Page 1 of 1

safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2022 12:09 pm
by olivena
I've got a 45g tank with a blenny, 2 perc clowns, a royal gramma and a damsel, but I'm itching to add something a bit bigger. Problem is, most of the options I've looked at are either not reef safe or just too big for my tank. Had a bad experience before with a fish that wasn't supposed to be aggressive, had to take the whole tank apart to get it out, so I'm not looking for any maybes this time. Can anyone suggest something that's definitely safe and suitable for my tank size?

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2022 2:11 pm
by fleeton
I've had fairy wrasses before and they were great, but I'm not sure if they'd be a good fit for your tank. I've also looked into flasher wrasses, but they can be quite aggressive and might not be reef safe.

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:28 pm
by olivena
Fairy and Flasher wrasses are great suggestions, thanks for those. Trouble is, they're pretty hard to find in my area, but I'll keep searching.

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:16 pm
by axonify
For me, reef safe is stuff like corals, inverts, and the CUC, you know, the usual crew.

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 1:50 am
by trailblazer
How about a maroon clown - they're pretty cool. Or some anthias, they're a nice size and could work well in a 45g tank like yours.

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:37 am
by axonify
I've got a belnny already, but I suppose another blenny could work, just need to pick one that's reef safe and not too big for my tank, what type of blenny would you suggest, I've had issues with bigger fish before and don't want to go down that road again

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:17 am
by olivena
axonify wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:16 pm For me, reef safe is stuff like corals, inverts, and the CUC, you know, the usual crew.
My current setup is pretty established, I've got a solid CUC with fire shrimps, cleaner shrimps, a large blue leg hermit, sand sifting stars, a sally lightfoot crab, cerith snails, and turbos.

Fish-wise, I've got a pair of perc clowns, a royal gramma, humbug damsels, and a true bi colour blenny.

For coral, I've got a kenya bush, zoa colonies, mushrooms - blue and green, a couple of coflakes - pussey and leather finger, metallic xenia, a trumpet, a derasa clam, a brain, and a long tentacle plate.

Other than that, I've also got tube worms and 15kg of live rock.

By reef safe, I mean something that can coexist with all these without causing any issues.

Re: safe larger fish for the reef

Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 11:47 am
by axonify
You might consider adding another blenny, I've got a midas blenny that's out a lot. Hawkfish could be another option, I've got a pair of flame hawkfish and they've left my CUC alone, including my skunk cleaner shrimp. They're always visible and the bright colour makes them hard to miss.