Fish Ideas

Some will boo me but I have 2 pairs of clowns in my 75g (long story). A pair of regular & a pair of blacks. The blacks are to most people more eye catching. The most rewarding to me is my 5mo baby goes nuts when you hold him infront of the tank and he always tries at least to follow the black clowns specifically. While Cardinals can be nocturnal they come around. Mind if now almost always out & about during the day. Its not the most active fish, but a unique fish that likewise draws good attention. Firefish like others have mentioned will jump, I had one that jumped 7 my dog was kind enough to pick it up off the floor and bring it to us. True Story! Despite the dogs heroic efforts it didnt make it though. There is a couple threads already on the BRS netting tops and they are definitely the way to go.

Angels like someone mentioned are 50/50 most of the time on if they nip. I have a coral beauty and havent has a problem. A Pygmy (Cherub) might also be a colorful choice.

One option I didnt see you mention is a nice bottom dweller like a goby or a jawfish. I have a blue spot goby that is quite friendly and always comes out to return stares. I have looked at jawfish online, at the LFS and in people tanks and they are absolutely amazing to me. Especially the blue spot jawfish. They are interesting to watch. A watchmen goby/pistol shrimp combo is another good potential choice.

I myself have not kept a mandarin, but I know from reading and research here and abroad they seem to not have the best sucess rate in smaller tanks. Based partially on my stocking but also the concerns over keeping one is why I havent bought one myself.

Also +K for doing the research ahead of time. It can be aggravating to have to wait, research and pick fish. But its better to ask ahead of time rather than a 'look what I got!' disaster in the making thread that occurs more often than not. lol.

 

We have been thinking about getting a Goby instead of the Mandarin but are not sure which one... I like the shrimp/goby combo but with the sand I will be putting in they won't be able to burrow as it is a fine sand. Do all gobies take on a shrimp pal or only the ones that end in watchmen goby?
Still very iffy on the Dwarf Angel, I find them to be beautiful additions but can't justify losing corals do to one nipping. I do love the look of these fish though so I am not sure yet.
As for the +K I am assuming that is for the Karma under the avatars and thanks a lot! I do all I can to make sure I provide a nice place for my fish to live out their lives.

 

you could have 2 clowns a fire fish a goby and some other fish with out adding to much bio load. As stated earlier a dwarf angel will nip at coral, they still do make stunning add to a reef. A small wrasse would also make a great add to this tank.

 

No. It's not 'they will', its that 'they might'. Alot of people have success with them (including myself) not bothering any corals.

 

Oops! Didn't see that! Thanks for catching my mistake, K+;D

 

Thanks everyone! I am still unsure as to the Angel but am really leaning towards getting one. List so far is: pair of Black Clowns, Purple Firefish, Goby(Not sure which kind but would like a Shrimp/Goby pair), and finally a Carpenter's Fairy Wrasse or Flame Angel.

Just two questions:
Will all Gobies pair with any kind of Shrimp or are there only specific Gobies and specific Shrimp that will pair?
What would co-exist and look better in a mixed reef tank, a Flame Angel or a Carpenter's Fairy Wrasse?

 

Your best bet for pairing a pistol shrimp is a YWG (yellow watchman goby) and a tiger pistol shrimp. Best to get them together, in same bag if possible and introduce at the same time. Great combination and very rewarding to watch.

Carpenters wrasse IMO.

 

There are at least 30 species of snapping shrimp in the genus Alpheus and about 130 different species of gobies(commonly referred to as shrimp gobies or partner gobies). Tiger snapping shrimp (Alpheus cf. bellulus)are the most common in the LFS. I personally like Randalls gobies or the Aurora goby but there are alot of pretty ones.;D
Also keep in mind that I have heard of angels who are well behaved and just as many that aren't so be aware they are almost impossible to remove from the tank once they are introduced without removing a good portion or all of your rocks.I have also heard stories of them being perfect citizens for a good while then turning into coral eating monsters overnight.
Good luck with your tank!!!8)

 

Ok, tank if just about cycled! Seem like it took forever as I was so anxious to get it set up and going... but I took my time and figure it is time to get the fish thing down. I was wondering as to what order I should add the fish I am set on getting at this point.
The list:
Pair of Black Ocellaris Clownfish
Purple Firefish
ORA Green Mandarin, Red Scooter Blenny, or Tailspot Blenny(Still not sure which one but if I do get one it won't be for a long time yet. Would prefer Green or Red over Tailspot.)
Carpenter's Fairy Wrasse
CUC(Still don't know how many of what to get for my 40 breeder even with reading a ton on the subject)
2 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Blood Shrimp

I may just get the quick CUC from reefcleaners.org but it seems like a lot of snails for a little tank, would this be the best route and what they recommend is what I should get?