75g reef tank!

[Psychocircus91]

Yeah I've been going between tomatoes and Picasso snowflake clown, but I like those pinks. I'm gonna have to look into them.... How do ty pair with anemone?

I hear they're good with it and look quite beautiful doing so. Just remember, different clowns prefer different anemones.

 

[Psychocircus91]

Considering taking a couple small fish off my list and doing a centerpiece fish.

Options
Foxface- Nice bright yellow, but potential to eat coral
Kole Tang- good colors, actice, but can be aggressive
Blue Throat trigger- awesome fish, but could eat shrimp and gets a bit bigger.

Any thoughts?

 

[PurplePolyp]

That's going to be a personal preference. It all depends on what you want in your tank. If you plan on having corals, I would steer way clear of the fox face. Tangs can be aggressive but if you introduce more then one fish into the tank at a time, this will help. But there is still the possibility of it defending its territory. As far as the other one goes, just make sure if you want shrimp, you don't get him.

 

[Psychocircus91]

well the bluejaw trigger says 70 or 75 gallons on about 80% of the research I did. However, liveaquaria changed it from 70 to 125. My rockwork is arranged for ample swimming room but I'm not sure. They typically get 7-8" in captivity and seem slightly less active than a kole tang.

Also all other tankmates are 3" or less.

 

[PurplePolyp]

That'll will be an issue with most of these fish. I don't know about the fox face off the top of my head but tangs are also better in a 75-125 gallon tank. If they get too crowded they can stress really easily. A good rule of thumb is 3" of fish per 10 gallons of water for them to be comfortable. And this should be calculated using the size the fish will grow to be and not how big he is. It's not an exact science but a lot of research leads me to believe that a lot of people believe this 3" rule is best.

 

[Khij159753]

That's not exactly true. For instants in my experience... 2 4inch fish still produce less waste than an 8inch fish. It all depends on the kind of fish what they eat how active they are ect ect ect

 

[PurplePolyp]

It's not really a rule for controlling wastes. It's more for available space for the fish. 3 very docile fish still need space to live.

 

[Psychocircus91]

It's not really a rule for controlling wastes. It's more for available space for the fish. 3 very docile fish still need space to live.

while i agree, the fish need space to live, many docile fish don't have much territorial needs. they couldn't care less if another fish is swimming by them.

Regardless, I'm not planning on overstocking. My concern is the real swim space needed for the blue throat trigger. As mentioned, most recommend 70 or 75, but liveaquaria changed to 125. While liveaquaria is very reliable, they recently changed a lot of the dwarf angels to 70 gallon minimum, which many disagree with.

 

[Djsilentchild]

Only bad thing with tangs is the potential ich risk is higher... I was going to get a fox face but all my corals are soft corals... So I went with a lawn mower blenny... They are very picky eaters, not out if someone is close to the tank, but fun to watch from a distance... I went with the blue regal tang just as a precaution, but the guy at the lfs told me make sure to get a extra small tang if you get one. It will cut down on stress and the ich problem they have...

 

[Psychocircus91]

Only bad thing with tangs is the potential ich risk is higher... I was going to get a fox face but all my corals are soft corals... So I went with a lawn mower blenny... They are very picky eaters, not out if someone is close to the tank, but fun to watch from a distance... I went with the blue regal tang just as a precaution, but the guy at the lfs told me make sure to get a extra small tang if you get one. It will cut down on stress and the ich problem they have...

yeah, I've heard Kole's are a bit less prone to ich. They stay smaller in general as well. That was one concern with the tang though, as well as their aggression.

 

[Djsilentchild]

yeah, I've heard Kole's are a bit less prone to ich. They stay smaller in general as well. That was one concern with the tang though, as well as their aggression.

With 1 cleaner shrimp you should be alright... They help keep all the parasites off of the tangs... As long as it won't eat the shrimp you'd be in good condition... That's y you get them extra small... That way they form a bond over time... It may help and it may not... But worth the shot... My regal tang was with them when I bought it... Also to help form a bond( if getting them from your lfs) make sure to by both at the same time and put them in the same bag... Many may not recommend it but I do it with all my fish/shrimp and none mess with each other... I guess the small space in the bag helps them tolerate each other better...

 

[Qube]

I can only speak for the foxface, as I don't have the others. I love mine, most active fish that I have by far. It's a mixed reef, and I've had no problems at all. Definitely not shy, as he eats out of my hand. From time to time, he catches a glimpse of himself in the glass and completely changes color and gets irritated. Next thing you know, he sees something shiny and its back to normal. Recently, I had to add a friend's regal tang until he gets his tank back up and running, both the foxface and the tang became fast friends. Where one goes, the other goes. Lots of personality for sure, and most likely I'll have to give up the foxface when the tang goes back, as it will be heart breaking to split them up when the time comes.

 

[Psychocircus91]

I can only speak for the foxface, as I don't have the others. I love mine, most active fish that I have by far. It's a mixed reef, and I've had no problems at all. Definitely not shy, as he eats out of my hand. From time to time, he catches a glimpse of himself in the glass and completely changes color and gets irritated. Next thing you know, he sees something shiny and its back to normal. Recently, I had to add a friend's regal tang until he gets his tank back up and running, both the foxface and the tang became fast friends. Where one goes, the other goes. Lots of personality for sure, and most likely I'll have to give up the foxface when the tang goes back, as it will be heart breaking to split them up when the time comes.

Another Marylander! Thanks for the story. I hear most people that have a foxface in their reef have no problems, but I'm just concerned as this is my first reef tank and I want to minimize risks.

 

[Qube]

Another Marylander! Thanks for the story. I hear most people that have a foxface in their reef have no problems, but I'm just concerned as this is my first reef tank and I want to minimize risks.

Another Marylander indeed! Glad to see I'm not alone on here!

 

[Psychocircus91]

Another Marylander indeed! Glad to see I'm not alone on here!

There's another member on here Mr. Krabs or Mr. Crabs. He gave me some locations of "off the path" fish/coral stores.

 

[TommyP]

Nice tank so far! sorry to hear about your firefish. I had a foxface in my tank and he always hid when I was there. Had to sit back on my chair in my room and wait for him to come out. He was nice while he lasted.

 

[Psychocircus91]

Nice tank so far! sorry to hear about your firefish. I had a foxface in my tank and he always hid when I was there. Had to sit back on my chair in my room and wait for him to come out. He was nice while he lasted.

Yeah, I've heard of some very shy foxfaces and some very active ones. I think I'm just going to stick with all small bodied, peaceful fish. Thanks for looking!

 

[TommyP]

No worries. Following along to see what you get!

 

[Psychocircus91]

anyone keep cleaner shrimp with clams? I've heard they can pick at them

 

[TommyP]

I have 1 clam and 1 cleaner shrimp - They are on opposite sides of my tank but even when the shrimp wanders off his station he never goes near the clam.