Stock suggestions for 5.5' shallow reef

[mihaivapler]

Originally Posted by shiftline

Well I'll be sure to only get one of the opposite sex then!

With green Chromis I keep reading mixed opinions on safe in groups or not

I have 6 of them for about a year now, don't see them fighting

[shiftline]

How big is your tank mihaivapler?

Yellow tags are great algae eaters

Are there any other pretty ones that serve useful purposes in the reef?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Kole and Tomini tangs are also good algae eaters IME. I have a bulldozer of an urchin that is also very good at eating algae, but watch out for little frags cause it's not very graceful in its movements around the live rock.

[mihaivapler]

Originally Posted by shiftline

How big is your tank mihaivapler?

Yellow tags are great algae eaters

Are there any other pretty ones that serve useful purposes in the reef?

It's a 6' tank, 135 gallons..pretty much all tangs will keep your tank algae free but my favorite tang is a desjardin sailfin tang, IMO one of the most beautiful tang out there....

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Originally Posted by mihaivapler

It's a 6' tank, 135 gallons..pretty much all tangs will keep your tank algae free but my favorite tang is a desjardin sailfin tang, IMO one of the most beautiful tang out there....

Yes, but these get very big and so may not be as suitable long-term compared
to smaller tang species.

[mihaivapler]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Yes, but these get very big and so may not be as suitable long-term compared
to smaller tang species.

It's true, another tang that I have and is a big algae eater is the lavender tang,it stays smaller, is about 4-5".the only thing is not to be disappointed when you first see it al the lfs because it is very easy to stress and will turn yellowish but as soon as you put it in the tank will colour up nicely

[kien]

Originally Posted by Howie

Trying to get algea scrubbed off near the top results on splashes on the outside ect...lol but they do look pretty.

+1 ! I had to tank sit a rimless once. OH EM GEE! I spent most of my time cleaning the front glass from all the saltwater I spilled over the rim every time I tried to clean the inside of the tank with the magnet scrubber. I eventually clued in and learned that I had to go much MUCH MUCH slower cleaning the inside of the tank to avoid spillage. That was just as annoying. With my euro-braced tank I just power through cleaning the inside of my glass and let the water splash up against the eurobrace. Thanks me a fraction of the time to clean compared to the rimless tank. I would never ever get a rimless tank myself :-) In fact, I personally feel that every tank should have a mesh net over it. Even supposed non-jumpers can inevitably jump out of the tank. I've seen tangs, triggerfish, angelfish all jump out of a tank. The shallower the tank the more likely they will jump. I realize it's not a "clean" look to have a mesh screen covering the tank, but you can hide it by making a canopy, which I realize is also not your aesthetic goals At any rate, we are all full of opinions

[shiftline]

Ohhh it's not that bad. You really only need to go slow on the top few inches. Already on my 3' 30g tank I used to have a mesh lid on but removed it the past few months as I just love the open top and top down views

[TimT]

Something to consider with your tank is that Anthias, Wrasses and Gobies all will jump.
Sailfin tangs(Yellows and Sailfin's) can get to 8" in a tank. Much larger in the wild.
For Angels the Genicanthus are a good bet in a reef tank as they don't eat corals. Female Bellus is one of my favourites.
Chromis can be very problematic. Picking on each other... going missing etc.

I like the Blue Star Allen's Damsel. Way more colour and they do school a bit. I had a school of 18 in my sps tank and they were gorgeous.

Orange spot Rabbitfish are a good herbivore too.

Cheers,
Tim

[shiftline]

The female bellus is a beautiful angel. Blue star Allene are also very nice looking. Are they aggressive or fairly peaceful?