75 Gallon Reef Tank - Showcase fish?

[dc51786]

Hello...

New to the forum, looking for some friendly experts to share some knowledge. I am looking for a "showcase fish" for my 75 gallon reef tank and want to see what people chime in with. I'm a research junkie, and just haven't found anything that is quite what I am looking for. I'm hoping something that will be (relatively) large and beautiful so it stands out in my tank - so long as it works with my existing setup.

Of course, I can lay out my tank setup so that any compatibility questions can be addressed...

Been up about 6 months now - but I started with live sand, rock, and water from an existing tank which really helped me get going faster...

Fish so far:
2 Snowflake Ocellaris, Six Line Wrasse, Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse, Diamond Watchman Goby, One Spot Foxface, and a baby Blue Hippo Tang which I will get rid of in a few months once it starts to grow (... cue the criticism :sad2 so I usually don't even count it for planning purposes

Also have a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, a Fire Red Cleaner Shrimp, and the typical slew of turbo snails.

My current corals are all pretty small frags, but include Kenya Tree, Pulsing Xenia, Green Star Polyp, Green Tip Hammer Coral, Kryptonite Candy Cane, Galaxea, Acan Brain, and about 5 different varieties of Zoas.

Thank you all in advance for sharing your opinions!

 

[sparky5785]

75 Gallon Reef Tank - Showcase fish?

Personally I'd say you're stocked to the limit as is even without the blue tang but maybe that's just me

 

[dc51786]

Personally I'd say you're stocked to the limit as is even without the blue tang but maybe that's just me

Yeah, I think I'm close but I am hoping I have room for one more... I know the 1 inch of fish per gallon of water "rule" is hardly a rule... But my tank took 65 gallons of water after rock and sand. At adult sizes, without the blue hippo, I've got 27 "inches" of fish. I'm hoping that being so far under this would mean I still have room for just 1 more large fish........

 

[sparky5785]

Yeah, I think I'm close but I am hoping I have room for one more... I know the 1 inch of fish per gallon of water "rule" is hardly a rule... But my tank took 65 gallons of water after rock and sand. At adult sizes, without the blue hippo, I've got 27 "inches" of fish. I'm hoping that being so far under this would mean I still have room for just 1 more large fish........

Not that I am an expert but I guess my suggestion would be to pass the blue tang and foxface on to someone else and then go with one of the bristletooth tangs or a dwarf angel for example flame angel, potters angel or kole tang, whitetail bristletooth tang. Any one of these can live out their entire life in your 75.

 

[jasonandsarah]

Not that I am an expert but I guess my suggestion would be to pass the blue tang and foxface on to someone else and then go with one of the bristletooth tangs or a dwarf angel for example flame angel, potters angel or kole tang, whitetail bristletooth tang. Any one of these can live out their entire life in your 75.

+1 to this ^^^
Thing about a saltwater tank is there's no 1" per gallon rule at all. That's a freshwater guideline and with salt water it's way more about your husbandry, filtration and maturity of your tank...
I'd also agree that you should probably ditch the hippo and foxface and go with a potters angel or maybe a pair of blue star Leopard wrasees? But if you got the wrasses you'd probably have to get rid of the red line wrasse. A show fish doesn't necessarily have to be big...

 

[nitro123456789]

The tang and the fox face should be good enough of a showcase fish.

 

[sparky5785]

+1 to this ^^^
Thing about a saltwater tank is there's no 1" per gallon rule at all. That's a freshwater guideline and with salt water it's way more about your husbandry, filtration and maturity of your tank...
I'd also agree that you should probably ditch the hippo and foxface and go with a potters angel or maybe a pair of blue star Leopard wrasees? But if you got the wrasses you'd probably have to get rid of the red line wrasse. A show fish doesn't necessarily have to be big...

True had the op not said large I would have suggested a Leopard or Mystery Wrasse or similar. Territorial aggression is one of the most important aspects of stocking a reef. For instance your pair of clowns are moderately territorial as a species and may one day bond and lay eggs and then will become especially territorial over about half of your tank. Six line wrasses imo are the biggest d**ks available and will pester everyone and everything. The diamond goby will like to keep the sand bed for himself and then the foxface they are voracious algae eaters and when they have completely cleared out the algae in your tank may get the taste to try out corals and once they get a taste of it it will be nearly impossible to stop. These are just some of the considerations to think about when stocking. Hth

 

[dc51786]

Good point with "large" versus "showcase"... Maybe I need to adjust my thinking - probably still stuck in my African Cichlid habits but trying to break them!

