Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > Reef Discussion
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 03/11/2018, 03:06 PM   #1
Joshua I.
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 225
New fish

I have a 55 gallon reef tank right now it is stocked with a purple fire fish 2 clown fish and a coral beauty they are all fine but don't swim around a whole lot anyone know a good fish that will get them out and about more?


Joshua I. is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/11/2018, 11:27 PM   #2
Anemone
Cloning Around

 
Anemone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Valencia, California
Posts: 25,267
You need dither fish - fish that will stay out in the open (mostly) and make the other fish feel safe/comfortable.

You might try a couple of Banggai Cardinals, or a few pajama cardinals. Perhaps 3-5 green chromis. You have a smaller tank, so you need to keep the fishload down, but any of the above should be doable.

Kevin


__________________
Back in the pool, swimming with the sharks...

Current Tank Info: Red Sea 425XL w/Kessil AP700, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 x Vortech MP40s
Anemone is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/11/2018, 11:41 PM   #3
Joshua I.
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 225
someone said that Princess Anthias might work. Thoughts?


Joshua I. is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 06:37 AM   #4
Jekerry
Registered Member
 
Jekerry's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Rochester NY
Posts: 205
My cardinals are always out and about. And they seem to get along with all the other fish.


Jekerry is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 01:36 PM   #5
Anemone
Cloning Around

 
Anemone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Valencia, California
Posts: 25,267
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joshua I. View Post
someone said that Princess Anthias might work. Thoughts?
Anthias can work, but they are generally social fish, requiring 3-4 to thrive, and they tend to get a bit bigger than the cardinals or chromis, which might be a problem in a 55 gallon tank (or, it might not).

Kevin


__________________
Back in the pool, swimming with the sharks...

Current Tank Info: Red Sea 425XL w/Kessil AP700, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 x Vortech MP40s
Anemone is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 02:01 PM   #6
mako61
Registered Member
 
mako61's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Dallas
Posts: 359
I have a banggai , 3 BG chromis and 4 lyretail anthias. The chromis and anthias are almost always out and moving. The banggai is out a lot but doesnt move around as much. I think they are all great fish. My alpha anthia messes with my other fish some, ( mostly other anthias) but doesnt seem to cause any damage.

Most people that see my tank comment on the anthias because of the striking orange and movement.


__________________
Thanks,
Mako

Current Tank Info: Returning Reefer - Red Sea 525XL, Mitras LX7s, Apex, check homepage for vids of tank
mako61 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 02:11 PM   #7
Sugar Magnolia
Registered Member
 
Sugar Magnolia's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 17,691
Skip the anthias, as mentioned they are more comfortable in a group and a 55 gallon is too small. Go with the Cardinals.


__________________
Adrienne

The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.
Sugar Magnolia is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 02:22 PM   #8
Tripod1404
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,821
Princess Anthias is one of the harder species of anthias to keep alive. And all anthias produce a lot of nutrient load on the system due to their feeding requirements and the need to have a group of them.

I would not go with anthias in a new system and not go with Princess anthias before gaining experience on keeping hardier anthias species..


Tripod1404 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 03:22 PM   #9
Joshua I.
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 225
Is there any other Anthias or other species you guys would recommend because cardinals are nice but I was looking for something a bit nicer


Joshua I. is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 05:09 PM   #10
Tripod1404
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,821
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joshua I. View Post
Is there any other Anthias or other species you guys would recommend because cardinals are nice but I was looking for something a bit nicer
Hardiest anthias species to keep are probably lyretail anthias, bartlett's anthias, dispar anthias and ignitus anthias. But these are also the more aggressive members of the anthias family.

With anthias, more aggressive species are generally hardier and easier to feed. But being more aggressive, they need to be kept in larger groups to spread the aggression. Otherwise, they kill each other top to down. A 55 gallon might be to small to keep a group of any anthias. You might try a single lyretail anthias as that species is the best one it comes to keeping solo long term. But that would probably not do the job of promoting other fish to not hide. Most likely it will also join the hiding party.

Overall, it can be a bit tricky to wean any anthias on prepared foods. The ones I mentioned are probably the easiest to wean on prepared foods. Others like queen anthias are more likely to starve to death than eating prepared foods. Also keep in mind, on average, anthias needs to be fed 3 times a day. Larger species can go with 2 or sometimes 1 times a day if they are used to eating larger meals in one go, but some smaller species might need to be fed 6 times a day not to starve. Many people use auto feeders or refrigerated doser to feed their anthias throughout the day. This is the nutritional load I was talking about.


Tripod1404 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 03/12/2018, 05:18 PM   #11
Joshua I.
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 225
Thanks for all the advice


Joshua I. is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:58 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.