Wrass suitable for reef compatible with below fish

[dearis]

Hi there,

I previously posted that I am planning a 10 foot full reef. I have a wish list of fish and was hoping to include 1 or 2 wrass that are reef safe with corals and anenomes and compatible with the following fish.

M Green Mandarin Synchiropus splendidus
FM Green Mandarin Synchiropus splendidus

Powder Blue Tang Acanthurus leucosternon
Blue Tang Paracanthurus hepatus
Yellow Tang Zebrasoma flavescens

Flame Angelfish Centropyge loriculus
Golden Pygmy Angel Centropyge aurantia

Royal Gramma Basslet Gramma loreto
Brazilian Gramma Basslet Gramma brasiliensis

Purple Firefish Nemateleotris decora
Firefish Nemateleotris magnifica

Redlip Blenny Ophioblennius atlanticus
Lawnmower Blenny Salarias fasciatus

Yellowstripe Maroon or Maroon Clownfish Premnas biaculeatus

Orchid Dottyback Pseudochromis fridmani

Flaming Prawn Goby Discordipinna griessingeri
Yellow Rose Goby Stonogobiops nematodes
Twinspot Goby Signigobius biocellatus
Catalina Goby Lythrypnus dalli
Neon Goby Elacatinus oceanops

Long Nose Hawkfish Oxycirrhites typus

I also understand that some of these fish will be out due to compatibility with each other and corals.

But really like the wrass family. The sixline is out as i want to keep the pods in the tank for the mandarins.

Also if there are any other delightful fish that you think would go with these fish please suggest.

Regards Darren

 

[Anonymous]

I think a group of Cirrhilabrus or Halichoeres wrasses, and even certain Bodianus spp. (like bimaculatus, pulchellus, and masudai) would do fine with those fish. A Harlequin tuskfish is another option although it will kill small snails. All of these wrasses will be a threat to very small shrimp.

 

[dearis]

Noy so sure I want the shrimp wiped out. I just felt like it may be possible to keep a wrass, perhaps not.

Bummer!

 

[Anonymous]

Noy so sure I want the shrimp wiped out. I just felt like it may be possible to keep a wrass, perhaps not.

Bummer!

Then get a Cirrhilabrus spp. They are very unlikely to attack a shrimp unless it is very small and added after them. I wouldn't try an anemone or harlequin shrimp, for instance. Big cleaners and peppermints and the like should be fine.

Flasher wrasses would certainly work as well but I don't know how well they would adapt to a busy tank with all those semi-aggressive fish.

 

[dearis]

In your opinion which are the semi agressors in that list?

Flasser wrass is a nice fish

 

[Anonymous]

The tangs, for one. It's not so much that they're aggressive, just that they're a big fish that swim actively. The orchid dottyback is another. They are super peaceful as dottybacks go, but they still can be aggressive to similar sized peaceful fish. Both of these factors may cause the flashers to hide. They're very shy. That goes for your firefish and a lot of the gobies too.

Actually looking back at your list, the hawkfish will likely consume most of those gobies. And it definitely will try to eat large shrimp when it gets bigger. The catalina goby is a definite no-no in a tropical tank as well.

HTH,
Matt

 

[dearis]

Matt,

I think I need to get a book on marine fish, It seems

I will get the gist and refine my list eventually

Also Matt what will go will lionfish and snoflake eel and a few corals in a 10footer?

Regards Darren

 

[Anonymous]

Lionfish and a snowflake eel, with corals? Large wrasses, groupers, tangs, large hawkfish, etc. Anything big enough to not get eaten, basically. It's hard keeping your water quality high for corals with big predators like that though, and it really limits your fish choices.

Good books:
Reef Fishes Volumes 1-3 by Scott W. Michael. These are THE books for marine aquarium fish husbandry.

 

[dearis]

I have seen those books, may have to get me some. As for the corals well its not a necesity in a predator tank there is a few fish i would love to keep but am restricted in a reef tank mind you a reef is my prefference but would love a

Clown Trigger Balistoides conspicillum
Red Rhino Scorpianfish Rhinopias sp.
Niger Trigger Odonus niger
and a couple sorts of puffer and wrasse

But thats for a project of a later date, want to get my reef running smoothly first

Regards Darren

 

[Anonymous]

All of those would be fine in a really big tank with corals. Just no small fish.

 

[dearis]

Will wait for the next tank though.....

already have a wish list of fish i prefer

if i dont draw the line i somewhere it will be overstocked :wink:

 

[fload]

Get a school of lil clowns or something in that 10ftr would look awesome

 

[dearis]

a school of skunks or something, dont know small clowns, dont know the clowns and sizes all that well except what i have seen in the LFS

 

[Anonymous]

I've never really seen a group of clowns in an aquarium other than Ocellaris clowns. Given sufficient space you can do a large group of ocellaris though. They end up creating a male-female pair with several immature individuals. With a 10 foot tank you could easily have two (or maybe even 3) pairs of different species coexisting if they were spaced out sufficiently. This isn't really what most people think of as a 'school' though.

For shoaling fish, check out assesors, anthias, cardinals, chromis, chalk bass....

 

[dearis]

i like the following....can they be schooled

Bartlett's Anthias
Carberry Anthias
Blue Green Chromis
Fancy Bass Anthias

the only major aggresion problems i foresee is from the tangs....i hope!

 

[Anonymous]

i like the following....can they be schooled

Bartlett's Anthias
Carberry Anthias
Blue Green Chromis
Fancy Bass Anthias

the only major aggresion problems i foresee is from the tangs....i hope!

Do you know the latin name of the 'fancy bass anthias'? I have never heard of that before.

IME the hardier anthias and tangs get along just fine. Carberrys are pretty touchy. I'd avoid them altogether. I've never kept Bartlett's, although they are apparently easy to keep. If you want a good beginner's anthias, get a shoal of P. squamipinnis aka 'lyretail' anthias. They should get along with green chromis given the size of your tank. Chromis are great if you can get them big enough. Around here the only ones I can find are the size of a dime, and they just don't usually make it in any aquarium I add them to. It's worth it to wait/pay for larger ones IMHO.

 

[dearis]

Hi Matt,

here is a link to fancy bass anthias

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/anthias/fancybassanthias/

Regards Darren

P.S. If the link doesnt work here is the latin name Pseudanthias bicolor nice looking fish are anthias schooling fish?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Matt,

here is a link to fancy bass anthias

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/anthias/fancybassanthias/

Regards Darren

P.S. If the link doesnt work here is the latin name Pseudanthias bicolor nice looking fish are anthias schooling fish?

TMC is getting silly with the common names. (Who's ever called a solorensis wrasse a 'clown wrasse'???? :?) I wish more stores would try to use the latin name (i.e. Xenia, Acropora, Percula, etc) synonomously with the common name.

Most folks just call that a 'bicolor anthias'. They're apparently tough to keep. I would stick with the bartlett's or lyretails.

 

[dearis]

I agree with using latin names its very hard for newbies to work out what fish is what when they have so many names.....

i'm slowly getting to know them but just when i know a fish another name pops up i think "another fish" and sure enough its the same fish with a new name......for purely market purposes

Regards Darren

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, to answer your earlier question....

Anthias are not technically schooling fish. There are very few true schooling fish that can be kept in aquariums. They form shoals, not schools. The difference is that shoals have pecking orders. This means you can't just throw any old group of anthias in an aquarium and expect harmony.

Scott Michael explains it a heck of a lot better than I can.
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/s_ ... 30401.html