What's that one fish you just HAVE to have in your reef tank?

[mikeg18]

Just a note of interest you may or may not know but they are aquaculturing these and they actually to my surprise are raised eating pellet food . The ones I saw here in Orlando fl. were expensive but given that they are aquacultured and eating pellet seems like it might be worth the cost given the alternative of keeping a culture of pods growing .

I recently purchase two about 1/2” in length. In my 200 gal tank it’s hard to feed them. However with lots of lr they’re doing quite well. Now about 1” in only a month, with fat bellies. Beautiful fish. They hang out together. How they’re able to hover in place with all my flow is amazing.

 

[jason24365]

You know...there's always at least one kind of fish that you feel you MUST have in order for your tank to feel complete. For me (as cliche as this sounds), it's a pair of clownfish. I've gotta have 'em!

i would say for me its gonna be a blue spotted jaw fish besides my leopard wrasse that never lets pests in my tank lol

 

[Soren]

Mine is the bicolor foxface (Siganus uspi), especially in a pair (or more if they don't fight)!

Close second is a pair or so of clownfish (especially black and white ones, but I also really love the common ones).

...oh, and engineer gobies...

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Cinnamon clown and squirrelfish are my two staples.
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

We have a great diverse group of people here. Lol. All loving different animals.
D

 

[oceancowboy]

flame hawkfish......very cool behavior, gets along with pretty much everyone (except maybe another hawkfish). Can't beat the color.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Achilles. Must have achilles!!!!!!

 

[CoralB]

I recently purchase two about 1/2” in length. In my 200 gal tank it’s hard to feed them. However with lots of lr they’re doing quite well. Now about 1” in only a month, with fat bellies. Beautiful fish. They hang out together. How they’re able to hover in place with all my flow is amazing.

They do get big fast and lot slow of character

 

[katonge]

Can I ask what you paid and which strain you were able to get ?

Sorry for the delay. I got the Blue Mandarin pair & I paid $209 plus tax but I see they are on sale now for $190.

 

[ShoalSister]

I recently purchase two about 1/2” in length. In my 200 gal tank it’s hard to feed them. However with lots of lr they’re doing quite well. Now about 1” in only a month, with fat bellies. Beautiful fish. They hang out together. How they’re able to hover in place with all my flow is amazing.

Are they going for the pellets at all? Such beautiful interesting fish. I hope these cultured varieties are successful. Would love to hear from people like you who have them on their feeding habits once moved to an owner.

 

[RichReef]

Yellow Tang.

Sea anemone with a clown.

 

[Jesterrace]

A Wrasse of some kind. I will always have at least a couple of different ones in my tank.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

This is close to a must-have for me. Had one for almost 7 years and it was a great fish. Instead of ordering another one, I ended up getting a Christmas wrasse after about a year of trying. Very glad with the decision. Same type of personality but the color is different. This guy is very cool.

My actual must-have isn't my favorite fish but I love to have them... royal gramma. Such great colors! Other than that, some type of hawkfish is always in my reef. Right now I've got 3 of them... Tahiti gold, arc eye, and caribbean spotted. My 300 gives the former two just barely enough space to coexist. :0)

That's awesome! Christmas wrasses are beautiful too. The melanurus is one of the fish I saw in my uncle's reef coffee table book as a kid, and inspired me to want a saltwater tank someday. Now that I've have one, I love it so much, I think I may have a wrasse addiction, lol. Didn't even get him for pest control (no pests in my tank surprisingly enough - benefit of using dry rock and having an extremely thorough coral dipping routine, lol). Just think they're strikingly beautiful! Love the effortless, cruising swim style of wrasse. I am thinking hard about getting one more wrasse before my mel gets a lot larger - either an orangeback fairy or a yellow coris. Any experience with either?

Love royal gramma! Currently debating getting one actually, for the color. I want something pinkish/purple and yellow. Honestly though, just discovered Evansi anthias... and may go for that instead. Just one. So stunning, just like the gramma, with similar coloring. I need more upper middle water column swimmers! My clownfish are currently really my only upper swimmers. (Have a baby captive bred yellow tang arriving Saturday though, so that will help fill that space hopefully as well). My tomini tang is tank boss and all over the place. New yellow is probably going to live in acclimation box until I am fairly certain the tomini won't attack it (he chased my melanurus for days before giving up - such a jerk!)

A flame hawkfish and maybe a longnose are 2 of my planned additions. Waiting for my fire shrimp to get a little bit bigger so he doesn't become a very expensive snack.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Yellow Tang.

Sea anemone with a clown.

I agree! Have a pair of clownfish who have never taken to any nem in the past, but hopefully will eventually. And have a captive bred yellow tang arriving Saturday - very excited for that!

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

Pair of clowns and a watchman goby preferably with accompanything pistol shrimp.

absolutely a gobie/shrimp pair is a must have. It doesn't have to be a watchmen, but i gotta have a pair

 

[lulubap]

Royal gramma and clownfish pair. I'm trying to find more interesting clowns than the ocellaris, so I might try a pair of bicinctus.

bicinctus and clarkiis are gorgeous to me! if you have the money, i also love black longfins, as well as other expensive designer clowns. just don't get the hate for them, other than their pricing

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

flame angel

those are so colorful.


I love and hate these types of threads. I love them because of all the diversity, and getting to see everyone's favorites........ However, I hate them because they always get me into trouble. Either a new tank shows up at the house, or a new fish, depending on my space limits, and then the wife gets angry

 

[Jmcdaniel0]

bicinctus and clarkiis are gorgeous to me! if you have the money, i also love black longfins, as well as other expensive designer clowns. just don't get the hate for them, other than their pricing

I live 20 miles away from the SA hatchery and I have seen their longfins many times.... Beautiful fish, but man, I cant spend that lol

 

[lulubap]

I live 20 miles away from the SA hatchery and I have seen their longfins many times.... Beautiful fish, but man, I cant spend that lol

totally understandable; it's crazy how far a little coloring and a little fin length goes

 

[HankstankXXL750]

Diamond goby, people hate that they spit sand all over the place but take for granted how much they really work all day keeping the sand pearly white.

I have one. Yes he even covers some of my lower corals which cause some problems. But I love him.