Recommended Fish for 75g Reef
- Thread starter Tobman
- Start date
Avi
Premium Member
I think a great fish for a reef that size...or almost any size for that matter...is a Royal Gramma. They're hardy and very beautiful. I don't think it's possible to get tired of those colors.
I would also recommend one member of the Fairy Wrasse group and one of the Flasher Wrasse group. Both groups are "reef-safe" and have many colorful...usually fantastically colore...members.
And, a single specimen or male and female Clownfish. They may be fairly common but they are also very hardy, beautiful and "reef-safe." Take a look at the different kinds. And don't settle because some specimens of the same kind are much more brightly colored than others are and you may as well get something outstanding...it will be in your reef for a long time.
Another fish that I think is good candidate is a Fridmanni Dottyback. I have one, along with a Royal Gramma, and though the Fridmannis are purple and the Royal Grammas have some similar color, the Fridmannis are so intensely colored that it's great to watch them.
Another thing that you should be aware of is that before you buy a fish, I suggest that you have some food put into the tank that the fish is in. Ask at the fish store. If they refuse...most likely they won't though...don't buy the fish. Only buy fish that are taking food. It's a sign that the fish has been treated properly during its capture and during shipping and so the odds are better that it will not waste away once paid for and in your tank. If it isn't eating, don't buy it, no matter how much you want it...you'll see another one sooner of later.
I would also recommend one member of the Fairy Wrasse group and one of the Flasher Wrasse group. Both groups are "reef-safe" and have many colorful...usually fantastically colore...members.
And, a single specimen or male and female Clownfish. They may be fairly common but they are also very hardy, beautiful and "reef-safe." Take a look at the different kinds. And don't settle because some specimens of the same kind are much more brightly colored than others are and you may as well get something outstanding...it will be in your reef for a long time.
Another fish that I think is good candidate is a Fridmanni Dottyback. I have one, along with a Royal Gramma, and though the Fridmannis are purple and the Royal Grammas have some similar color, the Fridmannis are so intensely colored that it's great to watch them.
Another thing that you should be aware of is that before you buy a fish, I suggest that you have some food put into the tank that the fish is in. Ask at the fish store. If they refuse...most likely they won't though...don't buy the fish. Only buy fish that are taking food. It's a sign that the fish has been treated properly during its capture and during shipping and so the odds are better that it will not waste away once paid for and in your tank. If it isn't eating, don't buy it, no matter how much you want it...you'll see another one sooner of later.
Avi, thanks for the thoughtful response - those are all fish I like very much.
Here is what I am currently thinking:
Abstract:
Mixed reef tank with a variety of fish & hardy corals/inverts. All-natural filtration using live sand, rock, & refugia, & metal halide (T5s?) lights, low to high flow for eventual soft, SPS &/or LPS corals. Refugia will be separate from the sump to allow for maximum control on water flow rate & to include a DSB of Miracle mud & sugar sand. Water flow will initially include Turbelle or Vortech powerheads (max 1000 gph each) plus return flow of 500-600 gph.
Total system water volume = 75*0.7 + 18g sump + 20g ref = ~90 g (max flow 28x total vol & 50x net tank vol), or for a 90g tank = 90*0.7 +18 + 20 = ~ 105 g (25 to 40x).
Corals & Inverts:
Zoanthid Mushrooms - Zoanthus species
Button Polyp - Green - Epizoanthus species
Green Metallic Mushrooms - Actinodiscus species
Chili Coral - Alcyonium species (leather)
Live rock and hitchhikers
Tank cleaner crew
Fish:
Royal Gramma - a great choice
Wrasse ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ fairy & flasher
Clownfish - male and female (tank raised incl. Percula, Cinnamon, Maroon, Sebae, Damsels)
Dottyback ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Fridmanni
Here is what I am currently thinking:
Abstract:
Mixed reef tank with a variety of fish & hardy corals/inverts. All-natural filtration using live sand, rock, & refugia, & metal halide (T5s?) lights, low to high flow for eventual soft, SPS &/or LPS corals. Refugia will be separate from the sump to allow for maximum control on water flow rate & to include a DSB of Miracle mud & sugar sand. Water flow will initially include Turbelle or Vortech powerheads (max 1000 gph each) plus return flow of 500-600 gph.
Total system water volume = 75*0.7 + 18g sump + 20g ref = ~90 g (max flow 28x total vol & 50x net tank vol), or for a 90g tank = 90*0.7 +18 + 20 = ~ 105 g (25 to 40x).
Corals & Inverts:
Zoanthid Mushrooms - Zoanthus species
Button Polyp - Green - Epizoanthus species
Green Metallic Mushrooms - Actinodiscus species
Chili Coral - Alcyonium species (leather)
Live rock and hitchhikers
Tank cleaner crew
Fish:
Royal Gramma - a great choice
Wrasse ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ fairy & flasher
Clownfish - male and female (tank raised incl. Percula, Cinnamon, Maroon, Sebae, Damsels)
Dottyback ââ"šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ Fridmanni
viceversabrd
New member
I would replace either the fridmani or royal gramma with a tang, your list has no herbivores on it and no real centerpiece fish. A yellow, purple, or kole tang would serve both of these purposes.
viceversabrd
viceversabrd
Avi
Premium Member
Having a "centerpiece" fish isn't a bad idea. If it would be a Tang, a Kole Tang is a good choice since they are small at maturity by Tang-standards and for a Tang you are kind of at the smaller end of tank-size. They're also, from what I've read, Koles are less likely to be, at some point, nasty and aggressive with tankmates. On the other hand a "centerpiece" is usually a more highly colored fish than a Kole Tang is, but it's a matter of taste. I have a Chevron Tang in my reef and it's only moderately aggressive but it's still fairly young. It's growing like wildfire, though, and I fear that eventually I'll have to get rid of it the way I did with a Striatus Tang. After that...no more Tangs for me.
For an herbivore, you could rely on snails and hermits or even add a Lawnmower or Bicolor Blenny.
I don't think having a Royal Gramma and a Fridmanni together is a problem. A 75 or 90-gallon tank should be big enough at 4-feet long to provide sufficient room, particularly if there's a good amount of live rock. I have both and even when they come across one another, within inches, they ignore each other completely.
For an herbivore, you could rely on snails and hermits or even add a Lawnmower or Bicolor Blenny.
I don't think having a Royal Gramma and a Fridmanni together is a problem. A 75 or 90-gallon tank should be big enough at 4-feet long to provide sufficient room, particularly if there's a good amount of live rock. I have both and even when they come across one another, within inches, they ignore each other completely.
