Final 2 fish ??

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Hi everyone. Looking to add 2 more fish to my 40 breeder. Currently 2 clowns, tailspot blenny, yellow watchman goby and 1 green chromis in tank. Very peaceful community with plenty of unclaimed hiding places. Wanting to add more utilitarian fish but worried about bio load and how quickly they will outgrow my tank and need to be re-homed. Unlikely to upgrade tank within next two years, so understand and willing to move them in the future.

First fish. Algae eater. Looking at Foxface Rabbitfish or Tomini Tang. Which will be good worker and grow slower so that it could stay in my tank longer? Other suggestions?

Second fish. Wrasse for pest control. No major issues today, but do have some spirobid worms. Really like Melanarus or maybe Yellow Coris. Pink-streaked would be better long term but not as excited about the look.

Which fish to choose in each category?
Can I add both?
If only one, which one?

Thanks in advance!
 

TonyD1988

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Hi everyone. Looking to add 2 more fish to my 40 breeder. Currently 2 clowns, tailspot blenny, yellow watchman goby and 1 green chromis in tank. Very peaceful community with plenty of unclaimed hiding places. Wanting to add more utilitarian fish but worried about bio load and how quickly they will outgrow my tank and need to be re-homed. Unlikely to upgrade tank within next two years, so understand and willing to move them in the future.

First fish. Algae eater. Looking at Foxface Rabbitfish or Tomini Tang. Which will be good worker and grow slower so that it could stay in my tank longer? Other suggestions?

Second fish. Wrasse for pest control. No major issues today, but do have some spirobid worms. Really like Melanarus or maybe Yellow Coris. Pink-streaked would be better long term but not as excited about the look.

Which fish to choose in each category?
Can I add both?
If only one, which one?

Thanks in advance!
I wouldn't add a foxface rabbitfish personally. I had my foxface in a 40 breeder for quarantine and he did not like it at all. That fish likes a lot of left to right swimming room. As far as the tang, he should be ok in that tank when small but I wouldnt keep him in there full grown. Most tangs need big tanks.
 

dedragon

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Yep prob too small for any wrasses other than the really small possum wrasses. My leopard wrasse ate all my spirorbids (i think it was her at least) but it is in an 80 gallon tank and does swim around all day pecking at the rocks. Moderately slow growing too but again hard call for one in a 40. I say get multiple different species of snails for the algae.
Just a safer bet for the 40 is to go with an active but smaller tank stunner like a pygmy angelfish, then wait awhile to check how nutrients in the tank are going, if they are fine look into a utility fish like the pink streaked or tanakas wrasse. Obviously there are many options for the 1-2 fish that can go into the tank but reading it looks like the tank is missing a centerpiece fish in the tank rn
 

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i love azure damselfish and springeri damselfish for worm and bug control in smaller tanks though
 
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I wouldn't add a foxface rabbitfish personally. I had my foxface in a 40 breeder for quarantine and he did not like it at all. That fish likes a lot of left to right swimming room. As far as the tang, he should be ok in that tank when small but I wouldnt keep him in there full grown. Most tangs need big tanks.
Thanks. Knew either one would have to be rehomed, but likely best to look at other options.
 

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I have a red lined wrasse, commonly sold around here incorrectly as a christmas wrasse, and he is my favorite fish. He will eat all your pests but stays smaller, and more invert safe, than a melanarus. My tank is only 32 gallons.
 
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Yep prob too small for any wrasses other than the really small possum wrasses. My leopard wrasse ate all my spirorbids (i think it was her at least) but it is in an 80 gallon tank and does swim around all day pecking at the rocks. Moderately slow growing too but again hard call for one in a 40. I say get multiple different species of snails for the algae.
Just a safer bet for the 40 is to go with an active but smaller tank stunner like a pygmy angelfish, then wait awhile to check how nutrients in the tank are going, if they are fine look into a utility fish like the pink streaked or tanakas wrasse. Obviously there are many options for the 1-2 fish that can go into the tank but reading it looks like the tank is missing a centerpiece fish in the tank rn
Thanks. Was looking at an angel - will any pick at algae ? Flame angel would be great centerpiece but again might be cramped.
Looking to add some Trochus snails along with existing nerite and cerith.
Tanaka is a beautiful fish
 
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I have a red lined wrasse, commonly sold around here incorrectly as a christmas wrasse, and he is my favorite fish. He will eat all your pests but stays smaller, and more invert safe, than a melanarus. My tank is only 32 gallons.
Have never heard of red lined. That’s a beauty. Will definitely keep that on the short list.
 

