Need help selecting reef-safe fish

[DJasak]

Hey guys-
I'm planning a 180 gallon tank build. My original post on this page just listed what fish I was considering and just about every one got knocked down for one reason or another, and I'm starting to feel very limited as to what I can put in this new tank.

I want the new tank to be a reef tank, it's the whole reason why I switched to saltwater in the first place. I'm looking for fish with lots of color, the colors I'd like to have are yellows, blues, oranges, reds...pretty much a nice mixture of everything. I would also like to have a couple fish that get a little bit larger since I am building a larger tank. So, with that being said, what would you guys recommend!?

There are a few creatures I just gotta have in this tank for me to be happy and they are starfish, an eel (really like how a zebra eel looks), and I would like to have a clam, but it's not on my must-have list. My 2 favorite species of fish are tangs and angelfish. As always, thanks for the input!

 

[SoloChromis]

Some good options for a 180g reef tank would be...

* Pyramid Butterflies
* Assessors
* Fairy & Flasher Wrasses
* Genicanthus Angels (Spotbreast, Lamarck's, Bellus etc.)
* Resplendent or Randall's Anthias
* Lori's Anthias
* Longspine Cardinals (Zoramia leptacantha)
* Xanthichthys Triggers (Blue Jaw, Sargassum etc.)
* Pearly Jawfish
* Orchid, Springer's, Sankey's, or Indigo Dottybacks
* Royal Grammas
* Possum/Pygmy Wrasses (Wetmorella)
* Fang Blennies (Meiacanthus)
* Chrysiptera Damsels (Springer's, Tracey's, Rolland's, Azure, Talbot's etc.)
* Chalk Basses
* White Spotted Pygmy Filefish
* Convict Tangs
* Zebrasoma Tangs (Yellow, Purple, Scopas etc.)
* Halichoeres Wrasses (Hoeven's, Yellow, Richmond's etc.)
* Ecsenius Blennies (Bicolor, Midas, Tailspot, Linear etc.)
* Elacatinus (Cleaner) Gobies (Neon, Sharknose, Goldline etc.)
* Watchman/Prawn Gobies
* Ctenochaetus (Bristletooth) Tangs
* Rabbitfish
* Scarus Parrots
* Fathead Sunburst Anthias (Serranocirrhitus latus)

... There's loads of more options out there, even though sometimes it seems as though keeping a reef tank restricts our fish selection. Just got to keep an eye out and an open mind and be sure to get solid info from people who have actually kept the species you're interested in. Good luck :dance:

 

[Lmax8rn]

Tangs with caution, and no large Angels, they eat corals, so you are limited to dwarf angels such as a Potters, coral beauty, bellus, or flame, but those are hit or miss as to whether they nip corals or not.

Gobies and anthias are safe bets, but I would wait on the anthias until your tank is a little older. I have fire fish, zebra bar gobies, and clowns in my reef tank. I also just recently purchased four purple tile fish, but they are considered "difficult" and are renowned jumpers, so your tank MUST be completely covered.

Many other fish are reef safe. Check out wrasses, some of the tangs, blennies, and dart fish. Good luck! I am upgrading to a 180 as well in a couple of weeks. I need to finish the stand then it's project time!

 

[DJasak]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I'll be busy all day tomorrow reading about these guys!! :bounce3: :dance: :reading:

 

[DJasak]

OK this is what I've thought up:
(1)Zebra eel
(1)Checkerboard wrasse
(1)Blue jaw trigger
(1)Powder blue tang
(1)Lamarck's Angelfish
(1) One spot foxface
(1-2) ocellaris clown
(1)Flame hawkfish
(1)Black cap
(1)Hoeven's wrasse
(1)Sleeper gold head goby
(1)Sand sifting sea star
(1)Blue linkia sea star
Either (1)Fancy red serpent sea star -or- (1)red sea star
(1)Skunk cleaner shrimp
(1)Ultra blue maxima clam

Thoughts? Too many fish? How many should I take off the list? Thanks again!

 

[Code4]

Love your post. I am in the same process. New 140 with a trigger custom sump. Three quarantine tanks set up.

So far there is a CBB in the tank
Pyramid butterfly in quarantine with a purple fire fish
Also in quarantine are
Royal gamma
4 bangai cardinals
The following are from my existing tank and will be moved over slowly.
Two snowflake clowns
Green male mandarin and a spotted female
Lawnmower blenny

Will look into your lists. Nice to see someone else attempting this at the same time as I am. So much research has gone into my selections. Also going to add a coral beauty. Just have to get some more through quarantine first. Good luck.

