stocking fish q's

ok, my plans for fish have gone from:

2 ocellaris clowns, diamond watchman goby, 3 to 5 reef chromis, 6 line wrasse, and a flame angel (or something like that, i can't find my list anymore)

to:

lawnmower blenny, blue damsel (both already in the aquarium), auriga butterfly and/or coral beauty...

i changed my mind because the first selection just seemed to be too many fish, and i wanted at least one larger fish... plus, the first seemed "generic" and common... so would my second selection be better or worse, and should i mix the two together? like, get a fish or 2 from the first selection, and another from the second? i plan on having corals as well (zoas, mushrooms, LPS), and all of these fish SEEM to be reef-safe...

 

From Live Aquaria:

"The Auriga Butterflyfish diet primarily consists of coral polyps, crustaceans, and algae in the wild."

You might want to rething this fish (and most other butterfly fish) in a reef tank.

 

most butterfly are hard to keep alive also unless you on the up about their feeding requirements

 

well shoot... ne'ermind abut the budderfly....any opposition to the coral beauty? and if so, then if you had to choose a single fish in a 55-gallon reef aquarium, what would it be?

 

One thing. Chromis have the tendency to kill of the weakest link in captivity...I have not seen that much agression personally...but it is possible. Not sure how troublesome that can be...

 

I have seen it and heard other folks complain about it. I once had 5 chromis and before I knew it, there was only one left. Chromis, like some fresh water tetras, need to be kept in larger schools in order to spread out their aggression and most of our tanks can't support that many fish.

 

If your wanting to keep a butterfly in a reef tank, your best bets are the Pearl Scale and Klein's Butterfly but they are like pygmy angels, you never know when one is going to get a taste for corals which usually occurs when they reach maturity, thats why people can keep them and after a year or so they start eating corals. Although the butterfly's are more apt to eat corals and I'd recommend staying away from them in a reef tank. The Auriga will decimate your corals and are not reef safe.

If you want to keep angels, then your best bets are Wantanbe's, Lamarcks and the Black Spot Angels which I believe are deep water dwellers and are reef safe. I really like the male Black spot angels and the Wantanbe's as the male and female have different color patterns. Cherub and flame back angels may be a safer bet then a coral beauty.

The Marine Center: Your source for the rarest, net-collected fish and corals has a female wantanabe angelfish for sale right now. They also have the Lamarcks and Japanese Swallow tail(Black Spot Angel) in stock.

 

The Coral Beauty is a sweet fish and a great asset to any aquarium. She is a quick mover darting in about your tank and has a great appetite for that algae on your glass.

Totally one of my favorite fish!

 

The Coral would be a great addition to your tank. Such personality, very interesting fish.