New fish time. Any ideas?

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I have a 58 gallon reef.

I have 2 false percs, 1 6-line wrasse and a algae blennie.

I would like to add one or 2 more fish.

Something like a show piece fish. Bright colors and swims allot adn doesn't hide.

I love purple tangs but my tank is a little small for them.

Any ideas?

[MiddletonMark]

How about a cool fairy wrasse or a pair?

I also very much love my Midas Blenny ... awesome coloration, always out in the water column, a lot of personality.

Not a perfect pic for color ... but you get the idea [but more vivid ... sorta golden-peach colored]
http://www.thereeftank.com/photopost...t=7&thecat=500

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Can you have 2 different wrasses in the same tank?

[MiddletonMark]

Good question ... not sure with a 6-line.

I don't they compete for food ... but I've always heard that 6-lines may not be the nicest of all wrasses [at least to other wrasses]. I skipped one, so I could be sure to be able to house Fairy wrasses ... have a female Carpenter's in my 58 as of Monday ... got the male and he's in QT

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But I'd still highly, highly recommend a Midas Blenny. Not as shy [IME] as most other blennies ... swims in the open water a lot more than other blennies. Never mind prettier.

[alaskaknucklehead]

Been drooling over an Anthais, when kept in groups I guess they need a 125gal or more but what if you add just one? I dont have any but think they are AWESOME, mabye someone else has more info?

[salt creepette]

what kinda corals do you have? if you dont have to worry about corals and inverts, a threadfin butterflyfish would be good. also with the same considerations about corals and inverts, the yellow longnose butterflyfish (forcipiger flavissimus). (however the last two fish I mentioned have minimum tank sizes listed at 75g, so maybe best to go with the pygmy angels such as flame or lemonpeel). other than that, i second the above recommendations.

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I have SPS, LPS and a clam.

[icebear]

"perches" are cool... i have a pair that were sold to me as some sort of blenny, but were not in fact blennies. They turned out to be what i think i have correctly ID'd as Parapercis (spell it right?) snyderi..... very peaceful except to eachother but with plenty of places to hide they leave eachother alone- unless of course one takes a ride through the overflow and winds up in the fuge....and that one that is now in the fuge will go into the 5 gallon nano i have brainwashed myself into putting together... but as i said before, interesting, don't hide, don't eat anything reefy...but i was told they can get rather large, exactly how large i can't recall. Mine right now are about 'blenny size' They are in the Burgess Marine Atlas if you have one for reference.

[Electrobes]

man I am in the same shoes you are icebear! I have a 45 gallon reef, with a 29G refugium (spaghetti, culerpa). I just installed a protein skimmer and in about two weeks will get a much better overflow. I am scared to put in another fish because my domino damsel died recently and not a single factor could be found. My algae blenny is fat and happy as ever, and the water checks panned out well... one person suggested the lights turning on may have spooked him.. but who knows? Anyway All I have is an algae blenny and am now looking for some fish... any ideas? I, like you am also looking for free swimming and colorful.

[icebear]

here's a pic of one of them.... they are really quite interesting, but i have no idea where you could get one...but they do match all the criteria...



the burgess book says they are Indo-West pacific, will eat mudbugs (pods) and small live things [mine devour flakes] they can endure bright light but need rocks to hide under, says they hang out near the bottom [but mine will perch on any piece of rock regardless of its height- but they don't do a lot of free swimming- they kinda hop around] says 26°C, sg 1.022, 10 cm and 100L

i can't decipher L and cm in my head and will have to look up the celcius equivalent to farenheit.. the book also says they are not for beginners, which is odd cause both of mine are thriving.

[Electrobes]

almost looks like a flame hawk or something. yeah I was thinking of something more free swimming as the algae takes the spot light for perchin then swimming getting algae and stuff. Argh I am thinking maybe clowns (but they are almost too common) or maybe a minor school of fire fish

[icebear]

Yes, very much like a hawkfish, but the dorsal line is not nearly as arched. the hawkfish are more pumpkinseed shaped, these guys are tubular.

[MiddletonMark]

Maybe something like a Chalk bass or one of those guys?

Though they seem reclusive. I hate to say, beyond a fairy wrasse [which might be harassed by one http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/hcs3/index.htm] or a midas blenny - I don't know that many fish that are reef-safe and out all the time

[Alice]

Fire Fish are an excellent choice you could keep them in a group of three or four, though there's always the jumping factor.

With clams and LPS, I don't think I'd try a dwarf angel, though I did keep a C. argi (pygamy or cherub angel) in with my softies and LPS for years with no problems. She was always out and about but no guarantees there.

No shrimp? A hawkfish might be a good choice. They don't swim much but are bright colored (most of them) and they are always visible perching on the rocks.

Six-lines can be a little aggressive and their territory tends to extend to the whole tank so a pair of fairly wrasses might be stressed by the six-line. Fairy wrasses need peaceful tanks.

Clownfish might seem common as we see them all the time but I've always enjoyed mine.

[alaskaknucklehead]

Icebear, hes soooooo cute! Id say your a bit past the "beginer" stage, the fact that your always here askin questions and helping others.....

Rob, how bout a group of reef chromis?