What fish should I add to my tank?

Hi all, I started this thread for some ideas on my final fish in my 34g tank with a 10g sump. I plan it to become a SPS dominated tank in the future and currently have mostly LPS and soft corals.

First off, it is a 24"L x 18"D x 18"H. The current animals I have in are: 1 Black Occelaris clown hosted by a BTA, a scooter blenny, and a mantis shrimp. I keep a 3.5" DSB and lighting is by a 250w MH with two 65w power compact actinic lights.

I ran out of ideas and can only think of the the usual reef fishes such as cardinals, blennies, gobies, and damsels. What I am looking for is a weird or strange fish that I can add to the tank to finish my stocking. I am currently out of ideas and can only think of the standard reef fishes such as cardinals, blennies, gobies, and damsels to add. Thanks for reading!

edit: Tank has about 65-75 lbs of LR (also including sump/refugium)

 

Pardon my ignorance, but will your shrimp not destroy nearly anything you put in there? I am guessing the other fish have done well (aside from being terrified)?

 

Its okay. I keep two different stomatopods (mantis shrimp) in different tanks and both are okay with fish and corals. If anything, the fish are quite inquisitive of the stomatopods. The corals are left alone, with the exception of small frags, in which one of my mantis will occasionally steal to incorporate into his burrow. One of my mantis shrimp use to constantly hit my hand when I cleaned the tank. Once he realized that the giant hand from above brought food, he ceased. I can actually hand feed him now.

But to answer your question in regards to the fish: The answer to that question really depends on the individual stomatopod. Some are HIGHLY aggressive. Some are abject cowards. Usually, if you have enough room, smashing species of mantis shrimp are fine with fish. It is the snails, shrimps and crabs (hermits included) that you constantly have to replace with a smashing species.

I had my mantis attack a damsel once (different tank and different mantis than the one I am referring to in this thread) because the damsel kept on trying to bury and cave in the mantis shrimp's burrow. He also followed the mantis shrimp around and nipped at his telson (tail). One day while the damsel was trying to cave in the burrow the mantis came out and hit him. Not enough to do serious harm, but enough to leave him alone. But that was it, the damsel left him alone after that.

 

red flame angel
yellow watchman goby
bangaii cardinal fish

 

ive been here done that...weird strange fish? I have searched and searched for an out of the ordinary fish..Puffers, boxfish, anglers...all not reef safe. your stuck to some type of , dwarf angel, chromis, damsel, goby, tangs obviously are to big for your tank so there out as well as most anthias.....maybe a flame hawk?? or a wrasse of some sort...

Blue dot jawfish are really cool if you like another burow fish.

Neon and indigo dottybacks are cool looking fish up close.

 

Well, I guess you learn something new every day. I just did. Thank you for taking the time to enlighten me. Very interesting.

I have just always been too afraid of getting my hand sliced, or my tanks broken. (Of course, I've always kept lions, and have never been afraid. Go, figure.) But, it certainly sounds like you have it under control.

In that case, I second the Bangaii proposal, and throw a 6-line into the mix.

Thanks.

 

macon77, it is no problem and you are welcome. I am kind of obsessed with stomatopods and am more than happy to give any help/info I can on them. They are the reason I got back into saltwater aquariums after all these years. I am already planning my 3rd stomatopod tank .

Thank you all for the suggestions. I think the 6-line wrasse and flame angel sounds very nice. Just one of them and not both though! I also took a look at the flame hawks, a definite possibility. The jawfish are beautiful; as much as I would like another bottom dwelling fish, I do not want to risk aggression issues with the blenny as the 34g is pretty small for two sand dwelling fish. I guess I will read up a bit more on each fish's demeanor and make a decision. I am in no rush!

 

Update on fish for 34g (24"x18x18)

Well, due to an unfortunate miscalculation on my part, I lost the scooter blenny: I added a pretty large spider decorator crab that I caught out at the beach to my tank (2 inch wide body, about 6 inches total) as food for the mantis. Needless to say, the spider crab got to the blenny at night before the mantis could eat the spider crab. I guess it is karma that my fish became food for my mantis shrimp's food.

Due to this unfortunate mishap, I now have room to add to my tank. I am currently thinking about adding a 6-line wrasse, hair blenny, and toby puffer (blue-spotted or valentini) to the tank. That would total out at 4 fish including my occelaris clown. What do you guys think? Is the load too high? I am not too concerned if the toby eats the coral, as I can always transfer all my coral to another tank and make this FOWLR. I am more concerned about the aggression and size issues. I have about 75lbs total of LR in the DT and sump combined. I am also using a protein skimmer rated at 250g so I think it can handle the waste with the LR. But it never hurts to ask those more experienced than I

I was thinking toby over a pygmy angel as they are more laid back and would not clash against the 6-line's "niche" in the tank as much.

Thanks for reading!

edit: Not to mention that puffers are at least to me more "strange" than the dwarf angels

 

I would be concerned that a sleeping wrasse may fall victim to the mantis.

Have you thought about a Royal Gramma, Chalk Bass, Cherub Angel (clam nipper).

 

I have thought about the cherub angels, and am not ruling them out. My plans for stocking the tank would be bottom dweller (blenny or goby), active and fast swimmer (cherub angel or wrasse), and a slow moving fish (puffer or cardinal). I personally like puffers better (I use to have one YEARS ago) because they are very interactive with the owner. Grammas are very pretty but they do not have that unique appeal for me.

As for the wrasse falling prey to the mantis, it is a smashing species and diurnal. Smashers do not actively prey on fish. They may attack fish that gets too close though. It all depends on the mantis. Luckily, I got a chill one. My scooter and clownfish would actually be within an inch of the mantis and they would just study each other. The clownfish would freak out every now and then when the mantis gets too close to his anemone though