Restocking Reeftank - fish idea's

[Mac1]

I lost quite a bit of stuff moving my tanks last month, couple of fish included. One of my fish survived, but suffered the loss of an eye (so I have special considerations for him). At any rate, things are getting more stable now, and I'm begining to start thinking about what kind of fish I want to put back in, once I'm ready.

My tank is an AGA 90 Gal Reef Ready. Thick sandbed and about 100 Lbs' of LR. I currently have 2 TR Perc's that split their time between my two anemone's, and a Pacific Sailfin (w/ only one eye). Handful of Acro's, adding monti's, will be mostly an SPS tank.

What I'm considering adding are perhaps some Chromis', I've had great luck with Hippo Tangs in the past, but I'm worried about them out-competing my one-eyed Sailfin for food. I'd love to get a small Harem of Anthias, but think my tank is too small for 3-4 fish of that size. I'd like to add a splash of color, and activity to my tank (invert's ain't too exciting to watch). I thought of getting some of those Citron Gobies considering all the Acro's I've got (mostly frags now, but they'll turn into heads shortly...). Whatever I get I want to get a few of... So I need a fish that can co-habitate with other's of it's own species (everyone will be introduced at once), and if I could find something that would breed, well that would just be bonus!

TIA for your thoughts.

- Mac

 

[rlp1]

In my opionion, the perfect fish for your sps tank are clown gobies. I have to admit, I'm partial to gobies. Clown gobies hang out in the branches of sps. The G. okinawae is the most beautiful in my opinion... a bright yellow. Also the green clown gobies are very cute but not quite as colorful. I have 2 green & one yellow. They are a delight. The greens like to get in my leather with just their faces poking out of the polyps. The yellow is always perched somewhere in plain view. I don't have any sps so they have to make do with perching on & in soft & lps. Also, I would like to recommend tank-raised neon gobies. They would add a splash of blue & will clean your tang. They will also spawn. I also have a pair of threadfin gobies that I really love...not too shy, eat anything. Oh, & how about some tank-raised Banggai cardinals?? Don't have any but really like them.

My daughter has a sailfin & hippo together in a 155. The sailfin is definitely the boss even though the hippo was there first. They get along well as long as the hippo stays out of the sailfin's face at feeding time. However, since your sailfin is half blind, I would definitely think twice before adding competition.

This is my favorite part of the hobby. Buying fish.....

 

[Mac1]

Thanks rlp,

I had a pair of Tank Reared Hippo's in with my Sailfin when they were in the 55 gal - everyone was much smaller then. The Hippo's ended up not making one of my moves, but the sailfin's been kicking with me for 5 years now - he's HUGE, easily bigger than my hand.
I've always kinda liked the clown gobies, but never had the tank for them (no acro's). When I got the acro's, I didn't have room for the fish (tank already stocked). Now that I'm rebuilding the SPS, I thought of getting some of those. I'm just wondering how many I could safely keep in my tank. It's pretty big, and nothing else that fills that kind of niche (clown's never leave the anemone's, Tang just looks for anything green all day). Would 5-6 of them in a 90 Gal. be too much you think? Would they spawn at all? I'd most likely order/get all of them at once, and introduce everything at the same time. Let the hierarchy settle out. I just don't know if it's safe to try that many (considering they're so small... I know the bio-load isn't an issue). Do the green/yellow one's tolerate one another? Would it be advisable to intermix, or just get a bunch of one color or the other (but not a mix).

I thought of getting some cardinals as well, but just don't care for their colorations much. The Neon gobies I didn't know "Clean", that would make a nice addition (since I don't have any cleaner shrimp). Do they eat prepared foods regularly? I know they stay small (if they're the one's I'm thinking of) which is a plus. Same question's again, how many ya think I could keep in a 90? Do they tolerate each other, or only if paired, etc.?

I had a pair of tank reared Hippo's in with the sailfin a few years back. Hippo's died, but while together, they got along famously. Sailfin too, was the king of the tank. With his eye all banged up tho, I'm hesitant to introduce any other herbivorous fish (althought my wife really like's hippo's too).

Thanks for the opinions, I'm looking forward to shopping for some new fish myself this fall

- Mac

 

[Anonymous]

I know of one fish that mets all of your requirments but one and that is the breeding. For color and movement, my 6-line wrasse hits the mark. spends all day cruising the rock. He also acts as a cleaner for my Foxface and Maroon Clown. A serious bonus if you keep tangs.

Good luck.

 

[rlp1]

No, I do not believe 5-6 would be too many for your 90. I have two greens in a 38 & a yellow & a plain gray one (?) in a 30. I think the main issue is that there is enough perching places for everyone as I'm sure there are in your 90 sps tank. If you go to www.flyingfishexpress/setfish.htm and click on gobies & then citron gobies, it says that if you buy 2, you will have a pair, which is the first time I ever heard this. Scott Michael's Pocket Guide also says G. okinawae (this is not the citron) will spawn in home aquarium. I don't have greens & yellow in together but I would guess that they would tolerate each other in your 90. My yellow & grayish one tolerate each other in a 30. The gray one was in first & established when I added yellow. He eyeballed the yellow very closely for a few days but I didn't see any overt aggression. Now they generally stay at either end of tank. The 2 greens generally stay at either end of the 38 but every once in while I see them perched in the same sinularia which encourages me that they might be pairing up.

As to neon gobies, yes they eat anything small enough. I started out with 6 in a 38 gal. I wound up with 2 pairs & the other 2 just disappeared. One pair took up residence at either end of tank. The pairs would challenge each other in the middle. I later moved one pair to another tank. So it seems to me that once they pair up they become territorial. As to their cleaning behavior, I have never been able to observe it, because mine have never been in with any large fish such as a tang. I have a tang but it is in a tank with a dottyback which I think might pick on them so I have never put them in with it. But it is documented in many books as well as reef boards. In Scott Michael's Pocket Guide to Marine Fishes (my fish shopping bible) it say thay G. oceanops "Will actually nip ich cysts off other fishes and may even remove the viral infection Lymphocyctis." Oh, & I have seen babies on 2 occasions.

Happy fish shopping!!!

 

[Mac1]

Thanks rlp, I'll have to get me a copy of that book... Sounds like quite a nice one. I've gotten a few atlases over the years to assist in ID'ing the little buggers, but never bothered to get one that recommends which one's to pick out.

- Mac