New Fish Ideas

Lakejoery · 01/09/2018, 02:03 PM

So I have a 40g cube reef tank with ups, 2 clowns and a sand sifting goby, I've had all the fish for over 1 month and doing very well. I am looking into getting more fish, i don't really have any ideas of what to put in? Any ideas are welcomed. Also my female clown is somewhat aggressive to the others, but super mean to me

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Lakejoery · 01/09/2018, 02:03 PM

oh and the tank is around 2 1/2 months old.

RCS82 · 01/09/2018, 02:49 PM

Maybe some others will chime in but my prediction is that your 2 clowns have claimed the tank as their territory already but they are fine with the goby and let it do it's thing.
A blenny could be an idea though or something like a royal gramma although space might be getting tight.

zooman72 · 01/09/2018, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakejoery

So I have a 40g cube reef tank with ups, 2 clowns and a sand sifting goby, I've had all the fish for over 1 month and doing very well. I am looking into getting more fish, i don't really have any ideas of what to put in? Any ideas are welcomed. Also my female clown is somewhat aggressive to the others, but super mean to me

.

Not sure what "ups" is/are, but some combination of: 1-2 of the Chrysiptera damsels (azure and/ or Talbot's for example), a small hawkfish (flame or Falco's for example), a firefish, a dwarf angel (40g is the minimum for smaller species), 1-2 cardinalfish, a "peaceful" dottyback (orchid, elongate, purple/strawberry, splendid, sunrise), a blenny (tailspots are great).

With 3-4 fish currently (and assuming your clowns are smaller A. ocellaris), you are looking at 2-3 additional within reason, maybe 4 if you stay on top of waste nutrient reduction. If you don't have a quarantine setup, now would be a good time to consider and implement. Good luck...

Lakejoery · 01/09/2018, 03:52 PM

Sorry, LPS, i have many torchs and hammers because they are my favourites, and the female clown is only aggressive towards the male and me, not the goby

Cliving1 · 01/09/2018, 04:01 PM

Flasher or fairy wrasse. Royal gramma. Flame or longnose Hawkfish. Midas blenny. Chalk bass.

rffanat1c · 01/09/2018, 04:03 PM

Royal Gramma, firefish, tail spot blenny, or bi color blenny.

Lakejoery · 01/09/2018, 04:06 PM

Im thinking about a dwarf angel since i really like them but I'm worried they will nip the lps. Some seem to have success while others don't. Should i talk to my lfs to see if they will take him back if he nips?

zooman72 · 01/09/2018, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakejoery

Sorry, LPS, i have many torchs and hammers because they are my favourites, and the female clown is only aggressive towards the male and me, not the goby

Ahh, gotcha (I too love Euphyllia, just can't keep torches alive long-term for some damn reason!) - then you have three smaller fish, and conservatively can keep another three from my earlier list...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakejoery

Im thinking about a dwarf angel since i really like them but I'm worried they will nip the lps. Some seem to have success while others don't. Should i talk to my lfs to see if they will take him back if he nips?

I have a flame in one of my 40B's, a coral beauty in the other 40B, and a pair of cherub's in my 50g cube, and I have been fortunate that they have all remained non-problematic (and I have quite a few LPS corals). However, there is always a risk (some species are more prone than others), so it would be a good idea to see if they will take it back if it decides it likes your LPS corals a bit too much.

There is a thread here (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...gels+reef+safe) that summarizes forum members experiences over time with dwarf angels in reef aquariums, and some of the more common species ended up being 75-80% "safe" with LPS corals. Oddly, one of the worst noted by members, Eibli's dwarf angel, presented no problems to me for over 2 years when I kept one, and I only gave it away as I was moving - go figure...

Lakejoery · 01/11/2018, 02:09 PM

I am on the fence about getting one, because I have lots of lps, and I don't want to max out with only 4 fish so could I add more after him? Or is it worth a shot to try one

mattgumaer · 01/11/2018, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lakejoery

I am on the fence about getting one, because I have lots of lps, and I don't want to max out with only 4 fish so could I add more after him? Or is it worth a shot to try one

Most dwarf angels can be pretty aggressive so, if you're thinking about getting one, I would consider adding it last. I would try to come up with a complete stocking list and generally add fish from least to most aggressive. It is amazing how different the ability of two fish to coexist can be depending on the order they're added. I had a flameback who was a model citizen with respect to LPS and all existing fish but, he didn't take kindly to new additions at all once he was established, and that was in a standard 90 gallon. In a 40 cube, there will be no where to run. At some point soon, it may be tough to add some types of new fish with your clowns, which can also be aggressive when defending their turf (which, as someone else pointed out, may be the whole tank). I probably wouldn't try adding damsels with them even now (same general family I think).

