Need help deciding on whether or not a fish is right for your tank? Post here and we'll help!

[eatbreakfast]

Currently have a 32 gal Biocube. Looking to add some type of star fish to the tank any suggestions?
Currently Have:
1 Maroon Clownfish
3 Green Chromis
1 Cardinal Fish
5 Turbo Snails
2 Peppermint Shrimp

If you have corals then a starfish is not a good idea. Reefsafe starfish need about 100g of established tank per starfish. If you do not have corals a chocolate chip star may work.

 

[Dane Gyduska]

If you have corals then a starfish is not a good idea. Reefsafe starfish need about 100g of established tank per starfish. If you do not have corals a chocolate chip star may work.

I do not have any corals. I may wait a while to get some. I heard that chocolate chip stars can be quite large and don't want it to outgrow the tank quickly. I have 32 gal Biocube will it still work in there?

 

[eatbreakfast]

I do not have any corals. I may wait a while to get some. I heard that chocolate chip stars can be quite large and don't want it to outgrow the tank quickly. I have 32 gal Biocube will it still work in there?

They get about 5-6" across, so can fit fine in a 32g. Choc chip stars will be need to be fed meaty food.

 

[Mick1of10]

A group of dispar or randalls anthias
Pintail or lunatus wrasse
Lubbocks wrasse
Mckoskers /carpenter/filamentosus flasher wrasses
Royal gramma
Leopard wrasse
Group of Scissortail dartfish
Watchman goby/pistol shrimp pr.

Thank you!! I forgot to add gobies, will they get along with the proposed list?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thank you!! I forgot to add gobies, will they get along with the proposed list?

Yes, they should be fine.

 

[mta_morrow]

I have read many posts about the blue green chromis, chromis viridis. and here is what currently resides in my head about the little beauties:
you need 7 or more they will kill each other off.
you must have an odd number, and if 1 dies they will kill one so there is an odd number.
just get 1
they are very susceptible to disease and die anyway
they are very hardy and impossible to kill

so, I am considering maybe 3, 5, or 7, but I'm totally lost on this fish. if I get 3,5, or 7 and 1 dies, will 2, 4, or 6 work? I know I'm being a little sarcastic there, but I truly want to know what does and doesn't work?

The tank will be peaceful fish only.

Thanks

Mike

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have read many posts about the blue green chromis, chromis viridis. and here is what currently resides in my head about the little beauties:
you need 7 or more they will kill each other off.
you must have an odd number, and if 1 dies they will kill one so there is an odd number.
just get 1
they are very susceptible to disease and die anyway
they are very hardy and impossible to kill

so, I am considering maybe 3, 5, or 7, but I'm totally lost on this fish. if I get 3,5, or 7 and 1 dies, will 2, 4, or 6 work? I know I'm being a little sarcastic there, but I truly want to know what does and doesn't work?

The tank will be peaceful fish only.

Thanks

Mike

Once you have as many as 7, odds or evens don't matter. It only matters with smaller numbers.

They need space to swim, but also enough cover for each one to have their own spot at night.

High flow in the top 1/3 of the tank and frequent feeding helps lessen aggression.

 

[mta_morrow]

Once you have as many as 7, odds or evens don't matter. It only matters with smaller numbers.

They need space to swim, but also enough cover for each one to have their own spot at night.

High flow in the top 1/3 of the tank and frequent feeding helps lessen aggression.

Thanks eatbreakfast.

Choosing a stock list that will work and you will like is not a simple task.

Your expertise is appreciated!

 

[James Martz]

Tank is up and running and trying to figure out the final additions. Tank is 350g (120”x30”x24”) with a 180g sump.
Currently have:
Pair Crosshatch Triggers
Pair Bandai Cardinals
Niger Trigger
Durgeon Trigger
Harlequin Tusk
Vlamingi Tang
Dussumieri Tang
Lyretail Hog
Candy Cane Basslet

Looking at either a Queen Angel or Goldflake Angel.

Also, what are opinions on a school of Anthias? Only concern is that I feed two times per day.

