55 Gallon Newbie Build

pretzelsz

wouldn't 1" of sand not be enough for a jawfish? they burrow in the sand so I was thinking 4-6 inches of sand maybe?

Pasfur

Agreed.

It just came to me. I have also seen people make small burrows out of PVC, with an opening at the surface of the sand. They release the Jawfish at the opening, and they will typically spend their entire life there. This allows you to place the fish in a viewing area that is convenient for you.

pretzelsz

I would like to have it build it's own den were it desires. Depending on the personality of it it might change spots every week or so. Also could I get a list of fish I could put in with them so I can choose some? Then make a list one when I would put them in.

Pasfur

Wow. There are a lot of options here. I will tell you to stick with fish that stay small, say nothing larger than a Centropyge angelfish, such as the Coral Beauty angel. This is more tank size related, as you have limited swimming space in a 55 gallon tank.

Before I suggest fish, tell me what other livestock you want? Do you plan to keep inverts, corals, etc?

pretzelsz

Well for my CUC I want maybe 1-2 Peppermint Shrimp, Some snails(what kinds are there?). For Livestock all I know is I have my mind set on a Jawfish, maybe a fire goby, and maybe 1-2 clownfish. I want to have some corals like hammer corals, some sort of sponge. I also want some sort of anemone. I do know I have limited space and I know I can't have large angels and tangs.

Pasfur

Keep this attitude going forward and you will be a pleasure to work with. You really have a great head on your shoulders for this hobby.

Fish options:
Centropyge angels, basslets, blennies, clownfish, chromis, gobies, jawfish, sandperch, pseudochromis, carpenter wrasse, and flasher wrasse. Stick with this list and you will be in good shape.

There are some potential issues that make stocking order a consideration. Some Basslets and Pseudochromis will become territorial, as well as some Centropyge angelfish. Also the angels are a risk at nipping corals, although I have personally always taken the chance and not regretted it. I think if you feed the fish then the risk of nipping is low.

pretzelsz

So for a livestock list would this work? Yellow head Jawfish, Flame angelfish, speckled sandperch, flame goby, 2 black and white clown fish? I have only done research on Clownfish and jawfish. I feel having done absolute 0 research on this but from suspicion would the Jawfish get territorial with a sand perch? since they are on the same level of the tank? also is there a certain amount of times I have to feed the fish a day? to keep them from nipping coral. Also order they should go in?


Edit:
Here is a mental picture of how they would look together

pretzelsz

My Mom didn't like something about the cabinet...I love it so I put it in my room. I have a few pics...Is it a good place to put it or should I relocate it?


And My cats(I cleaned it again afterwards)

Pasfur

The livestock looks ok to me. As you fill the tank you may find you have room for another fish or two, depending on the individual behaviors of the fish you select. This is especially true if you were to stick with some other rock dwelling species. A Diamond or Watchman Goby comes to mind.

When adding these fish, I would get the Firefish in the tank first, perhaps at the same time as the Jawfish. Then add the Clownfish, then the Perch, then the Flame Angel. The Flame absolutely has to be the last fish in this tank. No exceptions if you want this mix to work. It will dominate any new fish you add at a later time, but will fit in fine if added last. You might want to consider a pair of Flame Angels. The Centropyge genus does very well when kept in pairs. All you do is buy one larger than the other and they generally figure out who is the male and who is the female within a few days. Not all that different than Clownfish. Do not, however, try to keep 2 different species of Centropyge angels in this size tank together.

Nice Catfish by the way. Keeper size.

Highland lake13

Great thread so far!!!

Just some observations.

If there is another spot I would try and move it there because you probably don't want nature sunlight to get into the tank because this will encourage bad algae to grow.

Another thing you will find when you go to your LFS and try and buy black and white clownfish is 1) they might not even have them and 2) they are often very expen$$ive and I since you expressed concern about a lack of funds these might be the best choice. Mistakes are made and I would hate to see you lose $50-100 on one or two fish that you have for a week or two.

I know Pasfur will help me with this but you will need to start testing for Calcium and Alkalinity and you can add buffers to put those where they should be. I know Pasfur uses the Kent brand name for his dosing, I am using ‘Purple Up’ and that has been working really well.

Great start and I can’t wait to see the tank full!!!