My Fish list! Which will work, which wont?

[Der_Iron_Chef]

I agree with mr_alberta. Some of the fish you have on the list will not get along. Multiple tangs is risky, though many do it successfully. Blenny's and goby's can also be aggressive toward each other.

Puffers and lionfish will, as mentioned, may eat smaller fish, invertebrates, etc. Flame Hawkfish can also prey on invertebrates.

I'd pick 4-6 fish that you are fairly certain will co-habitate peacefully. But be sure not to dump them all in at once, either! Add one at a time (with the exception, perhaps, of a clownfish pair).

I'm generally not a fan of keeping most starfish in aquariums. With the exception of brittle/serpent starfish (and perhaps sandsifting starfish), they have a pretty dismal survival rate. In general. I know there are exceptions.

[DanG]

as for the cardinals, at least here, almost all the ones we get are captive bread.

[spencerC]

Whoa, Thanks for all the helpful info guys...

I definitely knew that some of those would for sure not work,
and i know i should not have more than one kind of fish (angels, tangs) together.

Okay so here are my remaining questions...

1. with what phillybean said about the strawberry pseudochromis being a harder fish and needing a school, what does this mean? Should i get 2 or 3? Cause these guys are probably one of my favorites.

2. What kind of angel should i get? I'm thinking coral beauty over flame right now.

3. I'm wondering if i should go with a convict or a midas blenny, because i like them both lots.

4. Would a strawberry pseudochromis and a dottyback pseudochromis work together? Would i need to introduce them at the same time or something? Male and a female? Would the blackcap Basslet work with them too?

This is my now narrowed-down list.

Humbug Damsel
high-finned Goby / Scissortail Goby?
midas/convict Blenny
Percula Clownfish (x2)
Flame Hawkfish
Yellow Tang
Cleaner Shrimp
Red Sea Star
Pink Hawaiian Sea Cucumber
Dotty Back Pseudochromis
blackcap Basslet
Coral beauty angel
Strawberry Pseudochromis
Porcelain Crab
fire cleaner shrimp
Hawaiian Feather Duster

I'm guessing I'll still have to narrow it down, as all those fish couldn't work together in a 75 gal
I'm planning on getting a ton of live rock and stuff so there'll be tons of territory and hiding spots...

[Der_Iron_Chef]

In regards to the starfish you wish to keep:

"Individuals of Linckia species, particularly Linckia laevigata, are profoundly and seriously harmed by rapid changes in salinity; additionally, they appear to suffer "shipping" stress. As a result these animals need to be treated VERY carefully during acclimation to the home aquarium. This acclimation should be done slowly, and; acclimations of more than six to eight hours are often required. Once established in aquaria, Linckia generally appear to do well and may persist for a year or more. However, they often seem to slowly die, probably due to a lack of some specific dietary item." (taken from reefkeeping.com)

[mr_alberta]

Your flamehawk will eat your porcelain crab since those crabs are tiny. Also, your Pseudochromis & Basslet will most likely tear each other up quite a bit.

[spencerC]

Okay, i can live without the crab if i can have the hawkfish.
So with the pseudochromis, could i do a dottyback and a strawberry as long as they were male and female?

[mr_alberta]

I would get a pair of the same dottybacks/pseudochromis and not a single of two different types.

[X-Treme]

pseudochromis will fight with anything that looks like it......if you are gonna get a pair....get a MATED pair.

AND........my porcelain (sp?) crab is AT LEAST the size of a 2nie.

Not at all small