What's your (Perfect Fish Combo) in Reef Tank. Less is can be MORE when things click.

[Wally.B]

I got inspired to submit this thread after thinking again to get another fish. Then I said Nope, things are just right.

After more than 20 years in this great Hobby, I've had many fish come and go in my two tank setups (65 & 90 Gallon).

Getting a new fish is always exciting. Adding a newly discovered, never seen before specimen refreshes the tank.

All fish are cool, but personalities sometimes clash and watching a tank with fish fighting isn't relaxing at all.

That really nice small fish always gets too big.

Having Corals does certainly limit one's choices.

However after a year with my current setup, I couldn't be more happy with how they get along, the tank is always entertaining, uniquely colorful.
Less stock means less tank issues for Corals, but enough for natural Coral Nutrients.

My current livestock in my 90 Gallon Mixed Reef tank (Corals are mixed LPS, Acans, Racordia's, Zoas and Palys):

- 5x Blue Green Chromis (Started with 6, one got outcast)
- 1x Long Nose Hawkfish
- 1x Algae Blenny
- 1x Cleaner Shrimp, plus a few snails/hermits

-> What I find is that the 5 Glittering, Schooling Chromi's are always eye catching especially when the tank goes into higher flow mode and they swim together in the current. They eat well, and there is no tank polluting with left over food. I was warned that they would fight to the death, and only one would be left (I did get 6 originally, but one got outcast). Key is to get them small and all at once.

-> The Hawk-Fish is always hanging around in various places and has a unique stand-out crisp red-stripe contrast look. I got originally him to keep amphipods in check since they were aggravating my Zoa's (theory).

-> The Algae Blenny although not the most colorful or beautiful fish, is an attention getter in his special way. He keeps Algae under control and with his large eyes, you really can tell when he's is checking you out too.

-> The Cleaner shrimp although not a fish, is always about. Pecks around from any missed food. Only downside is that floating shell when he molts ever so often. (Not an issue).

I've always considered adding 1 more Larger Graceful swimming fish like a Yellow Tang, but from past lessons learned. One more fish can break something that is working.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO ADD TO THIS THREAD. State Tank size, and why your fish Combination is working for you.

 

[Moort82]

My tank is around the same as yours and I have a marine betta, pair of Darwin clowns, mandarin, indigo dotty and dot dash blenny. It's mostly sps with lps.
The betta is my favourite. Comes out when I'm about and takes krill 2-3 inches long. The clowns keep to themselves in the corner, the dotty around the rockwork and the mandarin I see every couple of days doing her thing. The only fish I have a problem with is the blenny who loves eating sps, stripped a tricolour the size of my fist in a couple of days and then went after a slimer. I still wouldn't be without it though.
I've got plenty of space but what's there is interesting enough for me to not want anything else. It leaves me to let things grow and become more natural, a hands off tank if you like. I have another I can tinker with but again don't add too much to.

 

[Gotzegot28]

I have a 40breeder with mainly sps and a little of lps and softies. It has a melanurus, 2 yellowtail damsels, and a mandarin. All the fish are fat and happy and my rockwork allows them to swim in and out constantly. I love them

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[SecretiveFish]

I agree wholeheartedly with the less is more category.

Our 65g has the following fish (corals and inverts include - finger, toadstools, devil's hand and fiji yellow (finally have one doing well!) leathers, blue, green, and pink star polyps, assorted palythoas and mushrooms, platygyras, green trachyphyllia, cyphastreas, Hippie Magic chalice, an unknown faviid, one serpent starfish, scarlet leg hermits, fighting conch, banded trochus)
- Calloplesiops argus
- Labbrock's fairy wrasse
- gladitor ocellaris clownfish
- starry blenny
- long nose hawkfish

I do not plan on adding anymore fish. I keep wanting to, but everyone is doing so well and seem so happy so I keep resisting the temptation. When I start feeding the other tanks, I see all my fish plastered to the side closest to me. :lol:

The 150g is a SPS tank with a handful of LPS. My stocking list is
- Calloplesiops altivelis inlove: I think he is 4 years old)
- Tomini Tang
- 3 pajama cardinals
- Scarlet Pinstripe wrasse
- Snowflake Ocellaris clownfish
- The final fish I want to add is an Indigo Hamlet but I have been having an extremely hard time getting one.
- Although if anyone knows a mostly reef safe fish that eats vermetid snails, I would be open to adding one... Longnose and copper banded butterflies MIGHT eat them, but those sure have mixed experiences in reefs.

