How big should my tank be? Salt Water experts please?

Question

I am planning on starting my first own salt aquarium very soon, I've had experience with ponds and freshwater aquariums for 10 years so I think it is time to start my saltwater tank. What I want my tank to have is,

2 Longfin Bannerfish

2 Yellowtail Damselfish

1 Ocellaris Clownfish

1 Auriga or Racoon Butterflyfish

1 Bicolor Pseudochromis

1 Purple Stripe Pseudochromis

So the question is, is a 50 gallon tank enough? or should I go for a bigger tank? But I wanna keep it to a 50 gal. max. So how many fishes would i have to take out to keep it at 50 gals and not have to buy a bigger tank?

Answer 1

i'd be looking at a 100-125 if i wanted those fish..

for a 50 stick to something like this

the damsels, clowns, 1 pseudo, and maybe 1 of the butterflys if your filtration allows for it..

Answer 2

50 gallon would be a bit small for that not just in the number,  but for those types of fish. Bannerfish and Butterflyfish usually need a larger tank with a lot of rock and caves to slip into as they are very docile and cannot be placed with aggressive fish. That brings up the other problem that I would suspect in that the Damselfish tend to be aggressive when they become adults and the Pseudochromis can as well. If you were to put 2 Pseudochromis together in a 50 gallon, they would likely clash as well.

I would look at different types of fish and the compatibility for each. Also, if this is your first go at saltwater, make sure that you have a good filtration system, include some live rock and cycle the tank before adding fish.