Looking for advice on fish and invertebrates to add to my tank

[dreamingoftheocean]

Hello All!
I have a 55 gallon saltwater tank that is looking for some new inhabitants . It's been up and running for around 4 months, has live rock, somewhere around 20 pounds or more of sand, some macroalgae, a protein skimmer, filter, several air stones, and a good clean up crew ( several big turbo snails, a bunch of blue leg hermit crabs, a small red brittle star, and a pencil urchin). I've been doing a lot of research trying to find something or maybe a few things that I feel would be a good fit, but I thought might be a good idea to come on here and ask to get insight from people who actually own any potential animals I may get. I'm looking for something that would be interactive and might have an ability to form some sort of bond. I know that many people feel that most (if not all) fish and invertebrates don't bond with people and aren't all that smart, but after doing research it does appear that there might be some that do seem to have some sort of bond with their owners. And I do understand this would not be like a cat or a dog and I would like to clarify that's not the kind of attachment I'm looking for, but it would be nice to have something that at least seems to care a little. Thanks in advance!!

 

[isaacfish]

Ok so I would usually automatically suggest a porcupine puffer because their bond with their owner is so strong but with the crabs you have in your tank and the urchin I would have to say you can’t get one but if your looking for something to bond with and you don’t mind making the sacrifice a porci is the way to go I had my 8 year old puffer in a tank to the point that if I put my hand in he would come lay in it then turn over so I could rub his belly

 

[isaacfish]

 

[mues]

Pretty much all of your fish will be interested in you after awhile. They know where the food comes from. That being said, I enjoy my wrasses more than most of the others, they are super curious fish. Could fit quite a few wrasses in a 55g peacefully. Depending on the type, they also eat pests.


A porcupine puffer will outgrow a 55g tank in months, please don't. They reach 20" in length.

 

[Naekuh]

PLEASE absolutely no porc. puffer in a 55gal.

Thats on the same level as a Acillies Tang in a 55g.
On that note... no Tang's either... and limit yourself to either the pgymy angel or a dwarf angel if you want an angel.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Other species that I've found more personable are naso tangs and black durgon triggers, both once they get pretty large. They're also 100% not appropriate for your size tank. I only mention them to suggest that probably the species that are going to have food-seeking behavior that you may want to interpret as 'bonding' might not be the best choices for other more important reasons such as space.

One of the algae blennies might be a good choice (lawnmower and bicolor are both curious and pretty hardy, and they do come to the glass sometimes when a person is there), but you've already got a lot of algae dependent critters, so best to wait on either of these until there's something for them to eat.

 

[mues]

Every time I walk in the room... all 11 fish huddle at the corner waiting for shrimp.

P.S. Mind your business bout my algae blooms and missing sand

 

[krollins]

jawfish and arrow crab would be cool. I own both

 

[dreamingoftheocean]

Thank you all for the suggestions! Greatly appreciate it!!

 

[Silly clownfish]

I have always found flame hawk fish to be particularly people-focused. Get it for the color, but love it for the personality!

 

[littlefoxx]

Blenny! I just picked up one in a store. Her name is Boo. She played peek a boo with me in the store, and does this every time I look in the tank. I think we have a special bond! My other fish I have a bond with are my dwarf fuzzy lionfish and my two eels.

 

[Biokabe]

Blennies in general are super fun fish. I pretty much always try to have some manner of blenny in my tank... my first one was a flametail blenny, and it's probably my second-favorite blenny and one of my top five favorite fish ever. He even managed to survive my tank getting close to 100 degrees for at least a day.

I've had a starry blenny (gorgeous), a kamohara blenny, and a forktail blenny. The current blenny on the roster is a Midas blenny, absolutely gorgeous fish. He's picked out a cave right next to my montipora digitata: