What fish in a H. magnifica's tank?

[OrionN]

My tank is a 30X30X25 cube with very open structure. Only two large rock stag on top of each other up to 16 inches or so in the middle and a sand bed. Right now I only have two small Magnifica on this rock structure. 3 Onyx Percula and a female Mandarin Dragonet. I know I will add a tang and a Male Mandarin. IYO, what tang should I add, and what other fish should I consider. I am partial to small fish that I can keep as a breeding unit if possible. Help me brain-storm to come up with a fish list. One tank and a few small fish, possible a small angel.
Thanks

 

[Ron Popeil]

in my 60 magnifica cube i have a pair of dragon face pipe fish, a pair of red margined wrasses and five very large chromis. i plan on adding a few yellow clown gobies and a shrimp goby at some point.

if i hadnt found the pair of margined wrasses i was considering a harem of flasher wrasses or red fin wrasses.

 

[marc price]

Tomini tang, Ctenochaetus tominiensis 13cm

Black tang, Zebrasoma rostratum 21cm not as aggressive as other of the genus. Start with a small ~2.5"-3.5" specimen.

 

[OrionN]

I have not keep much wrasses after a Six line took out my Mandarin by pecking her eyes out, two wrasses and two Mandarins in a 450 g tank. I will look and consider some of the wrasses. I don't want to cover my tank so I will have to look into their tendency to jump.
Ron, the pipe fish required any special care? I love the idea of shrimp gobies and shrimp. Thanks.

Marc. I think the black tang is our of the question. It is too big and too dull in color. I am the type of person that rare and expensive does not appeal to me. Colorful and beautiful is what I like. Even if I can buy a black tang for 30 dollars, I would not buy him. I take that back, I buy if I can resale him for 500 dollars . Tomini tang is something I will consider. Thanks.

 

[this is me]

wrasse+open-top=money down the drain.

 

[OrionN]

Ron,
Do you have some sort of cover on your tank?

 

[Ron Popeil]

the dragon pipefish are like mandarins in that they require small live foods. ive heard people say theyve had theirs eat mysis, brine or cyclopeeze, but ive only ever let mine just feed on the natural copepod populations. they are a fascinating fish who will stay together in pairs or groups and who seem to have a natural curiosity to human interaction in the aquarium. a very under appreciated fish which youll fall in love with.

i have an open top. i admit, i do occasionally check the floors first when i approach my tank, but i havent lost a wrasse to jumping yet. i believe a moonlight significantly helps deter night time jumping by giving the fish a frame of reference to the surface of the water. and as for day jumping, i just dont think there is anything that could startle them into jumping out.

 

[marc price]

Minh, much to my surprise my purple tang doesn't seem to grow any larger than from ~2" to 4" in the six years i've had it and is passive towards other fish. However i didn't want to recommend a colorful purple because so many are terrors. It is one which when smaller doesn't need a long stretch for swimming as other types and would be great if you find one like mine but i think it's an exception.
Incidentally, i have seen full grown purples the size of dinner plates and larger than the largest blacks i've seen.
Black tangs develop a iridescent turquoise sash along the lateral line and have a interesting shape. I first saw one at that fish place in the early nineties which on discount days was at the same $300 cost of purples and sohal's so i never based it on availabilty or cost. I actually find yellow tangs much more boring, i 'd sooner do a ORA canary fang blenny for yellow.
I never had a mimic but have read that they'll remain a small juv size for many years and may be something to look into if you can find a very small A. tristis or pyroferus.

 

[OrionN]

I had a Mimic tang in my 450 g before. He grew prety quickly. IME, they really seem to be open water fish. Once my Mimic developed streamers at about 5 inches or so he really pace my 8 foot tank, one end to the other and back around, and never seem to be happy. I was going to donate him to the Texas State Aquarium here in Corpus Christi but the week righ before I was going to do it, all arranged, my tank crashed and he was no more. I got him when he was only less than 2 inches, in 3 years he was pushing 8 inches.
Other tang I have keep included the purple, yellow, both of the sailfin, powder blue, powder brown (A. japonica) All in my 450 g tank.

 

[reefpix352]

Hi Minh,

Good news - I just got my magnifica (from Paul) on Saturday!

http://www.reefpix.org/v/aquarium/10-09/feb2010

My fish list is something like this:

purple tang
chevron tang
p squamipinnis (3)
mystery wrasse
mcoskers flasher wrasse (2)
equisite wrasse
various shrimp gobies

I would recommend a bristle-toothed tang again like a chevron, kole, or mimic. If you're going to keep the clams in there too I'd pass on the pygmey angel though - a big risk. Maybe a red sea regal - they tend to be OK.

Cheers
James

 

[~SIRENA~]

I personally love my sunburst anthias - great coloring. Also, I'm looking for a tailspot blenny to add and complete my fish list.
clown gobies are very pretty too.
Do you have a FTS?

 

[OrionN]

Thanks Adi, James, Marc, Ron, and Nick.
If I can find a Sunbust anthias pair I will add them. Chevron tang is a great idea, will look for one. Pipe fish is great, I will add them to my other tank since I have Mandarin in this one.
Here is two FTS. One on each side. Sory about the dirty algae. They only grow on the new glass but not on the san or rock. Snails and a tang are needed. The algae bloom when I move the sand and rock to a new tank. No algae on rock and sand just on the tank, over flow. I think snails and tang will just take care of it.

 

[~SIRENA~]

I only have one anthias, but wouldn't mind having 2. Do you know if they get along well with one another?
Great FTS! I love your mag!!! I can never get tired of looking at such beautiful creatures. Has it grown? The tips appear a darker yellow than your previous pics. I just got mine Sat. I have not fed it yet...I don't know what I should feed it. I'm a bit nervous...

 

[garygb]

A bicolor blenny is a nice tank addition. They have personality and are good at eating algae off the glass.

 

[marc price]

Great color Minh, your mag looks nice!
If you don't get a tomimi i like the Indian ocean form of C. strigosus 18cm., and C. binotatus 22cm.,Twospot's blue eyes. I think a any of the Ctenochaetus tangs will help with the algae problem but if you don't want to add to the bio-load various snails, abalone, some cowrie species, conch's, and the usual along with sea urchins (no long spines), will also work. They're a good idea to have even if you add the tang.