I need suggestions for unique, active fish(es)!

[Raazka]

Hi all!

I recently had to remove some fish that weren’t fitting into my expectations and I’m having difficulty finding fish that’ll match with what I’m looking for and won’t cause trouble in my tank (Already waiting for a blenny/goby so no need for suggestions on that :)). I’m looking for critters with personality, colour and compatibility with my current stock. I considered a Flame Angelfish or a Dwarf lionfish as the “main” fish but I’m not sure if they’ll fit in right in this tank (I have good experience and work at a LFS if anything goes wrong).

Tank specs ; 30 gal breeder (50 gallon HOB), 2 powerheads, heated at 24 Celsius, lots of soft corals and macro-algae.
Current stock ; Snails, hermit crabs, 2 skunk cleaner shrimps, 1 blood red fire shrimp, 1 Banggai Cardinalfish, 1 Springer’s Damsel, 1 (Futur) Goby or Blenny.

TYID for any ideas!

 

[PharmrJohn]

Take a look at the Carpenter's Wrasse. I'm gonna have one in mine when I launch.

 

[208reef]

A flame angel would be ok, but a dwarf lion will eat your fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, and possibly the future blenny/gobies you are planning.

The carpenter wrasse suggested above is a good option.

My suggestions:
-Coral Beauty or Pygmy angel (instead of the flame)
-Possum wrasse (if you have a lid on the tank)
-More Springer’s damsels (if you had 5 total, you'd see their natural schooling behavior which would be more exciting than just seeing 1 dink around the tank)
-A small group of firefish (if you have a lid on the tank)

 

[Euphyllia97]

If your tank is well established and has a good pod culture, I would recommend a mandarinfish. Would reconsider it if you add a lionfish tho.

They are very colourful and friendly creatures who are exploring your rocks in search for food. Due to their personality it became my favourite fish

 

[tyreefkeeper]

I would recommend a pair of clownfish but not the aggressive types.

 

[Raazka]

Take a look at the Carpenter's Wrasse. I'm gonna have one in mine when I launch.

Wow these guys look amazing! Any chance he’ll go after my damselfish or are they pretty peaceful?

 

[Raazka]

A flame angel would be ok, but a dwarf lion will eat your fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, and possibly the future blenny/gobies you are planning.

The carpenter wrasse suggested above is a good option.

My suggestions:
-Coral Beauty or Pygmy angel (instead of the flame)
-Possum wrasse (if you have a lid on the tank)
-More Springer’s damsels (if you had 5 total, you'd see their natural schooling behavior which would be more exciting than just seeing 1 dink around the tank)
-A small group of firefish (if you have a lid on the tank)

Any reasoning behind a coral or pygmy angel instead of a flame? Are they better roommates for the other fishes?

Possums were definitely a choice before, unfortunately only one store near me had it in stock and when I arrived it was already gone

 

[timmyrules]

My suggestion would be a target Mandarin…just make sure you have a stable copepod population. Or, it is a little pricey, but you could invest in one that already eats frozens. And if it’s a little to pricey, you could always train one to eat frozens

 

[Raazka]

If your tank is well established and has a good pod culture, I would recommend a mandarinfish. Would reconsider it if you add a lionfish tho.

They are very colourful and friendly creatures who are exploring your rocks in search for food. Due to their personality it became my favourite fish

I would’ve loved to try it since I have a great amphipod colony but all of the mandarin fish I’ve seen near me don’t eat frozen foods and none of the stores order pods for me to have on the side. However they’ve had some red ruby scooters that have eaten frozen so I might consider that!

 

[Raazka]

I would recommend a pair of clownfish but not the aggressive types.

I’ve had big issues with clowns before, even pink skunks, so I’m avoiding the little guys for now aha

 

[208reef]

Any reasoning behind a coral or pygmy angel instead of a flame? Are they better roommates for the other fishes?

Possums were definitely a choice before, unfortunately only one store near me had it in stock and when I arrived it was already gone

I just said a coral beauty or pygmy because everyone has a flame angel, so they're kind of boring to me now. All 3 are relatively similar otherwise.

 

[Raazka]

I just said a coral beauty or pygmy because everyone has a flame angel, so they're kind of boring to me now. All 3 are relatively similar otherwise.

Ahh okay lol, here it’s the other way around cherubs and corals are pretty common but flames are hard to come by.

 

[208reef]

Ahh okay lol, here it’s the other way around cherubs and corals are pretty common but flames are hard to come by.

Ultimately get what makes you happy. It's your tank :)

 

[BasementBox]

I really like my flame hawk fish. Big personality.

 

[208reef]

I really like my flame hawk fish. Big personality.

Great fish with great personality for sure! They are known to eat fire shrimp and cleaner shrimp though, so choices would have to be made :)

 

[PharmrJohn]

Wow these guys look amazing! Any chance he’ll go after my damselfish or are they pretty peaceful?

They tend to be peaceful, but I've read accounts of psycho. But that may just be like humans. Every once in a while we'll spawn a Ted Bundy.