Matt LeBaron May 10, 2015 May 10, 2015 So I recently bought a 29G biocube that my seahorses and firefish got moved into freeing up space in my 90G. In the past I was limited in my choices for tank mates due to the seahorses but now that they are gone my only limitation now is something that won't chow down on my SPS. Right now I have a pair of gobies, 3 pajama cardinals, one dot dash Cardinal, and a single Chromis. So I am looking for some good center piece fish that will be happy and healthy in my 90G. I've looked around a bit and considered maybe a carpenter wrasse but I was wondering about other people's favorites that may fit the bill for my tank. Any ideas?
YHSublime May 10, 2015 May 10, 2015 One of my favorite fish is a Melanarus (hoevens) Wrasse. I think they are really nice looking, and also very active. You'll want a lid with any wrasse. I'm just keeping platinum clowns and a yellow tang for algae, I find that less is more when it comes to taking care of the tank.
Coral Hind May 10, 2015 May 10, 2015 I love wrasses but I would caution on adding a Melanarus if you have snails, hermits, and shrimp. Besides the carpenter wrasse mentioned I would also recommend the C. solorensis, C. lubbocki, and C. cyanopleura as they are all peaceful, active, and I find them hardier then the P. carpenteri. A Foxface if on the smaller side starting out would be good. They help control algae and are very peaceful community fish. A male Squareback Anthias, P. pleurotaenia, would make a nice center piece.
YHSublime May 10, 2015 May 10, 2015 I love wrasses but I would caution on adding a Melanarus if you have snails, hermits, and shrimp. I thought about adding that, but in my experience (albeit limited) it occasionally went after snails, but never even thought about my two cleaner shrimp, well, at least that I saw! Usually it was dive bombing bristle worms. I agree, a Squareback Anthias would be very nice as well!
Matt LeBaron May 11, 2015 Author May 11, 2015 Good suggestions, I hadn't considered a foxface since I assumed they would need a larger tank but it appears that a One Spot Foxface (Siganus unimaculatus) may work as it is a bit smaller. I have small hermits but wouldn't be heart broken if a few got eaten, so a melanarus may be a possibility. Thanks folks, keep the suggestions coming if there are any that have not been mentioned yet.
wangspeed May 11, 2015 May 11, 2015 Love my red velvet fairy wrasse. He's a beautiful color and has the most personality. Plus he flares a few times a day and his colors change and he gets purple stripes when this occurs. Yellow tang would get a lot of attention too, though I just got rid of mine due to aggression against a copperband. -- Warren
wildcrazyjoker81 May 11, 2015 May 11, 2015 Not sure if you are into angels at all, but I have always love the actual reef safe ones. I have owned the Swallowtail angels for many years and never had one touch a single coral. Here is part of an article on them: The Genicanthus angelfish are as close to reef-safe as it gets. They are all mid-water planktivores and rarely pick at benthic invertebrates. I've kept G. bellus, G. melanospilos, G. watanabei, and G. semifasciatus. I've had G. bellus for many years and it's my favorite in this genus. Not only has it proven to be completely reef-safe, it is a tough fish that does very well in captivity. Similar to all the Genicanthus angels, it must be fed multiple times per day in order to thrive. In this requirement, they're similar to Anthias.
Matt LeBaron May 11, 2015 Author May 11, 2015 Leaning towards a wrasse right now just because of the size of my tank. I would love a foxface or yellow tang but my tank at 90G is right on the edge for keeping those fish and I'd be a bit concerned about their long term health. I'm going to do some more research and reading on that though. God forbid the Tang police show up at my door. Assuming I believe I can keep them happy and healthy the choice may fall to my daughter and wife though. As for an Angel fish, I think they require a larger tank than my 90G don't they? Kind of fun to be doing research on fish again after so many years with the seahorses limiting my choices.
Bruleyii May 11, 2015 May 11, 2015 Im in the same boat right now. So I will be eyeballing this thread.
Reefer_Madness May 28, 2015 May 28, 2015 (edited) White Tail Bristletooth Tang. That's my suggestion. Mine is BFF with my One Spot Foxface. A great pair. Edited May 28, 2015 by Reefer_Madness
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