Need help deciding on whether or not a fish is right for your tank? Post here and we'll help!

[pdt7361]

I'm thinking about adding some more fish to my reef (softies, zoas LPS, and NPS) and need some opinions. I have a standard 4ft 90g with an Eshopps ADV-200 sump and a Reef Octopus Classic 150 skimmer. Currently I have 2 fancy clowns, a tomini tang, blue hippo tang (he'll only stay around in this tank until he gets to about 6-7 inches), a diamond goby, a yellow corris wrasse, an ornate leopard wrasse, and a blue star leopard wrasse. I feed 3 times a day, I keep my nitrates at 5, and have little issues with any form of algea

I was thinking about adding a couple of bartlett anthias...any opinions on how many I could/should add? Any other stocking suggestions that I should consider over the anthias? I've also considered some cardinalfish....more specifically the yellow striped and/or the red stop light. If I did the cardinalfish, could I do 3 of each?

 

[Maritimer]

I don't know much about the cardinals, but I've got a trio of Bartlett's (down from four, one was able to go _up_ through the eggcrate lid of my QT, but not able to find its way _down_ to the water), of which I'm beginning to wonder whether they're too many, too few or ... just Bartlett's. They're gorgeous, much more active than I expected them to be, and very flashy and feisty. But . . . It seems like even though I carefully chose _one_ with lots of pink in his forehead and longer finnage, and three of the smallest, yellowest ones I could select (they're bewilderingly fast and flighty when there's a net in the water!) it would seem that I have two males in the tank. (From what I understand of Bartlett's in particular, this isn't uncommon - I've heard that _all_ Bartlett's may turn male in aquaria!) At the moment, this means that one fish is parading about the open water, and two are sulking in the shadows or hiding behind the overflow . . .

Other anthias probably retain more natural groupings of one male to several females _who_stay_females_, but I'm given to understand that some of those ones can be difficult to acclimate. Kind of a trade-off, I guess . . .

~Bruce

 

[Maritimer]

Thanks very much, I'm going to ride with a friend next week to a distributor ( he has a wholesale account) and he let me know the kinds they have and it was just over welming so much too chose from didn't no where too start

You might take a visual spin through LiveAquaria's site; check out the fish you like the look of, and see whether they'll fit in your tank and with your care regimen.

~Bruce

 

[eatbreakfast]

Stocking a 37gal 30Lx12Dx22H mixed reef. Already have clown fish, six line wrasse and lawnmower blenny. Blenny is in QT and clown fish and wrasse are in DT and getting along. Our clown fish leaves the wrasse alone (and vice versa) but attacks our hands anytime they are in the tank. The blenny is due to move to DT in about a week. Also have CUC of snails and 1 emerald crab. My husband really wants a blue sapphire Damsel (Chrysiptera springeri) and I want something purple. These would be the last fish we will stock. I would really like a royal gramma but wasn't sure if the wrasse and it would get along. Would an orchid dottyback fit in better? I think a firefish would be too shy with the other fish. Any other "purples" that would work? Anyone have experience with the sapphire damsel? I've done some research and they are supposed to be one of the less aggressive damsels and have the benefit of eating coral pests. What order should I add these last two fish?

C. springeri is a peaceful damsel for sure.

Sixlines can get pretty nasty, particularly toward other fish that like to hang out near the rockwork. I would suggest rearranging the rockwork just prior to adding either a gramma or orchid dottyback.

Hello everyone my tanks been up and running for about 7 months now and I'm looking to add some more fish. It's a bow front 30 only thing in it right now is two blue damsels, cleanup crew and a green star polyp. My question is what other fish should I be looking at or what would you suggest.Thanks in advance

In a tank this size look for fish that occupy a different niche than the damsels. Watchman goby w/pistol shrimp, a group of barnacle blennies, midas blenny, pike blenny, rooster waspfish.

I'm thinking about adding some more fish to my reef (softies, zoas LPS, and NPS) and need some opinions. I have a standard 4ft 90g with an Eshopps ADV-200 sump and a Reef Octopus Classic 150 skimmer. Currently I have 2 fancy clowns, a tomini tang, blue hippo tang (he'll only stay around in this tank until he gets to about 6-7 inches), a diamond goby, a yellow corris wrasse, an ornate leopard wrasse, and a blue star leopard wrasse. I feed 3 times a day, I keep my nitrates at 5, and have little issues with any form of algea

I was thinking about adding a couple of bartlett anthias...any opinions on how many I could/should add? Any other stocking suggestions that I should consider over the anthias? I've also considered some cardinalfish....more specifically the yellow striped and/or the red stop light. If I did the cardinalfish, could I do 3 of each?

Bartletts can be pretty rough, so if you get a group, get 5+ to diffuse interspecies aggression.

