PLEASE check out your intended fish purchases here first!

[snorvich]

Hello Steve,

This isn't strictly a fish compatibility question, but you seem to be the most knowledgeable, so here it goes,

I am wondering about wrasses that on live-aquaria are classified as
"fish-only",

The species I am wondering about are:
Halichoeres chrysotaenia - Vrolik's Wrasse
Halichoeres chrysus - Yellow Wrasse
Halichoeres biocellatus - Red-Lined Wrasse
Halichoeres claudia - Christmas Wrasse
Halichoeres melanurus - Hoeven's Wrasse

All of these fish are said to be easy to keep and peaceful, but only reef safe "with caution". I assume that the Halichoeres genus will eat cleaner shrimps, but if the tank had no shrimp in it would these species be ok in a reef?

Tank is a 120 gallon, and we would not be keeping all of these species, but rather one or two different species.

Thanks in advance,
Turner

Reef Compatible:
Designates whether a species will cause harm to any coral, clam, crustacean or other sessile invertebrate in a reef aquarium. Some species of fish may be prone to consuming or harassing corals or invertebrates such as shrimp, anemones or feather dusters, but are otherwise wonderful reef fish cohabitating well with soft and stony corals. Such species are classified as Reef Compatible "With Caution." All reef aquariums are different in the organisms that they house, and a species that makes a wonderful centerpiece in one reef aquarium may cause havoc in another. Located in the species description is the information explaining the organisms that these fish may harm. Use this information to determine if the species in question is appropriate for your reef aquarium. But generally wrasses tend to tolerate at best, or be intolerant at worst of other similar wrasses so one might work, two might be an issue

 

[rainmkr07]

150 Gallon Starting Fish Stocking List

150 Gallon Starting Fish Stocking List

For my new 150 gallon reef tank. My goal is a heavy fish bioload, full of personality and colors, and a nice mix of species; but I also want a peaceful tank with no aggression issues if possible.

This list is NOT everything I want to put into the tank at once. I need help to narrow it down. Everything on the list, based on my research, is reef safe, peaceful, and would make for a good reef fish. With that said, I've never had many of these fish before, including the anthias, the wrasses, and several of the tangs. Feedback I'm seeking is "I have had X fish before, and highly recommend it" or "I've had X fish before and don't recommend it". Or, "of the 3 anthias schools listed, I would recommend X. Or X and Y, but not Z". or "I'd only get 1 of the wrasses; or 3 of the wrasses" or "I'd recommend tangs A, B, and C, but not the others" etc etc. Ideally from those of you who have had the fish below, or tried the combinations below (either successfully or not).

2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp
2 Fire Shrimp
2 Peppermint Shrimp

[considering 1 anthias school of the 3. which is least aggressive, schools the best, best for reef, etc? and how many should i have male:female of that school?]
1 Male Disbar Anthias
4 Female Disbar Anthias
1 Male Bartlett Anthias
4 Female Bartlett Anthias
1 Male Lyretail Anthias
4 Female Lyretail Anthias

[I was told I should only get 2 of each, they will kill each other down to 2 if i start with 5. Is this accurate?]
5 Spotted Cardinalfish
5 Benggai Cardinal

2 Ocellaris Clownfish

1 Bellus Angelfish, Female

[Can I have 2 Blennys? Someone said I should remove them because they will "munch on my corals". Is that accurate?]
1 Midas Blenny
1 Sailfin Blenny

[I also wanted 2 orangespot diamond gobies, as this site says they like to be in pairs and will roam the tank sifting sand together (I have a 3" sandbed). However, someone said I can't mix them with the yellow watchman goby, they will fight each other. Is this accurate?]
1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp

[Tangs listed in order of my preference of having them. I was told the last 3 could get aggressive, as well as the Powder Blue. As much as I want a powder blue, if there is a chance he will bull anyone in the tank, I will skip him. I want an active, but peaceful tank. Would any of these tangs work? Maybe the Blue Hippo (Small:1") and the Desjardini Sailfin?]
1 Powder Blue Tang
1 Blue Hippo Tang
1 Desjardini Sailfin Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Naso Tang
1 Yellow Eye Kole Tang

[I've never had a wrasse before. Can I mix 1 from each of these species? Can they all be male? I was told the best way to add these, is for 1 male flasher, and then females from the other flasher, and add the females first. Is that accurate? How many male:female is recommended if that is true? I was hoping for just 1 wrasse of each, not a harem, unless I need too? They also said same applies for the Fairys. One male, then females from the others. Is this accurate?]
1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
1 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
1 Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse
1 Longfin Fairy Wrasse
1 Pink Margin Fairy Wrasse

Thank you in advance!!!
-Ryan

 

[snorvich]

For my new 150 gallon reef tank. My goal is a heavy fish bioload, full of personality and colors, and a nice mix of species; but I also want a peaceful tank with no aggression issues if possible.

