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

alibarin

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Hi all,

I posted a little bit ago asking for recommendations and I got some great ones. My heart was stolen by a flame angel and was wondering if I could have one in my 36 gallon tank? I've been doing some digging but keep seeing conflicting information. So far my list is:

2 clownfish
1 fire goby
1 blenny
and possibly the flame angel or dwarf coral beauty. If my tank is too small for these does anyone know of some vibrant fish that would be ok in a tank of my size?

Is this an ok list?
 

BighohoReef

A reefer in need is a friend indeed!
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Current 100g tank fish lineup
- Valentini Puffer
- 5 Double banded chromis
- Hawkfish
- Two clowns
- Lawnmower blenny
- Watchmen goby

Want to add/need advice:
- Leopard wrasse
- 2x twin spot goby
- Lyretail Anthias

Trying to decide if that’s too many fish in the kitchen.
 

SMSREEF

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I have 65 gallons total system (Red Sea Reefer 250). I am thinking of the following fish. Any issues?

2 clowns
Royal gramma
Molly miller blenny
Pink stripe wrasse
2 Bangai cardinal
Yellow watchmen goby
Purple firefish
1 Pygmy angelfish (either flameback, flame, lemon peel, cherub, or potter)

any concern?in which order the fish should be introduced? Thank you. I will be keeping mainly softies and LPS only.
I had trouble adding my yellow watchman To a tank with my flameback angel. He got abused so bad he ended up finding a way to jump out of a small gap in my screen...
I would make sure to add angel last because that will likely be your most aggressive on the list. Mine is fine with all my other fish but does like to show his dominance at times. He and my blenny are a riot when they get into it. My little tailspot puts him in his place when needed.
 

canadianeh

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I have 65 gallons total system (Red Sea Reefer 250). I am thinking of the following fish. Any issues?

2 clowns
Royal gramma
Molly miller blenny
Pink stripe wrasse
2 Bangai cardinal
Yellow watchmen goby
Purple firefish
1 Pygmy angelfish (either flameback, flame, lemon peel, cherub, or potter)

any concern?in which order the fish should be introduced? Thank you. I will be keeping mainly softies and LPS only.

Any particular way other than adding the angel last? For the rest of the fish, can I add them in any order? My goal is to find all captive bred ones, is there particular fish that hard to impossible to find the captive bred one?

Also, would you say my list is maxed out? Can I add a file fish in the future if I need to?
 

Jdavies

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75 gallon reef tank:
2 clowns
1 firefish
1 green cromis wrase
1 lawnmower blenny.

i would like to add either a scooter bleeny or a yellow watchman but am concerned about the lawnmower being aggressive towards them. Also would like to add another firefish had 2 but one died in qt.

thanks.
 

thatsruff

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Hi! Doing my due diligence prior to actually setting up my tank... From my somewhat limited digging around, it seems that a fair number of folks have successfully kept pink-streaked wrasses (pseudocheilinops ataenia) in ~10-gallon tanks.

Would I be pushing the limit, or going beyond it, with a pink-streaked in a 12"x12"x12" (7.5-gallon) cube?

Thanks!
 

footgal

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Hey y’all! I have a 20 gallon IM peninsula mixed reef tank with a bare bottom and am looking for 1/2 more additions! I set this tank up in February 2020 so it’s been about 4 months. I started with wet live rock from the sump of a 20+ year old tank that had been there for at least 5 years and also used water change water from that tank for the first month and a half of my tank’s life. All of my livestock so far are doing great and I have very few issues with algae. The only thing I struggle with is an abundance of green bubble algae but as you’ll read later, I’m planning on a emerald crab to help with that. FTS at the bottom for a visual. Here’s my current stocking list.
Acros, softies, scolies, zoas, LPS, SPS, RBTA, assorted euphyllia, you name it.
A pair of snowflake/ Picasso perc. Clowns
1 fire shrimp
1 sexy shrimp
10 CUC hermits
10 CUC snails (astrea, turbo, and stomalla)

I was thinking about a pair of banggai cardinals/ royal gramma/ a coral beauty/ cherub angel/ neon dottyback/ flameback angel/ domino damsel (1 or a pair), or possibly a possum wrasse, I’m also really looking into a captive bred mandarin because I hear good things about them going on frozen foods but I am worried about the lack of pods. Basically any fish good for this tank size and a mixed reef tank. I am specifically looking for active fish that swim throughout the tank and aren’t prone to jumping. I will be getting a lid but I’ve heard so many horror stories, it scares me.

