Topic of the Week September 18 - Reef Safe Fish Selection

[billyr98]

Well this topic should be a hit... Since there probably is no true reef safe fish...
And what is your definition of Reef Safe? Does it mean it doesn't pick on corals? Or inverts? or Both? Its a tough one... I know fish that you can add but other fish would be affected (aka Clown Trigger) so is it reef safe and not fish safe...

Spread your ideas and let us know what fish you have had successfully had in your reef tanks!

My fish list is:

Anthias
Chrysurus Angel
Harlequin Tusk- Australian
Blue Hippo Tang
Purple Tang
Yellow Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Flame Angel
Coral Beauty Angel
Mandarin
Flame Hawk
BiColor Pseudo
Fairy Wrasse
Snowflake Eel


No problems with those fish touching any of my corals..
but it doesn't mean you will have the same luck.. Fish are weird!

Good Luck with your fish selections (its a tough one)

[Frankie]

I see you have a flame angel on that list. Mine was picking on the monti cap and decimated the acro. I fed him to my cat. JK.
I re-populated my tank with aggresive fish. So far i have:

majestic angel
black hawiian trigger
powderblue tang
red lionfish

Im being very picky about the fish im adding at this point and plan on an aggresive sps tank.

[Woodstock]

Reef-safe to me means "non-coral/anemone eater". I agree with Billy that just because one fish eats/nips doesn't mean the next will. They can have very different eating habits.

I have had the following to nip/eat corals despite my frequent varied feeding menu!...
powderblue tang - ate frog spawn
regal tang - ate xenia and frog spawn
copperband butterfly - ate candy cane and other LPS
black saddleback clowns - killed a carpet anemone by being too rough

Successful fishes have been:
lyretail anthias
chromis
blue damsel
powderblue tang
yellow tang
yellow gobie
diamond gobie
citron gobie
scissortail gobie
ocellaris clowns
percula clowns
goldstriped maroon clowns
lionfish
sixline wrasse
cleaner wrasse

[Witfull]

Reef-safe*

What does "Reef-Safe" mean

[Charlie97L]

what about shrimp? i know i love my shrimp, and adding anything that might eat them can be problematic.

i've had

chromis
clarkii clown
yellow tang
sixline wrasse (eyed my shrimp)
fairy ruby wrasse
bangaii cardinal
scooter blenny
purple firefish

i think, you're pretty safe with damsels, gobies, blennys, dragonettes, anthias, fairy wrasses...

pseudos are not shrimp safe, if i remember, and it's hit or miss with angels, butterflys and sometimes tangs (i'm hearing more and more of those are eating coral... huh.)

[cheeks69]

Reefsafe to me means safe for sessile and motile inverts. The fish that i've had that were totally reefsafe that I can remember:

Amphiprion Perculas
Amphiprion ocellaris
Zebrasoma flavescens
Paracanthurus hepatus
Zebrasoma xanthurum
Pseudanthias squampinnis
Pseudanthias pleurotaenia
Pseudanthias randalli
Centropyge bispinosus
Centropyge heraldi
Centropyge aurantius {only survived a couple of days so can't really say one way or the other}
Cirrhilabrus solorensis
Cirrhilabrus exquisitus
Cirrhilabrus scottorum
Cirrhilabrus flavidorsal
Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatusis
Chromis viridis



These are the fish that I've had some problems with either sessile and/or motile inverts:

Centropyge loriculus
Centropyge bicolor
Centropyge eibli
Centropyge potteri
Chaetodon auriga
Chelmon rostratus
Heniochus acuminatus
Halichoeres chrysus
Neocirrhitus armatus
Xanthichthys auromarginatus

Will add to this list as I remember.

[Frankie]

We need a Diy topic. something we can all build as a team in our homes to improve our way of reefing. Somthing like a way to convert a maxi jet pump? like one i saw somewhere? rebuilding it. This topics lame. Sorry Billy! still love ya!

[Woodstock]

Already did the maxi-jet mod frankie. Check out the TOW-flow thread. This may not be of use to you but there are many other members that find it helpful. Don't be selfish

[Frankie]

OK,OK. Sorry. Another great reef safe/not safe fish is the lawnmower blenny. I had one that use to tear my star coral apart and id find tuffs of the stuff in the overflows. He was great with the algae though so i say this fish is a hit and miss.

[Frankie]

[billyr98]

hmm I wonder if thats who ate my starfish...

[boozeman]

how is the longnose hawk with shrimp?

[billyr98]

Reef Safe, but eats small crustaceans. better chance of having one with the shrimp already in the tank... add the shrimp second = Food..

[Charlie97L]

let's set up a scenario, and name as many fish as possible that could go in this tank.

LPS, Softies, Clams. No Shrimp or Hermits. Or SPS.

GO!

gobies
damsels
cardinals
clownfish
any wrasses
anthias...
tangs

pygmy angels? i know fire would go at the clams... how about coral beauty?

[billyr98]

coral beauty is a hit and miss.... but so are large angels...
but if u wanna go no shrimp, no hermits...
Lets go with a Crosshatch trigger and bluejaw trigger..