what is the best FIRST fish to add to a saltwater marine tank ?

Question

I have a 36" x 18" x 18" tank which i'm setting up as a reef tank. the living rock has been in 6 weeks now. 2 cleaner shrimp, 3 hermits, and 4 turbo snails have been added slowly over the past 4 weeks.
water checks have been carried out and all seems ok by the book. I think i'm now ready to add 1 or 2 fish toget things going. Ay suggestions

Answer 1

1) hardy - it gets the worst water conditions in the tank
2) less aggressive than fish you want to add later - you want one that will share the tank, not beat the **** out of any "intruder" that you add later
3) inexpensive - this is the one you're most likely to lose if everything isn't "just so"

Possibilities:
1) saltwater acclimated mollies - meets all three (see following website on how to do this: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?s=c200025fcabcc0a5823c52b8cd831a5f&showtopic=67353&pid=1013627&st=0&#entry1013627)

2) clownfish - some are semi-peaceful/semi-aggressive, others are aggressive; they also grow to be different sizes

3) damsels - these are hardy and cheap (depending on variety), but can be real terrors! I've talked with people who've had their $3.99 damsels kill their (larger and much more expensive) lionfish (these are venemous) and moray eels. The only two that are peaceful are the green chromis and blue reef chromis - these can be kept in schools.

For info on clowns & damsels see: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=15
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Answer 2

You need to research tank cycling before you do ANYTHING. As far as choosing a first fish, an inexpensive fish like damsels will do. What do you plan on keeping in there?

Answer 3

From personal experience, Clown Fish are a good choice, but it really depends on your tank setup. These fish are beautiful to watch.

Answer 4

Well mollies that are slowly acclimated to saltwater are good for beginers because they can tolerate pretty much any amount of salinity if acclimated slowly

Answer 5

an inexpensive one