Fish list help

[Shagsbeard]

I'm a couple weeks off at least before I start putting fish in my tank. It's 75 gal FOWLR with 80lbs live rock, 2-3 inches of sand. I'm adding a sump this weekend, and once all the plumbing cures, I'll be adding about 20 gallons, some more sand, pieces of live rock and stuff to the sump. That'll sit for a couple weeks before I start adding stock. I've a CSS125 skimmer. Water conditions are good and cycling normally.

But I'm going on a road trip, and will be able to see a large variety of different LFS's and such, so I'll be thinking about the fish I'll eventually add.

Fish I want are:
One of those gobies that suck up the sand.
Raccon Butterfly (already noticing Aiptasia's rapid growth, hoping this will help)
2 Cleaner Wrasse (or is it wrasses?)

Other fish that get along well (no agressives) with these are open to suggestions. Keep in mind it's my first tank, so easy upkeep is a plus too. Tank raised gets a vote too. Those neon gobies that also clean caught my eye, but they're small and short lived. The wife wants a puffer, but I'm not sure about it... is my tank large enough? I'd also like to keep some peppermint shrimp, so I'd stay away from stuff that would pick on these.

[JHemdal]

Shagsbeard,

I would skip the cleaner wrasse. Without large fish to supply enough mucus for food, they will likely starve to death. If you are counting on them for disease control, don't - the old adage is, "So who cleans the cleaner?". Besides, they don't feed much on the common aquarium parasites. Which brings up another idea - quarantining new fish purchases is really the best way to go. If you don't do that, you should have a contingency plan for *when* saltwater icks breaks out in the tank (not just *if*!).

How about a flame or longnose hawkfish? MAC certified lemon peel angels have been coming in recently. You might want to consider a Salarias blenny for algae control (and they are fun to watch). The "tang police" might step in here and try to correct me, but you might also consider a tomini tang. I'm not seeing many species of tank raised fish right now - except a few clownfish.


Jay Hemdal

[Sk8r]

There are about 10 common sandsifting gobies. The fastest is the Diamond Goby. It may over-clean the sand, but it will do a good job.
Is it raccoons or copperbands that eat aiptasia? Copperbands do, I know, but are finicky eaters except for this food source, and many die.
Even one cleaner wrasse can get too aggressive in his cleaning for the health of the fish in a small tank. I'd say a fairy or flasher wrasse would be a better bet for you. You really don't have to have a cleaner---they often cause more problems than they cure.
Chromis are colorful, fastmoving, and as long as you have only one, they're a good 'color' fish and non-aggressive. I have a blue one.
A pearly jawfish pair will amuse your guests. A fish that lives in a burrow and bobs up like a jack in the box makes most people happy.
Dartfish are colorful and fun, but again, aggressive to each other.
The combtooth blennies have funny faces and eat algae. I believe the Molly Miller is reputed to eat aiptasia, and is easy care.

[Shagsbeard]

I agree... after reading up on cleaner wrasse, they're definately off my list. I'd like that behaivor though, and the neon gobies do the job too. Do they mix well with the Diamond and what not?

Both the copperband and the racoon butterfly are listed as possible Aiptasia preditors. Would they both co-exist, or is it a one or the other kind of deal? Also, would either of these fish bother hermits or astarea (sp?) snails?

[Sk8r]

I think they would. The cleaner shrimp are fun to watch, too, and are a little less forward. Beware of the false cleaner, which actually takes a piece of the fish---make sure you deal with a dealer that knows the difference--most actually do know.

Don't know about butterflies. They mix on the reef, but I don't know how they are in the same tank. I believe the raccoon is hardier, but they're all a little fragile. I love to look at them, but I have a reef, and I'm only a 52, which limits what I dare get. Besides I'm pretty well maxed with what I have, which is mostly gobies.

You might want to hold off on that one fish until you're sure the tank is steady, waterwise, and you've got a line on a good healthy one. I don't think the copperband would bother snails. I don't know about the other one. And if you order online, go with somebody that has a guarantee it will survive shipment. Also do lots of reading on the butterfly fish, particularly those two species. They're not a beginner's fish, but research that takes the place of hard experience can make a big difference, and knowing exactly what to expect and what they're likely to eat makes a difference. When introducing a very spooky species to anywhere, I dim all lights and limit noise---I go low-light for the acclimation, too, anything to try to limit the number of stimuli coming at the critter and make him feel as if he is safe in the shadows and able to hide. They're nervous, but there are many more nervous than butterflies, and it's just a case of taking special care. I do hope you have good luck with them.

[petoonia]

You should try a couple of skunk cleaner shrimp. They will keep the fish and the tank clean. We started out with one and it hid most of the time. Once we added the second one they were all over the place. They helped rid my coral beauty of ICH.

[Angel*Fish]

A word of advice - remove/kill any aiptasia as soon as you see them - they reproduce like mad! Don't wait until you buy a predator for them.