Randalls and dispar anthias are much better behaved with each other and are relatively hardy.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

Hi everyone, I'm cycling a 50g cube that I'm planning on doing a primarily SPS reef in . I've got a pair of very small captive-bred occelaris clownfish in my QT awaiting the DT to cycle. I'm now considering future additions after the clowns clear the QT.

1) Yellow watchman goby/ pistol shrimp pair

2) Wrasse (considering Mystery OR McCoskers OR Leopard OR another suitable wrasse?)

Any advice on order of addition and/or suitability of these in light of the existing small clownfish pair would be greatly appreciated.

Other than that I'm considering perhaps one more fish, though I don't want to overstock. I'd love to add a Flame or coral beauty but think I'd just be pressing my luck. Any other thoughts on last addition greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[pdt7361]

@TechnicalFisher The angels would be hit or miss on eating your corals if you're planning on doing a reef.
I don't see any issues with having the goby/pistol pair with your clowns as they are often done together.
For the wrasses - how deep of a sandbed do you have and do you have a sustainable population of pods? My leopards pick for pods all day despite being fed 3 times a day.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

@pdt7361 - thanks very much. I've got a 2-3" sand bed. The tank is brand new and I'm using dry rock this round so no pods yet but I'm planning on stocking them in the coming weeks. I'm guessing from your response that I'm best off waiting until I've got a viable pod population before considering a wrasse?

 

[Maritimer]

Hi everyone, I'm cycling a 50g cube that I'm planning on doing a primarily SPS reef in . I've got a pair of very small captive-bred occelaris clownfish in my QT awaiting the DT to cycle. I'm now considering future additions after the clowns clear the QT.

1) Yellow watchman goby/ pistol shrimp pair

2) Wrasse (considering Mystery OR McCoskers OR Leopard OR another suitable wrasse?)

Any advice on order of addition and/or suitability of these in light of the existing small clownfish pair would be greatly appreciated.

Other than that I'm considering perhaps one more fish, though I don't want to overstock. I'd love to add a Flame or coral beauty but think I'd just be pressing my luck. Any other thoughts on last addition greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Watchman & shrimp would be pretty sweet - be aware that gobies won't pair with every pistol shrimp! I've got a pistol and three shrimp-gobies in my tank, and they all either ignore or threaten any of the others who approach too closely. (>_<)

Mystery wrasses have a reputation for becoming aggressive as they age, especially toward other wrasses; leopard wrasses have a reputation for being a bit difficult to acclimate, but once acclimated most report them easy to care for. McCosker's (and most other flashers) get along well with just about everyone, but will flash more often if there are related wrasses to bounce off of. (As in, not two McCoskers, but maybe a McCosker's and a blue or filamented or linespot, or Carpenter's or royal or . . . ) Mystery wrasses and McCosker's won't need a sandbed to sleep in, but leopards will want one. (A tupperware container of sand, tucked away somewhere, can fit the bill...) Leopards love to hunt pods, McCosker's couldn't care much less about pods, as they feed on plankton in the water column - I have no idea how important pods are to mystery wrasses - that's a mystery to me.

I have two angels in my tank - my coral beauty never really bothers corals at all, my flame ... isn't always so angelic.

Any of them should get along with the ocellaris clowns, so long as they're introduced before the clowns start pairing up in earnest. Once the clowns reach maturity and start laying eggs, they'll likely be less accepting of newcomers.

~Bruce

 

[eatbreakfast]

@TechnicalFisher ^Bruce hit the nail on the head.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

Thanks for the info @Maritimer! I was a bit concerned about aggression with the mystery wrasse, that's good to know. Love the idea of a leopard but with a relatively new tank and what I've heard about acclimating them wondering if I should take it off the list, at least for now. In all, the McCosker's is leading the field at the moment, looks to be a good all-around fit. In hindsight, the clown pair probably should have been a later addition, I'm hoping that they are still young/small enough that we can get other fish in the tank before they pair up in earnest.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

I meant to add, when it comes to the wrasses, I've got a rimless cube that I'm installing a 1/4" mesh cover on. With that cover in place should I be reasonably safe with a wrasse?

 

[eatbreakfast]

I meant to add, when it comes to the wrasses, I've got a rimless cube that I'm installing a 1/4" mesh cover on. With that cover in place should I be reasonably safe with a wrasse?

Yes, 1/4" mesh is what you want.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

@eatbreakfast - thanks very much. So now having focused on the McCosker's I'm wondering whether I'm best off doing 2 of them, male and female, so that I get flashing behavior. I'd love to consider 3 but don't know if I'd be pushing it with my tank size and already-present clown pair. So ultimate stocking might be:

Occelaris Clownfish Pair
McCoskey's Wrasse (2 or 3?)
Goby/Shrimp Pair

For a total of 5 or 6 fish. Too many and/or is going with multiple McCosker's a mistake in terms of possible aggressiveness/otherwise? I'm going to quit torturing myself considering a Coral Beauty or Flame Angel, just don't want to deal with having to remove them if/when they get destructive. Thanks for all the continued insight, this thread is a great resource!

