Getting new fish. Any recommendations?

[Keith A]

I'm in the porcess of restocking my 75 gal reef tank. I would like to get some new fish and would like some advice on what to get. Right now I have the following: (Not much)

1 one spot rabbitfish
1 brittle starfish
1 cleaner shrimp

Corals:
mushrooms (which I will be getting rid of)
colt corals
devils hand
brown button polyps
yellow and green polyps

My wife loves yellow tangs but I've never had good luck with them. I'd like to get fish that eat the same thing in order to keep feeding simple. The more colorful and active the better. I'm also planning on getting more corals but I'm not sure what types yet.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

[rogergolf66]

well as far as corlas go we need more info on your tank.

Lighting?
skimmer?
live rock weight?
flow?

[Shiandy]

Common clowns always provide a lot of movement, and are fun to watch, I would try a get a pair if you fancy going down that route.

Any reason you've had bad luck with the Yellow Tang's ?, I've had one since I setup my system 3 years ago, and never had any issues. Just get yourself a clip, and some Sea veggies to suppliment thier diet, I'm sure you Fox Face would appreciate it too.

Flame Angels are quite striking, but its a bit 50/50 if there going to take a fancy to some of your corals, I'd say its worth a shot, as they make a geat addition.

6 line Wrasse is another suggestion, very active, darting around the tank.

[justinl]

imo the foxface gets too big for a 75g.

[reefCrawler]

this is the basic crew I'll suggest:

yellow wrasse: prevent pest and worm, most peaceful wrasses in it's kind. if you intend to keep clam, this is a "must have" fish to clean up pest which attach to clam shell (the pest name is too hard for me to spell :D)

Lawnmower blenny: brush off green and hairy algaefor your tank.

cleaner shirmp: clean parasite in tank.

coral banded shrimp: worms eater.

diamond goby: if you have sand bed, this is a hard-worker you have to get.

Yellow tang - should be the easiest tang to keep, did you test the water quality?

hope this can be helpful, this is the basic crew I'll choose whatever the tank I set up.

[bmartin]

maybe some kind of anthias. They are colorful and add alot of life to your tank. Fatheads are my favorite.

[tcmfish]

He already has a cleaner shrimp and they don't clean parasites. They to pick at the fish and the fish like the feeling so they frequent the stations. Sometimes they get healthy tissue too. Ask anyone who tried to cure ick with a cleaner shrimp. But another shrimp would be cool because they would have babies and put live food into the tank.

Why not a tomini tang? or a Fathead anthias or a midas blenny.

I would also second the lawnmower blenny votes and the yellow wrasse.

[lilchris]

some sort of fairy or flasher wrasse

[reef3r]

I second the midas blenny. Mine has tons of personality. So do my two flame hawks. I kept them with cleaner shrimp for a while and they paid no attention to them.

[Keith A]

Alright. I got lots of good ideas.

Shiandy: I'm not sure why I have bad luck with the tangs. I fed them every day and did 20% water changes every week. I feed the rabbit fish with the algae on a clip daily and haven't had any problems with him yet. He also cleans up any GHA that might be growing in the tank.

Reef3r: I had a hawfish not too long ago and had to get rid of him becasue he was too aggressive.

Got some good ideas. Anyone have anymore?

[reefCrawler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13572565#post13572565 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tcmfish
He already has a cleaner shrimp and they don't clean parasites. They to pick at the fish and the fish like the feeling so they frequent the stations. Sometimes they get healthy tissue too. Ask anyone who tried to cure ick with a cleaner shrimp. But another shrimp would be cool because they would have babies and put live food into the tank.

Why not a tomini tang? or a Fathead anthias or a midas blenny.

I would also second the lawnmower blenny votes and the yellow wrasse.

Did I mention cleaner shrimp clean ick? :rolleyes:
Where this come from?
but frankly, I don't know if cleaner shrimp cleanup ick.
but they clean fish's infected tissue and parasite to minimize infected area.

please study this from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleaner_shrimp :
Cleaner shrimp is a generic term for any swimming decapod crustacean that cleans other organisms of parasites. This is a widely-cited example of symbiosis: a relationship in which both parties benefit. The fish benefit by having parasites removed from them, and the shrimp gain the nutritional value of the parasites. In many coral reefs, cleaner shrimp congregate at cleaning stations

Agree all other your saying, but feel spanked from you. :(

[Shiandy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13572647#post13572647 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Keith A

Shiandy: I'm not sure why I have bad luck with the tangs. I fed them every day and did 20% water changes every week. I feed the rabbit fish with the algae on a clip daily and haven't had any problems with him yet. He also cleans up any GHA that might be growing in the tank.