Any other recommendations?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Tank is up and running and trying to figure out the final additions. Tank is 350g (120”x30”x24”) with a 180g sump.
Currently have:
Pair Crosshatch Triggers
Pair Bandai Cardinals
Niger Trigger
Durgeon Trigger
Harlequin Tusk
Vlamingi Tang
Dussumieri Tang
Lyretail Hog
Candy Cane Basslet

Looking at either a Queen Angel or Goldflake Angel.

Also, what are opinions on a school of Anthias? Only concern is that I feed two times per day.

Any other recommendations?

A group of lyretails would work.

 

[Kaz Reefer 57]

I have a 20 gallon and has been running for 3 years wondering of I could add a Pygmy Angelfish
Current stock list
2 Clownfish
1 Six-Line Wrasse
1 peppermint shrimp
3 Snails
2 Hermits
1 Arrow Crab

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have a 20 gallon and has been running for 3 years wondering of I could add a Pygmy Angelfish
Current stock list
2 Clownfish
1 Six-Line Wrasse
1 peppermint shrimp
3 Snails
2 Hermits
1 Arrow Crab

20g is too small for any Centropyge species.

 

[Kaz Reefer 57]

Do you have any suggestions for other fish?

 

[tdileo]

Currently have a 32 gal Biocube. Looking to add some type of star fish to the tank any suggestions?
Currently Have:
1 Maroon Clownfish
3 Green Chromis
1 Cardinal Fish
5 Turbo Snails
2 Peppermint Shrimp

Reef or fish only? Chocolate chip stars are very cheap and hardy but eat coral. If you don’t keep Coral they would be cool. But IMO corals are much more interesting. The other typical starfish are difficult to care for. Nobody knows exactly what they eat so they often die after a few months, assuming it is the food problem and not something else we don’t recognize. You can do brittle or serpent stars but they don’t have the rigid starfish look most people think of, and they hide a lot.

 

[Jmas4]

In the future, I was thinking of having a Pico tank with cool inverts that can't be in a display tank. I was thinking of having zoas, acans, and leathers in the tank. Current stock list is 6 sexy shrimp, 3 pom pom crabs, a pair of bumblebee shrimp, 1 porcelain crab, and 1 emperor shrimp/ tiger sea cucumber host (along with hitch hikers like fanworms.
Any issues with the stock? Any advice? I am hoping to keep these in a 3 gallon jbj but if it is too small I will upgrade to a fluval spec 5.

I am planning to keep it without any mechanical filtration so the corals, fanworm, and crabs can filter feed. I am also planning to have little flow so there is detritus build up for the cucumber and pom pom crabs. I will spot feed daily to 3 times a week.

 

[velcor]

Hey there, after about 5 years away from the hobby (previous tank was a 40 long)I will be setting up a 75g in the next couple of months and have been doing my planning for the tank. I was wanting to verify if my stock list would all be compatible, if there was any obvious mismatches, and to also take any suggestions as far as what I have decided. The only thing I'm particularly set on would be a mandarin (this fish is what originally got me interested in the hobby, and with tank restrictions on my previous setup I was never able to get one.) the tank will have a sump setup (particularly the Eschopps R-200 sump) and I'm aware of them needing a mature tank with plenty of pods (plan on adding him/her as one of the last fish) after everything has been going around 8-12 months, and I'm planning on seeding the tank with pods after a couple months of running to give them plenty of time to establish themselves.

Aside from the mandarin, my current list was looking like follows
X2 Pink skunk clownfish (Been reading they are one of the more timid clowns, as well as I like that they aren't as common as the typical occelaris or percula species).
X1 Royal Gramma
X1 Lubbocks fairy wrasse (from what I can tell, they won't be competing with the mandarin for pods, and I previously had one of these guys in my previous tank)
X1 Mandarin Dragonet
X1-2 Bartlett's Anthias
X1 Melanarus wrasse (this was the biggest concern that I had as far as the stock list, I really like wrasses, and this is quite a pretty fish. The only thing is if it would be competing with the mandarin for pods. Obviously it would be able to easily outcompete if they were voracious pod foragers, which I don't want it affecting the health of the mandarin. Thoughts on the two of them being together?)
(Possibly a yellowtail damsel)

That's what I have thought out so far, and would really like some suggestions or feedback, particularly on the Melanarus. With most everything staying pretty small (aside from the melanarus)I was wanting at least one suggestion on something a little larger that's an active swimmer (if I have to replace the melanarus). Perhaps a species of dwarf angel, however, I've been seeing it's pretty hit or miss with them nipping corals, I'm intending on this being a mixed reef, so reef safe is a must. I do really like wrasses, so, perhaps one or two more fairy or flasher wrasses to replace the larger wrasse as they aren't particularly pod eaters (as far as I have been seeing).

