Advice for improving my fish stock
 

HI all,

I recently took down my 50 gallon tank and setup my new 90 gallon tank. Right now I have a yellow tang, a coral beauty and a tomato clown. I have a few soft corals and a few hard corals as well. Lots of live rock too.

I am hoping for recommendations for 2-3 new fish for my new set-up. I am not going out to get them tomorrow, just want to start planning and researching. Please include any pitfalls that might occur with your recommendations.

Thanks

DanTheMan

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I would add a couple of gobies and a butterfly of some sort. They would all get along with your existing fish and add some diversity. Down the road after the tank has matured I'd get a manderine as well.

Good luck!

The few things i have read said that butterflies are only good for fish only tanks. Can they exist in reef tanks?

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I have a copper banded butterfly in my reef tank. He eats mysis like a pig and gets along great with my clowns and manderine. The only time I've seen him pick at corals is if they are injured, he will eat the slime or zoanthalae strands. I have no injured corals in my tank anymore and I haven't seen him pick once.

Dan

Most butterfly spp. are either non-reef safe or near impossible to keep. Heniochus & Copperbands are generally considered reef-safe, but that's not 100% guaranteed. You could put in a Lamarck's Angel, which is a pretty, peaceful angel and reef-safe, although, getting one in Kamloops may be difficult. (most other large angels are non-reef-safe & you already have a dwarf angel) I have scissortail gobies/dartfish which are also beautiful, peaceful & reef-safe, but you have to make sure there's no place for them to jump out.

Another tang, that would be non-competitive with your yellow, such as a kole would be nice. A regal or blue tang is beautiful, but getting a healthy, ick-free one is the trick.

Are you planning to come down to the coast for your next fish or shop locally or mail-order them?

I get most of my fish through J&L.

I thought I read that butterflies also eat feather dusters. Has anyone experienced this?

I've also read that Kole tangs will fight with all other tangs. Is this true?

Has anyone had any problems with a flame hawkfish in a reef tank?

Hawkfish eat invertebrates.

For what it's worth, Heniochus diphreutes is supposed to be a better bet in a reef tank than other species within the genus. H. acuminatus is more widely available and looks almost identical.

I heard copperband butterflies eat zoanthids, how true is this, I would love a CBB but I have stayed away from them due to having some zoanthids.

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I have Zoanthids in my tank and my CBB doesn't touch them. He could be the exception to all of the rules! :razz:

Not true times two (so far, IME).

So then, what will they eat in a reef tank?

Many will pick at open brain corals and clams. They'll also eat a lot of the smaller worms from the sand, at least mine did.

Copperband butterflies are not universally reef safe. Do a search on RC and you will find plenty of bad experiences, although some have no problems.

Heniochus diphreutes (sp?) is supposed to be the best of the bannerfish for reefs, but a bit hard to find. I have 2 H. accuminata and they did pick an open brain to death, and nip at clams once in a while. I may kidnap them one day and trade them in.

Royal Gramma is a beautiful and peaceful fish, reef safe. Also check out Watanabei angelfish - one of the few reef safe angels - males are spectacular.

Lawnmower goby is hard not to like.

Powder brown tang is something else to consider. (japonicus, not nigricans)

How would the powder brown tang coexist with my yellow tang? How would the powder brown do with a hippo tang?

I think the powder brown would be fine with a yellow. Not sure about the blue. A blue and a yellow get along fine (that's what I have - kind of wish I got a powder brown instead - the blue is pretty but flaky - not unlike in Nemo)