Stocking ideas

Robb in Austin · Jan 29, 2009

Howdy all!

I have a 58g that currently has 6 fish in it:
pair Clarkii
6 line
green chromis
tail spot blenny
royal gramma

I had an Eibli angel until tonight. He started eating zoos last month and tonight I discovered he was munching on my open brain. I quickly scooped him out and took him back to the store.

So, now I'm back to wanting to add a showpiece type of fish and am looking for suggestions.

I would like something pretty, good sized, not too expensive, and wont eat my corals. On the flip side, I was thinking a few cardinals. This tank is 3ft long so tangs are out as are a Genicanthus sp(which sucks cause those Japanese swallowtails and Lamarck's sure are purdy!)

Any other thoughts?

TIA,
Robb

TyreeUM · Jan 29, 2009

wow I dont think i have ever "quickly" scooped out a dwarf angel haha-it usually involved all of my rock in tubs on the floor and me with a net in both hands...
dont go the route of a few cardinals...it seems to me like you are craving a "center piece" fish

Robb in Austin · Jan 29, 2009

Yeah, I got lucky. I took advantage of his piggy like nature and dumped a bunch of food in, he came to the surface and voila! Kinda surprised me too.

I think a few cardinals would be settling too, and I don't really want to. Not sure what else would really have a wow factor though.

TyreeUM · Jan 29, 2009

why not a fairy wrasse of somekind-you can get some awesome fairy wrasses for under 100 bucks...whats the temperment of your sixline with new fish?

ficklefins · Jan 29, 2009

Robb in Austin said:
tonight I discovered he was munching on my open brain

First off the above line is pretty funny! Have you thought about getting a wrasse? With the type of livestock you have in there right now a wrasse would make for a great last fish! A leopard wrasse is one of my favorite fish and they can actually learn new feeding habits relatively quickly from other fish.

The only issue with Leopard wrasses is that they can be a tough species to ship/acclimate. Your best bet is to either purchase it from another reefer (who has had the fish for a while) or have your LFS hold it for you for a week.

Robb in Austin · Jan 30, 2009

I'm open to some new wrasse!

(Hope the wife doesn't read this!)

The 6 line has been a model citizen so far. He was the 2nd or 3rd fish added, granted the Clarkii came last.

Aren't fairy wrasses prone to jumping though?

seafansar · Jan 30, 2009

I think all wrasses are prone to jumping. You could put a clear mesh cover over the tank. There's a thread about that somewhere on here.
I have a radiant wrasse. He's an eye catcher IMO.

acronautical · Jan 30, 2009

The smallest, and cheapest wrasses are often Lubbock's. They are often overlooked because alot of folks think they aren't "flashy" enough. However, I have stocked two females in a 55, and the alpha sexed into a very cool looking male in about six weeks. The new male put on some very impressive courting rituals each evening, dashing at high speed back and forth across the front of the tank for about 15 minutes per evening.