Large Centerpiece Fish

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XxNewReeferxX

New member
I am looking for a larger centerpiece fish for my 135 gallon tank. I currently have 3 square anthias, a yellow tang, a flame angelfish, one clown gobie, two clownfish, one firefish, and a cleaner wrasse. I wanted a powder blue tang but my tank is only four feet long so I thought it was a bit small. My yellow tang, my square anthias and my flame angelfish seem to be the most boring fish ever, they barely move around the tank and pick rock in the same area 24/7! I want something tat is active and on the larger side for fish with some bright colours. It is a mixed reef. Any advice is welcome!
 
XxNewReeferxX said:
I am looking for a larger centerpiece fish for my 135 gallon tank. I currently have 3 square anthias, a yellow tang, a flame angelfish, one clown gobie, two clownfish, one firefish, and a cleaner wrasse. I wanted a powder blue tang but my tank is only four feet long so I thought it was a bit small. My yellow tang, my square anthias and my flame angelfish seem to be the most boring fish ever, they barely move around the tank and pick rock in the same area 24/7! I want something tat is active and on the larger side for fish with some bright colours. It is a mixed reef. I was considering a majestic angel but I am not sure if I want to take that much a risk on my corals. Any advice is welcome!
Click to expand...
 
I think you're there on larger showy fish. Yellow tang can grow to salad plate size. If the flame angel is healthy you're good there too. Add a majestic and you'll likely lose the flame. The clowns are territorial and may limit the space the other fish have to roam in. So, here's a suggestion.

Add several smaller active colorful fish. Royal gramma, midas blenny, a Chromis. A fairy or other wrasse! Cleaner wrasse will not likely be with you long. With more action the flame will work more. Btw they love hidey holes caves overhangs so open up the rock so it can wander through and be close to cover too.
 
Please add a photo of your tank because it is not really normal that a yellow tang or flame angelfish stay in one place.

Do you maybe have limited hiding places, in that case the place there is they want to stay close to. Variable flow may also help.
 
I have over 150 pounds of live rock and lots of little caves and tunnels and a large overhang. My square anthias is a bit of a bully to everybody in the tank so maybe that could be it? I don't really have a set budget so any suggestions are welcome! I have had the yellow tang for over a year and have seen little to no growth whatsoever, I feed nori, NLS pellets, brine shrimp, krill, and plankton so I though I would have seen more growth. I can't seem to upload any pictures so I will try again later! I have had my cleaner wrasse for about 6 months and it eats NLS pellets and brine shrimp, so if eating is the problem, I think I'm okay. Thanks so much for the suggestions, but I am not sure about dithering fish.
 
Hmmm, okay sound like a good amount of rock and therefor hiding places. Then I don't know, maybe it is the anthias... can you temporarily move it to a sump of something as a test?
My main fish is a Watanabei angel fish, love it!! Only need to find one or two females for him.
 
I don't think my sump is big enough for him. And I don't think I could get him out of the tank without tearing my reef apart :( On LA it says that the watanabe angel is difficult to keep? I am not wild about the colouring on them but to have a pair would be very cool!
 
polleke said:
Hmmm, okay sound like a good amount of rock and therefor hiding places. Then I don't know, maybe it is the anthias... can you temporarily move it to a sump of something as a test?
My main fish is a Watanabei angel fish, love it!! Only need to find one or two females for him.
Click to expand...


Better get those females soon, otherwise it could lose its male color.
 
XxNewReeferxX said:
Anyone have any more suggestions? I am open to pretty much anything
Click to expand...


Queen angel, scribbled angel, goldflake angel, moorish idol, dussumeri tang, black tang, bandit angel, personifer angel, Whitley boxfish, Japanese masked angel pair, XL vlimingi tang, XL desjardini tang
 
I do like the Vlamingi tang, but it would get too big for my tank, thanks so much for the responses.

I am still not sure, I might wait a while longer just to see if my square anthias is the problem or something else. Any more suggestions are welcome!
 
Is my tank considered heavily stocked? I am not sure as I don't know anyone else with a tank this size. I am kinda looking for another tang but I m not sure what kind or what I can fit.
 
Your tank is not overstocked if you have a good skimmer and do regular water changes.

You might check out a Kole tang or a butterflyfish like the auriga or raccoon. I also think you would be ok with the majestic angel.

I would not put any of these fish in: Queen angel, scribbled angel, goldflake angel, moorish idol, dussumeri tang, black tang, bandit angel, personifer angel, Whitley boxfish, Japanese masked angel pair, XL vlimingi tang, XL desjardini tang. Most get too big or are too hard to keep, although the goldflake might work ok.

You will have to watch your yellow tang for most fish you add as some are bullies once they are established in the tank.
 
It sounds like you are looking for some larger sized zooplanktivore. Something like a Blue Throat Trigger or something from the Genicanthus angel genus.
 
Ok, thanks for the input. I really love the majestic and the regal angel. I know the regal is a little harder to get eating, but which one do you guys think is more reef safe? I know the majestic angel grows fairly slowly so I could maybe get one young and maybe train it so that it thinks the only food is what I feed? I dunno just a thought:hammer: I do a 25 gallon water change every 2-3 weeks and I have a good size skimmer, I run a UV sterilizer sometimes just for algae and if I notice any stressed fish. I have softies and LPS so that kinda makes me a little on the fence about it. Do you think having the more aggressive fish in the tank would keep it more occupied?
 
Other than the Genicanthus genus, all others are not reef safe. You cannot train it to not be an angel fish, which is a natural coral eater. Regal is a lot harder than other fish, not just the Angels. Just do a simple word search on the forum and you will find plenty of stories on how hard it is to get them started to eat and also to keep them for long term.
 
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