Looking for a fish I'll get to see/watch

[Jesterrace]

Midas blenny and Melanarus wrasse are my two favorite fish in my tank. I love my coral beauty but she is pretty shy. Just added a McCoskers wrasse last week and he’s been very active also.

75 is a bit small for most tangs but you should be able to get away with a yellow. Iconic fish that is always our swimming in the current. Great flash of bright yellow to catch the eye.

Mine was a complete jerk in my 90 gallon tank and Yellow Tangs are hit and miss for attitude so I don't recommend them for 4 foot long tanks. It's pushing it but a good alternative would be a One Spot Foxface. Much better temperament but they will still give that Yellow Color and activity. That's what I did in my 90 gallon and the tank has been much happier since.

 

[Rivus]

Once I got rid of the dotty back all my fish are front and center in my 45G, except the YWG. But I see him scowling from his lair more often now that the dotty back is gone.
McCosker Flasher Wrasse is always up front and first to feed
Royal Gamma is not far behind
2 Mocha clowns, goofy, of course, but in the middle of any action
Bicolor Blenny, spends some time looking out from his live rock hole, but is in the swim if anything is going on

 

[Kal93]

I have a resplendant anthias and a McCoster's flasher wrasse, both of which are very social and constantly swimming

 

[ADAM]

IME with wrasses: The Cirrhilabrus family, (flasher) tend to be more “hide-n-swim” by swimming in, out and around the rock. The Pseudocheilinus family (six line, mystery,...) seem to be open water swimmers cruising the sand bed and edges of the rock work looking for food. The Halichoeres family (yellow, green, neon from that family) seem to be primarily open water swimmers. This family has a little more risk of picking at inverts and are under most sites as fish-only species. I have a yellow and purple wrasse and mystery wrasse in my DT, my coral band shrimp comes out at feeding time and night with the yellow and purple in the tank and neither seem to care the other is there. However the smaller snail specimens seemed to have lost a few friends over time but that’s life. A tiger in the zoo typically doesn’t eat the handler until he’s missed a couple meals! With wrasses in reef tanks the overall consensus would probably be the Pseudocheilinus family. The six line is one of the most recommended fish for its “pest” eating tendencies. Many others in the family are known to eat the same pests but I believe the six line is recommended due to its availability. Every LFS I’ve ever been in normally has at least one in stock all the time.
I would second the “reef safe” angels also but would have to lean more towards the larger Genicanthus family such as Lamarcks or Bellus. The smaller dwarf angels seem to be more 50/50 on “LPS-safe”, maybe because more reefers buy these due to size? Not sure...but I hear of a lot more Flame and Coral Beauty angles picking at corals than I have heard of Bellus and Watanabei being problematic.

 

[starypotter]

Tangs and clowns always out in the open

Tell that to my clowns!;Hilarious They made their home behind my rock work and rarely if ever leave. They don't even come out to eat, just wait there for the food to come to them

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

IME with wrasses: The Cirrhilabrus family, (flasher) tend to be more “hide-n-swim” by swimming in, out and around the rock. The Pseudocheilinus family (six line, mystery,...) seem to be open water swimmers cruising the sand bed and edges of the rock work looking for food. The Halichoeres family (yellow, green, neon from that family) seem to be primarily open water swimmers. This family has a little more risk of picking at inverts and are under most sites as fish-only species. I have a yellow and purple wrasse and mystery wrasse in my DT, my coral band shrimp comes out at feeding time and night with the yellow and purple in the tank and neither seem to care the other is there. However the smaller snail specimens seemed to have lost a few friends over time but that’s life. A tiger in the zoo typically doesn’t eat the handler until he’s missed a couple meals! With wrasses in reef tanks the overall consensus would probably be the Pseudocheilinus family. The six line is one of the most recommended fish for its “pest” eating tendencies. Many others in the family are known to eat the same pests but I believe the six line is recommended due to its availability. Every LFS I’ve ever been in normally has at least one in stock all the time.
I would second the “reef safe” angels also but would have to lean more towards the larger Genicanthus family such as Lamarcks or Bellus. The smaller dwarf angels seem to be more 50/50 on “LPS-safe”, maybe because more reefers buy these due to size? Not sure...but I hear of a lot more Flame and Coral Beauty angles picking at corals than I have heard of Bellus and Watanabei being problematic.

Not to be rude but i would advise against a six line wrasse as they can get real nasty as does any pseudocheilinus species and have been known to bully other fish to the point of death especially other wrasses,

 

[Jesterrace]

Yup, 6 lines and their relatives should generally be avoided. They do not play nice with others.

 

[starypotter]

Not to be rude but i would advise against a six line wrasse as they can get real nasty as does any pseudocheilinus species and have been known to bully other fish to the point of death especially other wrasses,

Yup, 6 lines and their relatives should generally be avoided. They do not play nice with others.

Yeah, as much as I'd love the idea of a pest hunter (removed a 10 inch bristle worm yesterday when moving rocks) but I've heard too much about 6lines who are bullies to take that chance.

 

[PhreeByrd]

While Banggai Cardinals aren't a real active fish, they do tend to school if you have multiples of them. Since you have one, you could add 2 or three more of the same size and I expect they would hang out together, and this is much easier for them to do in more open areas of the tank. This schooling behavior is somewhat gender-dependant, though.

 

[starypotter]

While Banggai Cardinals aren't a real active fish, they do tend to school if you have multiples of them. Since you have one, you could add 2 or three more of the same size and I expect they would hang out together, and this is much easier for them to do in more open areas of the tank. This schooling behavior is somewhat gender-dependant, though.

