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

Payday · Nov 8, 2015

Hey TJ. Thanks for the quick reply. I can go ahead and take the purple tang off the list. Any recommendations for a "show fish" that would be size appropriate? What do you think about a mystery wrasse?

eatbreakfast · Nov 8, 2015

Payday said:
Hey TJ. Thanks for the quick reply. I can go ahead and take the purple tang off the list. Any recommendations for a "show fish" that would be size appropriate? What do you think about a mystery wrasse?

The mystery wrasse falls into the same category as the sixline.

Here are some 'showy' species that might work:
Mckoskers flasher
Flavianalis flasher
Carpenter's flasher
Flame fairy
Hooded fairy
Lunatus fairy
Pintail fairy
Lubbocks fairy
Melanurus wrasse
Timorensis wrasse
Biocellatus wrasse

sc50964 · Nov 8, 2015

Agreed with the mystery wrasse comparison to sixline. I once had a mystery wrasse in an 180g, thought there was plenty of room, but then realized how much a punk that mystery wrasse was to new wrasses.

merlberg · Nov 8, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
A cowfish can't handle that group, it is far too passive, is likely to get outcompeted for food, get picked on, and may release it's toxin because of that.

Adding a new tomato clown to an existing one may or may not work, females can get pretty aggressive.

Just add gradually and watch your parameters. There are some gish that get large and produce a lot of waste.

I thought that about the cowfish as well. But thanks for the advice on adding gradually!

Paul B · Nov 15, 2015

scardall said:
I'm thinking about adding a" dragon face pipe fish " to my mixed Reef. ( to control red bugs if any) I do not have a anemone in my tank. I do have SPS, LPS Clam , Zoa's and Blasto's. I have a bare bottom tank with plenty of arthropods/copeapods as well. Fish wise I have a mated pair of black saddleback Clowns ,a Tamini Tang and a Juvenile Emperor Angel (Size: A little smaller than a 50 cent piece) Tank is a 75g reef.

They are one of my favorite fish. But need to be fed a lot. They certainly do hunt all day but I don't think you will have enough in there to keep them long term. I feed mine new born brine shrimp every day and they can eat a million of them.
Here is a video of two pipes eating

scardall · Nov 15, 2015

@Paul B Thanks, You confirmed my suspicions on food requirements. I do like your live food set up. I think I will go with a six line wrasse instead. I kind of figured that my pod population may not be able to keep this fish long term on it's own. Bummer.

pgravis · Nov 15, 2015

Wondering if I could add a ruby red dragonet (or a pair) to my tank. It's a 60 cube with a 90 gallon refugium and 75 gal sump. I do have a mandarin that is doing well (obviously don't want to jeopardize this). Just wondering if I could support both species considering the size of my fuge. Any thoughts?

eatbreakfast · Nov 15, 2015

pgravis said:
Wondering if I could add a ruby red dragonet (or a pair) to my tank. It's a 60 cube with a 90 gallon refugium and 75 gal sump. I do have a mandarin that is doing well (obviously don't want to jeopardize this). Just wondering if I could support both species considering the size of my fuge. Any thoughts?

That should be fine. The general consesus is one dragonet for 50g of system volume.

pgravis · Nov 15, 2015

Thanks. I wasn't sure if the smaller display volume would hinder that.

cameronh · Nov 15, 2015

What will be good compatible fish for a 29 gallon biocube? With corals

eatbreakfast · Nov 15, 2015

cameronh said:
What will be good compatible fish for a 29 gallon biocube? With corals

There are plenty of good choices. Species I like for that size include: swales basslet, yellow assessor, royal gramma, firefish, dartfish, barnacle blennies, watchman goby w/pistol shrimp.

cameronh · Nov 15, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
There are plenty of good choices. Species I like for that size include: swales basslet, yellow assessor, royal gramma, firefish, dartfish, barnacle blennies, watchman goby w/pistol shrimp.

Thanks for your response. Just looking into seeing what I could put in there and they live happy.

bookgirl_54 · Nov 18, 2015

I have a 90 gallon with a 40 gallon refug. It has a lot of live rock from a 55 gallon that was about 5 years old. I have a 4 year old clown, a 4 year old bicolor angel, 2 pj cardinals, lots of snails and small crabs. I want to keep this a calm community tank. What are other fish that you would recommend and the order I should add? I have an anemone in qt right now. Would it be possible to introduce another clown or am I asking for death to one?

eatbreakfast · Nov 18, 2015

bookgirl_54 said:
I have a 90 gallon with a 40 gallon refug. It has a lot of live rock from a 55 gallon that was about 5 years old. I have a 4 year old clown, a 4 year old bicolor angel, 2 pj cardinals, lots of snails and small crabs. I want to keep this a calm community tank. What are other fish that you would recommend and the order I should add? I have an anemone in qt right now. Would it be possible to introduce another clown or am I asking for death to one?

It depends on the species of clown you have, if it's in the occellaris complex, if you get a juvenile or a male it should be fine.

Fairy, flasher, or small Halichoeres wrasses. A small group of anthias, such as dispar or randalls, a grooup of zebra dartfish, longnose or flame hawkfish are a few suggestions.

Stew18 · Nov 18, 2015

Ok here we go........

I have a 40 gallon Innovative Marine

I have lots of love rock and some corals.
Fish........
2 1/2" marine betta
2" starry Benny
2" diamond goby

All get along peacefully

I would like to add a Curaçao deepwater chromis
And a McKroskera flasher wrasse

Thoughts?

Thanks

eatbreakfast · Nov 19, 2015

Stew18 said:
Ok here we go........

I have a 40 gallon Innovative Marine

I have lots of love rock and some corals.
Fish........
2 1/2" marine betta
2" starry Benny
2" diamond goby

All get along peacefully

I would like to add a Curaçao deepwater chromis
And a McKroskera flasher wrasse

Thoughts?

Thanks

Those 2 will be compatible with your current stock.

kozzy · Nov 19, 2015

I have a 48 gallon. It will 100% be upgraded to 130+ in no more then a year as we are already setting up in the build. I'm replacing my rectangular trigger that I've had for a year because he's starting to get aggressive. I was looking at some of the tangs that my lfs gets in smaller size such as the convict, yellow and salifin. Will this work? I've heard that convicts are hard to keep? And other suggestions for tangs other then those guys?

eatbreakfast · Nov 20, 2015

Saltwaterfishy said:
I have a 48 gallon. It will 100% be upgraded to 130+ in no more then a year as we are already setting up in the build. I'm replacing my rectangular trigger that I've had for a year because he's starting to get aggressive. I was looking at some of the tangs that my lfs gets in smaller size such as the convict, yellow and salifin. Will this work? I've heard that convicts are hard to keep? And other suggestions for tangs other then those guys?

I would recommend waiting to get the tangs once the new tank is set up, even when small they can have a lot of attitude.

licia40 · Nov 22, 2015

Hi, I just started having saltwater tanks. I have 2 other tanks which are also new but one has a nemo with white spots. So I was wondering if a 25L tank is enough for a blue tang?

eatbreakfast · Nov 22, 2015

licia40 said:
Hi, I just started having saltwater tanks. I have 2 other tanks which are also new but one has a nemo with white spots. So I was wondering if a 25L tank is enough for a blue tang?

Unfortunately a 25L tank will not adequately house any tang. They grow large, and do so quickly.