What fish do well with soft corals?

[SkyyasaurusRex]

Hi, I’m new to reef tanks and I’m wanting to set up a 50 gallon soft coral tank, eventually I want to add lps sps corals and maybe an anemone after I have a few years experience. What fish work well in that environment I really want a mated pair of ocellaris clownfish, and would like to have a longnose hawkfish if they would work together and with the corals I don’t know how many fish I should be considering for that size tank I was thinking 5 or 6? Other fish I was considering were the royal gramma, firefish, bengi cardinal, lawnmower blenny. What do y’all think what fish would live well together and with corals and how many?

 

[BryanM]

Where do you do your research? I would love some recommendations

I google the fish, usually the first or 2nd link is from LiveAquaria, which shows if its reef safe, reef safe with caution (A lie IMO), or not reef safe.

 

[BryanM]

Felicia is a gold dot maroon and is in a 20g all by herself with a pair of pistol shrimp. She has killed all other fish that were in there with her - purple firefish, yasha goby, yellow watchman... she is quite the beast.

I have a pair of mochas in my 55 and they have both become very aggressive.

Ouch! And its mean muggin the camera!

 

[JoJosReef]

Not funny, but funny. Look at that face!!

 

[Badblackdog]

@ieatbugman is correct. Some clownfish pairs seem to do OK in a mixed tank. You just have to be careful with them. My clown pair is in prison for turning on my fairy wrasse.

Sometimes, they start with their mating behavior and the female goes on a killing spree (followed along by the male who's a wussy second). Having a single isn't a sure bet either, as there are some famous singles on this forum that don't play nice with others (ahem, Luxo, @Sharkbait19, ahem Felicia @OrchidMiss). Occelaris tend to be on the less aggressive side, whereas maroons have a reputation for... well, let's just say you don't see them driving around with "Be Kind" stickers on their bumper.

Maroon Clowns are like killer whales, beautiful but deadly. I had to move it to a tank by itself

 

[areefer01]

Also, if you have a sand bed, look into Halichoeres wrasses or Leopard (Macropharyngodon) wrasses. They are good additions. You can also fit a fairy wrasse or two in a 50. Flashers more debatable--they are smaller but by nature zoomier and appreciate longer tanks. A pair of pink streak wrasses will do well in a 50 if your other tank mates are peaceful (again, I'd be worried about the clowns and the hawk). On that note, I had to remove my clown pair because they started attacking my fairy wrasse. They left the Halichoeres and the leopard wrasse alone--1) they are bigger and 2) maybe the "throat" tooth on the leopard was a wake-up call!

I'm not sure I'd recommend a Leopard wrasse as they are not really a beginner fish. OP noted they are new to reef tanks. Not judging by any means.

 

[JoJosReef]

I'm not sure I'd recommend a Leopard wrasse as they are not really a beginner fish. OP noted they are new to reef tanks. Not judging by any means.

Right on. I wouldn't start with a leopard, so OP, please don't rush that decision. I think it is a good fish to include in this type of tank, though, and I don't agree with the label that they are "expert-only". I think a lot of that comes from their fragility in the shipping process. They die frequently because they bust up their face and back trying to dive into sand that doesn't exist in a shipping bag. But if you find a healthy one, they can be very robust fish!

 

[ieatbugman]

Maroon Clowns are like killer whales, beautiful but deadly. I had to move it to a tank by itself

I always thought of them as ciclids, but more ill tempered



Edit
Or maybe an ill tempered sea bass

 

[SkyyasaurusRex]

I'm not sure I'd recommend a Leopard wrasse as they are not really a beginner fish. OP noted they are new to reef tanks. Not judging by any means.

That is true I am a beginner, would a 4 line wrasse be more doable for a beginner?

 

[JoJosReef]

That is true I am a beginner, would a 4 line wrasse be more doable for a beginner?

4 lines are in the genus Pseudocheilinus, which also includes the 6 line and 8 line (non flasher) and mystery wrasse. This entire genus is dicey. They could play nice, they could be murderous from day 1, or they could be fine until one day turning and biting the eyes off of every other tankmate. I recommend getting some feedback first from @i cant think @Slocke for if/how best to introduce a Pseudocheilinus.

 

[Slocke]

Pseudocheilinus (lined wrasse) are territorial fish like clown fish, damselfish, and dottybacks. They handle small tanks better then most fish but come with the drawback of being potentially aggressive. Best to go with something else IMO.

(BTW Im not saying don't get a clownish as the smaller species are probably the least aggressive of the fish I listed.)

For a 50 the wrasse I suggest are
Possums
Pink streak
Small fairies
Small Halichoeres
Leopards

 

[areefer01]

That is true I am a beginner, would a 4 line wrasse be more doable for a beginner?

I would like to say again that I was not judging and apologize if I came across as such. I was really only keying in on the leopard wrasse and the challenge they bring. Shipping as noted, proper QT, established reef, etc.

As far as recommendations it is a difficult thing for me to do because I do things differently and prefer captive bred and or raised fish. Part of the journey for me is watching the fish mature and how they change from juvenile to adult with their respective behavior over the reef.

 

[ieatbugman]

Ultimately if you do your research and do it well you will be fine, you got this

 

[SkyyasaurusRex]

I would like to say again that I was not judging and apologize if I came across as such. I was really only keying in on the leopard wrasse and the challenge they bring. Shipping as noted, proper QT, established reef, etc.

As far as recommendations it is a difficult thing for me to do because I do things differently and prefer captive bred and or raised fish. Part of the journey for me is watching the fish mature and how they change from juvenile to adult with their respective behavior over the reef.

Your good you didn’t come off as judgmental just helpful, I like what you were saying about captive bred fish and how you watch them grow up. What fish would you recommend if I was interested in doing that to?