Interesting, I'll read more about that. I thought I remembered originally seeing that, like damsels, you could start out with a school and end up with one so I cut out the middle man

 

[norfolkgarden]

I would put banghias on the "why bother, doesn't actually *swim* list.

Had 2. Started with 3 but ended up with a breeding pair so that was awesome.

Saw the babies from 1 cluch in his mouth once.
"Why aren't you eating?!"
"Oh wow!" "That is so cool!"

May have been 3 clutches total over 4 months.
Was pretty cool to witness that.

No fry survived. Pretty normal in a full tank. Was kind of over them already. Didn't need an additional 15 to 30. No herioc efforts to save the fry beyond adding a long spine urchin for them to hide in.
Never did see any babies swimming amongst the spines.

The adults never moved much, little or no swimming. Part of the "post up and hang" crowd.

I really hate that crowd. :-(
That needs to be a new category when describing fish!
Does it SWIM lile a yellow 'coris' wrasse or just sit there?

But they just hid further and further back as new fish went in.

Eventually disappeared 1 by 1 over a week.
Wouldn't come get some food towards the end. Wouldn't allow themselves to be caught and returned to LFS.

 

[starypotter]

I would put banghias on the "why bother, doesn't actually *swim* list.

Had 2. Started with 3 but ended up with a breeding pair so that was awesome.

Saw the babies from 1 cluch in his mouth once.
"Why aren't you eating?!"
"Oh wow!" "That is so cool!"

May have been 3 clutches total over 4 months.
Was pretty cool to witness that.

No fry survived. Pretty normal in a full tank. Was kind of over them already. Didn't need an additional 15 to 30. No herioc efforts to save the fry beyond adding a long spine urchin for them to hide in.
Never did see any babies swimming amongst the spines.

The adults never moved much, little or no swimming. Part of the "post up and hang" crowd.

I really hate that crowd. :-(
That needs to be a new category when describing fish!
Does it SWIM lile a yellow 'coris' wrasse or just sit there?

But they just hid further and further back as new fish went in.

Eventually disappeared 1 by 1 over a week.
Wouldn't come get some food towards the end. Wouldn't allow themselves to be caught and returned to LFS.

That's so sad, I'm sorry that that happened to them. My cardinal is the one I see move around the most (at least all the way from the couch) so that's really saying something I do love the way he'll just be there and start floating backwards or forwards, then move to go float in a new spot! He just moves so gracefully compared to the clowns that hide in the back.

 

[mattzang]

I would put banghias on the "why bother, doesn't actually *swim* list.

Had 2. Started with 3 but ended up with a breeding pair so that was awesome.

Saw the babies from 1 cluch in his mouth once.
"Why aren't you eating?!"
"Oh wow!" "That is so cool!"

May have been 3 clutches total over 4 months.
Was pretty cool to witness that.

No fry survived. Pretty normal in a full tank. Was kind of over them already. Didn't need an additional 15 to 30. No herioc efforts to save the fry beyond adding a long spine urchin for them to hide in.
Never did see any babies swimming amongst the spines.

The adults never moved much, little or no swimming. Part of the "post up and hang" crowd.

I really hate that crowd. :-(
That needs to be a new category when describing fish!
Does it SWIM lile a yellow 'coris' wrasse or just sit there?

But they just hid further and further back as new fish went in.

Eventually disappeared 1 by 1 over a week.
Wouldn't come get some food towards the end. Wouldn't allow themselves to be caught and returned to LFS.

yeah if i were to remove any of my fish, it'd be the bangaii as he's just so inactive. i read they're nocturnal so that explains it. i guess when i get off work at 2 am it's cool because he's out and about.. lol

in the bangaiis defense they do give you kind of a different shape, with their big fins and kind of vertical shape

 

[Biokabe]

Assessors and basslets are an often-overlooked group of fish that you could add. Royal grammas are the most popular members of this group, but far from the only ones. Chalk basslets don't photograph well, but in person they have stripes of pale blue and orange that really pop. They practically glow under actinic lighting. Assessors have interesting behaviors and look quite nice - the yellow assessor has a bright yellow body with pale green fins stripes with orange. Swissguard basslets are another nice looking basslet, just stay away from the ludicrously expensive Swales swissguard.

 

[norfolkgarden]

yeah if i were to remove any of my fish, it'd be the bangaii as he's just so inactive. i read they're nocturnal so that explains it. i guess when i get off work at 2 am it's cool because he's out and about.. lol

in the bangaiis defense they do give you kind of a different shape, with their big fins and kind of vertical shape

Yup, love the shape!

Better Half called them the "angelfish" at first.
Closest reference.

They are a 'classic' salt water tank fish.
Just wish they put more effort into survival in a crowded tank.
:-(

 

[Nem0]

it seems like y'all have royal grammas that are very active and like to be in the open. I was considering getting one and but the research i've found seems as if they hide a lot

 

[norfolkgarden]

it seems like y'all have royal grammas that are very active and like to be in the open. I was considering getting one and but the research i've found seems as if they hide a lot

They hide a lot! :-(

Depends on the emptiness of the tank.

If it is a smaller tank or nearly empty they will be out more.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Still love the smaller puffers for this..... very active/open and get along with everyone..... just get a reef-safe one.

 

[norfolkgarden]

Still love the smaller puffers for this..... very active/open and get along with everyone..... just get a reef-safe one.

Been wanting one forever!

Which are considered "reef safe"?

 

[Tiger Brown]

Good question! I love my Coral Beauty (please see avatar-Doh!) but he hides a good bit of the time, I know many other people suggested them so YMMV. I actually agree with @Reefium , I love, love (that's twice the love) my Chromis. I know , they are "just damsels" but those guys are front and center glass all day every day! Just keep swimming!