Thank you

 

[Zack K]

Hey there, after about 5 years away from the hobby (previous tank was a 40 long)I will be setting up a 75g in the next couple of months and have been doing my planning for the tank. I was wanting to verify if my stock list would all be compatible, if there was any obvious mismatches, and to also take any suggestions as far as what I have decided. The only thing I'm particularly set on would be a mandarin (this fish is what originally got me interested in the hobby, and with tank restrictions on my previous setup I was never able to get one.) the tank will have a sump setup (particularly the Eschopps R-200 sump) and I'm aware of them needing a mature tank with plenty of pods (plan on adding him/her as one of the last fish) after everything has been going around 8-12 months, and I'm planning on seeding the tank with pods after a couple months of running to give them plenty of time to establish themselves.

Aside from the mandarin, my current list was looking like follows
X2 Pink skunk clownfish (Been reading they are one of the more timid clowns, as well as I like that they aren't as common as the typical occelaris or percula species).
X1 Royal Gramma
X1 Lubbocks fairy wrasse (from what I can tell, they won't be competing with the mandarin for pods, and I previously had one of these guys in my previous tank)
X1 Mandarin Dragonet
X1-2 Bartlett's Anthias
X1 Melanarus wrasse (this was the biggest concern that I had as far as the stock list, I really like wrasses, and this is quite a pretty fish. The only thing is if it would be competing with the mandarin for pods. Obviously it would be able to easily outcompete if they were voracious pod foragers, which I don't want it affecting the health of the mandarin. Thoughts on the two of them being together?)
(Possibly a yellowtail damsel)

That's what I have thought out so far, and would really like some suggestions or feedback, particularly on the Melanarus. With most everything staying pretty small (aside from the melanarus)I was wanting at least one suggestion on something a little larger that's an active swimmer (if I have to replace the melanarus). Perhaps a species of dwarf angel, however, I've been seeing it's pretty hit or miss with them nipping corals, I'm intending on this being a mixed reef, so reef safe is a must. I do really like wrasses, so, perhaps one or two more fairy or flasher wrasses to replace the larger wrasse as they aren't particularly pod eaters (as far as I have been seeing).

Thank you

I have found pink Skunks do better in a “harem” setting than in pairs. But many people keep pairs, so it’s not impossible.

Melenarus_should_ be okay with the Mandarin, if you add pods regularly. How regularly depends on how much they snack.

Everything’s else looks okay stocking wise. Big fish, dwarf angles as mentioned, a small yellow tang if added last would be okay. Blennies are a great addition as well.

-Zack

 

[mta_morrow]

I have read the articles explaining not to keep a " school or group" of fairy wrasse and will follow that advice.

Does the same apply to flasher wrasse? can I buy a group and will 1 transition and everything works out? or is it not recommended just like fairy wrasse?

Thanks!

 

[GBRsouth]

I have read the articles explaining not to keep a " school or group" of fairy wrasse and will follow that advice.

Does the same apply to flasher wrasse? can I buy a group and will 1 transition and everything works out? or is it not recommended just like fairy wrasse?

Thanks!

No one else has replied yet, so I'll fill in for them.

Same advice for flasher wrasse is given by @evolved and @eatbreakfast, just one of each species.

The only exception are the leopard wrasse genus (Macropharyngodon) where one male of the genus can be kept with females of different species within the genus. But must be only one male.

Hope this helps.

 

[Maritimer]

Couldn't have said that much better myself!

I have heard of people keeping multiple possum wrasses (Wetmorella spp.) as well.

~Bruce