Shelley

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Tangs with caution, and no large Angels, they eat corals, so you are limited to dwarf angels such as a Potters, coral beauty, bellus, or flame, but those are hit or miss as to whether they nip corals or not.

Gobies and anthias are safe bets, but I would wait on the anthias until your tank is a little older. I have fire fish, zebra bar gobies, and clowns in my reef tank. I also just recently purchased four purple tile fish, but they are considered "difficult" and are renowned jumpers, so your tank MUST be completely covered.

Many other fish are reef safe. Check out wrasses, some of the tangs, blennies, and dart fish. Good luck! I am upgrading to a 180 as well in a couple of weeks. I need to finish the stand then it's project time!

This is not totally true. Many people here on RC are keeping Emperor angles, Regal angles, and several others. All you have to do is go read some of the threads in the large tanks forum. There are a few small angles that are reef safe with caution. Angles eating corals is an individual fish thing as well, some will some won't. For instance my Cherub is totally safe with all corals accept SPS. He ate them like candy. But after nipping on softies he totally leaves them alone now. This same thing holds true for Flame angles and Coral Beauties as well as many others.

 

[Lmax8rn]

Yes, I agree with you, I did say with caution if you re read. MOST people have NOT had many large angels in a reef tank that don't at least nip a coral. Of course every species has their exceptions. I had a blue hippo that never touched anything for a year and a half, then all of a sudden decided my Duncan was tasty. I spent $120 on a bellus angel who ate palys. It's up to the hobbyist if they want to spend the money on a fish when there is no telling if they will eat coral or not.

Anyway, we all have our opinions, don't we.....

Happy reeling and good luck with your 180! Post pics!

 

[SoloChromis]

(1)Zebra eel - Perfect. My zebra is my favorite fish in my reef
(1)Checkerboard wrasse - Perfect, but get larger than most other members of it's genus, making it all the more risky to keep with mobile inverts (snails, crabs, shrimp etc.)
(1)Blue jaw trigger - Perfect
(1)Powder blue tang - I see no real issue with keeping a PBT in a 180g, but just be mindful of how aggressive and finicky these fish can be. I'd also ditch 1 or 2 of the larger fish on this list if you plan on getting one. Despite their striking, unquestionable beauty, I have always steered clear of them
(1)Lamarck's Angelfish - Perfect
(1) One spot foxface - Perfect
(1-2) ocellaris clown - Perfect
(1)Flame hawkfish - Perfect. Just keep in mind this is one of the less "shrimp friendly" hawks out there.
(1)Black cap - Perfect
(1)Hoeven's wrasse - Perfect
(1)Sleeper gold head goby - These fish are notorious for wasting away in tanks, but before they do they will be sure to ravage your sand bed of all microfauna.
(1)Sand sifting sea star - Despite appearing as if they're helping to keep your sand bed clean and healthy, they're in fact removing the "life" from the live sand, rather than removing the built up waste. For sand management I'd look into fighting conchs, nassarius snails, and serpent/brittle stars
(1)Blue linkia sea star - More often than not these guys will wither away in even the healthiest of tanks
Either (1)Fancy red serpent sea star -or- (1)red sea star - Perfect
(1)Skunk cleaner shrimp - Perfect, but I'd get a large one and add it before the flame hawk and Halichoeres wrasses if it's going to have any hope of surviving
(1)Ultra blue maxima clam - Perfect

All in all, my revised version of this list would go as follows...

* (1) Zebra Moray Eel
* (1) Hoeven's Wrasse
* (1) Blue Jaw Trigger
* (1) Black Cap Basslet
* (2) Ocellaris Clowns
* (2) Lamarck's Angels (pair)
* (1) One Spot Foxface

* (2) Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
* (5-8) Assorted Serpent Stars
* (5) Fighting Conchs (no, they don't fight with each other)
* (1) Tuxedo Urchin
* (30) Cerith Snails
* (1) Orange Linckia Star
* (1) Red Fromia Star
* (1) Maxima Clam
* (15) Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs

The powder blue, checkerboard wrasse & flame hawk are all fine additions to a 180g reef, but you're going to have to edit your list and make some sacrifices to accommodate them. Good luck :beer:

 

[Bent]

Don't you fear for your inverts with the zebra? I once tried a wolf in one of mine and it was a disaster.

 

[SoloChromis]

Don't you fear for your inverts with the zebra? I once tried a wolf in one of mine and it was a disaster.

