Fish suggestion

[mr_alberta]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a fish that is:
1) SPS safe
2) Nano suitable (37G)
3) Open water swimmer
4) Likes lots of flow

So far I've reduced the amount of rock in my tank and greatly increased the swimming area. The problem is, none of the current inhabitants (2 clowns, sixline, soon to be removed goby) stray very far from the rockwork. Can anyone suggest a nice small fish that likes to cruise around in the water rather than hide in the rocks?

Thanks.

[danny zubot]

Unfortunately many of the water column swimmers are to large to be housed in a 37 gallon tank. ie) Tangs and large angels. The good news is that there are still many smaller fish that are interesting and will be compatable with your set up.

You might comsider the basses family (purple and bi-color pseudochromis) which aren't exactly water column swimmers but interesting none the less. You may want to try your hand at a dwarf angel as well, flame or coral beaty. They may pic occasionally at polyps but they are well worth keeping IMO.

Good Luck!

Danny

[bulletsworld]

Hey Harvey,

What about a longnose hawk fish! They are reef-safe, very peaceful, min tank size read is a 30 gal tank and the max size they get is 4" long if that.

The longnose is so cool to watch! Has quite the personality! It will always be watching you and when its not swimming it loves to perch on top of the highest rocks. Plus I think the colors of the hawkfish would look SUPER cool in your tank! :biggrin:

I was at Big Al's last night, there was (3 left) @ $50.00. Which is a great deal considering AI had these guys a couple of months back for $75.


Here's a link of a pic of one,
http://species.fishindex.com/photo_32998oxycirrhites_typus_longnose_hawkfish.ht ml

[mr_alberta]

Hi,

Danny:
Yeah, I've come to the same conclusion that most of the water column fish get fairly large and require larger tanks. I'm just hoping someone can recommend a fish that could possibly work in my situation. Its unfortunate that the open swimmers such as angels, anthias and tangs need such large tanks.

I'm also worried about the Pseudo Chromis getting along with my Sixline who is already established in the tank.

Lee:
I was considering a hawkfish for a while, but I'm worries that they will eat my crabs in my clean up crew! Also, I don't know if a longnose is an open water swimmer...I always thought they were more of a perching fish that likes to sit on liverock/corals.

Keep the suggestions coming!

[Quinn]

Hawkfishes have no swim bladder so they won't hang out in the water column. As far as eating your crusties go, the longnose is supposed to be a little better than some of the others due to its smaller mouth, but don't take my word on that. I expect it would still be able to eat hermit crabs.

How about a wrasse, either lined or fairy? And there are always clownfishes.

[mr_alberta]

I thought mixing wrasses was a big no no?

[Quinn]

Oh didn't notice that you already had a sixline. Not sure if it would be alright with a fairy wrasse or not.

[danny zubot]

What about some cardinals? They are dosile and hang out in the open. They school together which is always cool and they would get along with your other fish.

[Gools]

what about green chromis's. And they stay small so you could probably keep about 3. One of my favorite fish, especially in big schools.

[bulletsworld]

Harvey,

long nose hawk fish are reef safe unlike other hawkfish. Mine longnose was in my big reef tank, with crabs, shrimps, lobster, snails and other inverts and never touched a thing. There mouth is not big and no teeth to crack them open. Mine also like would do powerhhead surfing. It kept doing it so it looked fun. :lol: But I found mine was always visual, never hide, like some of the angels. If the longnose was not swimming it was perching proud on the highest rock.

:mrgreen:

[Beverly]

Harvey,

I have a 37g too, 24"l x 24"h x 18"w. Have a pair of ocellaris in it. Am thinking of other fish to add to this tank as well. If anything, may consider a 6 line wrasse (which you already have) or a royal gramma. The problem with a 37g is that few active fish will fit into such a small tank, plus I don't want to overstock.

As for the longnose hawkfish, they grow to 5" and can be aggressive toward other fish:

http://www.marinedepotlive.com/543594.html

We had a spotted hawk in our 42g hex. It grew to max size (3") in no time. While it was an interesting fish, it went back to the lfs because it was too aggressive for such a small tank. Man, it would stare us down from its perch on corals and rock :eek:

[Quinn]

I bet a 5" longnose could eat just about any invert in one's tank. :wink: Other than the size I would definitely recommend going for one, I've always been fond of them.

I've always found chromis and cardinals to be rather dull. :neutral:

[bulletsworld]

The Longnose Hawkfish adults can grow to the MAX of 10.0 cm (4 inches) thats length from nose to end of tail, so really a small fish.

These fish are very peaceful and not aggressive. They will not bother corals in a reef, but being that they are carnivores, I could see it eating smaller ornamental shrimp and smaller hermit crabs though. My shrimps are bigger then him so the longnose stays away. :lol:

[mr_alberta]

I've had the Blue/Green chromis before and I do think they are nice fish. Its just that I've already had them before and want to try something slightly different. Hmmm, the Blue Reef Chromis (http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?genusname=Chromis&speciesname=cyanea) has caught my eye though...

[Quinn]

Just because I'm pragmatic, I'll point out that Fishbase lists the longnose at 13cm... however I don't know if they would reach that length in captivity (when was the last time you saw a wild-size tang in someone's aquarium).

[Cap'n]

I had a longnose hawkfish for quite a while (lost it due to jumping). Never aggressive, always visible, lots of personality. Maxed out at 3.5 inches. Really don't see how it could eat even a small hermit. The only reason I haven't replaced it is because I got my old one at such a good deal ($24) and said I wouldn't top that for another. One of my favorite fish of all time. Can't wait for the right deal to come up.

[Bob I]

You might think of a Flame Hawk. It is a very colorful fish, and is quite small. The problem is getting one that is inexpensive. Like any hawkfish you need to be careful if you have small shrimp. :biggrin: