Best fish for top view only tank?

[djohnson3]

Hey guys,

So I've just finished setting up my 6th tank, but it is my first saltwater.
It is actually a round pond/pool and not a tank.
It has a few windows on the side but is mostly only view-able from the top.
I had planned on getting small saltwater stingrays - because that seemed fun from the top.
But right now I have a $5 three spot domino damselfish and 50lbs of dry rock I got for free piled up in the middle while everything stabilizes - and it kind makes me want to set it up as a community tank because it is so much fun.
I have been running freshwater tanks for years and could name hundreds of freshwater fish by sight but don't know the first thing about marine fish or their compatibility etc.
I would love some suggestions on what else I could do with this tank.

Some more details for those who would ask, the tank is about 100 gallons.
It is round(octagon) with a 3' diameter, and the water is about 19" deep right now with how I have the overflow set.
I have a 165w led light hanging above it and a wet/dry overflow filter.
There is about 120 lb of crushed coral on the bottom and 30 lb of dry rock mostly piled in the middle of the tank.
I seeded it with 5 lb of live crushed coral from my LFS.
I know it is an odd setup, but I got most of it for free, or already had it - my largest investment so far has been the crushed coral.
It has only been up and running for about a week now, it is really all just thrown together, and I can't fully stock it yet, but I really want to get a plan put together and I am really interested to hear what all the salt-water pros would do.

I think I have attached a few images of it, but I am not sure this is my first post.
What would you all do if it were you?

Thanks a ton for any suggestions

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Stocking suggestions: mushroom corals, Kenya tree,small flounder,banded serpent stars,a reef safe urchin,dragonfish, or you could create a island in the middle and have sally-go-lightfoot crabs

 

[tlindsey]

Welcome aboard

Tbh the pool tank is too small for a Ray or Shark.

 

[robham777]

May not go well with the community stocking plan, but lionfish look awesome from the top view.

 

[J. H.]

May not go well with the community stocking plan, but lionfish look awesome from the top view.

Wow. Beautiful. They get really big, though. You catch 'em when fishing for blues, and they can be over 2'.

 

[robham777]

Wow. Beautiful. They get really big, though. You catch 'em when fishing for blues, and they can be over 2'.

I did not realize they got that size. I am not much of a salt guy and most of the ones I have seen are in restaurant tanks or at the lfs and no more than about 8". I was actually baseing the suggestion on african butterfly fish which look very cool from the top and trying to think of something similar in the salt realm.

D djohnson3 that is a really cool set up, can't wait to see what you do with it.

Edit: just looked at liveaquaria and apparently there are around 10 different species ranging from around 7" to 20".
https://secure.liveaquaria.com/category/36/lionfish?c=36

 

[tlindsey]

There are smaller Lionfish other than Volitan the dwarf Lion may look good above as well.

 

[MrsE88]

What about a puffer? They have wider bodies that are good viewed from above.

 

[djohnson3]

Stocking suggestions: mushroom corals, Kenya tree,small flounder,banded serpent stars,a reef safe urchin,dragonfish, or you could create a island in the middle and have sally-go-lightfoot crabs

Thanks for all of the suggestions I really want to eventually get into corals, but they seem really expensive - are mushroom corals or kenya trees very much? They look cool.
I love the idea of a flounder - I am all about oddball fish.
I am sold on the banded serpent star - he has made my list for sure - he is awesome.
I know most urchins can sting right? Is that what you mean by reef safe? - that they don't sting?
By dragonfish do you mean dragonet? They are gorgeous!
And I really love the idea of an island in the middle that some critters could crawl onto, but those crabs look big - and creep out my girlfriend lol; our bed is right next to the tank.
I would worry too that enough material to build an island would run the risk of being so heavy it would puncture the plastic lining of the tank unless I was creative in how i built it.
What other saltwater critters would bask in the sun on an island but not want to escape my tank?

 

[djohnson3]

Welcome aboard

Tbh the pool tank is too small for a Ray or Shark.

I'm probably not going to do rays now that I want a community, but my plan would have probably do baby California stingrays and if they ever got to big I would trade them back to my LFS for smaller ones. Do you think it would be too small for that?