 

[Bobbitworm13]

- The final fish I want to add is an Indigo Hamlet but I have been having an extremely hard time getting one.

I would email the people at divertom.com/Carribeantropicals or kpaquatics

 

[Demnok]

105 gallon mixed reef, soft, lps, sps.
1 yellow eye tang, always swimming around and through all the rock work.
3 (soon to be 2 after they pair) Banggai cardinals. Was really worried at first they were difficult to get to feed, now they eat like champs. They hang right in the middle of the water column.
2 ocellaris clowns one maroon one orange. Just camp out by the return, but are very friendly / hungry when you approach the tank.
1 tail spot blenny. This one was an spontaneous purchase but he has so much personality I wouldn't change a thing.

So sitting at 6 right now. There are three or four others on my wish list but everything is perfect so I don't know that I will pursue them.

Potentials are: geometric Pygmy hawk, Dracula goby, black cap basslet or white banded possum wrasse.

So currently in the less is more camp as long as my willpower holds up!

 

[Wally.B]

Nice to see many of you achieved a Happy Tank/Fish Balanced Community.

I hope some of these working tank fish combo helps someone in the planning or expansion phase of their setup.

But every tank is a personal preference, and taste, and budget.
Some people like to watch a fish chase and eat other live fish (Not for me).

It is also trial and error (Every fish, even in same species can have different personalities).

 

[Wally.B]

Single Photo of All your fish at once (CHALLENGE)

Single Photo of All your fish at once (CHALLENGE)

Let me make this more interesting. A PHOTO CHALLENGE (If you have been lucky enough)

I have a 2nd tank (65 Gallon SPS only). Restarting again after a Copper Contamination and Coral Wipe out.

I'm very happy with my fish mix, after some fish adjustments:
--> Removed a Blue Green Chromis (would fight with Angel)
--> Lost a Black Capped Basslet, jump out of tank (Put a Screen on After the Lesson)

I've reached the Max Number of Fish that I can hold.

- Yellow Tang (One of my Favourite Fish, and to me a must have Classic)
- Fairy Wrasse (Great Colors, Get's along with all fish) ** Tank Top/Screen is Must, he's a jumper **
- Spot Breast Angel (One of the few Angels that is Reef Tank Safe)
- Tomini Tang (Not the greatest looking, but very friendly. Good Rock Picker and Scavenger)
- Mandarin Goby (There is no fish as Psychedlic Colorful/Patterned as this one. Love the way he Hover swims. [I have a Copepod Farm to feed him. Been around for over a year

Now here is the Challenge. I was lucky once in probably few hundred of pictures over a long period (to get all my fish in one shot).

Easy to get one, maybe two, three get's tricky, four is near impossible...

Post a photo where all your fish are on display, not blurred (reasonably visible)

Doesn't have to be perfect (my Photo isn't)

Here is a photo of all 5 fish above.

Toughest to see if the Mandarin, but here is there, is good position and focus.

If you don't have a Photo, lists are perfectly fine. That is the reason for this thread.

 

[Wally.B]

SCRATCH OFF (Fairy Wrasse) off IDEAL fish list!!

Actually SCRATCH off any MAJOR Jumping fish.

I originally had a Black Cap Basslet and he jumped out of tank since no top on tank. Found dead on floor. ($100 gone)

I installed a screen over tank to prevent any fish jumping out.

So I replace him with a Fairy Wrasse. Few weeks ago he disappeared. After much searching (since not found dead on floor, and screen in place), I found that he jumped into overflow box. (So I put grating on overflow box).

About a week ago he disappeared again. Nowhere to be found. (Looked everywhere, EVERYWHERE!!) The screen does have a opening at the feeder tube (did he target shoot his way out?). Even if he did, where is he???


So I'm taking jumping fish off ideal fish combo list.

Frustrating to have a beautiful fish and have him disappear into thin air!!