Suggestions for next fish

acshaw80

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Hi all

I have a 50g AIO Red Sea max e170 that I set up and cycled over the summer. I began stocking it in September after I began seeing stable water parameters and currently have the following in the tanks:

-1 juvenile clown
-BTA
-Sea Hare (on loan from LFS- returning once it has cleaned up the algae)
-Various zoas/lps
Assorted snails
-Halloween hermit crab

I have a decent copepod population and plan on adding an in cabinet sump over the summer so I can build it even more and add a mandarin goby.

mim looking for suggestions as to what fish I could add now that would get along with my current stock as well as a mandarin goby to be added in the future.

Thanks for your suggestions!
 

Billdogg

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A mate for the clown
Gramma
Firefish
Lyretail Anthais
Orchid dotty
Bangaii Cardinal.
Mandarin

This is a great list other than the dottyback - IME, they almost invariably become Holy Terrors and start killing things for no good reason other than "because they can".

You might also look at a flasher or fairy wrasse, but only if you have a good cover - they can and will jump.
And lastly, a Yellow Watchman Goby and/or blennie of some sort. They have tons of personality (well, for a fish), and IMHO no tank is complete without them.
 
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acshaw80

acshaw80

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Thanks all! Would a blenny or watchman goby be compatible with a mandarin? I think they would both hang out on the bottom right?
 

Zoa_Fanatic

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This is a great list other than the dottyback - IME, they almost invariably become Holy Terrors and start killing things for no good reason other than "because they can".

You might also look at a flasher or fairy wrasse, but only if you have a good cover - they can and will jump.
And lastly, a Yellow Watchman Goby and/or blennie of some sort. They have tons of personality (well, for a fish), and IMHO no tank is complete without them.
Orchid dottybacks are chill. Literally the only dottyback that isn’t a murder factory. Most people think they aren’t because they get the other kind (whose name I can’t remeber) that is identical in color minus the black stripe over the eye. Orchids, especially captive bred ones, are beautoful little peaceful fish. And they murder bristle worms which is a plus in my book.
 

ReefSapper

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If you have a top you could put a flasher wrasse in a 50g, from what i know of them they are compatible with everything you listed.
 

HockeyRooster

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Great questions and since my tank is set up similarly (ie I have lots of the fish listed), I’d like to ask about a yellow watchman goby. Lfs says they need a lid-do they? Do they eat pods?
 

Zoa_Fanatic

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Great questions and since my tank is set up similarly (ie I have lots of the fish listed), I’d like to ask about a yellow watchman goby. Lfs says they need a lid-do they? Do they eat pods?
Gobies jump. They for sure need a lid. I have an engineer goby and he eats pods but I don’t know about watchman gobies.
 
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acshaw80

acshaw80

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If you have a top you could put a flasher wrasse in a 50g, from what i know of them they are compatible with everything you listed.
I do have a top for mine so I’m looking at gobies. I was thinking of avoiding a wrasse because I want to put a mandarin in eventually and I was worried a wrasse might eat a lot of the copepods.
 

hds4216

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I do have a top for mine so I’m looking at gobies. I was thinking of avoiding a wrasse because I want to put a mandarin in eventually and I was worried a wrasse might eat a lot of the copepods.
You can put in a flasher wrasse. Some, like the McCosker's flasher, eat out of the water column in nature and won't hurt your copepod population any more than another type of fish.
 
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acshaw80

acshaw80

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You can put in a flasher wrasse. Some, like the McCosker's flasher, eat out of the water column in nature and won't hurt your copepod population any more than another type of fish.
That’s a beautiful fish - I will look into this one
 
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