Fish ideas for display and frag tank

LuizW13 · Nov 16, 2021

So, I recently upgraded to a 50g AIO spontaneously after looking through the classifieds last month. I moved my Pink Streak Wrasse and added a Royal Gramma and a Yellow Wrasse. I decided to keep the previous 25g AIO to purpose it as a frag tank, that at the moment, house a pair of Clownfish, which I eventually want to move over to the 50.

For 50 display, I'd like to add a Flame Angel at some point, hopefully I get lucky- you know what, I'm not even going to jinx it. I'd like to maybe add another Wrasse, perhaps a fairy or melanurus. Maybe I can squeeze in another dwarf angel, flameback? Chalk Basses are cool, but I'm not sure how that will work out with the Royal Gramma.

I think Blue Spot Jawfish are cool, but not sure I want to dish out the money for one. I like the idea of getting a bonded pair of Yasha Gobies and a pistol shrimp, but I think that might be an issue with Wrasses.

For the 25g 'frag' tank, I'd like to get a possum wrasse, but unsure about anything else.

What do ya'll think? Decisions, decisions.

blaxsun · Nov 16, 2021

With a 50-gallon stick with one dwarf angel (if you try to add a second it's not going to end well).

LuizW13 · Nov 16, 2021

blaxsun said:
With a 50-gallon stick with one dwarf angel (if you try to add a second it's not going to end well).

That's exactly what I expected.

shakacuz · Nov 16, 2021

if you can't justify the price tag on the blue spot jawfish, you can still get the yellow headed jawfish?

my recommendations for the frag tank is to get utilitarian fish, not so much "display" fish. get fish that work so you can ensure the wellbeing of the corals there(if your end game is to ultimately sell them)

LuizW13 · Nov 16, 2021

shakacuz said:
if you can't justify the price tag on the blue spot jawfish, you can still get the yellow headed jawfish?

my recommendations for the frag tank is to get utilitarian fish, not so much "display" fish. get fish that work so you can ensure the wellbeing of the corals there(if your end game is to ultimately sell them)

i’ll look them up and give their care requirements a read.

That’s why I’m considering a possum wrasse. They like to eat bugs, right?

shakacuz · Nov 16, 2021

LuizW13 said:
That’s why I’m considering a possum wrasse. They like to eat bugs, right?

i had a yellow banded possum wrasse. it was not captive bred and died within a month. it only ate pods. if you are getting one, make sure it eats a varied diet.

edit: one fish i will always recommend to people with smaller tanks is a court jester goby (captive bred). these are a beautiful fish (IMHO), and eat hair algae and are reported to even eat some cyano. i have one in my 40B and he is constantly working on rocks, back glass, and sand.

edit: i have witnessed him eat some bryopsis as well. could've just been because it was mixed with long GHA.

LuizW13 · Nov 16, 2021

Thanks for sharing your experience with the possum wrasse.

I had one of those gobies before. It died, i think from eating dinos.

i cant think · Nov 17, 2021

LuizW13 said:
So, I recently upgraded to a 50g AIO spontaneously after looking through the classifieds last month. I moved my Pink Streak Wrasse and added a Royal Gramma and a Yellow Wrasse. I decided to keep the previous 25g AIO to purpose it as a frag tank, that at the moment, house a pair of Clownfish, which I eventually want to move over to the 50.

For 50 display, I'd like to add a Flame Angel at some point, hopefully I get lucky- you know what, I'm not even going to jinx it. I'd like to maybe add another Wrasse, perhaps a fairy or melanurus. Maybe I can squeeze in another dwarf angel, flameback? Chalk Basses are cool, but I'm not sure how that will work out with the Royal Gramma.

I think Blue Spot Jawfish are cool, but not sure I want to dish out the money for one. I like the idea of getting a bonded pair of Yasha Gobies and a pistol shrimp, but I think that might be an issue with Wrasses.

For the 25g 'frag' tank, I'd like to get a possum wrasse, but unsure about anything else.

What do ya'll think? Decisions, decisions.

Shrimp and wrasse… oh what a topic I hate to talk about haha.
It’s so debated on will this wrasse eat this shrimp or will this invert eat this wrasse. 4” Halichoeres wrasse and shrimp will work, 6-8” halis will eat shrimp. A pistol shrimp will stay in its burrow and only care when a fish enters it.

LuizW13 said:
That’s why I’m considering a possum wrasse. They like to eat bugs, right?

Ahhh, this part to the wrasse family “Which eats this, which eats that”. Possums do not eat bugs, they only eat pods and actually, very few of these wrasse don’t take to prepared foods IME. I have had 3 (2 Tanakas and a white lined) all 3 enjoyed prepared/frozen. These hide in the shadows more and IMO are only good for display tanks and not frag tanks. The most well known small wrasse for eating bugs are:
Pink streaked wrasse (PseudocheilinOPS ataenia), and the Sixline wrasse (PseudocheilinUS hexataenia).
If you can see I have put the ending to both the genera in capitals, the reason for this is six lines are aggressive in small tanks and shouldn’t be mixed with fish other than aggressive ones (Even more so when it comes to other wrasse) and pink streaks are the opposite IME.

nereefpat · Nov 17, 2021

Keep in mind the temperature requirements for the blue spot jawfish are lower than we keep our reefs.

LuizW13 · Nov 17, 2021

i cant think said:
Shrimp and wrasse… oh what a topic I hate to talk about haha.
It’s so debated on will this wrasse eat this shrimp or will this invert eat this wrasse. 4” Halichoeres wrasse and shrimp will work, 6-8” halis will eat shrimp. A pistol shrimp will stay in its burrow and only care when a fish enters it.

Ahhh, this part to the wrasse family “Which eats this, which eats that”. Possums do not eat bugs, they only eat pods and actually, very few of these wrasse don’t take to prepared foods IME. I have had 3 (2 Tanakas and a white lined) all 3 enjoyed prepared/frozen. These hide in the shadows more and IMO are only good for display tanks and not frag tanks. The most well known small wrasse for eating bugs are:
Pink streaked wrasse (PseudocheilinOPS ataenia), and the Sixline wrasse (PseudocheilinUS hexataenia).
If you can see I have put the ending to both the genera in capitals, the reason for this is six lines are aggressive in small tanks and shouldn’t be mixed with fish other than aggressive ones (Even more so when it comes to other wrasse) and pink streaks are the opposite IME.

Thanks for the insight. I probably don’t really have the option for any typical utilitarian frag tank fish given the size of that system.