Peaceful fish
- Thread starter sage2000
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blaxsun
10K Club member
Fish as in different types or fish as in the same type? All fish have the potential to be peaceful depending on a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to: water parameters, lighting, aquascaping, available hiding places in rocks, feeding and last but not least - any inherent intolerance towards their own, similar or different species.
I have 36 fish in my 160-gallon tank, and while they get along peacefully for the most part there's sometimes a bit of jostling for territory.
I have 36 fish in my 160-gallon tank, and while they get along peacefully for the most part there's sometimes a bit of jostling for territory.
davidcalgary29
2500 Club Member
And all fish have the potential to be aggressive, especially if they're competing for the same territory or food source.
I would never stock clown fish myself, as I've seen multiple owners being bitten when putting their hands in the tank. Yes, it's a good reminder to wear gloves, but that's not the "welcome" that I look for in my inhabitants. Many clowns are also hostile to other tank inhabitants as they age.
What type of community are you seeking? What does your aquascape look like? And do you want different fish species, or just a harem of one? Thinking about all this will help you determine what, and how many, fish you can have.
And I'm going to say it first: forget about tangs, and avoid the larger angels, too. Your tank really isn't big enough for them.
Miami Reef
10K Club Member
Flasher/fairy wrasses, gobies, blennies, chromis damsels, bristle tooth tang, ocellaris clownfish, hawkfish, foxface etc.
Fishfreak2009
Follow Your Passions!
I like smaller fish for a 75 gallon. Fairy and flasher wrasses, clowns, tilefish, gobies, blennies, dartfish, chromis, less aggressive damsels, cardinals, etc. Feel free to check out my build thread for my 75 gallon for ideas. I tend to stock my tanks heavier than most, but it works for my system.
Personally I wouldn't put any tang (even the bristletooths) or rabbitfish/foxface in a 75 gallon, I don't feel like it's enough swimming space for them to be happy. A lot of people would disagree with me though and have very successful tanks.
Personally I wouldn't put any tang (even the bristletooths) or rabbitfish/foxface in a 75 gallon, I don't feel like it's enough swimming space for them to be happy. A lot of people would disagree with me though and have very successful tanks.
vetteguy53081
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each fish has their own personality and the known peaceful cannot be assured as such. 6 line wrasse terrorizes many reefers while mine is super docile as an example.
Here is a chart below for reference:
mcgallagherc
Active Member
I'm very new to all this but have a 120g tank. I first added 2 orange storm clown followed by a small foxface. Then added a midas Blenny and Benghai Cardinal and latest was an exquisite fire fish. Also have a rose anenome, hammer coral, torch coral and small mushroom. They all get along very well other than when a clown gets close to midas Blennys hole in rock and he will dart out at them to get them away. Again, very new at this but hope it helps.
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sage2000
Community Member
This is my current aquascape, I want to add a few more rocks possibly and make another cave or two. Im looking for a mixed reef with all types of fish. Any suggestions would be great!
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Fishfreak2009
Follow Your Passions!
Black cap basslets and helfrichi firefish are awesome if you don't mind dropping a little extra cash. I have a black cap and a pair of helfrichi in quarantine waiting for my 65 gallon to be set up.
cdw79
Well-Known Member
@sage2000 They occupy very different areas of the tank so I would say so. My Midas blenny left my shrimp goby alone, but it was a jerk to my Assessor and apparently can be to firefish (which it seems like you're interested in) so keep that in mind. I had to remove mine from my 65 display
Fishfreak2009
Follow Your Passions!
I'd skip the midas blenny. Most of them end up being jerks in my opinion. If you like that look, get one of the yellow canary fang blennies. Much more peaceful, same body style, and half the size full grown. Also zero risk of nipping corals, unlike a lot of other blennies. Just don't grab it bare handed, as they have a venomous bite and it hurts.
cdw79
Well-Known Member
The best thing you can do, imo, is take a solid few evenings and either page through one of Scott W Michaels' fantastic encyclopedias or go on one of those mega fish retailers' websites and just see what all there is to see. Then start to learn about the genus' needs (ie tangs need lots of space, damsels are hardy but can be demons, anthias are beautiful but need lots of feedings, etc).
You'll start to get a baseline understanding of the different kinds of fish you'll then see in your LFS, which gives you a great base of knowledge to start preparing a stock list yourself. I can't stress how important I find these, personally. It helps you limit any impulse purchases (not something you want to do with fish especially!) and if you post it here the experienced members here can point out any red flags before you spend the money and have a problem on your hands. You can also ask for suggestions, which I've found helpful.
It's important to know, too, that choosing a fish now might preclude you from getting another fish or invert you actually really like later, so a plan always helps. The more you know, the better you can plan your stock list, the more you'll enjoy your tank and all its characters inside. Best of luck!
You'll start to get a baseline understanding of the different kinds of fish you'll then see in your LFS, which gives you a great base of knowledge to start preparing a stock list yourself. I can't stress how important I find these, personally. It helps you limit any impulse purchases (not something you want to do with fish especially!) and if you post it here the experienced members here can point out any red flags before you spend the money and have a problem on your hands. You can also ask for suggestions, which I've found helpful.
It's important to know, too, that choosing a fish now might preclude you from getting another fish or invert you actually really like later, so a plan always helps. The more you know, the better you can plan your stock list, the more you'll enjoy your tank and all its characters inside. Best of luck!
Fishfreak2009
Follow Your Passions!
One of the best web resources by far is Wetwebmedia.com as far as fish compatability. If you prefer a hardcover book, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, by Bob Fenner is an awesome book, that I practically memorized during my childhood. He also created wetwebmedia.
