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

[mta_morrow]

Best size 'school', lol, shoal, for azure damsels in a 75 gallon tank?

6 max as personal preference. Do I need more? Or the classic DD trio? Or will it be "the chromis down to one" experience?


Tank will have a full bioload of non/semi aggressive 'community' fish.

Thanks!

I have 3 Azures in my 108 gallon. Wish I had 5-7 or more.

Like @eatbreakfast said, they all have their small piece of real estate.

The are always visible and active and for the most part stick close to the rock work.

Their bark is worse than their bite.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Thank you!

Sweet, 3 are going to be my "mini me" yellow belly blue tang substitutes.

I can tell my niece it's Dori's cousin. ;-)

 

[davilahope]

Nope. A 50g will barely suffice for a mandarin without another pod eater. With a melanurus you would need a larger system.

Adding pods isn't really a viable solution, as a mandarin consumes more pods in a week than are in the bags sent.

Mandarins eat almost non-stop, so even if one does take the foods offered(most don't), it would still need alot of pods, and the size of your system and fact you have another podeater will limit your chances of success.

I disagree.. adding more pods is definitely part of the solution, culturing them is very easy and its not necessary to buy more than one bag, providing the pods housing in the tank and in the farm will help a lot and you can do that with zen reef pod condos filled with rubble, porous live rock, marine pure ceramic media, a fuge, etc.. start culturing them months before you buy the mandarin and I think you'll succeed

 

[eatbreakfast]

I disagree.. adding more pods is definitely part of the solution, culturing them is very easy and its not necessary to buy more than one bag, providing the pods housing in the tank and in the farm will help a lot and you can do that with zen reef pod condos filled with rubble, porous live rock, marine pure ceramic media, a fuge, etc.. start culturing them months before you buy the mandarin and I think you'll succeed

A mandarin consumes a pod every few seconds, so most bags of pods won't supply a weeks worth of pods. Add to that the poster also has a melanurus wrasse, a skilled pod hunter in the confines of only 50g, and experience tells me that is not a combination for mandarin success.

The months of culturing them on their own is the issue.

 

[Philipgonzales3]

I disagree.. adding more pods is definitely part of the solution, culturing them is very easy and its not necessary to buy more than one bag, providing the pods housing in the tank and in the farm will help a lot and you can do that with zen reef pod condos filled with rubble, porous live rock, marine pure ceramic media, a fuge, etc.. start culturing them months before you buy the mandarin and I think you'll succeed

I don't know. I mean I don't want to risk it. If I'm patient I can just wait until I upgrade to a 160+ gallon tank. Likely won't be for a few years but still I don't want to chance it.

I'm afraid they will devour the pods in days or weeks etc. I've always heard the 50 gallon per pod eater guideline. I'm sure it can be done but thinking I should just wait at the moment. I'd hate to try my luck. Haven't lost any livestock yet and hope I don't anytime soon.

 

[mta_morrow]

I don't know. I mean I don't want to risk it. If I'm patient I can just wait until I upgrade to a 160+ gallon tank. Likely won't be for a few years but still I don't want to chance it.

I'm afraid they will devour the pods in days or weeks etc. I've always heard the 50 gallon per pod eater guideline. I'm sure it can be done but thinking I should just wait at the moment. I'd hate to try my luck. Haven't lost any livestock yet and hope I don't anytime soon.

Good choice

 

[Shimis]

I have a biocube 32 with 2 clownfish. I'm new to saltwater so am pretty uninformed about my options. I'm going to buy some zoas and softies next. What 1 or 2 fish should I choose that would be entertaining or visually attractive to watch? I'm going to give my daughter the pick when I have some options. I've done some research and it appears it should be a govt, firefish, dartfish or a chromis. Any other suggestions or any specific type of those listed above that would be a great choice?

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have a biocube 32 with 2 clownfish. I'm new to saltwater so am pretty uninformed about my options. I'm going to buy some zoas and softies next. What 1 or 2 fish should I choose that would be entertaining or visually attractive to watch? I'm going to give my daughter the pick when I have some options. I've done some research and it appears it should be a govt, firefish, dartfish or a chromis. Any other suggestions or any specific type of those listed above that would be a great choice?

Those are good choices, though I would steer you away from chromis. Other possibilities include: chalk basslet, Meiacanthus blenny, stigmatura blenny, possum wrasse.

 

[raylinds]

I have been developing a list of fish that I want to include in my 110G reef tank (48' x 18" x 30") with a 31 gallon sump. I had a successful reef tank 20 years ago, so am not a complete newbie, but a lot has changed in 20 years and some of the fish I want to include I do not have experience with. I will not have a ton of rock in the tank, so there should be decent swimming room

I plan on having a refugium to grow pods and my ultimate goal is to have a Mandarin once the tank has been going for about a year and I am successfully cultivating pods.

I want to start with some fish that I had in my first tank- 2 Ocellaris Clownfish and a Flame Angel. I know Flame Angels can be iffy in a reef, but I had good luck with mine.

Here is the rest of the list:
5 Azure Damselfish
1 Fowler's Surgeonfish
1 Fairy or Flasher Wrasse
2 Banggai Cardinalfish
1 Orchid Dottyback
1 Tailspot Blennie

Are any of these fish a bad combination? Will there be too much competition for pods once I add a Mandarin? Any advice on what order to add the fish?