 

[eatbreakfast]

@eatbreakfast - thanks very much. So now having focused on the McCosker's I'm wondering whether I'm best off doing 2 of them, male and female, so that I get flashing behavior. I'd love to consider 3 but don't know if I'd be pushing it with my tank size and already-present clown pair. So ultimate stocking might be:

Occelaris Clownfish Pair
McCoskey's Wrasse (2 or 3?)
Goby/Shrimp Pair

For a total of 5 fish. Too many and/or is going with multiple McCosker's a mistake in terms of possible aggressiveness/otherwise? 'm going to quit torturing myself considering a Coral Beauty or Flame Angel, just don't want to deal with having to remove them if/when they get destructive. Thanks for all the continued insight, this thread is a great resource!

Don't get two specimens of the same species of flasher. To get the flashing displays get one specimen of two different species.

 

[Chiefmaster30]

Any suggestions on fish? I have a 60 gallon tank 1 yr old with zoas, shrooms, and a few lps. Currently, I have a pair of clowns, yellow tang, firefish goby, 2- Green Chromis, and a splendid dottyback.

 

[Don Lidtke]

This is the list of fish I'm thinking about for my 170 gallon tank:

Red Firefish Goby
Orchid Dottyback
Bluegreen Reef Chromis 6x
Blue Reef Chromis 6x
Ocellaris Clown
Royal Gramma Basslet
Neon Blue Goby 2x
Banggai Cardinal 2x
Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse
Chalk Bass 2x
Flame Angelfish

I'm not too sure if this is too much of a load or not.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Any suggestions on fish? I have a 60 gallon tank 1 yr old with zoas, shrooms, and a few lps. Currently, I have a pair of clowns, yellow tang, firefish goby, 2- Green Chromis, and a splendid dottyback.

Possible additions would include grammistes, midas, or starry blenny, watchman goby w/pistol shrimp.

This is the list of fish I'm thinking about for my 170 gallon tank:

Red Firefish Goby
Orchid Dottyback
Bluegreen Reef Chromis 6x
Blue Reef Chromis 6x
Ocellaris Clown
Royal Gramma Basslet
Neon Blue Goby 2x
Banggai Cardinal 2x
Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse
Chalk Bass 2x
Flame Angelfish

I'm not too sure if this is too much of a load or not.

There aren't any large fish, so the bioload should be fine.

 

[thewbell]

I am just finishing up the cycle in my 5' 120 Gallon and planning my stocking list. I have listed the fish I would like to have below (in descending order). As far as corals go, this will be an LPS and SPS tank.

1. Pair of Clowns (Black and White or Platinum but something different than the typical clowns)
2. Bubble Tip Anemone.
3. Purple Tang
4. Mandarin (after pod population has been established)
5. Flame Angel
6. Coral Beauty (I have read mixed reviews on having the CB and Flame but plan to introduce both together like I did in my last tank)
7. Goby and Pistol Shrimp Pair
8. Kole Tang (Probably introduce with the Purple to avoid territorial issues)
9. A pair or trio of Anthias
10. A trio of Blue-Green Chromis
11. Some type of Wrasse to help guard against any coral pests that sneak in without outcompeting the mandarin for pods.

I am not dead set on getting every fish on the list and will slowly add them once the tank is ready but am open to suggestions as well. I will also have a CUC comprised of snails and a few emerald crabs (no hermits) along with a cleaner shrimp or two.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I am just finishing up the cycle in my 5' 120 Gallon and planning my stocking list. I have listed the fish I would like to have below (in descending order). As far as corals go, this will be an LPS and SPS tank.

1. Pair of Clowns (Black and White or Platinum but something different than the typical clowns)
2. Bubble Tip Anemone.
3. Purple Tang
4. Mandarin (after pod population has been established)
5. Flame Angel
6. Coral Beauty (I have read mixed reviews on having the CB and Flame but plan to introduce both together like I did in my last tank)
7. Goby and Pistol Shrimp Pair
8. Kole Tang (Probably introduce with the Purple to avoid territorial issues)
9. A pair or trio of Anthias
10. A trio of Blue-Green Chromis
11. Some type of Wrasse to help guard against any coral pests that sneak in without outcompeting the mandarin for pods.

I am not dead set on getting every fish on the list and will slowly add them once the tank is ready but am open to suggestions as well. I will also have a CUC comprised of snails and a few emerald crabs (no hermits) along with a cleaner shrimp or two.

Your strategy is sound. I would just be careful on the wrasse you choose and the anthias you choose. A yellow coris, Halichoeres chrysus, will meet your needs for a wrasse.

I would advise against doing only a pr of anthias. Get either a species that can be kept singly, or get a social species, but get five individuals.

 

[TechnicalFisher]

Don't get two specimens of the same species of flasher. To get the flashing displays get one specimen of two different species.

Thanks @eatbreakfast. If both are males will I need to worry about interspecies agression?