just got done setting up the tank

[gmen5681]

i just got done setting up the 44 gallon using live sand, and istant ocean salt. im going to go ahead and let it cycle itself for at least 2 weeks before i do anything else. now this is what i was thinking of doing. after about 2 weeks im going to get half live rock and half reefbone rock (dead live rock) and i was going to let everything get seeded from the live rock for at least 3 months. let everything do what its supposed to do. let the system really get settled in. and then i was going to start to add fish. but this is my first FO marine tank, and i dont have a clue as to what fish to get. i dont know whats out there. clown fish are really nice looking, but they arent really school type fish are they? i want to stick with all the same species, and i want them very bright and nice looking. but i dont have a clue as to the first thing about marine fish. is there anything else i should do before i get the live rock, or any other steps i left out? please give as much advice as possible. thank you so much.
joe whitney

edit: i forgot to say i have 96 watts of lighting, and then tank is 25 inches deep, along with about 2 inches of live sand. im most likely going to get some crushed corral as well because i think that will look nice in there. all i hvae set up on it is a heater (at 73 degrees F) and a overfill filter. i plan on getting 3 jets to go in the corners and set up to a wave timer. and eventually upgrade the filter to a sump of some kind. but please guide me in the right direction. thank again

 

[fraservet]

I can't think of many schooling fish that would be small enough to have a group of in a tank that size - I'm sure others can however.

Your best bet may be chromis, they look good, are hardy, small, cheap, and do well in schools. You will also want a good cleanup crew, and maybe some nice looking shrimps/stars etc.

 

[blout]

anthias are nice shoaling fish pink and yellow but by far the easiest are green chromis green and blue they dont grow to big and are very hardy fish (and cheap i have 3)

 

[J-Money]

what do you feed your chromis? I've put all kinds of food in there and it doesn't look like they really eat any of it. Are they eating wutever copapods or wutever that gets kicked out the filters? They seem to kick it around the returns alot

 

[Fishy411]

anthias get much too large for a tank that size. Chromis are nice and u will be able to get a decent size school in that tank.

 

[Opcn]

If you get a longspined sea urchin you could get some cardinal fish, they like to hag out in the spines and thats a bit like a school. I also think a chromis school is your best bet, But I'm not sure how interesting an SW FOWlR tank will look with just one kind of fish in ii

 

[gmen5681]

If you get a longspined sea urchin you could get some cardinal fish, they like to hag out in the spines and thats a bit like a school. I also think a chromis school is your best bet, But I'm not sure how interesting an SW FOWlR tank will look with just one kind of fish in ii

well im new to this whole scene, so what would yo suggest for my 44 gallon?

 

[Opcn]

Personally I'd suggest that you get whatever you like best. For myself if I had a tank like that I'd keep a pair of false percula, some burrowing gobies, various shrimp, a six lined wrasse and maybe a mushroom coral (I think thats pretty well stocked), But hey its your tanknot mine, Just thinking about how you might spice things up a bit and add some drama.

 

[blout]

what do you feed your chromis? I've put all kinds of food in there and it doesn't look like they really eat any of it. Are they eating wutever copapods or wutever that gets kicked out the filters? They seem to kick it around the returns alot

my chromis are pigs of the sea they eat brine shrimp , mysis, flake food and they have just started eating my tangs seaweed strips

 

[Fishy411]

you can get more than 1 type of chromis and have like 2 or 3 schools in your tank.

 

[gmen5681]

no more suggestions?

 

[blout]

i think the main question is how many do you want in a shoal because most shoaling fish get very big

 

[gmen5681]

i have nothign set it stone, i just want ot know what would look great in there, what will go well with everything...and that kind of stuff. i just wnat everyones suggestions and opinions towards it all. so please, fill me with knowledge.