This list is NOT everything I want to put into the tank at once. I need help to narrow it down. Everything on the list, based on my research, is reef safe, peaceful, and would make for a good reef fish. With that said, I've never had many of these fish before, including the anthias, the wrasses, and several of the tangs. Feedback I'm seeking is "I have had X fish before, and highly recommend it" or "I've had X fish before and don't recommend it". Or, "of the 3 anthias schools listed, I would recommend X. Or X and Y, but not Z". or "I'd only get 1 of the wrasses; or 3 of the wrasses" or "I'd recommend tangs A, B, and C, but not the others" etc etc. Ideally from those of you who have had the fish below, or tried the combinations below (either successfully or not).

2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp
2 Fire Shrimp
2 Peppermint Shrimp

[considering 1 anthias school of the 3. which is least aggressive, schools the best, best for reef, etc? and how many should i have male:female of that school?]
1 Male Disbar Anthias
4 Female Disbar Anthias
1 Male Bartlett Anthias
4 Female Bartlett Anthias
1 Male Lyretail Anthias
4 Female Lyretail Anthias

Of those disbar is the better one but I recommend carberryi or resplendent

[I was told I should only get 2 of each, they will kill each other down to 2 if i start with 5. Is this accurate?]

Yes, and they must be a M+F pair not just a pair

5 Spotted Cardinalfish
5 Benggai Cardinal

2 Ocellaris Clownfish

1 Bellus Angelfish, Female

[Can I have 2 Blennys? Someone said I should remove them because they will "munch on my corals". Is that accurate?]
1 Midas Blenny
1 Sailfin Blenny

Blennies do not like each other. Some blennies are not coral safe

[I also wanted 2 orangespot diamond gobies, as this site says they like to be in pairs and will roam the tank sifting sand together (I have a 3" sandbed). However, someone said I can't mix them with the yellow watchman goby, they will fight each other. Is this accurate?]

Yes, that is accurate. It is not clear to me that you can keep two orangespot gobies unless they are a male plus female

1 Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp

[Tangs listed in order of my preference of having them. I was told the last 3 could get aggressive, as well as the Powder Blue. As much as I want a powder blue, if there is a chance he will bull anyone in the tank, I will skip him. I want an active, but peaceful tank. Would any of these tangs work? Maybe the Blue Hippo (Small:1") and the Desjardini Sailfin?]

You get one peaceful tang in your sized tank
1 Powder Blue Tang Not in your sized tank
1 Blue Hippo Tang Not in your sized tank
1 Desjardini Sailfin Tang Not in your sized tank
1 Yellow Tang
1 Naso Tang Not in your sized tank
1 Yellow Eye Kole Tang Best in your sized tank

[I've never had a wrasse before. Can I mix 1 from each of these species? Can they all be male? I was told the best way to add these, is for 1 male flasher, and then females from the other flasher, and add the females first. Is that accurate? How many male:female is recommended if that is true? I was hoping for just 1 wrasse of each, not a harem, unless I need too? They also said same applies for the Fairys. One male, then females from the others. Is this accurate?]

That is not really true. For fairy wrasses, it depends on species, some will work, others will be super aggressive. I would recommend a MFF triad of flasher wrasses

1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
1 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
1 Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse Aggressive
1 Longfin Fairy Wrasse Aggressive
1 Pink Margin Fairy Wrasse Aggressive and males do not do well in shipping

Thank you in advance!!!
-Ryan

 

[rainmkr07]

Thank you Steve. I have some follow up questions if I may ask?

1. The shrimp - I read online that camel shrimp are not reef safe. I've also seen some folks who had issues with peppermint shrimp eating zoanthids. I have lots of zoanthids. Should I skip the peppermint and just go with 2 Cleaner Shrimp and 2 Fire Shrimp?

2. My LFS has cardinals (each species above) in tanks with like 20 each in them. Is there a way to select a male and female from the group?

3. The wrasses. If I go MFF, would a male Carpenter's & 2 McCosker females work? Or should the MFF all Carpenters or mccosker?

4. The gobies. If the yellow watchman is a cave with the pistol shrimp all the time, and i got a diamond sand sifting goby, who moved all over the sand bed sifting sand, would they be okay in the tank together without fighting?

5. Tangs. If I got the tangs while small (1-2") wouldn't they be okay in a 150g tank for years before they grew too big? I've heard that kole tangs and yellow tangs can both be aggressive as well.

6. Anthias - How many would you recommend for the school? 1male:5female? 1m:3f?

7. Are there any other fish or species I am missing that have personality and colors that might go nice in this tank / fish list?

Thank you!

 

[ampemployee1]

Anthias all require social interaction and a small tank will not work well.

Thank you, Ed

 

[snorvich]

Thank you Steve. I have some follow up questions if I may ask?

