What is your favorite fish?

michael_cb_125

michael_cb_125

Well-Known Member
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~Michael
 
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ishharris

Has been struck by the ban stick
Can't be any worse than Damsels as far as bullies. They are gorgeous fish but mean as crap. I love the look of the gold striped maroon clowns. I want a pair, but they are kinda expensive at my LFS.
 
PIMPALA

PIMPALA

Well-Known Member
oh, and my maroon is the star of my 46G. when she isnt in her RBTA, she swims with the flame angel, or Carlos the lawnmower blenny. Always friendly... even when other fish come around the RBTA, which I heard is rare.
 
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ishharris

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Michael: What is the fish in the pictures you posted?
Does anyone have an opinion on Dwarf Lion Fish? I really like the looks of them and am considering getting one of them as well.
 
seafansar

seafansar

Well-Known Member
Be careful with a lion fish, even a dwarf one, cause it will really restrict what else you can add to the tank. I've seen a picture of one who ate a fully grown purple firefish!

I really like carberryi anthias. And marine bettas are really cool, but they also will eat small figh like neon gobies and firefish.
 
EricTheRed

EricTheRed

Member
My fav is my male Tongan Lyretail Antheas. However, he's too big for a 55G. My 2nd fav is my Purple Firefish. Here's a stock photo I found online....

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Paragon

Member
I think the Mandrin and the Flame Angel get my vote. I built my new system essentially because I was so impressed by Flame Angels I saw several years ago. The irony being now I have a reef tank, and I am reluctant to get one after hearing very mixed reviews on how reef safe this fish are.

Great fun thread.

Para:yup:
 
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KillerReef

Member
Wow, really surprised nobody mentioned any wrasses. My Melanurus is awesome.
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A close second would be my Orchid Dottyback. Supposed semi-aggressive, but by far my most passive.
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ishharris

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Yea, I really like the purple fire fish as well as all the different wrasse. I know what you mean about that one big fish. I think s lion fish is kind of a ONE DAY I WILL HAVE ONE OF THESE fish. lol What would you recommend as your base fish for a tank? I really like butterflies and clowns as a main point in my tank.
 
EricTheRed

EricTheRed

Member
ishharris said:
Yea, I really like the purple fire fish as well as all the different wrasse. I know what you mean about that one big fish. I think s lion fish is kind of a ONE DAY I WILL HAVE ONE OF THESE fish. lol What would you recommend as your base fish for a tank? I really like butterflies and clowns as a main point in my tank.
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That can be a tricky question. It really depends on what direction you want to take your tank. If you're leaning towards a fish-only tank, then your options really open up. If you're planning on having inverts, then the gene pool just shrank. For example, you can have some wrasse fish, but not all. There are many wrasse fish that are docile and reef safe. There are 2 popular types of wrasses that would work in your tank, Flasher and Fairy. With a tank your size, you could probably have 1 of each, but I would avoid 2 Flashers or 2 Faries. There are numerous varieties of each. Then of course there is the popular 6-Line wrasse. These attractive little guys "can" be great additions. However, do NOT make it one of your first fish, make it your last. These little guys can get very aggressive over their territory, especially if they were first-in. (I made this mistake and actually had to trap the guy and trade him back to the store after he terrorized every new fish I introduced after him, even killed a few :tears: .) There are other wrasse fish that are not reef safe, aggressive and grow large, such as a Lunar Wrasse. (I had a Lunar in my FOWLR and, believe it or not, he attacked and killed a similar sized Queen Angel.)

I think someone already mentioned that you should really check out Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums to look at their fishes. They will tell you how big they grow, what size tank to keep them in and a lot of general info (especially tempermant) that will help you pick the right guys. Personally, I research all of my fishes with them.

I'm no expert on Clowns, but if you have your heart set on a Maroon or Tomatoe, do your homework. I have not owned any, but learned that they are the most aggressive types and generally do not play well with others. Also, generally speaking, my LFS guy said that you shouldn't really mix different varieties of Clowns. There are certainly lots of folks on RS that can better elaborate on Clowns better than I.

As far as Butterflies go, the Copperband is the only reef-safe one I'm aware of. They can be very finicky eaters and don't have a great rate of survival compared others. In fact most folks I know only recommend them if you have an aptasia problem. Butterflies are nice peaceful fish, some will need tanks larger than yours while some will not.

To answer your original question, (about the base fish to start with), I would say that you take the time in the beginning and create a wishlist of ALL the fish you envision having. Then rank the fish in order of importance and decide which ones will be compatable. You may find this a daunting task once you realize that you can't have everything you want. Then determine which ones you will add first and last. Otherwise you will run into a scenario where you may not be able to put your "must-haves" in the tank because you already put something in there that is not compatable. As an example, I really like wrasse fish. When I first started stocking my reef tank, I put in a Royal Gramma, only to find out later that I shouldn't add a Fairy Wrasse with a Gramma. (Ultimately, my evil 6-Line wrasse killed the Gramma and I was then able to add a Red-Head Wrasse.) Taking it a step further, the 6-Line should not have been the 2nd fish I added. I couldn't add any other fish after him (unless they were larger) without him terrorizing or killing them. (I built a trap out of a 1-Liter plastic bottle and trapped him!)

If you like Firefish, you could start with one of them. If you want a dwarf angel, make it one of the last, etc.

As a general rule, try to put the most peaceful fishes in first and the most aggressive last.
 
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ishharris

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Thanks for the advise Eric. Yea, as far as clowns go, I know some can be aggressive. I try to do a lot of research before I buy. My LFS actually has about 4 different kinds of clowns in one 30 gallon aquarium that are very peaceful, surprisingly enough. Wrasse aren't bad, but I don't know that I would want them as a basis for my tank, or probably even in my tank at all. They just aren't the most appealing to me. I know for sure I want a clown pair, I just have to decide what type. The tank will be a FOWLR, except for the anemone for the clowns, but I'd love to be able to include snails and crabs, maybe an urchin and stars as well, oh and shrimp too. It's one of those tanks that will take a lot of trial and error and research I have a feeling. My current 30 gallon tank for example breaks ALL the rules, but is working out perfectly. Just sometimes weird stuff happens and you get what you'd never expect.
 
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