what "show" fish can i use to finsish my stock

[mr funktastic]

i am in the process of trying to choose my final stock of my 30 gal reef. i currently have:

1 yellow clown goby
1 royal gramma
1 true perc clown
a few snails and hermit crabs.


i need to choose a fish to finish off my tank. i think i would like to get another very small clown so my clown has someone to pair with. but i am unsure if this will work. i figure i would need to find a tiny 1/2" clown to put with his to make sure it sex's properly. but i would love to have some kind of "show" fish. i was looking at some dwarf angels but none seem to be reef safe. i would like something that will be visible most of the time or an active swimmer. i know i am limited by my size. but just looking for some suggestions. here is my tank for reference. its only 2 months old. i recently upgraded it from a 15 gal.

 

[Ericwm]

I have a coral beauty that hasn't touched my corals yet. People say they are hit or miss but mine is great. He is always swimming around my tank and is very good looking IMO. They might stick close to the rock though, in my tank that is the whole tank pretty much. I like your rock scape a lot, I may try something like that on my upgrade, but I don't know if it would lead to a free swimming coral beauty or not.

 

[Daniel Fishy]

Fairy wrasses are nice or possum wrasse.

 

[mr funktastic]

I love the coral beauties. I would be very satisfied with one in my tank but I do worry about the corals being nipped at. Anyone else have any personal experience with them in a reef?

 

[Lucasb625]

Maybe some kind of tang?

 

[CleverBs]

fire Flame angel is reef safe. But so is my Koran angel lol. But hes still young at about 5"

Also dont worry about the Clown fish yours is still young and they will figure out who will be female. If it hasnt been alone for awhile its probably still a male. Just get a clown thats much larger

 

[Mr. Crabs]

Nice aquascaping there. At first glance, I said "Wow, looks much bigger than a 30 gallon tank". If you can get that response from someone looking at the photo, you did a real good job on your arrangement.

As far as a final fish to add, I would steer clear of dwarf angels. I know it is tempting, but you have a heavy emphasis on your tank being reef. With the small amount of space, picking on your corals will be very likely and I'm not sure if you are willing to make it worth the risk.

A sunburst anthias would be a nice addition. Or a fairy wrass of some sort.

 

[Vettitude]

Had a coral beauty in my old tank. Never touched a thing.
Have a flame angel in my current tank. Never touched a thing. He is a great addition. Fantastic color and a lot of activity.
Let us know what you chose!

 

[AbsoluteFaye]

My coral beauty is out all the time swimming all over, never hides or gets spooked and never touches my corals. I have zoas, mushrooms, a bunch if different LPS, etc. She's great!

 

[melosu58]

I had a coral beauty and a flame angel and they were model citizens for 4 yrs. But then one day they both went haywire and started eating my corals. They just about wrecked my reef as a matter of fact I had to tear it apart to get them out. Just because your angel is not munching on corals does not mean it will always be like that.

 

[mr funktastic]

ugh i love them so much. its almost worth the chance. how about the flame angel? any less likely to eat corals? i have heard they are more agressive though.

 

[AbsoluteFaye]

Well if/when she does, she's gone. But she's great now so ill enjoy it.

 

[OctoRob]

Awesome tank I will go with a orange tang but I think they will eat your corals. Tangs are my favorite I'm a mobile so probably a dumb question but what's that box in the top?

 

[Sniperhank]

I have a coral beauty in my 55 reef, but I wouldn't put one in anything less than a 50. They can live happily in less, yes, but dwarf angels spend their days swimming around nipping at algae all day long and would increase the likelihood of getting a taste for corals once it consumed the algae. Would just consume algae faster than it could grow.

What kind of fish are you thinking about? An active swimmer or one that hangs around in one spot? My suggestion would be my favorite fish in my reef tank, Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Aquariums: Tank Bred Indigo Dottyback, Pseudochromis sankeyi x fridmani

 

[mr funktastic]

Its the overflow box for the sump. The tank is not drilled so its what I had to use.

 

[OctoRob]

What is that used for lol I am not sure what that means.

 

[OctoRob]

Okay I figured I tout I think lol

 

[mr funktastic]

water flows into that box. a tube then sucks it out into a larger box behind the tank. that box has a large drain fitting in it that drains down into a sump located below the tank. google aquarium sump to understand better

 

[Ericwm]

My coral beauty is out all the time swimming all over, never hides or gets spooked and never touches my corals. I have zoas, mushrooms, a bunch if different LPS, etc. She's great!

This is a little off topic but I think it is interesting how much the appearance can vary in one species. This is what my little guy looks like.



They are tough to get a good picture of.

 

[AbsoluteFaye]

You didn't attach a pic! Lol