I would like a new utilitarian fish - suggestions?

[Tomorrow's Waters]

Hey everyone!

I need a new fish for my 60 gallon for biological purposes. That being said, I would like this fish to be a utilitarian fish to keep alongside my 6 line wrasse. It is likely that this fish will be moved to a 135 gallon in a few months.

The tank is bare bottom and has little live rock in the tank itself so few places to hide.

What fish would you suggest I buy and what is its purpose within the aquarium?

Thanks!

 

[DirtDiggler2823]

Hey everyone!

I need a new fish for my 60 gallon for biological purposes. That being said, I would like this fish to be a utilitarian fish to keep alongside my 6 line wrasse. It is likely that this fish will be moved to a 135 gallon in a few months.

The tank is bare bottom and has little live rock in the tank itself so few places to hid.

What fish would you suggest I buy and what is its purpose within the aquarium?

Thanks!

Dwarf angelfish of some kind? Hit or miss with corals.

 

[littlebeard]

I like the bristletooth family of tangs, they're great algae eaters. Get a smaller one though if he's going to be in the 60 for a few months. If you're not 100% certain on the move, I'd avoid the tang and go with an algae blenny.

 

[ChaosAquaculture]

If you are moving it to a 135 I’d say get a sailfin tang - kali

 

[jtf74]

Hey everyone!

I need a new fish for my 60 gallon for biological purposes. That being said, I would like this fish to be a utilitarian fish to keep alongside my 6 line wrasse. It is likely that this fish will be moved to a 135 gallon in a few months.

The tank is bare bottom and has little live rock in the tank itself so few places to hide.

What fish would you suggest I buy and what is its purpose within the aquarium?

Thanks!

For biological purposes?

 

[Tomorrow's Waters]

For biological purposes?

Yes, my tank has fallen out of balance. My NO3 has dropped to zero and my PO4 is rising. Essentially, the one small fish I have in my aquarium is not producing enough ammonia to maintain a healthy NO3 level which then increases my PO4. So, while there are a few different ways to raise NO3 (Nitrate dosing, bio-balls, reducing maintenance, etc.) one of the best and most satisfying ways is to add a new fish! This will increase ammonia which then increases NO3 which then feeds my bacteria population thus lowering PO4 and balancing my tank. Plus, if I make the new fish utilitarian, he will help keep my tank clean or pest free!

 

[VegasReefer]

I would go with a bristle-tooth tang of some sort as well. They can become quite aggressive. When it comes time to upgrade, you might consider an in tank style acclimation box to allow any new fish time to adjust and vise versa

 

[jtf74]

Yes, my tank has fallen out of balance. My NO3 has dropped to zero and my PO4 is rising. Essentially, the one small fish I have in my aquarium is not producing enough ammonia to maintain a healthy NO3 level which then increases my PO4. So, while there are a few different ways to raise NO3 (Nitrate dosing, bio-balls, reducing maintenance, etc.) one of the best and most satisfying ways is to add a new fish! This will increase ammonia which then increases NO3 which then feeds my bacteria population thus lowering PO4 and balancing my tank. Plus, if I make the new fish utilitarian, he will help keep my tank clean or pest free!

OK just checking to make sure you weren't still cycling your tank. In that case I think Royal gramma's are underrated and great medium sized fish. Its purpose would be ammonia and color not knowing what pests you want to try and control.