Fish purchase recommendations

[eacosta]

Current tank:
29g, 30lbs LR, 2" sand bed, Reef octopus skimmer, no sump
Paired ocellaris clownfish (1 is about 2.75"and other 2"), CUC, 4 coral frags

I know my tank size limits my options, but I want just one more fish and looking for recommendations. I would like an active fish that won't get too spooked by my 2 clowns. The clowns are very active. The larger clown is a very aggressive eater. I have to hand feed the smaller clown to make sure he eats. I primarily feed pellet foods at the moment with frozen 1x per week. Thanks!

[mikem101]

Active swimmer hmm maybe a fire fish? Maybe a dwarf wrasse? Not a huge amount of active guys cause there isn't much water to swim in if you decide to change that up you can go with clown gobies or a small gobie pistol shrimp pair!

[John Helm]

Pseudochromis fridmani shouldn't get spooked by the clowns. They're have stunning color and would be good for your tank size, but they have a tendency to hide.

[Adamw327]

I have a pair and i am looking at the yellow headed jawfish as well as a firefish variation. Check them out. Without anything agressive in there the clowns should not spook either and they should all hang out together

[nynick]

Dwarf Angels are great too. It will have no problem keeping a bully at bay. A lot more personality (and I mean a LOT!!! Hams and primadonnas the whole bunch :) ) than the (imo) VERY boring Firefish.

Jawfish are also great...unless you plan on adding shrimps or some very small fish in the future. A tank without a cleaner shrimp is no tank for me so I don't keep them. They will eat anything small enough to fit in their mouth.

A few of the gutter common fish are so for a reason. Bicolor Blenny and Yellow Wrasse for example. Great fish and easy to care for. The Blenny is a clown personality and the Wrasse has the same pairing up as Clowns. Any 2 if bought small enough will change sex and form a pair.

[mikem101]

I would have to disagree with nick, for one reason there isn't a angel fish that is small enough for a 25 gallon even a pygmy angel would require a 55 gallon so I would say those are out of the question.

[nynick]

Not sure where you got that number but many dwarf Angels grow to just about 2 or 3 inches (much smaller than a full grown Clown) so a 29g would be fine.

Many online sites gives the same volume requirements for all similar fishes which is why you can see 100g recomendations for a Kole Tang for example when they do very well in a smaller tank.

[Adamw327]

Not sure where you got that number but many dwarf Angels grow to just about 2 or 3 inches (much smaller than a full grown Clown) so a 29g would be fine.

Many online sites gives the same volume requirements for all similar fishes which is why you can see 100g recomendations for a Kole Tang for example when they do very well in a smaller tank.


Its not always a matter of size -> bioload. Its more geared towards their swimming space in the wild. Clowns for example dont really leave one spot on the reef, so its a small tank requirement. Angels like you said, move around a lot, and they would appreciate a bigger swimming area. Surviving and thriving are not the same thing!

[nynick]

Its not always a matter of size -> bioload. Its more geared towards their swimming space in the wild. Clowns for example dont really leave one spot on the reef, so its a small tank requirement. Angels like you said, move around a lot, and they would appreciate a bigger swimming area. Surviving and thriving are not the same thing!

They hover in and out of rocks while grazing and do not in any way require any more swimming space than most smallish fish. A small Dwarf Angel is an excellent fish for a smallish tank. They are also not very high bio-load, if that was what you meant.

For any smaller tank, most small fish with reasonable temperaments and diets whose life centers around the live rock if a good choice. Most free swimmers are not. I always cringe a little when I see Chromis in a tiny tank.

Also where did I say say they move around a lot? They are certainly active fish but Sohol Tangs they are not.

[eacosta]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

[tatuaje08]

+1 dwarf angel. I love my reef-safe coral beauty.

[Adamw327]

They hover in and out of rocks while grazing and do not in any way require any more swimming space than most smallish fish. A small Dwarf Angel is an excellent fish for a smallish tank. They are also not very high bio-load, if that was what you meant.

For any smaller tank, most small fish with reasonable temperaments and diets whose life centers around the live rock if a good choice. Most free swimmers are not. I always cringe a little when I see Chromis in a tiny tank.

Also where did I say say they move around a lot? They are certainly active fish but Sohol Tangs they are not.

Well i do not have experience with coral beauty's but the flame angels i have seen are very active and i would feel bad putting one in a tank with a small swimming space, they also can have a bit of a temper, which i imagine could be worse in a smaller tank

[eacosta]

I am researching the suggested fish and there seems to be mixed reviews on the dwarf angels being reef safe. Seems like many nip at lps and other corals. Live aquaria states bigger tank requirements and that they nip at corals too.

[Adamw327]

I am researching the suggested fish and there seems to be mixed reviews on the dwarf angels being reef safe. Seems like many nip at lps and other corals. Live aquaria states bigger tank requirements and that they nip at corals too.

Everyonce and a while someone gets one that just wont cut it out. But most of the time if they are well fed they will never bother anything. If you have a QT tank you can always take them out and give them a "time out" for a while and than re-introduce them and try again, i have heard this working also.

