Next fish. Advice??

[weld1jac]

I'm looking into what my next fish will be and I'm just not sure which route to take. Currently I have 2 percula clowns and a lawnmower blenny, a few small colonies of zoanthids and mushrooms, and about 60 pounds of live rock. Water parameters are all good: Ammonia 0 ppm, Nitrites 0 ppm, Nitrates 0 ppm, Calc 420, Alk 9, Salinity 1.025.

I'd like to find a few additional reef safe fish that will add color and movement to the tank---my preference is to keep a peaceful tank situation. I was thinking about getting a school of blue or blue/green chromis however I've been reading that they tend to pick on each other. The other possibilities would be anthias and/or a wrasse. I'd love to find a pygmy/dwarf angel that would leave corals alone. If I don't have anything other than the zoa's and mushrooms would a pygmy/dwarf angel work???

If there are fish that I've overlooked in my search I would love to know your thoughts and experiences. Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated!

 

[violaceous]

Depends on the pygmy. Some will be tempted by the zoas and that could be an expensive addition - I adopted a Midnight Angel for that very reason. When the owners tank ran out of algae he found a taste for zoas and ate every one in sight. He was glad to find the little devil a new home. I have since found a seaweed he likes to eat and he hasn't been picking on the softies I have in the tank yet, but its a risk with all angels. Coral Beauties seem to have the best chance at not picking at corals, but still that is only 50/50.

Anthias are beautiful but most keepers shy away from the 3-4 times a day feeding schedule which they require. Unless you can accomodate this, I would pass.

Firefish are very gentle and always in the water column. Quite beautiful and peaceful fish. Purple firefish are slightly more aggressive than the standard orange/white variety.

You could add some variety of dartfish/bar gobies to the tank. When there is a dither fish (such as firefish or anthias) they will come out and swim with them. My zebra bar goby is a great peaceful fish and some of his close relatives have striking color as well. Very hardy fish with great personality.

Wrasse are always in motion and generally colorful, but they can become aggressive as they get larger. I would recommend the Lubbock's Fairy wrasse as mine is somewhat shy and not as aggressive as say, a 6 line wrasse. In general I think the flasher and fairy wrasses tend to be less aggressive than others.

I recommend adding a few drops of Selcon to fish food ( I usually feed frozen) as it will keep their colors vibrant and help raise their immunity. I swear by the stuff.. it really works wonders.

Good luck!

 

[weld1jac]

Thank you Violaceous---your reply was very helpful. Though I'd like to get a dwarf angel I'm just not willing to risk the demise of my zoanthids. I'm thinking I'll be looking at the fairy or flasher wrasse or the anthias (I would be able to accomdodate their feeding schedule). Would gobies be okay to have with my lawnmower blenny?

 

[violaceous]

Glad to help! I've asked all of the same questions as I stocked my 55g and had to learn from a few mistakes (the 6 line being one of them.)

It depends. Generally if you have two fish with the same territory/body type they may become aggressive. Because the lawnmower is a rockskipper and also hovers near the bottom, I would be wary of adding any gobies that also hover on rocks or near the bottom. For example, it would be risky to add clown gobies or small shrimp gobies/sandsifters.

The dartfish, firefish and other gobies who swim higher in the water column and generally prefer to eat suspended zooplankton will do fine with your blenny most likely. There is a slight chance that they might not be best of pals, but I do not expect any serious disagreements. An example would be my sandsifter goby and my bar goby -- neither bothered the other, but occasionally the sandsifter would use the ole gaping mouth threat if he got to near his home. They never had disputes though and both got along great with other tank inhabitants and inverts.

If your blenny ever shows aggression, maybe try adding some nori/seaweed to an area he frequents. Sometimes fish get competitive and tense if they feel their food supply is dwindling.

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend trying an angel unless you have a second tank for fish-only available to you. This is the only reason I adopted the Midnight - I planned to keep very few corals in the tank he would be in, and the ones I have in there were extra frags from my main display. I definitely wouldn't risk an angel if it came down to losing everything.

Varieties of flasher and fairy wrasses may differ in personality, but they would be a pretty safe bet IMO. If you have "Marine Fishes" by Scott W. Michael (or your LFS does) it would be worth checking them out before buying. Lubbock's is pretty easy-going and beautiful. (I have a pic of mine in my gallery - hes one of my favorite fish ) I've also heard great things about the Banana Wrasse. Keep in mind most wrasse will eat featherdusters, pods and possibly some very small snails.

Any of the fish I recommended will need a tight-fitting lid -- they all have jumping tendencies. I just lost my diamond sifter goby to a 1 1/2" hole in the lid where my heater had been. Wrasse are big on jumping - I have never seen my dartfish or firefish jump, although apparantly they have been known to do so when frightened. (I suspect the same goes for your blenny)