Zebra Morays' natural diet consists of xanthid crabs and rock boring urchins. That being said, I kept mine for almost 2 years in a 120g with 2 pincushion urchins and only once did he appear to grab onto one with any kind of intention, but quickly released and went back to minding his own business. Shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, small fish etc. aren't under threat. I have seen mine get spooked by my tiny Springer's damsel darting past him too quickly I have kept mine with the tiniest of fish (neon gobies, clowns, blennies, fairy wrasses, a spotted mandarin etc.), blood shrimp, scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp etc. without any issue whatsoever. My situation isn't a fluke either, if you talk to people who have actually kept them they will tell you they have had very similar experiences with this species. Trust me, if you saw them in action you'd realize they're barely quick enough to "capture" a frozen cocktail shrimp :lolspin:

 

[DJasak]

Thank you for getting back to me!! I'll sub out the blue linkia and sleeper goby. I had a gold head sleeper in the past but it was when I was new to the saltwater side of the hobby and thought I lost him to my inexperience, not the fact that they naturally do not do well in tanks. Too bad too because I really like them!

As for the PBT I've done a ton of reading on them and unfortunately for me it's one of my top favorite fish, so he has to go in the tank. To be on the safe side he will be one of the last additions.

I currently have 1 skunk cleaner in my 45, have had him for about a year now and has grown quite a bit, so he should be safe.

I had the checkerboard wrasse picked out because I wanted him to be my bigger "show" fish. I want 1 fish among the crowd that's bigger than the rest and the real star of the tank.

I originally had in mind an emperor angel, but my 2 concerns were A) he'd eventually grow too big for the tank and B) nip my corals and be a terror toward my small fish and shrimp. However, I have read of many people on this forum successfully keeping emperors in their reef tanks, and am curious what the thoughts are of maybe making him my star fish of the tank?

Also if the gold sleeper is a no go, can u suggest some other fish that'll constantly turn over the sand. I want the sand to be turned over a lot so algae never has a chance to settle on the sand. And keep detritus from settling in the sand as well. I want nice clean white sand, and because of that I will be installing an algae scrubber on this build. I already did a DIY build of a scrubber so it's already ready to go. Once the tank arrives and the sump is installed.

Instead of 2 Skunk cleaners, what's your thoughts on having 1 skunk cleaner and one fire shrimp?

Lastly, I wanted to add a flame hawkfish for one simple reason...his striking color. You don't see very many bright red fish in tanks and for that reason I want him in there. Just a thought off the top of my head, and I'm not even sure if he's reef safe or not, but what about a squirrel fish? Is he a safer pick as far as red reef safe fish? I want a good assortment of color.

I do like your picks for a cleaner crew so I'll keep that same selection to use in my tank, with the addition of the one fish to turn over the sand bed if you have one in mind to recommend. Also, if the emperor angel turns out to be ok to add he will be my show fish with the following list as the cohabitants:
1 PBT
1 Lamarck's Angel (or do they do better as a pair?)
1 hoeven's wrasse
1 zebra eel
2 clowns
1 foxface
And if there's still room the triggerfish would be a nice addition as well.

 

[DJasak]

Whatever can't go in this big beautiful tank, I would probably put in my 45 that will end up by the head if the bed for me to look at during the night. The 45 I just want to be a calm quiet peaceful tank. So if need be the hawkfish can go in there.

 

[Bent]

Zebra Morays' natural diet consists of xanthid crabs and rock boring urchins. That being said, I kept mine for almost 2 years in a 120g with 2 pincushion urchins and only once did he appear to grab onto one with any kind of intention, but quickly released and went back to minding his own business. Shrimp, hermit crabs, snails, small fish etc. aren't under threat. I have seen mine get spooked by my tiny Springer's damsel darting past him too quickly I have kept mine with the tiniest of fish (neon gobies, clowns, blennies, fairy wrasses, a spotted mandarin etc.), blood shrimp, scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp etc. without any issue whatsoever. My situation isn't a fluke either, if you talk to people who have actually kept them they will tell you they have had very similar experiences with this species. Trust me, if you saw them in action you'd realize they're barely quick enough to "capture" a frozen cocktail shrimp :lolspin:

Cool, I'll have to keep that in mind if I ever upgrade tanks. I just remember the horror show that was the great green wolf eel debacle.

