Oddball SPS/Reef Safe Fish Recommendations Needed

[ostrow]

So, I have an "opening" (lol) for a fish for my 155 display/300 system.

Current inhabitants, all of whom I prefer to survive:

Desjardin Sailfin
Foxface Lo
Radiant Wrasse
Blue Spot Goby
3x Royal Gramma
Clown Goby
6x peppermint shrimp
2 starfish
snails/crabs
Acropora and Montipora of various makes and models

I recently removed a mystery wrasse implicated in the disappearance of several peppermint shrimp

I recently lost a cosmetus wrasse to old age who also was implicated earlier in the loss of the shrimp. Due to intermittent aiptasia blooms, the pepps are needed.

By "oddball" I'm thinking in the cow/frog/leaf/trigger/puffer fish range, but I need not be locked into those categories. Something unusual, cool, and peaceful to the above list. Might be a tricky find...

 

[oldbones]

Have you ever kept a Starry Blenny? Super fun fish.

 

[ostrow]

funny. one is for sale locally!

 

[oldbones]

Fun personality, neat to watch them change colors. Mine gets along with everybody, but will occasionally terrorize a snail.

 

[biecacka]

I love my starry blenny, he is the character of the tank. He hangs out in some barnacles near the front of the tank. My girlfriend hunks he looks like an old man with his eyelashes and beard. :lol:

Corey

 

[tkeracer619]

I thought i've seen starry eyes eating monties. Maybe I am mistaken with another type?

 

[Rakie]

I thought i've seen starry eyes eating monties. Maybe I am mistaken with another type?

As far as I know, you are mistaken -- But I suppose anything could happen. Maybe a similar looking fish?

 

[tkeracer619]

Eh, now that I think about it, I think it was a midas blenny.

 

[ostrow]

Any other recommendations?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

I like Long Nose Hawks & you could add more than one, I've had 3 @ one time.
They just perch somewhere.

 

[ostrow]

I like Long Nose Hawks & you could add more than one, I've had 3 @ one time.
They just perch somewhere.

Don't most hawkfish demolish shrimp?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Mine did not but never say never.

 

[MondoBongo]

i'm personally a big fan of filefish, there are several different types to choose from, but i think they have one of the best so-ugly-they're-cute kind of looks to them.

 

[reefteaser]

Just got a Pyramid Butterfly two days ago. Seemed like one of VERY few reef safe ones, so far very beautiful and docile.

 

[BrettDS]

i'm personally a big fan of filefish, there are several different types to choose from, but i think they have one of the best so-ugly-they're-cute kind of looks to them.

I was going to say a filefish as well. I love my matted filefish... he's a very unusual looking fish and he's got a great personality and is fun to watch, plus the matted filefish have a reputation for eating Aiptasia, which sounds like it might be useful in your tank.

I will say that I recently tried to add a rock flower anemone to my tank and the filefish kept picking on it and I believe eventually killed it before I could get it out of the tank, so if you want to add an anemone at some point you may have an issue. I do have a bubble tip anemone in the tank and the filefish never touches that one. However it's hosting two clowns and the clowns don't let anyone get near their anemone, so if the clowns weren't there I don't know what would happen.

 

[ostrow]

i'm personally a big fan of filefish, there are several different types to choose from, but i think they have one of the best so-ugly-they're-cute kind of looks to them.

My experience with this fish mirrors that of many others:very difficult to keep alive for very long in a glass box. Similat to CBB.

 

[MondoBongo]

My experience with this fish mirrors that of many others:very difficult to keep alive for very long in a glass box. Similat to CBB.

any particular species? i know some of them fare much better in captivity than others, but difficult and very long can be highly relative terms.

 

[ostrow]

My experience was with the, I think green? Aiptasia eater (frequently). I believe I had 3. They never ate. Never survived more than 3 months.

 

[BrettDS]

My experience was with the, I think green? Aiptasia eater (frequently). I believe I had 3. They never ate. Never survived more than 3 months.

For what it's worth, I've had my matted filefish for about 7 or 8 months now. He started out not much more than an inch or an inch and a half long and he's probably close to three inches now. He picks at the rocks all day and readily eats the pellets that I feed the tank (although it was several months before he started eating the pellets... until then he just grazed on the rocks. I never really made any effort to get him to eat the pellets. He just realized that they were food one day)