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i need some suggestions about the stocking of my 55 gal fowlr.i love eels and well just about all swf.help?

Your going to need to limit it down a bit more than that. There are a lot of SW fish.

ok..i know i need to start with a few damsels right?
but after the tank cycles i want a community tank.a couple of clowns a yello tang?but i do love the eels as i said before.hows that?

No, you don't need to start with damsels. Its best you start with no fish. Cycle the tank with live rock, or a raw shrimp. Then you can add fish you actually want. A pair of clowns always makes a good first addition.

I would discourage you from adding a yellow tang to a 55 gallon tank. They get kinda large, and are very active swimmers. Not much room in a 55 gallon tank for them. In addition to that, they are more senesitive to new tanks than a lot of other fish. It is suggested you do not add any Tangs to a tank untill it is 6 months old and well established.

what elese would you put in the tank after the clowns?

ok guys.i just added water to tank and sand.do i need to ad a declorinator?before or after the salt mix?

It would be best to start your tank with RO water, which does not need to be dechlorinated.

ok i didnt do that..do i add the declorinator now

It would be best to dechlornate the water before its put in the tank, or at least mix it in a tank with no substrate. You'll have a harder time mixing the salt mix with the water if there is substrate in the tank already.

You can add the dechlorinator before or after you add the salt. It does not matter.

As for an eel, try a snowflake eel. They look nice, are good with most all fish, don't grow as large as most other eels, and do well in the home aquarium. Just be sure there is absolutely no holes in the cover, as they are great escape artists. And you may find him on the floor the next morning.

If you truely want a yellow tang, you should wait till your tank is well established. At least 6 months, and more likely 1 year. Also, be ready to have multiple foods for feeding, as your combination of fish calls for several types of food. ie the Yellow Tang will need to be fed algae, while the other fish will need to be fed more protein based foods.

If you are using LR, don't need to add any pieces of shrimp or anything to the tank to start the cycle. As the LR will do it all for you. The rotting shrimp will just cause more ammonia and may cause an increase in die off on your LR, which in turn will cause even more die off. Thus causing your cycle to take longer.

HTH.....

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