60 Gallon Cube inhabitants suggestions

[92reefer]

I currently have a small "pygmy" angel (carribbean), royal gramma and a cleaner shrimp in my tank and I'm looking for a few more "smallish" easy to care for inhabitants that won't require a lot of picky food choices (read hearty) as well as get along peacefully.

Any suggestions on tank mates?

[Greybeard]

Smith's blenny is my favorite fish in my 60g cube. Quite the personality.

Clowns work well... as do many gobies. Damsels would be a safe choice, though one I wouldn't make. A small basslet, like a chalk bass, might work... or it might fight with your gramma.

Don't take the sure-to-come slams for keeping an angel, even a pygmy, in a 24" cube too seriously. Many folks have done so, with good results. I don't have one, not because of the tank size, but because I don't want a possible coral nipper in the tank.

[92reefer]

Thanks for the suggestions Grey.

That Smith's blenny looks cool but it won't work for me. I have Marco Rock (dead) hence no live rock for the blenny to hunt and graze (requirements per salt water fish dot com) and I do not have a lid: says they are avid jumpers. Tank is also "bare bottom."

So I need recommendations for something that doesn't require "live" rock, is OK with bare bottom tank and doesn't jump?

[Greybeard]

I also started with dry base rock, it's 'live' now ;) Plenty of pods, gammarus shrimp, film algaes, etc.

I started with an open top. Had a darned clownfish jump out. I knew that _any_ fish can jump, but considered it so unlikely, I wasn't worried about it. Showed how much I know. I ended up with a BRS clear screen over it. Expanded my fish selection dramatically, since I don't have to worry about jumping anymore.

Don't know that my Smith's blenny has ever touched the sand bed. Any time I'm near the tank, he's usually hanging out where I feed them, begging :)

Enjoy :)

[92reefer]

I wonder if a black cap basslet would fight with my royal gramma?

[92reefer]

I was also thinking of getting 3 threadfin cardinals for schooling effect OR 1 yellow agressor?

[Chicagoreef2016]

I also started with dry base rock, it's 'live' now ;) Plenty of pods, gammarus shrimp, film algaes, etc.

I started with an open top. Had a darned clownfish jump out. I knew that _any_ fish can jump, but considered it so unlikely, I wasn't worried about it. Showed how much I know. I ended up with a BRS clear screen over it. Expanded my fish selection dramatically, since I don't have to worry about jumping anymore.

Don't know that my Smith's blenny has ever touched the sand bed. Any time I'm near the tank, he's usually hanging out where I feed them, begging :)

Enjoy :)

Grey, did you use the kit to make your screen top?

[crazyfins]

I wonder if a black cap basslet would fight with my royal gramma?

In my experience, basslets don't like each other and also tend to exhibit fighting with dottybacks, since lots of them are similarly colored/shaped.

If you don't go the blenny route (as I do love me a blenny), a Flame Hawkfish (Neocirrhites armatus) usually has lots of personality and still exhibits the rock-perching behavior that blennies exhibit, minus needing to feed off of the rock. The Saddle Valentini Puffer (Canthigaster valentini) is another fish with a good personality that would work in your tank set-up.

Good luck to you! :)

[IowaReefer]

Smith's blenny is my favorite fish in my 60g cube. Quite the personality.

Clowns work well... as do many gobies. Damsels would be a safe choice, though one I wouldn't make. A small basslet, like a chalk bass, might work... or it might fight with your gramma.

Don't take the sure-to-come slams for keeping an angel, even a pygmy, in a 24" cube too seriously. Many folks have done so, with good results. I don't have one, not because of the tank size, but because I don't want a possible coral nipper in the tank.

Ha! Are there pygmy angel AND tang police now?!?! I have kept my potters angel in my cube for over 4 years and it is fat, colorful, and healthy. That said, blennies are fun, but so are perching hawkfish. If you want color, go with the hawk, if you want a more cryptic pattern, go with the blenny.

[Greybeard]

Grey, did you use the kit to make your screen top?

I used the BRS kit, cut a 4" strip of eggcrate to fit around the light mount and return line, and rimless aquarium clips that I found on Amazon.


Ha! Are there pygmy angel AND tang police now?!?! I have kept my potters angel in my cube for over 4 years and it is fat, colorful, and healthy. That said, blennies are fun, but so are perching hawkfish. If you want color, go with the hawk, if you want a more cryptic pattern, go with the blenny.

Red hawkfish my wife picked out killed 3 cleaner shrimp in a week. Had to get rid of him. Interesting look, odd behavior, but I like my shrimp too much to keep him. Clown gobies can give you some of that 'perching' behavior...

[92reefer]

Ha! Are there pygmy angel AND tang police now?!?! I have kept my potters angel in my cube for over 4 years and it is fat, colorful, and healthy. That said, blennies are fun, but so are perching hawkfish. If you want color, go with the hawk, if you want a more cryptic pattern, go with the blenny.

Won't the hawkfish go after my cleaner shrimp? I thought I read that someone lost all their tank shrimp to the hawk?

I would also like to pick up another invert, maybe a few more small cleaners or other shrimp?

[lewisrhoades]

I also have a 60 cube and stocking it is definitely an adventure. I have a occ clown pair, a firefish, a citron goby, peppermint shrimp, sexy shrimp, and some lps coral right now. When I first upgraded to the 60 I also had a total gramma but he did not take the tank move well and was gone after a few days. I tried replacing him with a pygmy Angel but he instantly went after my coral and after a few days I took him back. I also had a tailspot who was doing wonderfully then just died right in front of me randomly. I'm debating possibly doing some PJ cardinals and a small wrasse of some kind now and maybe a blenny. With these size tanks it's hard to find fish for it due to the short footprint. If I were you I'd try a clown goby of some kind, some cardinals and possibly a small basslet if you don't plan on keeping small shrimp.

[92reefer]

so I have white Marco rock in an otherwise bland/neutral looking tank, especially with the bare bottom.

SOOOO, I'm looking for suggestions to add some color to the tank, bright yellow, orange or red?

I'm ruling out the Smith's Blenny (sorry Grey) since that fish would only blend in with the white rock and ultimately disappear.

[lewisrhoades]

Well your rock will only be white for a few months so keep that in mind. If you're wanting bright colors you could go with some of the smaller wrasses like previously stated. Angels are a toss up in a mixed reef but are an option. You could try a Midas blenny as well.