Best fish?

My next tank is going to be built to accommodate the list of fish I end up deciding I want comfortably. However the problem is deciding on what fish to get. Major deciding factors are those such as ease of obtaining, max size, and feeding requirements. Right now I am thinking about one gunnel, 3-4 gobies/sculpins and a boxfish. Suggestions?

How do you capture your fish?

Haha good question. I would order the gobies and boxfish. Catch sculpins at a tidepool and hit up some people from Cascadia for the gunnel and possibly lumpfish.

Sounds good, caught a big boxfish the other day when fishing haha.

Oh that's so cool! What kind?

Eastern smooth box fish
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Eastern-Smooth-Boxfish-Anoplocapros-inermis-Fraser-Brunner-1935

Oh wow. If they didn't get so big I might take one into consideration.

I think mine was just a freak of nature lol

Perfect . How long would you say it was?

50cm

Certainly amongst the largest of the species .

They said maz size was 45cm

Sticklebacks are pretty staple and are pretty good at just taking up space. They don't draw a whole lot of attention, especially with other, more... intruiging fish in the system. I find they sort of help to bring the image of the tank together. Your other choices of fish are so very perfect.

Yes, but I don't think I want sticklebacks.

How about some shiner perch? They look very good in a tank and are easy to catch from a bay dock. Gunnels can be caught from the shore. Gobies can probably also be caught with a handline with a size 16 hook. Cockscombs or pricklebacks are another option, they can easily be obtained from under rocks at low low tides. For numbers of fish I'd go with 4-6 of each because they can reproduce well then.
Instead of deciding what fish to use you could pick a certain habitat type and emulate it. That, I think, is easier and wiser because they will all be well suited.

Definitely. I plan on a Southern Calif. type biotope. Gobies would be easy to obtain. I'm not sure if gunnel live that far south. I've never heard of shiner perch? How big do they get?

Max 8", though I've only ever seen them at 3", lol.

Seems like to large of a fish for me at the moment. Thanks for the idea though.

Here's a link to a book called "Tidepool and nearshore fishes of California". It mentions the Rockpool Blenny (Hypsoblennius gilberti) as a hardy species for the aquarium.

Thank you! I've caught small blennies before.