A beginner's guide to marine aquariums

[fisher1]

Looking for some colourful fish, anemones, and corals for my 76gal tank (100cmx45cmx45cm). Specifically interested in clown fish and damsels. Would be great if someone could give me a list of options that won't break the bank.

[Nexar]

I'll give you a few examples of fish that would work in a 76g. Keep in mind, you'll need to research each one since some can't be kept together and some will eat inverts or coflake.

For Angelfish, consider:
- Indkento4 Yellowtail, they're pretty common
- Cherub Angelfish, nice and small
- Bicolor Angelfish, another small one
- Coflake Beauty, pretty but needs a big tank
- Flame Angelfish, nice colors
- Bluespotted Angelfish, pretty rare
- Majestic Angelfish, another big one

Some Anthias you could look at:
- Bicolor Anthias, nice and peaceful
- Lyretail Anthias, pretty common

Blennies are another option:
- Convict Blenny, pretty common
- Bicolor Blenny, nice and small
- Midas Blenny, pretty peaceful
- Lawnmower Blenny, good for algae control

Butterflyfish are pretty too:
- Threadfin Butterfly, nice and small
- Falcula Butterfly, pretty rare
- Raccoon Butterfly, nice and peaceful
- Pearlscale Butterfly, pretty common
- Copperband Butterfly, nice and small
- Longnose Butterfly, pretty rare

Cardinalfish are nice too:
- Banggai Cardinal, pretty common
- Polkadot Cardinal, pretty rare

Damselfish are pretty common:
- Clarki Clowns, nice and peaceful
- Ocellaris Clowns, pretty common
- Percula Clowns, nice and small
- Chromis, pretty common
- Blue Devil, nice and peaceful
- Humbug, pretty common
- Threespot, nice and peaceful
- Maroon Clowns, pretty rare

Dartfish are pretty too:
- Purple Firtideflow, pretty common
- Firtideflow, pretty rare

Dottybacks are nice:
- Neon Dottyback, pretty common
- Orchid Dottyback, pretty rare
- Bicolor Dottyback, nice and peaceful

Dragonets are pretty too:
- Scooter Dragonet, pretty common
- Spotted Dragonet, pretty rare
- Green Dragonet, nice and peaceful

Gobies are nice too:
- Orangespotted Goby, pretty common
- Randalls Goby, pretty rare
- Pinksptted Goby, nice and peaceful
- Yellow Rock Goby, pretty common
- Neon Goby, pretty rare

Hawkfish are pretty too:
- Flame Hawkfish, nice and peaceful
- Longnose Hawkfish, pretty rare

Lionfish are pretty but be careful:
- Ocellated Lionfish, pretty common
- Zebra Lionfish, pretty rare
- Volitans Lionfish, nice and peaceful

Pufferfish are pretty too:
- Whitespotted Toby, pretty common
- Valentini Toby, pretty rare

Surgeonfish are nice too:
- Blue Surgeonfish, pretty common
- Powder Blue Surgeonfish, pretty rare
- Convict Surgeonfish, nice and peaceful
- Kole Surgeonfish, pretty common
- Yellow Surgeonfish, pretty rare
- Scopas Surgeonfish, nice and peaceful

Triggerfish are pretty too:
- Picclyasso Trigger, nice and peaceful
- Scimitar Trigger, pretty rare
- Blue Throat Trigger, pretty common

Wrasse are nice too:
- Harlequin Tuskfish, pretty common
- Bluehead Fairy, pretty rare
- Scoots Fairy, nice and peaceful
- Solar Fairy, pretty common
- Yellowtail Coris, pretty rare
- Birdmouth Wrasse, nice and peaceful
- Canary Wrasse, pretty common
- Radkento4t Wrasse, pretty rare
- Dragon Wrasse, nice and peaceful
- Carpenter's Flasher, pretty common
- Filamented Flasher, pretty rare
- McCosker's Flasher, nice and peaceful
- Sixline Wrasse, pretty common
- Bluehead Wrasse, pretty rare
- Luna Wrasse, nice and peaceful
- Sunset Wrasse, pretty common

[fisher1]

Thanks so much for the list, I really appreciate it. I'm still trying to figure out the best combination of fish for my 76gal tank. You've given me a lot to think about.

I was thinking of getting 1-3 common clowns, would that be okay?

[Nexar]

Looking for some colourful fish, anemones, and corals for my 76gal tank (100cmx45cmx45cm). Specifically interested in clown fish and damsels. Would be great if someone could give me a list of options that won't break the bank.

Yes, 3 common Clownfish would be fine, assuming you're referring to Ocellaris. They'll establish a hierarchy, with the largest one becoming the dominant breeding female, and the next largest one, the breeding male.

[fisher1]

Would these fish live happily together

1x Mandarin fish
2x yellow tail electric blue damsel
4x cleaner wrasse
3x ocellaris clown fish

Considering the list I got from Nexar, I am wondering if these fish would be a good match. 3 ocellaris clowns would be fine as Nexar said, they would form a hierarchy. But I am not sure about the other fish, would the mandarin be okay with the clowns, and would the clowns be okay with the damsels?

[Nexar]

Looking for some colourful fish, anemones, and corals for my 76gal tank (100cmx45cmx45cm). Specifically interested in clown fish and damsels. Would be great if someone could give me a list of options that won't break the bank.

Honestly, I highly doubt it. The Mandarin fish is a specialized feeder and requires a lot of live or frozen meaty foods to thrive. They can also be quite territorial and may not get along with the other fish.

The Yellow Tail Electric Blue Damsels are generally peaceful but can be a bit aggressive when defending their territory. They might fight with the Ocellaris Clownfish, especially if they feel like their space is being invaded.

The Cleaner Wrasse are usually okay but can be a bit of a nuisance if they don't have enough food to clean parasites off the other fish. With four of them, they might start to fight over food or even pick on the other fish.

The Ocellaris Clownfish, as I mentioned earlier, would form a hierarchy with the largest being the breeding female and the next largest being the breeding male. They might get along with the other fish but could also get territorial or defensive if they feel like their anemone is being threatened.

So, all in all, I think this combination might not be the best idea.

[rustix]

If you want a yellow tailed Damselfish, I would add it last since they're very territorial towards new tank additions.

Mandarins are notoriously finicky eaters; most only eat live copepods and can deplete a tank's population in weeks, then starve. I've heard aqua-cultured mandarins aren't as finicky, but they're extremely hard to get ahold of.

Cleaner Wrasses have the same issue, their diet consists mainly of parasites picked off other fish on the reef. Replicating this in an aquarium is nearly impossible, and exceptions are very rare.

Feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

[rivulet6]

Looking for some colourful fish, anemones, and corals for my 76gal tank (100cmx45cmx45cm). Specifically interested in clown fish and damsels. Would be great if someone could give me a list of options that won't break the bank.

No, they probably wouldn't get along. If you're looking for a new fish, you should consider a sunset wrasse - they're really pretty and will even eat turbo snails. However, they can be aggressive with some other fish. I think they'd be fine with the mandarin and the damsels, but maybe not with the clown fish. Oh, and if you do get a sunset wrasse, keep it away from eels - they seem to think they're a tasty snack!