Want to start a FOWLR

[Hurley6x]

Ok, i would like to start a FOWLR tank with some more agressive species of fish.

My tank:
55gal standard footprint.

What kind of aggressive species can i put in this tank. Keep in mind this tank will be upgraded to at least double the size in about a year or so.

Here are some potential candidates I would like.

Trigger Fish - Picasso Triggerfish
Lionfish - Dwarf probably
Puffer of some sort


1. Will these fish be ok for about a year or so in a 55gal if i get them small?

2. Any combination of the above work better than others. I would like to choose between two of the three, with the trigger being my first choice.

[Hurley6x]

bump+

[Mike5252]

That's a tough choice for that tank size. If it were me, I would try the trigger and the puffer, but you'll need to be sure to upgrade your tank size very soon. (assuming the fish are very small when you buy them).

Also, filtration may be a problem. You'll need a large skimmer and a lot of mechanical filter.

If you possibly had a sump of the same size, you could try keeping a lot of LR in the sump to allow for more room in the display.

I think I've read somewhere that a trigger will bother a lionfish, but I don't know about a dwarf. Given the space this may be the most logical choice, but I think the trigger and the puffer will get along better.

I once saw a trigger and puffer in a 75gal, but they looked like they needed more room.

Do you have to get the trigger? What about the lionfish and an eel of some sort?

[Hurley6x]

Well ultimately the decision will be up to my girlfriend as we have deemed this "her tank".

She knows little to nothing about fish or reef keeping etc. So i told her that I will give her choices as to which fish she can pick and how many etc.

The trigger is not required but i personally have always wanted one since i started keeping fish.

Filtration will consist of the following.

Protein Skimmer (yet to be purchased)
Fluval 303 Filter
Live Rock
Additional Sump with Live Rock (prob 20 gal long)

[DamnPepShrimp]

I'd ditch the canister filter, they can lead to problems. I'd run a sump like you intend with a good sized skimmer and a fuge. 55g doesn't have too many stocking options unfortunately. What size are you looking to upgrade to in a year? Lions don't mix well with puffers or triggers.

[IchthyoloChris]

+1 on ditching the canister filter. Good flow through the live rock in the tank and in the sump + good skimmer should do the trick.

If you end up going with a trigger, humu humu / picasso would be the way to go. Definitely tend to be some of the more passive triggers (there are always individual exceptions, of course). If you start with a small trigger, IMO you could probably get a year out of that 55. The rub here is that if the trigger starts getting cramped as it grows, it could become aggressive to tank mates. So, it would be a good idea to keep the number of fish as low as possible.

[fender4string]

Here's my two cents as I've been researching the crap out of picasso's as one will be my centerpiece species for my tank.
The picasso is an extremely slow growing fish (I've have read they are "painfully slow growing") so if you got it small, like 2", it would be ok in the 55 for awhile. Maybe even for 2 years but that's no gurantee.
If you're going to go picasso, don't get a lionfish. Like Mike5252 started getting to, triggers (and picasso's especially) notoriously nip the fins off lionfish.
The last two things is that while picasso's are generally easy going triggers, they can be evil to :). I've heard you either get the whole package or nothing-there's not much between. And also when you upgrade, keep in mind that picassos are 10"-12" fish as adults.
Here's a link on triggers in general:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/7/fish/view?searchterm=trigger