I've been hesitant to add an angel because of all of the horror stories I've heard (for years it was fine then you wake up one morning and a third of your corals are gone...). Are the horror stories warranted? The Potter's Angel is beautiful and I think is basically exactly the type of thing I am looking for, but I am more than worried it will take out my corals. Should I be so hesitant?

Moving away from size and picking up with the husbandry topic, I've also been very interested in a Green Mandarin but it seems like getting these to eat can be difficult. Does anyone see any issues with adding this fish to the tank in terms of compatibility? This would be something for me much further down the line, but figured I'd see if anyone would weigh in...

 

[sparky5785]

Good point with "large" versus "showcase"... Maybe I need to adjust my thinking - probably still stuck in my African Cichlid habits but trying to break them!

I've been hesitant to add an angel because of all of the horror stories I've heard (for years it was fine then you wake up one morning and a third of your corals are gone...). Are the horror stories warranted? The Potter's Angel is beautiful and I think is basically exactly the type of thing I am looking for, but I am more than worried it will take out my corals. Should I be so hesitant?

Moving away from size and picking up with the husbandry topic, I've also been very interested in a Green Mandarin but it seems like getting these to eat can be difficult. Does anyone see any issues with adding this fish to the tank in terms of compatibility? This would be something for me much further down the line, but figured I'd see if anyone would weigh in...

I've had 2 Potters Angels and neither one picked at corals. That being said any dwarf angel has the potential to nip at corals at anytime. However the foxface is no different same horror stories as Angels. Keep them well fed and a close eye on them and that's your best odds. Unless you can get a mandarin that is already eating frozen food and you can witness it in person, they eat live pods from the rock and sand. A very mature tank with a huge population of pods is necessary for long term success. There is no way to buy enough live pods to sustain a mandarin no matter what anyone says.

 

[dc51786]

I've had 2 Potters Angels and neither one picked at corals. That being said any dwarf angel has the potential to nip at corals at anytime. However the foxface is no different same horror stories as Angels. Keep them well fed and a close eye on them and that's your best odds. Unless you can get a mandarin that is already eating frozen food and you can witness it in person, they eat live pods from the rock and sand. A very mature tank with a huge population of pods is necessary for long term success. There is no way to buy enough live pods to sustain a mandarin no matter what anyone says.

Thanks Sparky - all great to know!

Right now I am leaning towards getting rid of the blue hippo sooner than later and picking up a potter's angel... It really is a beautiful fish.

And I will keep an eye out for a green mandarin that is eating frozen food, knowing that may take me some serious time.

 

[BrandonFlorida]

Thanks Sparky - all great to know!

Right now I am leaning towards getting rid of the blue hippo sooner than later and picking up a potter's angel... It really is a beautiful fish.

And I will keep an eye out for a green mandarin that is eating frozen food, knowing that may take me some serious time.

Make sure the potter is eating before you get him, they can be very tricky eaters..

 

[sparky5785]

Make sure the potter is eating before you get him, they can be very tricky eaters..

Yes this is true that is why they are given a difficult rating by live aquaria. Either get one from the divers den or if you see one in person ask that it gets fed so you can witness how and what it is eating. I do it everytime I buy a fish in person and it's a common and not unreasonable request. If the store says they just ate. Put down a deposit and ask when you can come back to see a feeding. If the store is not accommodating then pass and look else where if possible.

 

[BrandonFlorida]

Yes this is true that is why they are given a difficult rating by live aquaria. Either get one from the divers den or if you see one in person ask that it gets fed so you can witness how and what it is eating. I do it everytime I buy a fish in person and it's a common and not unreasonable request. If the store says they just ate. Put down a deposit and ask when you can come back to see a feeding. If the store is not accommodating then pass and look else where if possible.

Yep, I request to see any fish eat first. Very good practice and if they say no like you said, pass and get another one..

Luckily I have a friend of a friend that owns the local fish store so I get inside info and decent prices.

 

[AUFishGuy]

Yes this is true that is why they are given a difficult rating by live aquaria. Either get one from the divers den or if you see one in person ask that it gets fed so you can witness how and what it is eating. I do it everytime I buy a fish in person and it's a common and not unreasonable request. If the store says they just ate. Put down a deposit and ask when you can come back to see a feeding. If the store is not accommodating then pass and look else where if possible.

They are tricky eaters but this is not their only problem. They are grazers, and for them to be healthy they need a large tank with lots of micro algae. Divers Den will be your best bet, good luck. Amazing fish but very difficult to keep for a long time