Great Swimming Fish: Who does it best?

[Pelagikos]

My Flame Anthias is a beautiful spaz. I adore watching her! She moves like a reef shark.

 

[jfoahs04]

Wrasse for me. They're really impressive movers. Honorable mention to clowns which certainly earn their names.

 

[Pelagikos]

They're so silly!

 

[Jubei2006]

Bangaii cardinal. Friggen creeper. Never moves but somehow always appears right in front of you. Even in a 7x4 foot tank.

 

[i cant think]

I picked gobies and wrasses. For the simple reason:
Have you seen how much each species will vary?!
In specific I own these guys:
Wrasses:
Pseudocheilinops ataenia (NOT to be confused with Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)
Macropharyngodon bipartitus
Cirrhilabrus naokoae
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (Both variants)
Cirrhilabrus melanomargiantus
Halichoeres iridis
Halichoeres chloropterus

Gobies:
Discordipinna griessingeri
Koumansetta hectori
Stonogobiops yasha
Gobiodon acicularis

What ones would I say my favourites are in terms of colour and swimming? For the wrasses it’s my Naokoae, absolutely beautiful colours AND they have the Elongated pelvic fins most in the rubriventralis complex have.

As for the gobies, it’s got to be my griessingeri. The difference is they don’t necessarily swim. They instead pull themselves along the sand bed with their pectoral fins. Their body shape is like nothing seen in other gobies though.
A close second has to be my Koumansetta hectori though. He is a great swimmer as he swims more in terms of gobies but less in terms of the wrasses and tangs/rabbits.

 

[i cant think]

I picked gobies and wrasses. For the simple reason:
Have you seen how much each species will vary?!
In specific I own these guys:
Wrasses:
Pseudocheilinops ataenia (NOT to be confused with Pseudocheilinus hexataenia)
Macropharyngodon bipartitus
Cirrhilabrus naokoae
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (Both variants)
Cirrhilabrus melanomargiantus
Halichoeres iridis
Halichoeres chloropterus

Gobies:
Discordipinna griessingeri
Koumansetta hectori
Stonogobiops yasha
Gobiodon acicularis

What ones would I say my favourites are in terms of colour and swimming? For the wrasses it’s my Naokoae, absolutely beautiful colours AND they have the Elongated pelvic fins most in the rubriventralis complex have.

As for the gobies, it’s got to be my griessingeri. The difference is they don’t necessarily swim. They instead pull themselves along the sand bed with their pectoral fins. Their body shape is like nothing seen in other gobies though.
A close second has to be my Koumansetta hectori though. He is a great swimmer as he swims more in terms of gobies but less in terms of the wrasses and tangs/rabbits.

Also, nothing beats the yellow in the naoko! Not even a yellow tang can beat it.

 

[J.D.]

This guy swims around all puffed up and flashing at everything...

 

[MaxTremors]

Definitely voted for tangs and wrasses....both can move quickly and decisively without being affected by strong currents....both are always on the move

Exactly what I was going to say (and the two I voted for).

 

[Tankkeepers]

Nothing ome compares to a 6 line wrasse

 

[blaxsun]

I'm going to have to go with a fish that's not on the list: chromis. Always swimming, schooling and moving about. I would've choosen dartfish but since they spend more time in the air than in the water...

 

[Viking_Reefing]

My all time favorite would be achilles tangs!

 

[cconnolly]

You missed the most fun fish to watch swim, Assessors!

They swim upside down, backwards and in loops. Plus they will just hang upside down or at creative angles when they are just hanging out

 

[Toob]

Sad there's not more love for clowns! Sure they are not the "best" swimmers, but I love their goofy, playful wiggle and how they snuggle up into their nems. Love to watch my clowns.

 

[hqn77]

One more vote for wrasses. Especially my red and yellow coris wrasses. Love it watch it swimming over rocks looking for pests and turning over shells on the sandbed. Fascinating behavior.

 

[kiran]

Kind of a weird answer but I love watching my tailspot blenny swim around. I have a few different fishes like a powder blue, orange back fair wrasse, some designer clowns and even a blue mandarin, but my tailspot is my boy and whenever I see him out and about I always hype him up lol. I named him pedro.

I like to call him my "regulator" lol. I used to have 2 clowns that would fight all the time and when I added him everyone seemed to calm down.

Watching him dart from rock to rock or just hanging out in the middle of the water staring at nothing always gives me a laugh.

I'm pretty sure even if I got my dream fish, my blenny will always be my #1 homie.

 

[nereefpat]

I voted for angels and butterflies. They are the most graceful and beautiful swimmers, as their names suggest. They aren't as popular for smaller tanks or for reefs, for obvious reasons.

 

[mikeytrw]

My Mandarin doesn't swim, she elegantly floats. The most graceful movement I've seen. The fact that she can swim basically upside down as she follows the rock face is just...cool.

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

I voted for tangs and wrasses, but I feel that there should be an option for parrotfish.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Clownfish for me. A happy clown is like a little puppy dog!

Jay

 

[EugeneVan]

though my tang and foxface swim well, my best swimmers are my chromis. They are in constant movement from dawn to dusk. My tang and foxface, take breaks in their corner during the day. I did not have the possibilities to vote for them on your lists.

+1. My school of chromis love the very strong current coming out from the powerheads.