Active fish suggestions for a 60 cube.

matty0206

matty0206

Member
I recently made the switch to a 60 cube and am wanting to have more active fish with this tank. I currently have:
2 clowns(platinum and picasso)
1 starry blenny
1 Gold headed sleeper goby
1 small 1 spot foxface

I also have 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 blood shrimp, 1 anemone crab, and a pair of Harlequin shrimp along with various CUC. Tank is Mostly softies with 2 LPS and 4 anemone's (3 BTA's and 1 maxi mini)

Any suggestions for active swimmers that will add color to the tank? My wife would really like chromis but I hear good and bad with them and I would love anthia's but know I don't want to have the multiple feedings throughout the day.
Here's a pic, I am light on rock with the hopes of leaving open swimming area for future fish.


Thanks.
 
How many would be ok in a 60? Any recommendations on types?

The other fish I am considering is the royal gramma, probably 3. I have been reading about success with small groups of them but wonder if a 60g is to small?
 
I think about 1 more fish should do it for you depending on your skimmer/maintenance. Either a basslet or a chromis be a good choice imho. In my experience Chromis are more active then basslets which can be a bit more shy. My basslets tend to hover and dart in and out of their home area. I was looking at a blue reef chromis for my 60g.
 
I have heard lyre tail survive of fed once daily but none of mine have with that program. They are very active swimmers unless u get the fathead which don't swim around much bit hang around caves.
 
I wouldn't do flasher or fairy wrasse. They are active swimmers sort of like tangs...they swim horizontally. The 2x2 cube wouldn't provide the swimming space wrasses should have. Anthias,while active, tend to hang out in a more limited reef area. Thus my recommendation for Anthias.
 
Actually Lubbocks fairy wrasse would do well in your tank if you like that fish. They stay small, hardy and active. Also, not a wimpy wrasse...can stand its own ground.
 
Tzwizzle said:
I think about 1 more fish should do it for you depending on your skimmer/maintenance. Either a basslet or a chromis be a good choice imho. In my experience Chromis are more active then basslets which can be a bit more shy. My basslets tend to hover and dart in and out of their home area. I was looking at a blue reef chromis for my 60g.
Click to expand...

Really, only 4 small and 1 large fish for a 60 gallon? Sump holds another 20 gallons, I have a Rlss R6I skimmer, and will be doing appx 15 gallon water changes a week. I'm honestly asking, I thought I could keep a few more fish than that?
 
From what I've read clowns can sometimes get feisty as they get older and I've heard mixed reviews on the starry Blenny. The foxface is gonna get big and is a squeeze in that size tank. Not saying it can't be done. You skimmer and water changes should keep your nitrates down but that doesn't mean your fish won't be stressed. I think for long term success you have to have a good habitat for your critters. In addition to water quality you also need plenty of hiding spaces and places for them to go if they are getting picked on. Your tank looks pretty open and I'm not sure if there are enough homes/hiding places.

So you've got 2 clowns that tend to hover around their home. 2 bottom dwellers and a big showpiece fish. I think one active simmer (2 if they are small) would be just fine. If it were my tank I'd be leaning towards a chromis of some kind. My 2 cents.
 
Your stocking is fine, and although the foxface is likely going to outgrow that tank, it should still be fine adding more fish.

Zebra bar gobies are active hardy fish, a pr would do well.

A trio of flasher wrasses of different species, I have seen this work many times in this exact tank.

I have found Chomis actipectoralis to be more likely to tolerate their own kind, unlike Chromis viridis, which pick each other off until there is only one.

As far as keeping 3 royal grammas in that size tank, it might be a little small, but if you want to try, get them as small as possible for best chances of success.
 
I have 3 flasher wrasse in a 24x24x30 and they have been doing fine. They are active but don't seem stressed at all. The fox face might be a little to large tho
 
Yeah the fox face will eventually go to a larger home but I must admit, he is part of the reason I want more active fish. I have read fish like chromis are good at drawing shy fish out, there is a name for it that I can't remember. He is very shy lately and we never see him. I had he, and a blue eye kole tang in a 40 breeder for quite some time, when I switched to this tank I rehomed the tang to a 125 but I had no idea the fox face was so dependent on him for comfort, he was always out when he had the tang to swim with. So if this plan doesn't work out, he will more than likely go to the same 125.

On a side note, the user on here that had successfully kept a group of royal gramma's together wrote me back and she feels like they would be fine in my tank as long as like mentioned above, they are small and added at the same time. I do however like the black axel chromis and those would make my wife happy, decisions.
 
Dither Fish, I think that is the name you were looking for.
They are fish that just swim around, adding distraction and making other, more cryptic fish feel like the area is safe of predators.
 
eatbreakfast said:
Your stocking is fine, and although the foxface is likely going to outgrow that tank, it should still be fine adding more fish.

Zebra bar gobies are active hardy fish, a pr would do well.

A trio of flasher wrasses of different species, I have seen this work many times in this exact tank.

I have found Chomis actipectoralis to be more likely to tolerate their own kind, unlike Chromis viridis, which pick each other off until there is only one.

As far as keeping 3 royal grammas in that size tank, it might be a little small, but if you want to try, get them as small as possible for best chances of success.
Click to expand...

imo and ime, bar gobies should be kept in groups no smaller than 6. the fewer there are, the more they stay hidden and the more skittish they seem. this leads to reduced eating and can cause problems
 
griseum said:
Dither Fish, I think that is the name you were looking for.
They are fish that just swim around, adding distraction and making other, more cryptic fish feel like the area is safe of predators.
Click to expand...

Yes that's it.

I went with 3 chromis and my LFS had a single gramma that was missing part of it's tail so I took him also. The chromes are very small, we will see how they do. I am pleasantly surprised that the fox face has become almost instantly better and is coming out more! That will be it for fish and the fox face will eventually go to a larger home, for now he seems to be very fat and happy!
 
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