I'd think about blennies, gobies (or shrimp/goby pair), maybe a small wrasse or hawk fish. I would try to look for fish that fill as different 'niches' as possible. If the fish are not competing for the same food/space, they'll be less likely to view each other as competition.

Matt

Lakejoery · 01/12/2018, 06:22 PM

I am hoping to get a dwarf-angel but last as I have read. I don't really know what else to put in before the dwarf-angel, maybe a six line? Anyone else have ideas of what I should get before getting the final fish the dwarf-angel?

JTJreef · 01/13/2018, 09:29 AM

Barnacle blenny or a blackcap basslet. Really like mine

ksmmike · 01/13/2018, 07:51 PM

I have a pygmy angel. He only nipped at my Kenya Tree, because it was in a path he liked to go around the tank. After I moved it, he has left all the coral alone. I'm told they are hit or miss, but I've been lucky with mine. He doesn't go near the hammer or frogspawn or zoas in my biocube. He nipped at my clowns when he first went into the tank, but settled down after a day or so.

Mike

Bluecrabber · 01/14/2018, 12:26 PM

+1 for the Royal Gramma. Very hardy fish and takes care of itself for other aggressive fish. I have one that was in with a mated clown pair for a couple years and all three fish did well together.

PS - my female Clown was always very aggressive. Nipped at me every time I had my hand in the tank and even drew blood once!

01/09/2018, 02:03 PM	#1
Lakejoery Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 100	New Fish Ideas So I have a 40g cube reef tank with ups, 2 clowns and a sand sifting goby, I've had all the fish for over 1 month and doing very well. I am looking into getting more fish, i don't really have any ideas of what to put in? Any ideas are welcomed. Also my female clown is somewhat aggressive to the others, but super mean to me .

01/09/2018, 02:49 PM	#3
RCS82 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Sherwood Park, AB, Canada Posts: 273	Maybe some others will chime in but my prediction is that your 2 clowns have claimed the tank as their territory already but they are fine with the goby and let it do it's thing. A blenny could be an idea though or something like a royal gramma although space might be getting tight. __________________ After about a 16 year break from fish keeping, Wow, how things have changed. Current Tank Info: 90g, mixed reef, I hope haha

01/09/2018, 03:52 PM	#5
Lakejoery Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 100	Sorry, LPS, i have many torchs and hammers because they are my favourites, and the female clown is only aggressive towards the male and me, not the goby

01/09/2018, 04:01 PM	#6
Cliving1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,923	Flasher or fairy wrasse. Royal gramma. Flame or longnose Hawkfish. Midas blenny. Chalk bass.

01/09/2018, 04:03 PM	#7
rffanat1c Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Kenosha, WI Posts: 693	Royal Gramma, firefish, tail spot blenny, or bi color blenny.

01/09/2018, 04:06 PM	#8
Lakejoery Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 100	Im thinking about a dwarf angel since i really like them but I'm worried they will nip the lps. Some seem to have success while others don't. Should i talk to my lfs to see if they will take him back if he nips?

01/11/2018, 02:09 PM	#10
Lakejoery Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 100	I am on the fence about getting one, because I have lots of lps, and I don't want to max out with only 4 fish so could I add more after him? Or is it worth a shot to try one

01/12/2018, 06:22 PM	#12
Lakejoery Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 100	I am hoping to get a dwarf-angel but last as I have read. I don't really know what else to put in before the dwarf-angel, maybe a six line? Anyone else have ideas of what I should get before getting the final fish the dwarf-angel?

01/13/2018, 09:29 AM	#13
JTJreef Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Carolinas Posts: 52	Barnacle blenny or a blackcap basslet. Really like mine

01/13/2018, 07:51 PM	#14
ksmmike Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: South Florida Posts: 60	I have a pygmy angel. He only nipped at my Kenya Tree, because it was in a path he liked to go around the tank. After I moved it, he has left all the coral alone. I'm told they are hit or miss, but I've been lucky with mine. He doesn't go near the hammer or frogspawn or zoas in my biocube. He nipped at my clowns when he first went into the tank, but settled down after a day or so. Mike

01/14/2018, 12:26 PM	#15
Bluecrabber Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 25	+1 for the Royal Gramma. Very hardy fish and takes care of itself for other aggressive fish. I have one that was in with a mated clown pair for a couple years and all three fish did well together. PS - my female Clown was always very aggressive. Nipped at me every time I had my hand in the tank and even drew blood once!