Favorite reef safe red fish

[rogue36075]

My 5yr old is completely enthralled with our saltwater tank. We've been slow with it, so it's pretty lightly stocked currently(75gal, btw) she wants to add her favorite color into the tank so I've let her choose some red corals but now she wants to add a red fish. So my question is, what is your favorite reef safe red fish?

I've heard Flame angels are hit or miss with being reef safe, so it is on the list since it would be a legitimate excuse to set up another tank if it starts eating the corals haha

 

[i cant think]

My 5yr old is completely enthralled with our saltwater tank. We've been slow with it, so it's pretty lightly stocked currently(75gal, btw) she wants to add her favorite color into the tank so I've let her choose some red corals but now she wants to add a red fish. So my question is, what is your favorite reef safe red fish?

I've heard Flame angels are hit or miss with being reef safe, so it is on the list since it would be a legitimate excuse to set up another tank if it starts eating the corals haha

There’s a big family that comes to mind for red;
Labridae!
Just a few red wrasses that will fit include;
Cirrhilabrus rubeus
Cirrhilabrus naokoae
Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa
Cirrhilabrus shutmani
Halichoeres biocellatus
Halichoeres iridis
Halichoeres cosmetus
Halichoeres lapillus
Macropharyngodon kuiteri
Macropharyngodon ornatissimus
Pseudojuloides atavai

This is just a short list of wrasses alone, to go further into them I would need a better idea of your dimensions, specifically floorspace

 

[Uncle99]

A trio of orange, purple eye Anthais?
One will change to male which is “reddish”.

 

[Phil Steel]

Flame hawk for me. Rather dopey looking, but has interesting character traits

Then you can get a golden version as a tank mate!

 

[Eienna]

I loved my little red flame hawk. One of the...safer hawks, I believe? There's still a chance it might eat your shrimp. though, so be careful. And I agree with the previous comment, your tank's footprint would be helpful.

 

[i cant think]

Flame hawkfish for me. Rather dopey looking, but has interesting character traits

Then you can get a golden version as a tank mate! View attachment 2997302
View attachment 2997292

Just a warning;
Tahitian Gold’s get huge and can get surprisingly aggressive. I believe Tahitian Gold Hawks can get 8 inches. The one I had in the LFS was a good 6 inches and wasn’t afraid to draw blood when it bit. There is also a Japanese Golden Hawk which you may be referring to and accidentally used a Tahitian Gold photo. This is the Japanese Gold.

I think the Lyretail is a nicer hawk personally
It adds the red and yellow along with a stunning tail you don’t usually see in Hawkfish or low activity fish.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Longnose hawk would be my choice - always out and about and not a huge risk to inverts the way the other hawks are.

 

[Eienna]

A note on flame angelfish....the problem is not as much that they can develop a taste for corals, but rather the fact that when they do entire colonies can be stripped in a single night without warning.

 

[Tamberav]

Possum wrasse
Red Cardinalfish

 

[Tamberav]

I would not call my flame angel a red fish but when I think red I think RED like the flame hawk.


There are shrimp gobies with red on them like the yasha or wheelers

 

[shakacuz]

common red fire fish?? a pair or trio would be decent.

most suggestions above are great as well

 

[Tired]

Rooster waspfish? Venomous, but you shouldn't put your bare hands in the tank anyway, and it's the "ow, $#@&" kind of venom rather than the lethal kind.

Or, flow permitting, saltwater-acclimated guppies. Though those may not be the best option for a kid, considering they don't live long.

 

[Phil Steel]

Possum wrasse
Red Cardinalfish

Red cardinal is a nice option as well!

 

[vtecintegra]

Flame Hawk.

 

[davidcalgary29]

No votes for a nice female Lubbock's fairy wrasse?! Well, I'm first in on that one. Lovely fish with lovely coloration.

 

[i cant think]

No votes for a nice female Lubbock's fairy wrasse?! Well, I'm first in on that one. Lovely fish with lovely coloration.

The reason for that is, ALL Cirrhilabrus will mature into males in captivity. You can get a female of any Cirrhilabrus wrasse (Most of them are red as females) and you’ll end up with a different colour, sometimes that colour doesn’t even resemble red like with Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus.

 

[Mark Goode]

A couple of Blood Shrimps perhaps? They're very red.

 

[Tamberav]

paracheilinus lineopunctatus

 

[jasonvan]

i ove my flame hawk

 

[Reeferbadness]

A note on flame angelfish....the problem is not as much that they can develop a taste for corals, but rather the fact that when they do entire colonies can be stripped in a single night without warning.

I have a pesky flame angelfish - who i suspect does exactly this - mostly to softies and zoa's. I have to be very careful when i add things. If things look bad for an addition, i usually move it to my other tank. It's odd though, he leaves some specific things alone for years and then suddenly develops a taste for it.