Favorite larger reef safe fish

[Kershaw]

You can get a black tang or a gem tang if got the money.

 

[DeanF]

Unicorn Tang. You can see my guy in my avitar. He is about 15" long at this point and in a 410 gallon tank. Great fish with a ton of personality. Follows me from one end of the tank to another when I am in the room. His horn is longer now than in this pic taken about 2 years ago. About 2" long.

 

[tdyrkacz]

get a shark.... oh reef safe =)

 

[Ardee]

Yeah no kidding. I actually would love to have a shark tank one day

 

[pugcrush]

I didn't see it asked/mentioned, but how big is your tank? Most of the tangs mentioned get beyond 1' EASILY. Kole tangs are beautiful in my book and fall in the smaller range. Plus they serve a purpose! Otherwise, a purple tang may float your boat.

Otherwise, if unique is the other requirement there are plenty of wrasses to choose from & are within the requested size parameters.

 

[tdyrkacz]

I didn't see it asked/mentioned, but how big is your tank? Most of the tangs mentioned get beyond 1' EASILY. Kole tangs are beautiful in my book and fall in the smaller range. Plus they serve a purpose! Otherwise, a purple tang may float your boat.

Otherwise, if unique is the other requirement there are plenty of wrasses to choose from & are within the requested size parameters.

Agreed. I hope your tank is more than 12" long. =) It is good when the fish have enough place to turn around.

 

[Ardee]

It is 48x24x24. I know I can't have a naso in the tank or I would definitely get one. I love them.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Cross Hatch Triggers are rare and expensive (usually selling for over $500). I have seen them sell in pairs - but not sure about reef safe as all reef safe cases I know about involve only a single triggerfish. You could also look for a Blue Tip Longfin Group (another rare and expensive fish).

For Tangs - Look for a Gem Tang - rare and expensive

You are going to need a larger tank for what you are thinking about though...6 foot minimum is what you should be shoting for. I was thinking of at least a 180G tank (72x24x24) when you were talking about your fish selection.

Not having a 5 or 6 foot tank, I would take the triggerfish off your list personally. I would also take off many tangs mentioned here. Longer is better when it comes to Triggers and Tangs. With a 4' tank - Purple, black, and gem tanks are the rare and expensive tangs I would look at.

If you are looking for rare and expensive fish - I would just nix the rare and expensive fish, get a bigger tank, and buy non-rare fish and get the best of both worlds. A crosshatch trigger pair would easily be over $1500, black tangs are over $500, and gem tangs are over $2000 to give you perspective. Compare that to a bluethroat trigger which you could get for about $80 or a Kole Tang that you can get for less than $50.

 

[saltyfish808]

My 11" unicorn tang! I love this fish

 

[550jim]

When I get my big tank I like unicorn tangs

 

[Ardee]

That is absolutely beautiful fish

 

[MickeyMouse]

My favorite fish is the achilles tang, it's a real beauty. I had one in the past, and would like to get one in the next year. The only things I dislike with the achilles is its sensitivity, and high cost these days.

My second favorite is the vlamingi tang, when big enough they become superb. But in a 48in tank we can forget this one.
"too bad, sorry"

_MG_9968_2048x1365 by MickeyMouse07

The desjardini sailfin tang is a nice variation of the sailfin, with a nice patern.

_MG_0050_2048x1365 by MickeyMouse07

A fish I discovered this year is the scarus quoyi parrotfish. What a wonderful fish, reef safe, peaceful, an active and attractive behavior and a pure beauty. I must admit that he's now equal with the achilles at the top on my favorite fish list.
This one is the fish I would recommend the most.

image by MickeyMouse07

_MG_0120_2048x1365 by MickeyMouse07