Thanks for any advice

Cheers,
Ray

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have been developing a list of fish that I want to include in my 110G reef tank (48' x 18" x 30") with a 31 gallon sump. I had a successful reef tank 20 years ago, so am not a complete newbie, but a lot has changed in 20 years and some of the fish I want to include I do not have experience with. I will not have a ton of rock in the tank, so there should be decent swimming room

I plan on having a refugium to grow pods and my ultimate goal is to have a Mandarin once the tank has been going for about a year and I am successfully cultivating pods.

I want to start with some fish that I had in my first tank- 2 Ocellaris Clownfish and a Flame Angel. I know Flame Angels can be iffy in a reef, but I had good luck with mine.

Here is the rest of the list:
5 Azure Damselfish
1 Fowler's Surgeonfish
1 Fairy or Flasher Wrasse
2 Banggai Cardinalfish
1 Orchid Dottyback
1 Tailspot Blennie

Are any of these fish a bad combination? Will there be too much competition for pods once I add a Mandarin? Any advice on what order to add the fish?

Thanks for any advice

Cheers,
Ray

Everything looks good except the tang which will outgrow the tank.

 

[raylinds]

I had that on the list as Saltwaterfish.com indicated it is good for 100 gallon tanks. If you think that is inaccurate I will change it. Are there any tangs small enough for my tank? Maybe a yellow?

I don't want any fish cramped in my tank.

 

[rkpetersen]

They won't school or shoal. Each one will claim its own little territory. Any number will work between 1-8.

I have 2 azure damsels in a 90. One has claimed the left half of the tank, the other the right.
They only bicker when one dares to cross into the other's territory, and even then, it's nothing serious.
Great little fish.

 

[rkpetersen]

I had that on the list as Saltwaterfish.com indicated it is good for 100 gallon tanks. If you think that is inaccurate I will change it. Are there any tangs small enough for my tank? Maybe a yellow?

I don't want any fish cramped in my tank.

Also marginally too small for a yellow, eventually.
Try one of the bristletooth tangs like the kole yellow eye.

https://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.com/search?w=Ctenochaetus

Personally I think that White Tail looks pretty sharp.

 

[raylinds]

Also marginally too small for a yellow, eventually.
Try one of the bristletooth tangs like the kole yellow eye.

https://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.com/search?w=Ctenochaetus

Personally I think that White Tail looks pretty sharp.

The White tail is beautiful- I will go for that.

 

[Conor_K]

So I think i am getting close to done.

120gal 4x2x2. 40gal sump

Current:

Midas
2 percs
Beta
Starrry blenny (in qt)
Blue spotted puffer. (In qt, we’ll see if he behaves)

Future:
Squaretail or whitetail bristletooth (one)
Mandarin


Glaring issues with compatibiltity?
Understocked, overstocked, just about right?
I have a lot of hiders. So maybe one more “swimmer” would be cool, but I don’t want the tank to be crowded.
Any ideas would be appreciated, especially outside the norm ideas..

Appreciated the input,
C

 

[eatbreakfast]

I had that on the list as Saltwaterfish.com indicated it is good for 100 gallon tanks. If you think that is inaccurate I will change it. Are there any tangs small enough for my tank? Maybe a yellow?

I don't want any fish cramped in my tank.

I agree with @rkpetersen about a Ctenochaetus species being a better tang fit.

So I think i am getting close to done.

120gal 4x2x2. 40gal sump

Current:

Midas
2 percs
Beta
Starrry blenny (in qt)
Blue spotted puffer. (In qt, we’ll see if he behaves)

Future:
Squaretail or whitetail bristletooth (one)
Mandarin


Glaring issues with compatibiltity?
Understocked, overstocked, just about right?
I have a lot of hiders. So maybe one more “swimmer” would be cool, but I don’t want the tank to be crowded.
Any ideas would be appreciated, especially outside the norm ideas..

Appreciated the input,
C

I would try to get the midas into the dt before the starry blenny, as starry blennies are more aggressive to similar fish.

In the wild, midas blennies mimic lyretail anthias, so getting a few lyretails will make the midas more outgoing.

Fairy and flasher wrasses are peaceful, outgoing fish.

 

[raylinds]

I want to thank rkpetersen and eatbreakfast for keeping me from making a mistake. I'm sure the tangs appreciate it.

 

[Conor_K]

I agree with @rkpetersen about a Ctenochaetus species being a better tang fit.

I would try to get the midas into the dt before the starry blenny, as starry blennies are more aggressive to similar fish.

In the wild, midas blennies mimic lyretail anthias, so getting a few lyretails will make the midas more outgoing.

Fairy and flasher wrasses are peaceful, outgoing fish.

Thanks. Midas has been in the DT for some time now so that should work out well.

I have been avoiding wrasses as the long term goal is a mandarin, but the anthiad is an interesting option..

Cheers,
C

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thanks. Midas has been in the DT for some time now so that should work out well.

I have been avoiding wrasses as the long term goal is a mandarin, but the anthiad is an interesting option..

Cheers,
C

Fairy and flasher wrasses don't compete with mandarins for pods, but rather they feed from the water column.

 

[Conor_K]

Um. You just blew my mind.

So any of the flasher or fairy wrasses out there (reef safe, size appropiate) would be ok in this mix and not dwindle my pods down?

I just want to be clear before i start drooling over fish...
I have been under the impression that wrasses as a whole were not the best idea with a mandarin...