60g Cube Fish

[Liquid360]

I want one "larger" fish in my tank (see photo). I was thinking along flame angel size, one bright "king/queen" of the tank kinda fish. Recommendations or thoughts please?

 

[revhtree]

Tank looks good. What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[Liquid360]

Thanks a lot! It's 24x24x24

 

[Rikerbear]

Great looking tank!

Suggestions for fish;
Flame Hawk ( LOADS of personality)
Coral Beauty Angel
Heniochus Butterfly

 

[that novice guy]

Midias Benny
Couple of Chromis
Some sort of wrasse
Dwarf angel if some sort
Starry Blenny
Flame hawk
Little group of Anthinas
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[Perched Urchin]

I have sworn off dwarf angels. Had both a flame angel and a coral beauty at one time or another that both were fine, then decided to eat zoas and always picked at the polyps on my gorgonians. I had good luck for a while, but it is only a matter of time with them, at least in my experience.
Hawkfish have awesome "personality", but they are more interesting when there is more places for them to perch on rocks, etc., IMO. I love midas blennies and flasher or fairy wrasses as well and they should be fine in the 2x2 space.
I personally would stay away from anthias in that size tank.

 

[that novice guy]

Or a springeri our some other dotty back i love my little booger he has so much personality but be careful with shrimp and crabs but mine dont nip at mine

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[Liquid360]

That sounds good. I guess aesthetically I imagined having one bright flame like fish, but then again i never expected my favorite fish woulda been my diamond goby. I've spent hours watching him dig tunnels and eat sand which he does with a certain attitude stopping only occasionally to spit sand at me. I guess the lesson here is in the tank interesting trumps pretty assuming your tank is to be more interactive than decorative.

 

[that novice guy]

Yea that how i like my tank to be i hot fish with the most personality and I'm happy

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[cbb_70]

Dwarfs tend to pick at zoas but leave paly's alone (mostly). Just my experience...

 

[GrahamR]

I like our cherub angelfish. Haven't had any problems with "nibbling" at corals. Several zoas and some paly's in the tank. It's a 135 and he has plenty of pods and rocks to pick at. And a starry blenny would be a great addition! The starry blenny at our LFS's display tank was actually what got me into the hobby. :) Such personality. Ours will swim at the front of the tank to tell us that he's expecting some algae sheets. Hope you find some neat fish. Oh and tank looks really nice!! :)

 

[Liquid360]

I ended up adding a red scooter dragonet.... awesome little guy!!! and thankfully he's eating and I'm stocked a pods. In a month or two, assuming he's doing well, I'll add a mandarin and that'll close the book on fish. In hindsight the decision was easy... a small angel vs a scooter and mandarin? Easy choice! Were it not for this board I'd've ended up with a flame angel.

 

[Trex]

I ended up adding a red scooter dragonet.... awesome little guy!!! and thankfully he's eating and I'm stocked a pods. In a month or two, assuming he's doing well, I'll add a mandarin and that'll close the book on fish. In hindsight the decision was easy... a small angel vs a scooter and mandarin? Easy choice! Were it not for this board I'd've ended up with a flame angel.

I would skip the mandarin, and keep a very close eye on the existing dragonet... It is just a matter of time before that S. haddoni anemone makes a meal out of them. Honestly, for that sized tank, I would either keep just the clowns and the S. haddoni, or get rid of that anemone and get more fish. Been keeping those anemones for a long time now, and it is just a matter of time before they eat a fish, or more.

 

[Liquid360]

I have no doubt that carpets, S. Haddoni, have eaten fish. I also have no doubt that soccer players have eaten other humans. It's been my experience that generally speaking if they are well fed often and cared for, fellow tank mates are unlikely to be eaten. I've got VAST oceans of time to monitor such things. So far as the dragonets go, I've stocked a 10g tank with plenty of live food. I might lose the fish but that's a risk we all apparently have taken. You read all you can about what a species requires and do your best to replicate it.

 

[Liquid360]

Here he be. He's still foraging all the time and very active! So far so good.

 

[that novice guy]

Write he's a cute little booger

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[Liquid360]

I'm finding myself, unconsciously or not, recreating my fathers reef tank which I grew up around. He had a MASSIVE carpet.. around 2-3ft diameter. In the 8+ years he had it it did once consume a blue tang while he was out of town but that's all. He also had an awesome mandarin which is why I'll most likely end up with one.

 

[Trex]

It is your choice, but the fishing/eating style of dragonets makes them prime candidates to be eaten. There isn't a lot of space in a 60 cube, IMO/E it will just be a matter of time--- base this on 15+ years of keeping S. haddonis.

 

[Liquid360]

I'm making my choice based on my experience. Live & learn! I do appreciate your input!

 

[Liquid360]

Ps. Assuming the food supply is good the dragonet doesn't wander from the rocks. I'll let you know if/when S. Haddoni makes a meal of him and I'll be the first to say you told me so. Then I'll be out here warning others as you've warned me.