skimming.
I plan to have a bunch of Rock Flower Anemones and Zoanthus colonies. Maybe some encrusting SPS, LPS and soft corals that can tolerate conditions similar to the two main group of animals.
I like a few utility fish/fishes in this tank, in addition to a male Mandarin. I don’t have to have a Mandarin but prefer to have one.

What are your opinions on the 1-3 fish I should but in it and why, if there is a reason other than be beautiful
The window is a full wall window facing NE and get several hours of natural sunlight in the early AM.
TIA
BTW here is the empty tank, just need water, sand, rock and the second Kessil 360X

You have a taller tank so you are more limited...

My 40GB has...1 Cardinal, 1 Coral Beauty,,1 Royal Gramma, 2 clowns(Mated Pair) 1 Diamond Goby, and 1 Midas Blenni, plus 1 urchin, lots of CUCs etc...Crabs, fighting Conch, snails you name it.

 

[littlefoxx]

I will never keep Sixline with other small fish

Lol yeah I hear this a lot. I loved the look of them so much I chanced it. I think I got lucky with mine being so chill

 

[Tamberav]

Pictus blenny, beauty, antics, will pick at algae, hard to find OR a tessalleted blenny from Biota, another rare stunner.

Pink streak wrasse (or mandarin), pest/pod eater, both stunners

A shrimp goby (I like randalls) and pistol shrimp or yellow head jawfish, these are entertaining and help move the sand bed around

A cherub angel or grow out for the regal or other captive angel, it would be perfect for that with these tank mates

Put a lid on it

 

[OrionN]

Lol yeah I hear this a lot. I loved the look of them so much I chanced it. I think I got lucky with mine being so chill

I did not only hear about it, but experienced it first hand , front roll sit. I had a 420 DT. I had a Sixline pair and a Mandarin pair, along with a lot of other fishes. After 18+ months together, fat and spawning regularly, the Sixline coordinated and peck out the eyes of the Madarin female. It was my bad luck to actually see it. It was over in seconds. They attached within second of each other.
They totally ignored the Madarin before and after the attack. I caught the Sixline pair, sentenced them to death but commuted it to banishment forever from any territories under my rule instead. I only keep Sixline only once since. A friend go out of the country and send me all the contents of his tank. That Sixline died of old age after under my care for 3 years. In the frag system.

My pair of Sixline went to the LFS, I euthanized the female Mandarin. Maybe this was similar to something you heard.

 

[jkcoral]

This is going to be a cool tank!

A pair of pink streaks, a possum wrasse, a mandarin would be really cool. The size of the tank and peaceful creatures would really let the small fish shine. And because they are small and have a low bioload, maybe you could have a neat blenny and basslet.

Tailspot blenny are cheap, and they have great character (and will also eat algae). And if you want a real stunner, maybe one of the pricier candy basslets would be neat.

I might also recommend checking out some photo synthetic gorgonians. They look really cool with rock flowers and zoas, are easy to care for, will encrust and creep across rock and provide really cool movement.

 

[OrionN]

Since you seem to be a high end fish nerd (no offense at all) I would recommend a candy basslet! Keep it as the only fish in an otherwise coral dominant tank for a true stunner of a set up!

@Sump Crab
Do you know the approximate life expectancy of these Basskets? It is hard for me to spend 1K for a fish that will last only 5 years.

 

[Tamberav]

Swissguard basslets are beautiful and only $150 at KPA, sign up for the waitlist.

Some fish are worth the wait.

 

[Sump Crab]

@Sump Crab
Do you know the approximate life expectancy of these Basskets? It is hard for me to spend 1K for a fish that will last only 5 years.

I don't but Sanjay has (had) a pair that are in several of his videos. Maybe he mentions how long he has had them in one? I picked mine up on reefpro for around 750. It's been with me for about a year and a half.

 

[kevgib67]

I have, in my 32g, 2 clowns, diamond watchman goby, yellow coris wrasse, royal gramma, tailspot blenny and a yellow tail damsel. Lost my sixline wrasse last week, it was coming up on 3 years that I had him. I was surprised to see their life span was only 4-6 years. I don’t know how old he was when I got him so I’m chalking up his death to old age. Called my lfs and they had 2 sixlines but I walked out with this yellow coris wrasse.

 

[littlefoxx]

I did not only hear about it, but experienced it first hand , front roll sit. I had a 420 DT. I had a Sixline pair and a Mandarin pair, along with a lot of other fishes. After 18+ months together, fat and spawning regularly, the Sixline coordinated and peck out the eyes of the Madarin female. It was my bad luck to actually see it. It was over in seconds. They attached within second of each other.
They totally ignored the Madarin before and after the attack. I caught the Sixline pair, sentenced them to death but commuted it to banishment forever from any territories under my rule instead. I only keep Sixline only once since. A friend go out of the country and send me all the contents of his tank. That Sixline died of old age after under my care for 3 years. In the frag system.

My pair of Sixline went to the LFS, I euthanized the female Mandarin. Maybe this was similar to something you heard.

Yep thats the kind of stories I heard! Mine isnt like that (yet). He is really chill and doesnt bother anyone. Been in the tank about 5 months now. He is still small so we will see!

 

[OrionN]

Yep thats the kind of stories I heard! Mine isnt like that (yet). He is really chill and doesnt bother anyone. Been in the tank about 5 months now. He is still small so we will see!

My pair were too until they flip the switch to become Satan Spawned, beautiful, cold blooded, efficient, premeditated murderers. Once the job was done they become nice again.

 

[littlefoxx]

My pair were too until they flip the switch to become Satan Spawned, beautiful, cold blooded, efficient, premeditated murderers. Once the job was done they become nice again.

Lol Im waiting for that in my wrasse to be honest !

 

[Buddy1234]

If I put a fish in there it would a very nice fish. IMO nice and expensive are two separate things. I love Mandarin and think that they are very nice fish. They are not at all expensive. I never keep candy basslet. They are beautiful. I have a tiny baby Regal. Maybe I will use this tank as a grow out tank for my 1 inch regal until he is ready for my DT at home

Not worried about this guy nipping at your corals?

 

[Reefing102]

An idea I haven’t seen mentioned would be maybe a chalk bass (or small school of them).

 

[Aquadude1]

Off topic but we used to sell a lot of those cubes where I used to work. For us they were branded as aquatop

 

[OrionN]

An idea I haven’t seen mentioned would be maybe a chalk bass (or small school of them).

Somehow I never consider chalk bass. Let me look into it a bit

Off topic but we used to sell a lot of those cubes where I used to work. For us they were branded as aquatop

It is an Aquatop. I have to reenforce the stand but otherwise I like the tank

Not worried about this guy nipping at your corals?

I am tolerant to Angel orcasionally nipped at coral. IME they are fine.