1. The shrimp - I read online that camel shrimp are not reef safe. I've also seen some folks who had issues with peppermint shrimp eating zoanthids. I have lots of zoanthids. Should I skip the peppermint and just go with 2 Cleaner Shrimp and 2 Fire Shrimp?

In my opinion yes.

2. My LFS has cardinals (each species above) in tanks with like 20 each in them. Is there a way to select a male and female from the group?

Empirically you can try to determine which two hang out together. If they are small, it may not be possible

3. The wrasses. If I go MFF, would a male Carpenter's & 2 McCosker females work? Or should the MFF all Carpenters or mccosker?

I recommend MFF of the same species

4. The gobies. If the yellow watchman is a cave with the pistol shrimp all the time, and i got a diamond sand sifting goby, who moved all over the sand bed sifting sand, would they be okay in the tank together without fighting?

I do not recommend sand sifting fish for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the sand storms over corals

5. Tangs. If I got the tangs while small (1-2") wouldn't they be okay in a 150g tank for years before they grew too big? I've heard that kole tangs and yellow tangs can both be aggressive as well.

It is not a size issue as much as a perceived ecological niche issue. Zebrasoma are more aggressive of the two

6. Anthias - How many would you recommend for the school? 1male:5female? 1m:3f?

They will not really "school" but either option you specified would work as least for the species I recommend

7. Are there any other fish or species I am missing that have personality and colors that might go nice in this tank / fish list?

An impossible question to answer as my preferences would not be the same as yours

Thank you!

 

[rainmkr07]

Thank you Steve!

 

[MaxxedMan]

Red Sea Max 250 (66 Gallons) No Refugium
75 Lbs Live Rock
Newly Cycled

Pair Ocellaris Clownfish, Tank Bred
Firefish
Blue Green Chromis
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
2x Peppermint Shrimp
Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber
Fighting Conch
Green Mandarin
Maxima Clam
This is also the planned ordered the fish would be added, with Mandarin and Clam added months to a year from now.

Is it safe, best, or a bad idea to add the first few fish on the list at the same time.

 

[snorvich]

Red Sea Max 250 (66 Gallons) No Refugium
75 Lbs Live Rock
Newly Cycled

Pair Ocellaris Clownfish, Tank Bred
Firefish
Blue Green Chromis
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
2x Peppermint Shrimp
Tiger Tail Sea Cucumber
Fighting Conch
Green Mandarin
Maxima Clam
This is also the planned ordered the fish would be added, with Mandarin and Clam added months to a year from now.

Is it safe, best, or a bad idea to add the first few fish on the list at the same time.

I do not see any obvious conflicts. Going slowly is always best.

 

[f3honda4me]

Ok another change. Basically looking at different wrasse options.

First, this is my setup:

75g tank, with sump, skimmer, etc.

I currently have a bunch of various CUC snails, hermits, a florida fighting conch, 3 peppermint shrimp, and a pencil urchin.

I have softies, LPS, and SPS.

I am looking to add in this order (each line would be purchased/added at the same time):

1x diamond watchman goby (already added to tank)

1x mccosker flasher wrasse (tank is covered with 1/4" mesh covers)
OR
1x read head salon fairy wrasse
OR
1x carpenter flasher wrasse

Would I also be able to add a 6 line wrasse at the same time with any of the above? (all wrasses would be male)

1x royal gramma basslet
1x banggai cardinal (tank bred), PLUS 1x orange lined OR 1x spotted cardinalfish
2x black ocellaris clowns
1x bartlett's anthias
1x tang (either whitetail bristletooth or bristletooth tomini)

My tank is a 48" wide 75g.

 

[pulit]

ok so i have a 60g cube w/45g fuge sps tank in the build stage and im trying to plan my fish. at the moment i sold all my fish accept my atlanic sailfin blenny, im looking for large group of schooling fish that have great color (red,blue,yellow,orange,or purple) something that will pop when i look at the tank . i was hopping to get around 10-15 fish total so they would have to be nano sized fish . any suggestions ? also i was thinking of a small bright wrasse if possible.

 

[snorvich]

Ok another change. Basically looking at different wrasse options.

First, this is my setup:

75g tank, with sump, skimmer, etc.

I currently have a bunch of various CUC snails, hermits, a florida fighting conch, 3 peppermint shrimp, and a pencil urchin.

I have softies, LPS, and SPS.

I am looking to add in this order (each line would be purchased/added at the same time):

1x diamond watchman goby (already added to tank)

1x mccosker flasher wrasse (tank is covered with 1/4" mesh covers)
OR
1x read head salon fairy wrasse aggressive and loses coloration absent a female
OR
1x carpenter flasher wrasse

Would I also be able to add a 6 line wrasse at the same time with any of the above? (all wrasses would be male) six line and flasher/fairy wrasses are not compatible

1x royal gramma basslet
1x banggai cardinal (tank bred), PLUS 1x orange lined OR 1x spotted cardinalfish
2x black ocellaris clowns
1x bartlett's anthias
1x tang (either whitetail bristletooth or bristletooth tomini)

either would work

My tank is a 48" wide 75g.

