Reef safe fish? YOUR advice, please.

[MandarinFish]

I want to get more tank raised / captive reared fish.

I am setting up my tank to breed Mandarin dragonets, so I don't want pod predators, especially aggressive ones like dottybacks. Nor blennies or gobies, since they eat pods too.

I also have some soft and hard corals (and want clams), so I want to avoid coral / clam predators.

I currently have a Yellow Tang, 2 true percula clowns (so no more clowns, sadly), a cleaner wrasse (healthy and well established, eats everything), and a Squamapinnis Anthias male (very social with other fish, never bullies). I don't plan to keep crustaceans, but I probably need some aiptasia control in the form of a Berghia (maybe Butterfly... but they eat corals and pods).

Looking at Flying Fish Express and Inland Aquatics I am presented with the following TankRaised / CaptiveReared (important to me) selection. Knowing what I want to do, could you please tell me your opinion on the suitability of the following:

ANGELS
*Angel, Maculosis Pomacanthus maculosis
*Angel, Black Velvet Chaetodontoplus melanosoma
*Angel, Imperator (Juvenile) Pomacanthus imperator
*Angel, Koran (Juvenile) Pomacanthus semicirculatus

BUTTERFLIES
*Butterfly Chaetodon rafflesi
*Butterfly Chaetodon plebeius
*Butterfly, Raccoon Chaetodon lanula

TANGS
*Tang, Blue; Hepatus; Regal
*Tang, Brown
*Tang, Clown
*Tang, Powder Blue
*Convict Tang Acanthurus triostegus
*Naso Tang Naso lituratus

PUFFERS
*False Eye Sharpnose Puffer
*Benett's Sharpnose Puffer Cathigaster benetti

This is tough, because this is the complete list of everything I've found that is TankRaised / CaptiveReared!

I don't like tangs only because they are fragile, even in my large 135 tank with plenty of algae.

Butterflies like to eat corals from what I understand, although they are beautiful and hardy.

Pygmy angels pick on clams and corals, and large angels may too, right?

Would these tangs be hardy since they are captive-reared?

Puffers?
Any advice please...

 

[Anonymous]

Although some species are seriously expensive, I recommend getting some type of basslet/dottyback.

They are easy to acquire captive bred, and are beautiful specimens. However, they are seriously aggressive and should be added last.

Alternatively, bangghai cardinals from captive bred sources, and many species of clowns are good choices.



By the way, I commend you for your quest to purchase captive bred! I wish more people would!

 

[esmithiii]

Angels are out. Not reef safe no matter what anyone else says. Butterfly fish are out too. Clams may be too tempting, and corals also. Puffers, your snails will be lunch, and they produce way too much waste.

IMO tangs are beautiful and colorful. Hippos are beautiful, colorful and a nice addition. They are captive reared, but not bred as of yet. The captive bred are much heartier than the collected.

Ernie

 

[Green Lantern]

Angels are out. Not reef safe no matter what anyone else says.

Ernie

That's a pretty bold statement, why so adamant?

 

[esmithiii]

I had a pigmy angel that was supposedly reef-safe and wasn't. I had to remove all the LR to get it out. From all that I have read (literature and threads) there are from time to time specimines that are well behaved in a reef tank, but most specimines of the same species are notorious pickers. People get on this site and on reefcentral and post about how successful they are at keeping the fish in a reef. Others, hoping for the best buy one and have terrible results. Once they are in a reef it is a nightmare getting them out. (Today I was successfull in capturing my tomatoe clown after 3 weeks of trying)

I would not trust any angel with my SPS or a clam.

Ernie

 

[Green Lantern]

I tore half my 75 to get a Potter's angel out myself but I've seen lots of people successfully keep Centropyge spp. angels.

 

[tinyreef]

they're all individuals but i'd tend to agree with esmithiii, i wouldn't trust the angels either. go with the dottybacks. citron gobies are cute. neon gobies are entertaining. dr. reef is on target, banggai's are also very good.

mandarinfish, what kind of look are you going for? or just centering around the dragonets?

 

[Anonymous]

my clown goby used to sit on my corals and make the polyps close. Look out for those.

My Atlantic pygmys never hurt corals. I haven't met one yet that does.

 

[Reef Fever]

I have had no problems whatsoever with my Butterfly eating anything but Aiptasia and the frozen and live foods that I offer. I have mushrooms, torch, colt, xenia, Kenya tree, and more- and I love my butterfly.

 

[esmithiii]

Reef Fever, do you have clams or SPS?

Ernie

 

[Reef Fever]

No clams. The only SPS I have is a spiny cup coral (lettuce coral). I cannot for the life of me understand how this is classified as an SPS though. It has large Polyps surrounded with feeder tentacles at night. Perhaps it has micropolyps as well, because it does have a slightly fuzzy look.

:?

 

[Anonymous]

MandarinFish hi- what size tank is it?

 

[MandarinFish]

Thanks fellas (sorry if any of you are ladies).

My tank is a 135 gallon, and I want to keep clams, softies, *hopefully* SPS, a pair of Mandarins,

and as many fish that don't threaten the above as possible.

Gobies are adorable, but seem to eat sand critters and / or pods, which are what I need to farm en masse for the Mandarin pair.

Hence, my dilemna.

But I love fish and want to keep as many as I can. Problem is, they all eat either corals, clams, or pods.

Keep the advice coming - please

 

[Anonymous]

here's my .02:
purple tang
hippo tang
yellow tang
six line wrasse
eight line wrasse
fridmanni basslet
almost all cardinals(bangghai, pj,etc.)
yellow head jawfish
pacific eel goby
percula/ocellaris/maroon clowns(pers. fav.-a pair of maroons!)HTH

 

[triggakilla]

What's a good price for T/R Bangaii's,And where can I get 'em. My LFS has one for $35 but I want to get a small school of 'em.TIA

 

[MandarinFish]

Look on Reefs on Reefcentral - there are Banggai breeders here who will probably ship a school to you.

Much cheaper, I'm sure.

Question - can 2 yellow tangs co-habitate? 2 great tangs that stay tangs together?