Larger Fish that are Reef Safe

[cbrack83]

I have a 220 gallon reef tank. My wife really wants some larger fish for the tank. Besides Tangs does anyone have any suggestions for some other nice fish that will be reef safe that will get in the 8+ inch rage? She desperately wants some sort of angel or butterfly but it seems none of them are reef safe when I research them....

Thoughts / suggestions?

 

[4FordFamily]

No large angels are reef safe, they're all a risk. Why no tangs? They're ideal for that purpose. If the reason is because you're afraid of parasites, angels are every bit as prone and most these days come with velvet. Butterflies same thing.

You could try large wrasse but they'll eat clean up crew. I always thought it was well worth replenishing my crew every 6 months or so to have large, beautiful, active wrasse in my tanks.

 

[cbrack83]

I have had 3 tangs and so far they have all gotten quote "ich" and 2 of which have died... 3rd one is doing ok still... My tank levels are all good. I have had my local fish store check my water and setup on multiple occasions and everything is good. Everything I read and I am told from my LFS is that tangs are more likely to get it then any other fish because it doesn't take much to bring the immune system down more so then other fish and to be honest my wife has now stepped in an said she doesn't want any more tangs because we keep losing them and doesnt want to keep throwing money away...

 

[mtraylor]

Get yourself a nice rabbit fish. Plenty to pick from and some get nice and big.

 

[tgp4274]

I have a blue angel and a French angel both behaveing themselves for bout a year now...
I have a naso tang also you could try one of them..
nice large tang and friendly :)

 

[4FordFamily]

I have had 3 tangs and so far they have all gotten quote "ich" and 2 of which have died... 3rd one is doing ok still... My tank levels are all good. I have had my local fish store check my water and setup on multiple occasions and everything is good. Everything I read and I am told from my LFS is that tangs are more likely to get it then any other fish because it doesn't take much to bring the immune system down more so then other fish and to be honest my wife has now stepped in an said she doesn't want any more tangs because we keep losing them and doesnt want to keep throwing money away...

Unfortunately you'll have the same difficulty with most fish except wrasse perhaps. Tangs, angels, and butterflies are particularly susceptible.

You can keep parasites out of your tank as I've learned to do with proper treatment and quarantine methods

 

[A_Young_Reefer]

You could always look into a triggerfish like a bluejaw. I have one and they are extremely hardy, he jumped out of the tank, had a 4 foot drop, but he survived.

 

[ndrwater]

Harlequin Tusk.. Have one in my 240, and he does great. Big and scary looking, but 99% docile..
He also doesn't touch my snails... Doesn't mean they won't, but mine doesn't.

 

[Maritimer]

I've got the same size tank - and it may be that I'm willing to accept a bit more risk to corals than some, to have some amazing fish on the reef.

I've got a blue-jaw triggerfish who's a real charmer - even if he does dress like a girl. (A risk to smaller shrimp, though he leaves my cleaners, blood-shrimp and peppermints alone.)

I've recently purchased a Quoy's parrotfish who's being remarkably shy and not coming out to eat for just over a week now. When he does, all the nearby rainbows are going to be jealous. (Everything I've been able to find about this parrotfish indicates that they stay between 8-10 inches long in an aquarium, and that they're completely reef-safe - though not at all safe for acrylic tanks!)

I'd love to try a regal and a majestic angelfish, powder-blue and achilles tangs, and a yellow long-nose butterflyfish, all of which have better-than-average records of reef-safe-ness for their family groups, and all of which are beautiful in color and finnage. In order to someday do that, I'm thinking that I'll probably run my 220 fallow for 76 days while re-quarantining all of my existing fish from the 65, so that those tangs and angels don't come down with something nasty.

~Bruce

 

[jacobSD]

Bellus Angels, swallowtail Angels (Japanese one is nice)

 

[eatbreakfast]

Any angels in the genus Genicanthus, bluejaw, pink tail, and sargassum triggers, squirrel and soldierfish, wrasses in the genus Coris, pyramid and heniochus butterflies, sweetlips, if your not keeping small fish, lions.

 

[Fish_Lover]

I would recommend a niger trigger or and asfur Angel both are really pretty but the asfur can get pretty expensive

 

[tgfitz1]

Quoy's Parrotfish, up there as one of the most beautiful fish available in the hobby.

 

[Preme]

Here's what I think! Crosshatch trigger, blue jaw trigger, some large angels "nip" at soft corals sometimes SPS but I'd suggest a regal, emperor, queen or bandit, magnificent foxface, quoys parrotfish! These are just a few...