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

Gareth elliott

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Does anyone know of a peaceful fish that likes to eat bristle worms? I have a purple firefish and a sexy dancer shrimp and I've heard the shrimp could be in trouble if a bristle worm decides to go after him during/after he's molted. My tank's only 4 months old and the worms seem to be multiplying pretty quickly.

Thank yooouu!

I cant think of a fish that will eat worms but leave a sexy shrimp alone. Ive never had issues with common bristleworms eating more than gunk though.
 

eatbreakfast

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Does anyone know of a peaceful fish that likes to eat bristle worms? I have a purple firefish and a sexy dancer shrimp and I've heard the shrimp could be in trouble if a bristle worm decides to go after him during/after he's molted. My tank's only 4 months old and the worms seem to be multiplying pretty quickly.

Thank yooouu!
A bristleworm will not eat your sexy shrimp. If you are worried about bristleworms(you needn't, they are beneficial cuc), then feed the tank less food at a time.
 

ScooterV

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Question on a lawnmower/sailfin blenny. I already have a large blue spot watchman and a sleeper banded goby. I'll also have a yellow eye kole again at some point. The last kole harassed even the sleeper goby, although with a 270g the goby just ran and there was little harm. I'd like to add a sailfin, but worried about combat between it, the sleeper, and a kole.
 

eatbreakfast

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Question on a lawnmower/sailfin blenny. I already have a large blue spot watchman and a sleeper banded goby. I'll also have a yellow eye kole again at some point. The last kole harassed even the sleeper goby, although with a 270g the goby just ran and there was little harm. I'd like to add a sailfin, but worried about combat between it, the sleeper, and a kole.
The blenny and goby will be fine. The kole may or may not be aggressive.
 

Michael Hagstette

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Hey y'all,
I am new to the saltwater hobby and was hoping for some stocking insights/suggestions for my soon to be setup 60 gallon cube. I have a 15 Gallon sump which will have a refugeum and have Maxspect Gyre wavemakers. I have 70 lbs of live rock and plan on having an LPS/Softy Reef tank. I have some stocking ideas for fish and am looking for opinions/guidance. I realize I can not have all of the fish below. Do you think any of them are too big for a 60 gallon cube? Are any of them bad coral nippers? Will any of these fish not get along well? How many of these fish do you think I can eventually fit in my tank?

Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all of the help!

My list of possibilities:
2 black and white clown fish - Will definitely have
Flameback angelfish
Mandarin Goby (I do know the feeding requirements of this fish)
Dracula goby or Orange Stripe Prawn Goby or high fin goby or yellow prawn goby (Can I have a combination of any 2 of these in the tank together or can I only have 1 goby? Will any of these pick on the Mandarin?)
Forktail Blenny
Midas Blenny
Royal Gamma basslet
Filamented Flasher Wrasse
Hoeven’s wrasse
Christmas Wrasse
 

eatbreakfast

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Hey y'all,
I am new to the saltwater hobby and was hoping for some stocking insights/suggestions for my soon to be setup 60 gallon cube. I have a 15 Gallon sump which will have a refugeum and have Maxspect Gyre wavemakers. I have 70 lbs of live rock and plan on having an LPS/Softy Reef tank. I have some stocking ideas for fish and am looking for opinions/guidance. I realize I can not have all of the fish below. Do you think any of them are too big for a 60 gallon cube? Are any of them bad coral nippers? Will any of these fish not get along well? How many of these fish do you think I can eventually fit in my tank?

Any other suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all of the help!

My list of possibilities:
2 black and white clown fish - Will definitely have
Flameback angelfish
Mandarin Goby (I do know the feeding requirements of this fish)
Dracula goby or Orange Stripe Prawn Goby or high fin goby or yellow prawn goby (Can I have a combination of any 2 of these in the tank together or can I only have 1 goby? Will any of these pick on the Mandarin?)
Forktail Blenny
Midas Blenny
Royal Gamma basslet
Filamented Flasher Wrasse
Hoeven’s wrasse
Christmas Wrasse
Flame angels are a risk for corals. They may or may not nip.

The watchmen can be mixed and will ignore the mandarin.

What species do you mean by "Christmas wrasse?" There are a few species that go by that name, and not all would be appropriate.

Hoevans and Christmas wrasse will outcompete the mandarin for pods.
 

Michael Hagstette

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Flame angels are a risk for corals. They may or may not nip.

The watchmen can be mixed and will ignore the mandarin.

What species do you mean by "Christmas wrasse?" There are a few species that go by that name, and not all would be appropriate.

Hoevans and Christmas wrasse will outcompete the mandarin for pods.

Okay thanks. Well, that counts out the Hoevans and christmas wrasse then. I did not know that they ate pods. I guess I will add a firefish instead? Any other ideas of fish you think would be a great addition to this group I mentioned above? Yeah I have read that about the flame angles, but I think I am going to take the risk and just take him out if he does nip.

