i want your opinion on some reef safe fish for my tank!

zombiereef · 09/20/2006, 12:55 PM

what reef-safe fishes do you think are absolute essentials???
i am planning a new tank. it will be a FOWLR for the time being but will slowly add corals as time goes on. i am trying to figure what fish i want to put in it and fish to avoid. i am not looking for a predator tank. i love lionfish, but will not be getting one. sounds nerdy, but i have 2 small kids and the nemo theme sounds cool- may help keep their interest (i already know it will help with the wife's). ideas about variations of this are good. i like yellow tangs, clowns (ocellaris), shrimp, mandarins, small wrasses to give you an idea. i would like the largest fish to be a yellow/purple/powder blue tang. also, i will need to know what order to add them to tank to make sure i dont cause any unnecessary deaths. the tank is a 180g (72x24x24) with a 55g sump/fuge. it isnt running yet, but hopefully in the near future. i am also planning on LPS only. i will be adding an anemone eventually for some clowns.

reefnetworth · 09/20/2006, 01:00 PM

www.liveaquaria.com has some of the best descriptions available for the info desired. even if you chose to buy from somewhere else, such as your LFS, you will be aware of the habits of different specis. hope this helps, have a beautiful day and REEF-ON!

zachstone13 · 09/20/2006, 01:05 PM

Well you have room for a bunch of fish in there. Id stay away from the mandarins for a while, until your tank is established a bit, as they need an established tank to thrive. You could start by putting in a bunch or chromis, they are inexpensive and are a great starter fish, plus when they school they look neat. Make sure you invesitgate the wrasses you add, as some become quite aggressive when they get older. I love pbt's, sohals, and chevrons, I'd do one of those 3 for sure in a 6 ft. tank. Id add the tang last, starting with maybe the chromis, then clowns, then a couple wrasses. Tangs are prone to ick, id leave that till the end, same with the mandarin. Start slow, best advise to give you.... best of luck, be sure to post pics when its up and running!

zachstone13 · 09/20/2006, 01:07 PM

You could also do a large angel, like an imperator, queen, french ect. They may give you trouble with the lps though.....

Sk8r · 09/20/2006, 01:10 PM

Angels are iffy with corals. Even the ones they swear are reef safe. Look at gobies and blennies and dartfish, too. There are hundreds of varieties, many very colorful.

Ritten · 09/20/2006, 01:27 PM

I wish I would have known you can have an orange/white occ and black/white occ clown together. I have seen a few tanks with the pair and they look really neat. I had already bought two black and white. I have seen a couple of tanks with a pair of yellow watchman gobies and they are a cute pair to watch.

McCrary · 09/20/2006, 02:26 PM

I think Powder Blue tangs are an essential part of any large reef tank.

nigel · 09/20/2006, 02:30 PM

I like the royal gramma

rodd1rj · 09/20/2006, 02:33 PM

second that on the chromis

kravi · 09/20/2006, 02:35 PM

I like Royal Grammas too.

I'd also recommend a pseudochromis fridmani and maybe a bi-colour blenni. All great fish, and don't get too big.

I have a six-line wrasse I love. He's friendly, not territorial (get's along with everyone, even my grumpy blenny).

--Me

P.S. I'd recommend getting the anemone before you get the clown fish. If the clown fish have already found a coral to nest at, they won't switch. If you introduce them to a tank which already has an anemone, they are much more likely to nest there.

petoonia · 09/20/2006, 03:43 PM

I would add a pair of young clowns, with an anemone, acclimate them together.I found an anemone with a clown in it and took them both this way you know the clowns wiil host in the anemone.

If I was setting up a tank that large, I would get a yellow tang, blue hippo tang, 2 clowns, orchid dottyback, green clown goby, coral beauty, 2 neon gobies, a mandarin (after 6 mos.), tailspot blennie, or bi color blennie Those are a few of my favorites.

zombiereef · 09/20/2006, 05:48 PM

very nice ideas. i had a 20L nano reef for a while and wish my royal gramma would have came out of hiding more. i think the tank was just too small for him.
what do you all think of this-
2 ocellaris clowns
royal gramma
3 firefish
2 pipefish
potters angel
yellow tang
powder blue tang

petoonia · 09/20/2006, 08:47 PM

The pipefish can be really difficult, and actually arent too compatible with the other fish you want.Heres a compatibility chart that may be helpful.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/c...lity_chart.cfm

Powder blue tangs can be difficult sometimes, but with that size tank you should be ok.

Otherwise everything else sounds good!!!

edwing206 · 09/20/2006, 09:53 PM

good luck with the tank and take a look at some wrasses like the mystery wrasse, very neat fish

09/20/2006, 12:55 PM	#1
zombiereef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: fort collins, colorado Posts: 1,569	i want your opinion on some reef safe fish for my tank! what reef-safe fishes do you think are absolute essentials??? i am planning a new tank. it will be a FOWLR for the time being but will slowly add corals as time goes on. i am trying to figure what fish i want to put in it and fish to avoid. i am not looking for a predator tank. i love lionfish, but will not be getting one. sounds nerdy, but i have 2 small kids and the nemo theme sounds cool- may help keep their interest (i already know it will help with the wife's). ideas about variations of this are good. i like yellow tangs, clowns (ocellaris), shrimp, mandarins, small wrasses to give you an idea. i would like the largest fish to be a yellow/purple/powder blue tang. also, i will need to know what order to add them to tank to make sure i dont cause any unnecessary deaths. the tank is a 180g (72x24x24) with a 55g sump/fuge. it isnt running yet, but hopefully in the near future. i am also planning on LPS only. i will be adding an anemone eventually for some clowns. __________________ i like things that sway in the current Current Tank Info: no tanks currently. I dont miss it really.