I also have heard the rare nightmare of one being good for years and than turning overnight and wreaking havok... I will be putting a flame in my 55g after i get the rest of my fish added, and i will be keeping zoas and a few lps

[LH77]

Dwarf angles are hit or miss when it comes to corals. If you add one, just accept at some point the fish may develop a taste for some types of corals and be prepared to remove the coral of interest.

FWIW, your current tank is a 29 gal with a pair of clowns. At some point the clowns will stake out territory to defend and will likely lead to some aggression between the clowns and the angel.

[nynick]

I have a theory about Dwarf Angels and corals/clams. I have no proof for this other than 2 Angels that I have owned myself over the years. I believe corals and clams are not a preferred diet for many of them. Both the Angels I had were nipping at clams and both of them totally stopped this behavior after I increased feeding. This might be total rubbish but I would love to hear if anyone has a similar experience.

[eacosta]

Came across this angel post that has an excel spreadsheet of people's experiences. Doesn't consider feeding habits, but what type of corals were nipped at by different fish.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1661153&highlight=angel+spreadsheet&page=7

[mandarin_goby]

My one chromis, lawnmower blenny and Hector's goby are fearless. The clown I have leaves them alone, and they're always out and about.

[LH77]

Currently have Coral Beauty with a pair of Ocellaris and Midas Blenny in a 60 cube. The angel and clowns generally ignore each other except when the angel is near the clown's host, then all three go into display/posturing mode. Usually the angel gets the hint and grazes elsewhere, occasionally the female clown applies a nip to speed the process along. FWIW, I’d expect less aggression between them in my tank, if the tank had more horizontal and less vertical space.

As for coral nipping, mines been good with LPS corals for a few years (Hammers, CandyCane, Duncans, Oxypora). However, it spends all day inspecting/picking at the rock work and back wall of the tank. My expectation is if or when it starts sampling corals, it will be the same sort of continuous picking behavior and my tank does not have enough restate to spread out the attention.

Good luck with what you decide.

[gsiegel]

its not always a matter of size -> bioload. Its more geared towards their swimming space in the wild. Clowns for example dont really leave one spot on the reef, so its a small tank requirement. Angels like you said, move around a lot, and they would appreciate a bigger swimming area. Surviving and thriving are not the same thing!

+1

[chunk78]

+1 dwarf angel

[chunk78]

one of the smaller wrasse's would be a good choice as well

[dthorn]

Fairy and flasher wrasses are awesome for tanks too small for tangs! Great color and personality!

[eacosta]

Thanks for all your suggestions. If I go with a dwarf angel (e.g. coral beauty) or wrasse, would I need to add some live rock to my QT? I currently have a 10g QT with a pvc elbow in there. Just finished cycling and ready for my fish. Do you think the 10g would be ok for the quarantine period? I haven't looked at fish yet, so I don't know the fish size yet. Curious what others have done.

[nynick]

They both need a hiding spot but not LR. Can be a plastic pipe or elbow. I would stick to materials you can clean properly and even though you can clean LR it just turns it into a "rock". :)

[eacosta]

Thanks again nynick. I have a few more questions. Do you run hyposalinity for your dwarf angels while in the QT? I was reading that they do not tolerate copper very well, so I would hesitate to use cupramine. What about freshwater dips?

[nynick]

I never run anything when I quarantine. Just observe. I do have a VERY exceptional supplier for fish so I might not be the best person to ask on this topic. Frankly, most of the time I do not quarantine at all but again, my LFS is insanely good with their own quarantine and very select suppliers.

[RabbitKC99]

I never run anything when I quarantine. Just observe. I do have a VERY exceptional supplier for fish so I might not be the best person to ask on this topic. Frankly, most of the time I do not quarantine at all but again, my LFS is insanely good with their own quarantine and very select suppliers.

Which LFS is your go to source for fish? (I'm guessing the "ny" in your screen name is "New York?")

[nynick]

no..lol..I am Swedish. In a moment of laziness after having forgotten my old handle many years ago I made a new one. Nynick simply means "new handle" in swedish...I never thought about the NY part at the time...should change it but I am still lazy. :)

I

[RabbitKC99]

no..lol..I am Swedish. In a moment of laziness after having forgotten my old handle many years ago I made a new one. Nynick simply means "new handle" in swedish...I never thought about the NY part at the time...should change it but I am still lazy. :)

I

Ha, ok, I'm willing to travel to check out fish, but Sweden might be a bit far (though I aim to get there to visit the country some day soon)! :spin1:

[nynick]

Just go to Canada...same ****. :)

[postshawn]

+1 dwarf angel



You can get one of the smallest varieties if you want, the Cherub (or Pigmy) Angel. Otherwise there are plenty of nice dwarf angels out there that will be ok in a 29g. I have a Rusty Angel in my 29g. They are great active fish. They will hold their own and some will boss other fish around but they aren't predator fish.

[eacosta]

Thanks for the suggestions. Just wanted to show my coral beauty. It has been in my QT for 1 week and doing great so far. Was a little shy at first but is now coming out quite a bit. It spends all day eating pods and also eats some formula two and spectrum pellets. It hides as I drop in the food and then comes out and eats off the tank bottom. I hope to train it to eat from the water column before putting it in the DT. Still have weeks to go. Any suggestions for training? Or will it learn on its own as it gets more comfortable?