Thank you for the help!
 

a;lksdjf

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Okay thanks. Well, that counts out the Hoevans and christmas wrasse then. I did not know that they ate pods. I guess I will add a firefish instead? Any other ideas of fish you think would be a great addition to this group I mentioned above? Yeah I have read that about the flame angles, but I think I am going to take the risk and just take him out if he does nip.

Thank you for the help!
Firefish, a group of pajama cardinals, or a pair of banggai cardinals are all peaceful additions that I can’t see any compatibility issues with
 

Conor_K

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Slowly trying to work out my stock list. 120g DT.
Currently have 1 Midas Blenny and what will be 2 Percs. (lost one, new friend will be coming soon)

Long term goal is a mandarin.

Thinking about adding the following in the mean time:

4 Wheel Drive Goby
Starry Blennie

Maybe 3-5 damsels?
Maybe some kind of bristletooth?

I like the "not so common" fish and I am not looking to cram a million fish in here. More focused on the corals and I am trying to stay away from things that will out compete the eventual mandarin.
At the same time I'd like to see something a little showy in there..

Very open to suggestions and any compatibility issues with the blennie and goby.

Current thought is the Goby will be added next. Starry I plan to wait until i start seeing some algae, (which will probably happen when I finally hang the lights this weekend).

Cheers,
C
 

eatbreakfast

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Slowly trying to work out my stock list. 120g DT.
Currently have 1 Midas Blenny and what will be 2 Percs. (lost one, new friend will be coming soon)

Long term goal is a mandarin.

Thinking about adding the following in the mean time:

4 Wheel Drive Goby
Starry Blennie

Maybe 3-5 damsels?
Maybe some kind of bristletooth?

I like the "not so common" fish and I am not looking to cram a million fish in here. More focused on the corals and I am trying to stay away from things that will out compete the eventual mandarin.
At the same time I'd like to see something a little showy in there..

Very open to suggestions and any compatibility issues with the blennie and goby.

Current thought is the Goby will be added next. Starry I plan to wait until i start seeing some algae, (which will probably happen when I finally hang the lights this weekend).

Cheers,
C
The blenny and the bristletooth tang may have issues, since they both eat algae.

If you get damsels, be aware that most can be aggressive, but there are a few species in the Chrysiptera genus that would work.

I would highly recommend a marine betta. They are peaceful, hardy, and very unusual looking. The downside is they are secretive.

Pyramid butterflies, fairy and flasher wrasses are showy.
 

WP10601

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Hi guys! I know that at times it can be difficult to know whether or not a fish is right for your tank. There are lots of things to consider when purchasing a new addition to your reef community: What size is the tank? What other fish are already in there? What inverts are in there? Is it a reef or fowlr? What about food availability? Is it a sensitive fish that needs special care requirements? Does it require particular water parameters? Is it aggressive? Is it a picky eater? Is it prone to disease?

These are all possible concerns that can come up in purchasing a new fish. REEF2REEF is here to help! Whether you're new to the hobby, or just unsure about a new addition, we'll be glad to help with advice and giving info about our new pet that will help it live many years in your tank. Of course, the tank is yours and so is the fish, so no one here will tell you what you can or CANNOT do with your own tank. We're just here to help by sharing our own knowledge and experience.

So let's get this thread going! If you're thinking about a new purchase and just not sure, post it up! 1smile1
Hi Guys,
I'm new to saltwater aquarium. I bought a 65 gallon tank, added live dry rocks. I let it cycle for a month, added two clowns, four blue/green chromis and one scooter blenny.
 

eatbreakfast

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Hi Guys,
I'm new to saltwater aquarium. I bought a 65 gallon tank, added live dry rocks. I let it cycle for a month, added two clowns, four blue/green chromis and one scooter blenny.
I would strongly encourage rehoming the scooter blenny until the tank is at least six months old, preferably older.
 

Conor_K

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The blenny and the bristletooth tang may have issues, since they both eat algae.

If you get damsels, be aware that most can be aggressive, but there are a few species in the Chrysiptera genus that would work.

I would highly recommend a marine betta. They are peaceful, hardy, and very unusual looking. The downside is they are secretive.

Pyramid butterflies, fairy and flasher wrasses are showy.

Yeh I am not sold on damsels or the tang at all so we’ll see.

The beta is right up my ally though...
should I be concerned about it eating other fish though?
 

a;lksdjf

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Yeh I am not sold on damsels or the tang at all so we’ll see.

The beta is right up my ally though...
should I be concerned about it eating other fish though?
Marine bettas will only eat the smallest of fish and inverts so you should be perfectly fine with one. If you’re looking for an unusual addition as long as you can afford it, try a gold dwarf moray eel. They’re small enough to the point where the only fish it might look at as a potential snack would be the goby, but if you get it young and have it adjust to the goby being there, you should be absolutely fine
 

eatbreakfast

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Yeh I am not sold on damsels or the tang at all so we’ll see.

The beta is right up my ally though...
should I be concerned about it eating other fish though?
Marine bettas aren't great fish hunters, and even the wheeler goby is bigger than what the betta will hunt. A guppy is about the top size of a fish a marine betta will hunt.
 

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