09/20/2006, 01:00 PM	#2
reefnetworth Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 3,810	www.liveaquaria.com has some of the best descriptions available for the info desired. even if you chose to buy from somewhere else, such as your LFS, you will be aware of the habits of different specis. hope this helps, have a beautiful day and REEF-ON! __________________ GIVE A MAN A FISH, YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH, HE FEEDS HIMSELF FOR LIFE. (NEVER, underestimate another man's greed) Current Tank Info: SPS dominated barebottom display with BB sump since 2005, most consistant parameters in 19+ years of reefkeeping.

09/20/2006, 01:10 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Angels are iffy with corals. Even the ones they swear are reef safe. Look at gobies and blennies and dartfish, too. There are hundreds of varieties, many very colorful. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/20/2006, 02:26 PM	#7
McCrary Can't Stop Time Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 3,079	I think Powder Blue tangs are an essential part of any large reef tank. __________________ Matt Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC), Rudens

09/20/2006, 02:33 PM	#9
rodd1rj Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Mt. Pleasant, MI Posts: 224	second that on the chromis __________________ Ryan.... Go wings.... Fire up Chips Current Tank Info: 110 gallon reef, SPS, LPS, and Softies

09/20/2006, 01:05 PM	#3
zachstone13 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 299	Well you have room for a bunch of fish in there. Id stay away from the mandarins for a while, until your tank is established a bit, as they need an established tank to thrive. You could start by putting in a bunch or chromis, they are inexpensive and are a great starter fish, plus when they school they look neat. Make sure you invesitgate the wrasses you add, as some become quite aggressive when they get older. I love pbt's, sohals, and chevrons, I'd do one of those 3 for sure in a 6 ft. tank. Id add the tang last, starting with maybe the chromis, then clowns, then a couple wrasses. Tangs are prone to ick, id leave that till the end, same with the mandarin. Start slow, best advise to give you.... best of luck, be sure to post pics when its up and running!

09/20/2006, 01:07 PM	#4
zachstone13 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Tampa, FL Posts: 299	You could also do a large angel, like an imperator, queen, french ect. They may give you trouble with the lps though.....

09/20/2006, 01:27 PM	#6
Ritten Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,164	I wish I would have known you can have an orange/white occ and black/white occ clown together. I have seen a few tanks with the pair and they look really neat. I had already bought two black and white. I have seen a couple of tanks with a pair of yellow watchman gobies and they are a cute pair to watch.

09/20/2006, 02:30 PM	#8
nigel Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: cambridge, ontario Posts: 154	I like the royal gramma

09/20/2006, 02:35 PM	#10
kravi Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bethesda, MD Posts: 114	I like Royal Grammas too. I'd also recommend a pseudochromis fridmani and maybe a bi-colour blenni. All great fish, and don't get too big. I have a six-line wrasse I love. He's friendly, not territorial (get's along with everyone, even my grumpy blenny). --Me P.S. I'd recommend getting the anemone before you get the clown fish. If the clown fish have already found a coral to nest at, they won't switch. If you introduce them to a tank which already has an anemone, they are much more likely to nest there.

09/20/2006, 03:43 PM	#11
petoonia HereWeGoAgain... Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,648	I would add a pair of young clowns, with an anemone, acclimate them together.I found an anemone with a clown in it and took them both this way you know the clowns wiil host in the anemone. If I was setting up a tank that large, I would get a yellow tang, blue hippo tang, 2 clowns, orchid dottyback, green clown goby, coral beauty, 2 neon gobies, a mandarin (after 6 mos.), tailspot blennie, or bi color blennie Those are a few of my favorites. __________________ I've been in the hobby for about 10 years....(so I know a little bit)...(but not all that much).... Current Tank Info: 58G. Oceanic (Starphire). Mixed Reef

09/20/2006, 05:48 PM	#12
zombiereef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: fort collins, colorado Posts: 1,569	very nice ideas. i had a 20L nano reef for a while and wish my royal gramma would have came out of hiding more. i think the tank was just too small for him. what do you all think of this- 2 ocellaris clowns royal gramma 3 firefish 2 pipefish potters angel yellow tang powder blue tang __________________ i like things that sway in the current Current Tank Info: no tanks currently. I dont miss it really.

09/20/2006, 08:47 PM	#13
petoonia HereWeGoAgain... Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,648	The pipefish can be really difficult, and actually arent too compatible with the other fish you want.Heres a compatibility chart that may be helpful. http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/c...lity_chart.cfm Powder blue tangs can be difficult sometimes, but with that size tank you should be ok. Otherwise everything else sounds good!!! __________________ I've been in the hobby for about 10 years....(so I know a little bit)...(but not all that much).... Current Tank Info: 58G. Oceanic (Starphire). Mixed Reef

09/20/2006, 09:53 PM	#14
edwing206 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Shoreline,Washington Posts: 4,518	good luck with the tank and take a look at some wrasses like the mystery wrasse, very neat fish __________________ The name's Luis. :) Current Tank Info: 50G cube