Need some help - best fish

hey, I want a new fishie and am having sooo much trouble picking him/her out. Its a 55g 48'' long reef tank.
Please help me pick a fish for my tank within reasonable price ranges lol not much more than 100$ please.

So far, my favourite is my scarlett hawk, crazy personality id say. and shes bright red with dark, evil lines... lol

Thanks 3reefers...

 

I thought hawks were not reef safe. Do you already have it or are you eying it? Look into fairy wrasses and anthias.

 

Well, they are coral safe But you could say goodbye to any shrimp/invert that you add to the tank!

Seriously, I have owned/watched tons of different fish, but I would have to say my favorite is my pair of clowns. Awesome interaction.
Blenny's are very cool and have a ton of personality as well.

 

First, we're going to need to know what you already have in your tank to make sure to get a good fit. And yes, hawkfish are not reef safe. They will eat snails, hermits and shrimp if given the chance.

 

well my scarlett ive had for about two months and she hasnt eaten snails or hermits (i even got smoe that are about .5cm long) or shrimps... she definately eyes them but she never eats them. I got lots of corals also and shes safe with them. I have a maroon clown, scarlett hawk, banggai cardinal. HELP!!!!

 

Orchid Dottyback-Tank Raised - Pseudochromis fridmani
Springeri Pseudochroms-Tank Raised - Pseudochromis springeri
a dottyback great looking fish or wrasse good looking and continually roving the reef
Sea Grass Wrasse - Novaculichthys macrolepidotus

 

A small six line wrasse would be a good addition IMO. I would not get a lawnmower blenny. They should be left at sea. A maroon clown will outgrow your tank. A pair of ocellaris clowns might do the trick, or a pair of true perculas. Hawkfish, as stated are not reefsafe and like inverts and dottybacks, while interesting can be detrimental in a similar fashion. The one mentioned above, the orchid dottyback, is the best of the bunch. Keep in mind that dottybacks love to eat ornamental shrimp in particular. Some wrasses have a taste for tube worms. My Red Coris Wrasse wiped out my tube worm population in a matter of days.

Tangs are out with a 55g, so I wouldn't even consider it.....not enough swimming room. Anthias are out too. They need at least 125 gallons to thrive and need to be fed constantly.

Damsels are a possiblity. There are several very nice damsels out there....you just need to look beyond the standard three-striped, yellow or yellow-tail. Now, I think damsels are great. I have three of them in my tank (the above actually). Look at Omard's 12g nano on his page. He has a really nice damsel (I forget the name), but it is unusual and beautiful.

Sorry that my post was mostly a 'shoot down' post. But I have made many mistakes myself with my 75g and 90g and do not wish to see anyone else repeat what I have done.

Peace.......John.

 

hey guys, thanks for the help on fishing. I am currently looking at wrasses now, which have awesome colours and shape. I really like the sea grass wrasse, but i have never seen one before; although i usually look passed the wrasses at the LFS anyways. But i will keep in mind those guys.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with a 6 line, I would stay away from flasher wrasses and cleaner wrasses. Flasher wrasses are vey peaceful and your maroon clown may go after it, they also jump. Also, many people just don't have luck with cleaner wrasses they can be picky eaters due largely to the fact that they their main source of food in the wild is from cleaner large fish. You may also want to consider a dward angel, preferably a coral beauty or flame.

 

I am all for the wrasses. I reccomend adding two at once. I might get knocked for it, but this way the maroon will have his hands full and more than likely give up on territory. I've never seen the green wrass either, cant wait, maybe I need one.