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

[Daniel@R2R]

aiptasia...definitely bulletproof...

 

[My67rt]

This is so handy as I am just starting out. Question - which of these will survive you being out of town a couple of weeks with only an automatic feeder? I understand the clowns and damsels will with flake food but what about corals?

You will also need to get a Auto tip-off (ATO) unit to make sure your water level stays constant while you are gone.

 

[Abeal17]

Clownfish and damsels are pretty hardy fish, at this point I'm convinced that damsels are somehow indestructible. I would also say mushrooms, green star polyps, xenia, and pandora palys are the most resilient for corals. Oh can't forget Pocillopora, once you have it, you have it till the day you tear down that tank. The best part about the coral is, if it's real happy, it'll spawn, and then you get to have it everywhere in your tank.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Captive bred clowns are generally very hardy. Just make sure to get them from a source that has not mixed them with any other fish. Even in same system (linked by sump). Lemon damsels that are captive bred are also very hardy. They are pretty, but one of mine has decided that my hand anywhere in my 210g dt is for her to bite. Darn fish. Only 2" big and a terror. Clown gobies are good.
What size tank?
Corals, most leathers are very resilient. Cabbage, tree, finger, toadstool.
Good luck!

 

[LOVEROCK]

Did you get the Dinos too at least?

No unfortunately not resilient mofos

 

[mkwarner77]

as far as corals, mushrooms, cheap zoas, and hammers are top of my list. they survived a 4 day power outage in the winter a few years back. take dropped to 40 degrees for days. as far as fish, the clowns and coral beauty survived the longest in cold water. Sad to watch and not be able to do anything about

 

[drewbeck]

LOL I generally have no problem keeping zoanthids, shrooms. ricordia, anemones, fish, inverts, acropora, brains and some LPS. Put a Duncan, most monti's (caps ok) or acans in my tank and they croak. I used too but generally don't keep leathers and other softies to keep the chemical warfare to a minimum. Things like xenia are easy but can quickly become a pest.

There's lots of so called "beginner" fishes and I like and keep a lot of them like clowns, wrasses like 6 line/cleaner/melanurus, purple psuedo, royal gramma. With a few exceptions most of the dwarf angels are pretty easy to keep too.

To be honest though while some may be tougher than others its really about keeping your tank up to par to keep things alive and not introducing pests/infections. With a new tank just build up population slow.

 

[drewbeck]

LOL I generally have no problem keeping zoanthids, shrooms. ricordia, anemones, fish, inverts, acropora, brains and some LPS. Put a Duncan, most monti's (caps ok) or acans in my tank and they croak. I used too but generally don't keep leathers and other softies to keep the chemical warfare to a minimum. Things like xenia are easy but can quickly become a pest.

There's lots of so called "beginner" fishes and I like and keep a lot of them like clowns, wrasses like 6 line/cleaner/melanurus, purple psuedo, royal gramma. With a few exceptions most of the dwarf angels are pretty easy to keep too.

To be honest though while some may be tougher than others its really about keeping your tank up to par to keep things alive and not introducing pests/infections. With a new tank just build up population slow.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

trumpets (candy cane)

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Xenia

 

[Zionas]

My tank is 48”x24”x22”.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Shrooms

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

palys

 

[DeniseAndy]

Thanks for the size. This helps us decide good fish for your system. As well as corals.

 

[Zionas]

You’re welcome! Help would very much be appreciated!

 

[Sebastiancrab]

You will also need to get a Auto tip-off (ATO) unit to make sure your water level stays constant while you are gone.

I learn something every day! I didn't know these existed. Ok, this is probably dumb to ask but when I have gone out of town for 2 weeks, I have covered my 20 gal. freshwater tank top majority with aluminum foil and had no problem with water loss or fish. I have a 29 gallon tank saltwater so do you still think the level of oxygen would be a problem since I am using an Eheim 250 canister filter?

 

[Sinibotia]

Surprised nobody has mentioned shrimp gobies. I have a black ray goby that just survived a full day without power and a 69 degree tank. Lots of fun too. Some are more or less hardy than others I think.

 

[Zionas]

If bulletproof is the criteria and I could only choose 5 fish to keep, they would be:

1. Marine Betta

2. Ocellaris Clownfish or some other kind of clown

3. Flame Hawkfish

4. Royal Gramma or another kind of basslet

5. One of the easier dwarf angels

 

[Proteus Meep]

If your looking for a very hardy and ridiculously brightly coloured SPS to try i would recommend a Montipora Setosa... it and my Organ pipe are the only two things that survived when i suffered my first ever tank disaster in 16 years of reefing at the hands of a product called Vibrant

 

[fish farmer]

palys

These will live forever. I have these palys which survived a three day tank heat wave, they bleached out and I kept them alive.

Xenia = died
candy canes = died
leathers = died
brains = died
mushrooms = died...but one rose from the ashes like a Phoenix....green striped mushrooms

When nutrient and hair algae engulfed my tank several years ago.

frogspawn =died
brains = died
zoas = died
candy canes = died

What survives still to this day, those brown palys, green striped mushrooms, red mushrooms, colt coral and nepthia. I've had the mushrooms the longest, my second coral bought in 2000.