I am also thinking about inverts for this tank. I was thinking about maybe a few more sexy shrimp (maybe 2 more to make a trio), a Pom Pom crab, and emerald crab, some higher end hermits (Halloween, electric blue knuckle, Florida white leg, etc), and possibly a tile/ Indian sea star. I am not planning to get all of these, but would like quite a few of them. Thanks for y’all’s help!
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rapid

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i would like to add two barnicale blennys. would this be okay?

40 gallon tank with 20 gallon sump
60 pound of rock
3 inch deep sandbed
1.5 years old

livestock :
1 maderian dragonet
2 clowns
1 RBTA
1 diamond goby
1 ballon molly
1 torch
Tons of pods, hitchhikers, hermits, crabs, bristle worms, esc.
 

Wet Work

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Looks like you've got a good list going. I can offer a few suggestions or cautions:

- I'd definitely go with the McCosker's Flasher Wrasse over the sixline. The Flasher wrasse will have more color and be a better community member...sixlines have a reputation for turning into bullies.
- I love flame angels, but it may come down to a choice between the flame angel and the clam (some flame angels nip at clams and LPS)...but it may work out that your flame angel is a model citizen
- 3x royal grammas (I don't know if this would work because of them all being conspecifics...not sure if they'd all get along. Maybe someone with experience on keeping multiple RG's could weigh in)
- azure damselfish will tend to end up bullying everything else. I'd avoid them completely.

HTH :)
Hello all. Regarding multiple RGs, in the wild they shoal by the hundreds, sometimes thousands, in caves and overhangs (or at least they did before lionfish wiped them out ), so adding three simultaneously should not be an issue, presuming adequate territory and hiding places.
 

Wet Work

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What size tank?

As long as the tank size is good, the only ones I'd be worried about are the sixline wrasse (those guys can get evil) and the 2 purpleback pseudochromis (I'd stick with 1).
Right Fish or NOt ?

2 Purpleback pseudochromis
Pepermint shrimp
royal gramma
Yellow Tang
Firefish Goby
Bicolor Angelfish
Sixline Wrasse
2 clownfish
Pseudochromis are nasty little buggers, although the tank-raised specimens are typically not as aggressive as wild-caught. In the late ‘90s I made the mistake of adding a firefish to a tank with an established, wild Arabian dottyback. It was in the tank for seconds when the dottyback darted out, took both its eyes, then gutted it. A shocking attack in its brutality and accuracy. So, long story short, only one dottyback and add it after everyone else. Also, any angelfish is a risk if you’re planning on keeping LPS and/or clams.
 

flabryth

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Hello all I was planning to do a bit more research before I posted here but figured I could use some help and continue research at the same time. This is several years out as I will be moving in 2 years and I'm in Hawaii so no reef tank. I plan to have a 10'+ long x 36"wide x 30" tall (subject to change but in that ball park) mixed reef. Some of the fish on this list are probe to nip meatier corals, clams, etc. This list is more of a list of fish I would like rather than a list of fish I think I will keep so I'm asking for help in whittling it down and or some advise in alternatives. Equipment will be something like this: lighting will most likely be LEDs or perhaps LED/T5, a large fuge, CA Rx, skimmer in a fairly large sump with enough room for any additional reactors, filter socks perhaps, a boiler powered heater (similar to @AlexGif you are familiar with his setup), 2-3" sanded and rockwork with many caves/ swimthroughs/ arches/ etc.
On to the potential inhabitants:
• *Achilles tang
• Yellow mimic tang
• Maculiceps tang
• Yellow eyed Kole tang
• Chevron tang
• Spotted yellow eyed tang
• Lieutenant tang
• Purple tang
• Blue hippo tang (yellow belly)
• *Desjardin Sailfin tang and/or red sea
• dussumieri tang or fowleri tang (probably will never have either but its nice to dream)
• CBB (more likely to try than moorish idol but same concerns)
• *Pyramid butterfly and/or zosters (several)
• *Leopard wrasse (potter's, blue star) after established pod population
• Lenardi wrasse
• *Flasher wrasse harem of perhaps 4 or 5 (mccosker's or filamented)(flasher wrasses would be chosen over anthias probably)
• Group of anthias (psuedoanthias) if there are any that might be compatible with flasher wrasses.
• Fairy wrasse (purple-lined wrasse?)
• Borbonius anthias (not sure if they also don't get along with flasher wrasses)
• Bangai cardinals (no more than 2 and I may not chose to get them due to the short life expectancy)
• Court jester goby
• Gold lined rabbitfish and/or orange spot rabbitfish
• Two spot goby and/or orange prawn goby
• *Dragonette (blue or red) once pods are established
• Two spot blenny
• Midas blenny
• Eibli angel
• Japanese swallowtail angel
• Majestic angel
• Goldflaked angel
• Scribbled angelfish
• Moorish idol (not likely to get due to low survival rate)
• *Marine beta
• Royal gramma (several not sure how they would do i have seen that they don't do well with conspecifics but I was hoping to be able to have 2-3 in such a large tank)
• Scisortail damsels (Chrysiptera genus)
• Some type of dartfish (zebra barred and/or firefish)
• Bluehead tilefish (live aquaria says 3" substrate)
• Randal's goby/ orange striped prawn (and shrimp)
• Panda goby
• occelaris clown pair or 2

