Centrepiece Fish

[mike61289]

I'm trying to decide on a centrepiece fish for my 75 gallon aquarium. Currently, my tank is stocked with a pair of ocellaris clowns, a royal gramma, a mandarin, 2 cleaner shrimp, a peppermint shrimp, some astrea and trochus snails, nassarius snails, some zoas/soft coral, and some acans with more to come. There's roughly 100 lbs of live rock and a 2-3 inch live sand bed.

My original plan was to put a purple masked angel (Paracentropyge venusta in the tank. I have kept 3 long-term in the past, but they always took a liking to my zoanthids. I've been collecting some rarer zoas lately and don't want to risk the angel feeding on them.

I'm looking for something that's reef (coral and invert) safe, relatively peaceful, uncommon to the trade, and slightly bigger than the rest of my current fish. This will likely be my last fish addition.

Any suggestions?

 

[AwesomeDavid]

This is a great fish.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1379+2675&pcatid=2675
As long as you aren't attached to any feather dusters, flatworms, or "wild shrimp", this guy should work.

 

[mike61289]

Definitely a beauty, but I would like something a little more rare.

Thanks for the suggestion! Do you have any others?

 

[BigBlueTang]

Definitely a beauty, but I would like something a little more rare.

Thanks for the suggestion! Do you have any others?

Flame, Rhomboid, or Lineatus Fairy Wrasse. Stunners. The C. lineatus gets a little big for your tank(which is the same as mine), so a flame or Rhomboid is a good choice. A C. Isoceles is also a good choice.


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[fishsuse29]

How about a trio of anthias? You would have plenty of room for them and the males are stunning looking. I am partial to the squareback but there are plenty of rarer verities of anthias as well

 

[pinnatus]

Bandit Angel

 

[humaguy]

Bandit Angel

please don't in a 75, way too small...

 

[mike61289]

Definitely not putting a bandit angel in my aquarium! The tank is nowhere near big enough.

Anthias aren't a viable option either. They wouldn't school in a tank my size and would just get stressed from the lack of space as a group.

I love the wrasse suggestions! I've kept the flame before and it was one of my favourites because it often swam between my fingers as I cleaned the tank. I never kept the others. My only concern would be their feeding habits: would they be competing with my mandarin for copepods between meals?

 

[BigBlueTang]

Definitely not putting a bandit angel in my aquarium! The tank is nowhere near big enough.

Anthias aren't a viable option either. They wouldn't school in a tank my size and would just get stressed from the lack of space as a group.

I love the wrasse suggestions! I've kept the flame before and it was one of my favourites because it often swam between my fingers as I cleaned the tank. I never kept the others. My only concern would be their feeding habits: would they be competing with my mandarin for copepods between meals?

Nope. Fairy wrasses one don't actively hunt pods, although they will peck at them if not well fed. I think you should be fine, but I wouldn't try a leopard wrasse... Flames are super cool and so are Rhomboids!


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[fishguy2501]

Maybe a single genicanthus angel or a pair? Usually reef safe so wont nip at the zoas. Those would be an awesome centerpiece fish and are active.

 

[brianbrainstein]

I love my Wrasses (sp?). Melanurus is really pretty and so are most fairy wrasses, maybe a blue sided or labouti. The flashers are also really cool. I have some anthias as well, but my tank is larger and the Wrasse have more personality.


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[sde1500]

Maybe a single genicanthus angel or a pair? Usually reef safe so wont nip at the zoas. Those would be an awesome centerpiece fish and are active.

In a 75 gallon tank? Not a good fit.

I'd say a wrasse as well. My blue and red fairy, and melanurus wrasse are both very active fish. The fairy/flasher wrasses have a lot of smaller options so you could actually add 2 or 3 males and they'd all be on display flashing.

 

[fishguy2501]

In a 75 gallon tank? Not a good fit.

I'd say a wrasse as well. My blue and red fairy, and melanurus wrasse are both very active fish. The fairy/flasher wrasses have a lot of smaller options so you could actually add 2 or 3 males and they'd all be on display flashing.

I think a smaller species like watanabe or bellus is fine in a 75g.

 

[sde1500]

I think a smaller species like watanabe or bellus is fine in a 75g.

Based on what, out of curiosity?

 

[humaguy]

I think a smaller species like watanabe or bellus is fine in a 75g.

if the 75 gallon held 150 gallons, then :thumbsup:

 

[sde1500]

^^ lol

 

[scooter31707]

Some might yes and some might say no and I know it's real borderline, but what about a Tomini tang. I don't see any other herbivores on the your livestock, so it may not be too aggressive.

 

[fishguy2501]

Based on experience. A tomini tang or maybe a kole tang might work.

 

[BigBlueTang]

Some might yes and some might say no and I know it's real borderline, but what about a Tomini tang. I don't see any other herbivores on the your livestock, so it may not be too aggressive.

Based on experience. A tomini tang or maybe a kole tang might work.

I agree, a kole or tomini or any bristletooth tang would be a good showpiece. A white tail bristletooth is gorgeous..

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

Black cap basslet?