Feature Fish Suggestions!

[Bowen]

Hey! I'm still setting up my (first marine, not first overall, and I work with baby salmonids) tank and I'm trying to hammer down my stocking list. I've settled on a pair of black clowns, which should be going in in a couple of weeks, and a small (3, 5 at most) group of one of the black and white chromis species (recommendations between margaritifer, iomelas, hanui, and the rest are welcome, especially since they seem to be misidentified as each other quite often).

What I need to pick now is a feature fish of some kind. I'm looking for something fairly active and relatively large (4-5 inches, no average adult sizes over 6"). Colours can be dark (but not overall muddy/bland) or vivid, and the particular colours I'm not picky about. I'm very open to carnivores but they have to be too small (at least in the mouth) to go after clowns and chromis; it might be a year or more before I get this guy, who will undoubtedly be the last major addition, so everyone else should be close to full grown. The tank will eventually be planted with macroalgae as well, so herbivores are welcome. The single defining characteristic I know so far is personality! I'm looking for an interactive, curious fish that won't devour absolutely every soft coral I have (which isn't much now, and I'm not planning a coral-dominated tank).

Tank specs! 48" by 12" 45 gallon (which is long enough to make me eye the little bristletooth tangs like the whitetail, but it isn't fair to anything to be more than half the smallest dimension of their home) with a 30 gallon sump that's probably closer to 20-25 g in water volume. The majority of the sump is refugium with a 3-4" sand bed and will by heavily planted with macroalgae once I find a store that doesn't sell useless slime. I have about 40 lbs of live rock in total, and an inch of now mostly live sand in the DT. I also have a large (5+ gallon) trickle filter that will be plumbed by the time the big fish arrives, as well as a very large biowheel filter running straight fibre and activated carbon (not sure of the specs for either, since I got them both free), and a remora skimmer that doesn't do much and I'm thinking I'll have to replace.

I've been digging around a bit, and so far the best ideas I've come up with are a whitetail bristlenose tang (max about 6", average captive size probably closer to 5", not that hard to take care of but very hard to find and probably mixed with juvenile koles a lot) or a longnose hawkfish. I'm not a fan of wrasses or anything else that jumpy. Mandarins interest me as well (remember, lots of time before this fish goes in), but they're a bit on the small side for me.

So. Any thoughts? I'm willing to wait and I'm willing to pay a fair bit for the right fish - but only the right fish :P

[kien]

I would personally go for one of the many fairy wrasses available. Great personality, easy to care for and very showy. Red Velvet Wrasse, Carpenter's flasher wrasse, Lineatus Fairy Wrasse, McCosker's Flasher just to name a few :-)

I would try not to get too big a fish for the 45g. A larger fish to me would feel out of scale with the smaller 45g tank. Not saying it can't be done. Just my opinion :-)

[Bowen]

Like I just said, though, I'm not a fan of wrasses. I appreciate the opinion, but even the colourful ones don't really get my attention.

[kien]

I'm still going to suggest a fairy wrasse anyway :-)

[Madreefer]

A 45G tank is too small for any tang.
Hedgehogs are cool:biggrin:

[Kabong]

IMO your already near max capacity with your current line up.
Even if you go with just the two clowns and three chromis.

The clowns once mature will start to breed, this will cause them to become aggressive and not tolerate others near their "host".

Chromis are prone to squabbling when not giving enough space and will end up picking on the weakest of the group until it dies.

[Kait]

I love my coral beauty, or my boyfriend's flame angel. One if the two will look great against all the black and white fish in your tank. They get about 3-4" and swim lots, but aren't intimidated by other fish.

[reefermadness]

A pygmy angel such as a coral beauty or flame, potters etc, are always sweet additions but will probably nip your corals if you have any.

IMO so much better fish options with a larger 90-120g tank. Also you can add a tang or two that will help with algae eating.

[NIVLEM09]

How about anthias?theyre purdy and colourful

[Bowen]

Thanks for the suggestions, especially the ones that clearly read everything I put up already :P I have been looking into anthias and some basslets/assessors today, and there do seem to be some interesting ones. Suggesting I get a bigger tank when I'm still setting up this one - and am actually plotting a local/coldwater one for my next set up, in a few years, possibly trying for a tidal sim - is wishful thinking but not realistic :P

Any personal experience with yellow of blue assessors, dispar or lyretail anthias, or hamlets (although all of them, or possibly the only species depending on where you look, seem capable of getting a bit big)?

[reefermadness]

Suggesting I get a bigger tank when I'm still setting up this one - and am actually plotting a local/coldwater one for my next set up, in a few years, possibly trying for a tidal sim - is wishful thinking but not realistic :P It was a suggestion. Personally a larger tank is way easier and you can add interesting fish that also help keep the tank clean. But I could care less what you do. Im jus saying.

[Madreefer]

What's with your live rock from Halifax? Is there a store there with good pricing or something special?

[Bowen]

ecoliverock.ca

free shipping and about 3.50/lb. They aren't too quick and their box was from Tim Hortons (damaged box but the rock was well wrapped and fine despite over a week of shipping), and their basic level isn't too heavy on the coralline, but it seems to be doing the trick so far.