Its a lot to read through thank you to anyone who made it this far, double thank you to anyone who offers advice ;)

*almost definite additions

I'm not married to having that many angels as I know they are likely to nip clams and corals but I would like a couple if possible.

trying tp launder some drug money...this could be an very effective way of doing so...
 

SaltyCupcake

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So I was thinking about a pair of pajama cardinalfish for my 36g, then I saw this video:



And I was immediately concerned for my six line wrasse, Sushi. :(

I was hoping to get a fish that would help him eat the amphipod army that has accumulated in my DT(there are tens of thousands and they're multiplying).

Sushi seems to think the amphipods are his pets and he schools around the tank with them, rather than gobbling them all up.

My questions: Is it common for pajama cardinalfish to gobble up their tank mates? Or is this video an outlier? Would Sushi be tough enough to hold his own and survive?
 

danieyella

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So I was thinking about a pair of pajama cardinalfish for my 36g, then I saw this video:



And I was immediately concerned for my six line wrasse, Sushi. :(

I was hoping to get a fish that would help him eat the amphipod army that has accumulated in my DT(there are tens of thousands and they're multiplying).

Sushi seems to think the amphipods are his pets and he schools around the tank with them, rather than gobbling them all up.

My questions: Is it common for pajama cardinalfish to gobble up their tank mates? Or is this video an outlier? Would Sushi be tough enough to hold his own and survive?


I have 3 pajamas and a variety of other fish in my 90, one of the others is an itty bitty kamohara blenny. They coexist with no issues and no nipping whatsoever. My kamohara is TINY, he could easily fit in the mouths of many of my fish.
 

muzikalmatt

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Current setup:
IM Nuvo Fusion 40 AIO (~32 gallon display area when you take out the rear sump area)
~30 lbs of live rock
~20 lbs (1"-2") CaribSea Arag-Alive sand
~17 months old

Current stock list:
(2) Ocellaris Clownfish
(1) Yellow Watchman Goby
(1) Firefish
(1) Bicolor Blenny

I've been wanting to add another fish (or a few) as the last one was added over 6 months ago (the bicolor blenny). However, I certainly don't want to upset the balance in the tank as everything has been doing really well (fish and corals). My nutrients are really stable at ~5-7ppm nitrate and 0.03-0.07 ppm phosphate and I generally feed pretty heavy.

My first thought is adding a Yellow Coris Wrasse (or maybe a Pink Streaked Wrasse if I can find one) as I've been interested in having a peaceful wrasse in the tank for the movement/color in the water column, as well as helping with pest control (flatworms). However, I do have a large feather duster and coco worm in the tank and have heard yellow wrasses may eat them. In addition, I've typically been a once a day feeder and understand wrasses likely need to be fed multiple times a day. Thoughts on this addition?

Other than the wrasse, I was considering adding a couple of bangai cardinals (preferably a mated pair) and perhaps a royal gramma. I tried a royal gramma once before when the tank was very young, but it died in a few days. (Still unsure as to what caused it.)

Does anyone have any other suggestions for cool fish additions to this tank given the current stocklist? I want to be very selective about my next addition(s) as I don't anticipate having more than one or two more fish in this tank. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
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SaltyCupcake

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I have 3 pajamas and a variety of other fish in my 90, one of the others is an itty bitty kamohara blenny. They coexist with no issues and no nipping whatsoever. My kamohara is TINY, he could easily fit in the mouths of many of my fish.

Oh wow, I've never seen a kamohara before! What a neat looking fish! :)

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with the pajama cardinalfish, it helps a lot.
 

SaltyCupcake

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I find it highly unusual because I’ve never read any accountability prior to this of PJs being piscivores. I’ve always read that they’re among the most peaceful fish out there. Strange times..... sorry about the loss of your blenny.

Ah, I should clarify-- the video was one that I found on youtube. <3

Part of me wonders if the PJ in the movie was carrying eggs in its mouth and feeling protective.

Anywho! I'll probably be getting a pair as soon as the weather is favorable. I get my fish shipped since I live out in the middle of nowhere with the nearest LFS being 2 hours away. :)
 

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