Generally speaking, what are some of the most “bulletproof” fish and corals?

[Vette67]

I have had more fish than I can count. I would be embarrassed at how many fish I have lost over the years. I bought one fish in 2006. That fish has spent more time in quarantine than any fish should, has survived multiple ick breakouts, and even a marine velvet outbreak. He’s even had HLLE pretty bad, but looks perfect now. But after almost 15 years in my care, my purple tang is still around. That fish is just bullet proof and will survive anything. I don’t know if it is just my particular purple tang or if they are all that hardy. I have heard stories of them living 25 years or more, so here’s hoping mine is around for at least another 10 years.

 

[LOVEROCK]

Damsels. Those devil fish can live thru anything

not thru bleach dosing trying kill dinos lol

 

[ou12004]

Pretty much what everyone else said and I would throw in birds nest montipora, psammocora, Porcillipora is bulletproof. I would stay away from any low end zoas they will spread everywhere and they are a pain in the but to remove.

 

[Afterburner]

For corals, I would have to say waving hands. I had a rock with them in my tank a while ago when I was fish only and I never tested anything. When I moved to SPS, I did a crash course and bought a lot of testers. Basically these things were living in toxic water and were thriving. I am convinced that they are impossible to kill. Another positive is that they seem to eat NO3 and PO4.
For fish..... blue damsels, plus they are usually cheap. I don't have any in my tank now, but I inherited an electric blue damsel when I bought a nano tank. It was the meanest fish ever... would bite me every chance it got. I eventually gave it to the LFS and hope his new home is with a bunch of predators.

 

[Sebastiancrab]

I spent the past 1.5 years out of town M-F and everything did just fine with an Apex feeder loaded with new life spectrum small sinking pellets and a block of nori on a clip (4-5 full sheets folded 2x2"). Corals will be fine getting leftovers and there main source of food is fish poop anyway. Thanks to Corona I'm back home to stay and the fish are fat.

Thank you Zoomonster! I have so much to learn but am starting out small and slow. Elaine

 

[TheOldSalt]

I see that people keep saying that Clownfish are super tough, but that's only if they are disease-free.
If you go to the store and buy one tomorrow, it's almost guaranteed to have Brook or Ick, and it won't be hardy at all.
Once cleansed, though, they are great.

Blennies are virtually unkillable, though, or more specifically the ones like redlip or hairy which come from coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. I've used those as break-in fish for years, and I can't remember having ever lost one.

Corals? Devil's Hand, Kenya Tree, and Rose ( Mancinia )

 

[Easy E]

What about fish like basslets, Hawkfish, groupers (especially Comet), some dwarf angels, butterflies, and gobies?

I have a Flame Hawk that's at least 10 years old. It's been through 2 meltdowns and was the only fish to survive the last one.

I also had a Nassarius snail that survived an Iowa winter in my garage. I tore down an old refugium and put it out there with about an inch of sand and about 3 inches of nasty water. The really salty water that didn't evaporate must have kept it from freezing because I found it alive the next spring when I was rinsing out the tank.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I would say damsels and a marine betta. Marine Bettas are crazy hardy.

For corals, disco shrooms and Palys for sure

 

[Zionas]

Did someone say Marine Betta? That is one MUST HAVE fish for me!

 

[Zionas]

What about captive bred clowns of the common varieties (not designer)? Are they just as susceptible to disease?


Also, I will not be getting any angel until 5-6 months after my tank’s been established. I will wait for the live rock to contain more algae since they’re grazers, and I will also wait for the conditions to stabilize a bit.

I’ve mentioned this in other threads but here’s the order in which I plan to add my fish:

First group will be Marine Betta and clownfish pair.

(Wait 3 weeks)

Second group will be Royal Gramma / Blackcap Basslet and a Swissguard Basslet.

(Wait 1 month)

Third group will be the pair of Flame Hawks.

(Wait 3-4 months)

Then I’ll add an angel.



Maybe I’m stocking way too quickly for 8 fish? Let me know if I am.


Now, if I can find a mated pair of angels, I’ll keep only one Basslet or one Flame Hawk but the order of Introduction won’t change.

 

[JNelsonCo]

Can’t go wrong with a few chromis

[/QUOTE

Can’t go wrong with a few chromis

Do you have a post that describes your tank? I am especially interested in your rock formation details. Well done!

 

[Zionas]

I have though about Chromis but heard they’re frequently imported with uronema.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Did someone say Marine Betta? That is one MUST HAVE fish for me!

Yes I did. They are practically immortal once established and with the proper tank mates who won't bully them (or ones they won't eat).

Quoted from reefs.com - "“The comet is an incredibly hardy aquarium fish. I have had several individuals that survived otherwise total tank wipe outs caused by parasitic infections. In fact, I have yet to see a comet with a severe case of saltwater ich ( Cryptocaryon irritans ), even in aquaria where every other fish was covered with cysts!” "

 

[Jfinn]

Damsels. Those devil fish can live thru anything

‘Cept for a sump with overpowered skimmer and nothing protecting the inlet.

 

[Nanorock1970]

Mushrooms, Kenya tree, clove polyps, a few types of montis. Don’t boil your zoas or lick them and you’ll be fine.

Oh no I wasn’t supposed to lick them....oh there were something else I was supposed to lick...call 911 guess the Zoa soup is out also...

 

[Jfinn]

not thru bleach dosing trying kill dinos lol

Did you get the Dinos too at least?

 

[stevieduk]

yellow tailed blue damsel fish. bomb proof

 

[Mark Bradley]

Following a patient maturing of the tank I started adding corals just after Xmas 2019 (four months into adding the clean up crew and gradual numbers of fish). In the lead up to this I visited various LFS with the view of identifying what I would like to keep - I then looked at books, and YouTube for how best to keep it happy. ‘Touch Wood’ I haven’t suffered any losses of fish or corals. To be fair I have stayed away from fish, and corals, that I read were ‘hit or miss’ but equally wanted to keep things that I liked rather than be limited to just those that were deemed ‘hardy’ - so I found things that appealed and with decent husbandry would do well. I now have ten or so different corals (my favourites being an ‘Elegance’, a ‘Flower Anemone’ and some higher end Zoa’s).

 

[MThorne]

Worried about Zoanthids. Heard they can poison humans. What about mushrooms and Toadstool / Finger Leathers And photosynthetic gorgonians?

As long as you dont squish them or cut them you'll be fine. The neurotoxin they emit is a defense mechanism. As long as they are happy you dont have to worry.

 

[Doctorgori]

Bullet proof: Marine Bettas, Eels, lionfish, damsels, clowns, Tangs