My Yellow tang, is definately my fav fish in the tank, perhaps try a different LFS ?

[tcmfish]

Sorry reefCrawler my bad.

The source I was using was the book Reef Fish Behavior (Florida Carribean Bahamas) by Ned Deloach and Paul Humann it is under the symbiosis section.

It also showed that many parrotfish would sit in gorgonians and behave the same as if they were being cleaned. Also the said that fish being touched in an aquarium reacted the same.

FWIW and again no harm intended. :)

Back on topic now, Yellow tangs are hardy, but your main fish is already yellow. If it were me it would be more astheticly pleasing to have some other colored fish. That is why I suggested the tomini, but any small tang would do (and not just small when you buy it but ones that don't get very large).

[LUVSPS]

I second the Tomini! I love them and they stay small.

[reefCrawler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13574165#post13574165 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tcmfish
Sorry reefCrawler my bad.

The source I was using was the book Reef Fish Behavior (Florida Carribean Bahamas) by Ned Deloach and Paul Humann it is under the symbiosis section.

It also showed that many parrotfish would sit in gorgonians and behave the same as if they were being cleaned. Also the said that fish being touched in an aquarium reacted the same.

FWIW and again no harm intended. :)

Back on topic now, Yellow tangs are hardy, but your main fish is already yellow. If it were me it would be more astheticly pleasing to have some other colored fish. That is why I suggested the tomini, but any small tang would do (and not just small when you buy it but ones that don't get very large).

:D :D
also agree to tomini (flame fin), I actually like to find one for my frag tank.

[Dave VG]

I like my tomini . He's out all the time and gets along with everyone.

[agreeive?fish]

Kieth A

you are not the only one who cannot keep yellow tangs... i loose every yellow tang(yellow fish period) that i try to keep... but i can keep powder blue tangs...i just dont have luck with yellow fish period...nomatter what the set up is or what the tank mates are..i consider myself the yellow fish killer(not by choice but by fact)

[otrlynn]

Kole tang is another small tang you might consider. A small relatively inexpensive fish that I never see anyone mention is a chalk bass (basslet). Mine is the first fish up in the morning and the last to go to bed. It is out ALL the time. Swims all around the tank, particularly in the upper third where it seems like a lot of my fish infrequently go. I think that firefish, regular or purple, are also beautiful fish. Just be sure the tank is covered if you have wrasses, gobies, or firefish.

[Keith A]

OK. I did some research on the internet on some of the recommendations so far and have some more questions.
1. When looking up info on wrasses and anthias, some things say that they will eat feeder and brine shrimp. Will they go after my cleaner shrimp?
2. What about a dragon goby? Not the most striking colors but it seemed to be more of a herbivore than carnivore.

[tcmfish]

The wrasses and anthias mentioned in this thread will not eat your cleaner shrimp. Some large wrasses may.

If your thinking of the sand sifting dragon goby then it is not a herbivore, most gobies aren't. Its not the big of a deal to have a non herbivore fish. You can feed your tang or foxface or any large herbivore algae sheets and then feed a mixed diet to the rest of the tank, which the herbivores will also benifit from too.

[Keith A]

OK. So after doing some more research and looking at the feedback, here is what I'm thinking of.
1 one spot rabbitfish (already have)
1 flame angel
1 tang (tomini or kole)
1-2 yellow tail blue damsel (added in last)
1 carpenter wrasse

Is this too much for a 75 for both number of fish and bioload? The skimmer I have was part of the trickle filter (aqua clear aquatics). The filter is for a 150 gal tank which works great. The skimmer seems to work decent. I do 20% water changes every
1-2 weeks.

[tcmfish]

I think you'll be fine.

[E.intheC]

I think it really depends on what you're looking for. I LOVE Kole Tangs. My next tank (in the planning stages) will have one of my favorite fish .. A Blue Spot Jawfish. They're expensive, but look AMAZING, have interesting personalities, and typically get along with most fish. They also make burrows which is very fascinating.