Trying to find the perfect fish that (probably) doesn't exist.

[CombJelly Cuddler]

I need a fish that can live in a 75g tank without outgrowing it, can eat pests like flatworms but won't eat clean up crew like hermits and snails, and is big enough not to get eaten by my Spotfin Lionfish (roughly 6in fish)

Tank is a 75g reef tank with about a 2-3in bedding of Aragonite sand.

Inhabitants:
LPS Corals
Spotfin Lionfish
Maroon Clownfish
potentially a Tang
Emerald crab
Various snails and Hermits.

If a fish like this doesn't exist let me know cause I've been racking my brain to try and find one.

 

[JTP424]

Larger Sixline? Not sure though...

 

[MadreeferNJ]

Only thing comes to mind is a wrasse but its small and your lionfish will eat it.

 

[Dom]

I need a fish that can live in a 75g tank without outgrowing it, can eat pests like flatworms but won't eat clean up crew like hermits and snails, and is big enough not to get eaten by my Spotfin Lionfish (roughly 6in fish)

Tank is a 75g reef tank with about a 2-3in bedding of Aragonite sand.

Inhabitants:
LPS Corals
Spotfin Lionfish
Maroon Clownfish
potentially a Tang
Emerald crab
Various snails and Hermits.

If a fish like this doesn't exist let me know cause I've been racking my brain to try and find one.

Do you require references?

 

[Dom]

Do you require references?

 

[Biokabe]

Melanurus wrasse might be your closest option.

They get decently large (mine was about 6" long when it died). They're colorful (not in your spec list, but I think it's important). They eat flatworms and many other pests.

The one caveat to them is that some people report issues with invertebrates. Mine never attacked snails, never attacked hermits, but he did go for emerald crabs and shrimp.

Two other options: Springeri damsels (but they stay relatively small and might end up as a meal), and mystery wrasse (but presents the same invertebrate threat as the melanurus wrasse).

There are other Helichoeres wrasses that you can try in addition to the melanurus, but they'll all mostly just be variations on that theme - larger, mostly peaceful, will eat your pests but may present a risk to inverts you want to keep.

 

[CombJelly Cuddler]

Melanurus wrasse might be your closest option.

They get decently large (mine was about 6" long when it died). They're colorful (not in your spec list, but I think it's important). They eat flatworms and many other pests.

The one caveat to them is that some people report issues with invertebrates. Mine never attacked snails, never attacked hermits, but he did go for emerald crabs and shrimp.

Two other options: Springeri damsels (but they stay relatively small and might end up as a meal), and mystery wrasse (but presents the same invertebrate threat as the melanurus wrasse).

There are other Helichoeres wrasses that you can try in addition to the melanurus, but they'll all mostly just be variations on that theme - larger, mostly peaceful, will eat your pests but may present a risk to inverts you want to keep.

Ive considered either a Melanurus or a Canary Wrasse. Do you know anything about Canary Wrasse and how they are compared to Melnurus

 

[Biokabe]

Ive considered either a Melanurus or a Canary Wrasse. Do you know anything about Canary Wrasse and how they are compared to Melnurus

I have no special insight there, you would be working from the same info as me - I had a melanurus for 6 years, but never kept a Canary.

 

[CombJelly Cuddler]

Okay, thank you!

 

[CombJelly Cuddler]

This was meant to be a reply haha. Still working out how to use this website

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Canary wrasse will be fine while it's small, but once it's full size might also go after feather dusters, shrimp, etc.

The spotfin that good of a hunter that he could catch a six line? Ive no experience keeping lions.

Similarly to the sixline is a pinkstreaked wrasse much more peaceful, but smaller and more cryptic. Also an excellent swimmer.

 

[RobertK]

I second the melanurus. I kept one in a 70 gal tank for years. Awesome fish. Eats flatworms. Did not eat my snails or hermits. I'm just not sure about how he'd do with your lionfish.

 

[Wolf89]

Marine betta
Engineer Goby
Wolf eel (dottyback actually, not an eel)
You could try various fang blenny species. They're one of the most underrated groups of fish. The lionfish will definitely try to eat them, but they have specifically evolved to fight back, and they will bite the inside of the mouth and have venom. So it might work.

 

[Abominable Snow Crab]

I agree with others, melanarus

 

[Steve and his Animals]

Some of the larger watchman gobies like adult yellows, pink spots, and randall's should work.