 

[DJasak]

Disregard the previous list, this is my revised stocking list:

(1) Zebra Moray Eel
(1) Powder Blue Tang
(1) Blue Jaw Triggerfish
(2) Lamarck's Angelfish
(1) One Spot Foxface
(1) Hoeven's Wrasse
(1) Black Cap Basslet
(1) Flame Hawkfish
(2) Ocellaris Clownfish

(1) Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
(1) Blood Red Fire Shrimp
(1) Pink Pincushion Urchin
(1) Blue Tuxedo Urchin
(3) Green Emerald Crabs
(10) Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs
(5) Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
(5) Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs
(3) Turbo Snails
(7) Astraea Snails
(10) Super Tongan Nassarius Snails
(5) fighting conch snails
(10) cerith snails
(3) Assorted Serpent Stars
(1) orange sea star

 

[SoloChromis]

* Emperor angels can certainly be successfully kept in reef tanks, but some considerations need to be made when attempting to do so. Despite what many people will claim, certain corals and inverts are at a significantly greater risk than others. Zoas, fleshy LPS (i.e. acans), and clams are typically the most at risk when it comes to emperor angels, whereas most noxious softies, gorgonians, SPS, and even Euphyllia have a much better track record of peaceful coexistence. There are exceptions to every general guideline, but it helps to have some kind of idea on what to look out for. That being said, I've seen a sailfin tang that gulped down maxima clams, banggai cardinals that ate cleaner shrimp, several hippo tangs that took a liking to zoas, and even a group of chromis that nipped at the polyps of SPS I certainly wouldn't recommend keeping an emperor and a powder blue together in a standard 180g though, as these are both dominant fish competing for the same resources (territory & algae), and will most likely bump heads in the long run.

* Squirrel fish are cryptic, predatory, and even aggressive IME. They're not really built for your average community reef, with bright lighting, small fish, crustaceans etc. All in all, the flame hawk is a much better bet :beer:

* As far as good sand sifting gobies, there doesn't exist one :sad1: Diamond & sleeper gobies are widely marketed as a cure-all for sand bed management. In reality they're doing more harm than good, by wiping out all of the microfauna that you most likely paid extra for, and that took some amount of time to establish. If water quality is maintained and you have an appropriately sized cleanup crew (fighting conchs, nassarius snails, serpent stars etc.) you won't have algae build up.

* A scarlet skunk & blood shrimp will get along just fine, I've almost always kept both together in my tanks.

* Do Lamarck's angels do better when kept in pairs? Eh, that's really a matter of opinion more than anything. I enjoy keeping fish in pairs and watching their interactions and courting rituals. These guys are also fairly easy to pair up as they're sexually dimorphic. The way I look at it, if I were abducted by aliens and put in a glass box, I'd prefer to have some company

* (1) Powder Blue Tang
* (1) Hoeven's Wrasse
* (1) Zebra Moray Eel
* (2) Ocellaris Clowns
* (1-2) Lamarck's Angel/s
* (1) One Spot Foxface
* (1) Flame Hawk

I'd say the list ^above^ is complete. If you're really gung ho about the checkerboard wrasse, I'd probably ditch one of the other larger fish on the list. Good luck :dance:

 

[SoloChromis]

Disregard the previous list, this is my revised stocking list:

(1) Zebra Moray Eel
(1) Powder Blue Tang
(1) Blue Jaw Triggerfish
(2) Lamarck's Angelfish
(1) One Spot Foxface
(1) Hoeven's Wrasse
(1) Black Cap Basslet
(1) Flame Hawkfish
(2) Ocellaris Clownfish

(1) Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
(1) Blood Red Fire Shrimp
(1) Pink Pincushion Urchin
(1) Blue Tuxedo Urchin
(3) Green Emerald Crabs
(10) Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs
(5) Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
(5) Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs
(3) Turbo Snails
(7) Astraea Snails
(10) Super Tongan Nassarius Snails
(5) fighting conch snails
(10) cerith snails
(3) Assorted Serpent Stars
(1) orange sea star

I'd stick with just scarlet reef hermits, IME they're much more peaceful with one another, whereas the typical blue legs, halloweens, electric blues, red tips etc. seem to always kill each other off until you forget you even added hermits to your tank in the first place. Also, the emeralds are more than likely to get eaten by the zebra moray, they're a part of their natural diet. I had a pair of emeralds in my 120g before the eel, and afterwards I didn't, so I can only assume... :blown:

 

[DJasak]

Oh ok, then that's what i'll do, thanks for the tip! Everything else looks good though?

 

[DJasak]

Oops, I didn't see your previous post that says the list looks good. Thank you for the coaching and information!! I already have a few assorted Hermit Crabs and emerald Crabs but I'll just leave them in their current tank they call home and only do the Scarlet Reef hermits in the new build. I think I'll do between 15-20 of them. Thanks again! :beer:

 

[SoloChromis]

Oops, I didn't see your previous post that says the list looks good. Thank you for the coaching and information!! I already have a few assorted Hermit Crabs and emerald Crabs but I'll just leave them in their current tank they call home and only do the Scarlet Reef hermits in the new build. I think I'll do between 15-20 of them. Thanks again! :beer:

Absolutely, don't mention it :beer: The list I provided in my 2nd to last post is what I'd recommend for a 180g reef, out of the list of fish you were interested in. Keep us updated on the tank