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have 6 line in 40 breeder for pest control
lawnmower or starry blenny for algae control.

I have a flame angel in my 150 that is 8 yrs old and with the breeder being 3ft long, I wouldnt have an issue putting him in there or any other dwarf angel. I bought a small tomini to try and put in breeder as a small from live aquaria and when I got him, he wasnt small so he went into the 150.
 

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My LFS gets them all the time, but again they always list them as Christmas Wrasse. They sleep in the sand so should be fine if you have a substrate.
 

dedragon

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I hear horror stories of damsel aggression. Is either of these relatively “peaceful”?
Yes these are the only peaceful damselfish, along with starcki damselfish which is actually more of a centerpiece fish in a 40b. All the other damsels are pretty much a holes, i personally keep 2 springeri and i have never had any problems with aggression nor do they bite fingers. Starcki is really cool though just a bit bigger of a damsel.
No angels really control algae, just use a bunch of snails (ie. cerith, turbo, trochus, astrea, nassarius) to deal with the algae. Lots of cool pygmy angels like multicolor angel too
 
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Yes these are the only peaceful damselfish, along with starcki damselfish which is actually more of a centerpiece fish in a 40b. All the other damsels are pretty much a holes, i personally keep 2 springeri and i have never had any problems with aggression nor do they bite fingers. Starcki is really cool though just a bit bigger of a damsel.
No angels really control algae, just use a bunch of snails (ie. cerith, turbo, trochus, astrea, nassarius) to deal with the algae. Lots of cool pygmy angels like multicolor angel too
Thanks. I only have a couple of nerite for rock... will definitely have to add a few others to build more algae control.
 
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have 6 line in 40 breeder for pest control
lawnmower or starry blenny for algae control.

I have a flame angel in my 150 that is 8 yrs old and with the breeder being 3ft long, I wouldnt have an issue putting him in there or any other dwarf angel. I bought a small tomini to try and put in breeder as a small from live aquaria and when I got him, he wasnt small so he went into the 150.
Will another blenny be okay with tailspot? Have heard they could fight because of similar body type and same food source.
Great to hear a Flame angel could work in this tank.
 

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Will another blenny be okay with tailspot? Have heard they could fight because of similar body type and same food source.
Great to hear a Flame angel could work in this tank.
Sorry I missed that. Was speaking as to what I was using in my breeder. I wouldnt add 2 blenny in, but I know that my starry and lawnmower just eat away at any algae they see. Gotta drop some nori in there once they have done their job well.

If you do add a dwarf angel, just add it last as they like to become the ruler of the roost. when my atlantic blue tang died, I added a purple tang and the angel flexed her muscle for a week or so.
 
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Yes these are the only peaceful damselfish, along with starcki damselfish which is actually more of a centerpiece fish in a 40b. All the other damsels are pretty much a holes, i personally keep 2 springeri and i have never had any problems with aggression nor do they bite fingers. Starcki is really cool though just a bit bigger of a damsel.
No angels really control algae, just use a bunch of snails (ie. cerith, turbo, trochus, astrea, nassarius) to deal with the algae. Lots of cool pygmy angels like multicolor angel too
What about bumblebee snails? Have read they may eat spirobid worms as well.
 

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probably but they also eat other snails so you have to watch out for that when housing bumblebee snails
 
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Appreciate all the comments... Here is new plan.
Let me know if you think it needs adjustment.

Flame Angel - for an active centerpiece fish
Red-Lined Wrasse - active pest control (hopefully eats the spirobid worms)
Trochus, Astrea, Turbo, Nessarius snails - 2-3 of each for algae control


Will be joining in 40 breeder:
2x black and white ocellaris
1x tailspot blenny
1x yellow watchman goby
1x green chromis
2x cleaner shrimp
3x nerite snails
7x blue leg hermits

2021_05 FTS.jpg
 

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