 

[snorvich]

ok so i have a 60g cube w/45g fuge sps tank in the build stage and im trying to plan my fish. at the moment i sold all my fish accept my atlanic sailfin blenny, im looking for large group of schooling fish that have great color (red,blue,yellow,orange,or purple) something that will pop when i look at the tank . i was hopping to get around 10-15 fish total so they would have to be nano sized fish . any suggestions ? also i was thinking of a small bright wrasse if possible.

no fish will "school" in your sized tank and 10-15 fish will strain if not exceed your bioload.

 

[delacruza]

Hi -- I have a 55G setup w/ 55# of LR, 50# of LS, skimmer, and two power heads. Tank has cycled -- ammonia, nitrites = 0, nitrates 20 ppm -- been going for about 6 weeks now. Diatom bloom still in effect but even that has died down. So far, I have:

1- yellowtail damsel
1 - blue damsel
1 - ocelaris clownfish
2 - cleaner shrimp and a variety CUC, including snails, hermit crabs, sand sifting star, etc.
Coral includes, hairy mushroom, yellow polyps, and green zoanthid.

Looking to now add (on a weekly basis?):

a yellow tang;
a midas blenny;
and a flame angelfish.

Does this sound okay?

Also, will definitely be adding some xenias.

Any and all assistance is much appreciated -- thanks in advance.

 

[snorvich]

Hi -- I have a 55G setup w/ 55# of LR, 50# of LS, skimmer, and two power heads. Tank has cycled -- ammonia, nitrites = 0, nitrates 20 ppm -- been going for about 6 weeks now. Diatom bloom still in effect but even that has died down. So far, I have:

1- yellowtail damsel apparently you cycled your tank with damsels. They will make life difficult going forward
1 - blue damsel
1 - ocelaris clownfish
2 - cleaner shrimp and a variety CUC, including snails, hermit crabs, sand sifting star, etc.
Coral includes, hairy mushroom, yellow polyps, and green zoanthid.

Looking to now add (on a weekly basis?):

a yellow tang; Your tank is not large enough
a midas blenny;
and a flame angelfish.

Does this sound okay?

Othewise ok but those damsels will be a problem

Also, will definitely be adding some xenias.

Any and all assistance is much appreciated -- thanks in advance.

 

[shiogama]

my tank is a 180gal 250lbs live rock 120 gal refugium/sump. skimmer,filter socks, carbon and uv. tank is established
I have some sps mostly lps. lighting is t-5

i have an assortment hermit crabs, snails, starfish
2 emerald crabs.
2 saddle back clown fish
2 coral beauty angels
2 fire shrimp
5 peppermint shrimp
1 scooter blenny
1 lawnmower blenny
1 long spine sea urchin
4 green bubble tip anemones
a wrasse but I don't know the name
here is a picture

2 green/blue chromis

looking to add
Imperator angelfish

 

[snorvich]

my tank is a 180gal 250lbs live rock 120 gal refugium/sump. skimmer,filter socks, carbon and uv. tank is established
I have some sps mostly lps. lighting is t-5

i have an assortment hermit crabs, snails, starfish
2 emerald crabs.
2 saddle back clown fish
2 coral beauty angels
2 fire shrimp
5 peppermint shrimp
1 scooter blenny
1 lawnmower blenny
1 long spine sea urchin
4 green bubble tip anemones
a wrasse but I don't know the name
here is a picture

2 green/blue chromis

looking to add
Imperator angelfish

An P. imperator is one of my favorite fish. However, it is not meaty LPS safe and may not be anemone safe. Your tank is a bit marginal from a size perspective as this fish will grow to be about one foot if properly fed in about 2 years. If you go that route, get a juvenile and raise it up to an adult.

 

[shiogama]

Steve, thanks for posting up your advice.
I heard they get big. I was thinking about getting a juvenile as far as lps I have devil's finger, frogspawn,hammer, candy cane corals. and lots of zoas.

 

[snorvich]

Steve, thanks for posting up your advice.
I heard they get big. I was thinking about getting a juvenile as far as lps I have devil's finger, frogspawn,hammer, candy cane corals. and lots of zoas.

I have multiple tanks. My P. imperator is in an SPS only tank. Zoanthids would almost certainly be toast.

 

[stylesh08]

Hello im extremley new to the hobby and already i can tell im adicted. I have a very small tank but plan on moving up within the next few months. In my 20 gallon i only have one clownfish. Id like to add one other little guy just not sure what. If anyone can help me out it would be appreciated. Thanks much.