New Fish Advice

[ugdend]

Ok guys, i'm in the market for my "show piece" fish and was looking for suggestions.

I have a rio 180. My current stock is :-

2 percula clowns
1 fire goby
3 green chromis
1 bangaii cardinal
1 scooter blenny

A few red legged hermit and turbo snails.

I also have a fantastic feather duster and a yellow polyp.

My initial thoughts were a Flame Angel or Coral Beauty , but having read up it doesn't look like a good idea as they could nip the polyp. I'm now edging towards a longnose Hawkfish.

Cost isn't an issue.

So, anyone got any good suggestion/advice....

[marshalrckman]

Well first of all...how big is your tank,knowing the size of your tank will give people more of an idea on the size and type of fish you can house and maintain.

[Sugar Magnolia]

He mentioned Rio 180. I'm not familiar with those. IS it actually 180 gallond? Litres?

[marshalrckman]

I thought when he said rio 180 he was talking about a powerhead :lol:

[ugdend]

aplogies - it's Juwel Rio 180 - 180 litres

[gman0526]

Roughly 47 gallons US ;)

[blennyluv]

a flame back angel would be nice. or a multi colored pygmy angel
isn't that a bit small for a scooter?
just wondering if he would have enough food cuz i have a 55 and would like to have one. any suggestions anyone?

[marshalrckman]

Hmmm...if your loking for something colorful,I think that wrasses are strikingly beautful,or something larger maybe a rabbit fish or valentini puffer

[blennyluv]

wrasses are beautiful. i have a long fin fairy wrasse, not the most colorful of the wrasse although beautiful. Has a wonderful and peaceful personality. i don't th ink a puffer would be good in a 47 gallon tank, do you? rabbitfish get large too, if i am not mistaken

[sophia101]

wrasses are a very big possibility...they are definitly a beautiful specially the six-line or the long fin fairy wrasse. They are also reeaf- saf (not all wrasses are though)...the coral bueaty is also a nice fish choice but it will definitelt nip at your polyps :( Hope this advice helps!

[Gryz]

Toby puffers do not get real large and would make a great new addition!

[coral_diver]

what about a randells anthias or some other anthias ? I think they are really stunning fish and should be fine in your tank....I would say to first off make sure that whatever you get is compatiable with all the other corals you are totally in love with and just cant live without you know what I mean? I like sweetlips as well but I am not sure right off the top of my head what the tank size requirements are...I had a (no one yell at me) hippo tang in my 37 for 3 years and he was just as happy as could be however most swear that they have to have a 55+ sooooooooooo I didnt suggest that.....

[coral_diver]

BLENNYLUV gosh I am known to ramble and forget sorry I meant to comment on the scooter for you. Any tank should be suitable for a scooter blenny as long as you supplement their diet with sheets of algea many kinds out there I think one type I have used is Julian Sprungs veggies in the purple algea there is also green available and it is in a nice package that reseals unlike ummm someone help me out the sheets used for sushi...well anyway you can use that also. There is the key to keeping a lawnmower and scooter blenny......pretty simple of course you could just let your lighting get old and let the spectrum change more to the red side and let lots of algea grow LOL not in a million right! LOL

[blennyluv]

hi
awesome!! i thought scooters were pod eaters! arent they a dragonette also? thats why i heard they were hard to keep
well, anyway, thanks for the info, maybe thats why i keep losing my lawnmowers. had one that lasted a long time, now i have lost 3. they seem to be doing good and they just die. will try the algae sheets with my next one.

[FishinInTheDark]

CD gave good advice, pertaining to the lawnmower blenny. Dani, you are right that scooters are pod eaters, just like mandarins, and have the same longevity issues in our tanks.

[coral_diver]

scooters usually will take prepared foods where mandarins usually will not but there is always a black sheep somewhere that loves those frozen foods and fresh hatched brine. I say fresh hatched brine because they still have the yolk sack. without that they just cant be considered food IMO no nutritional value (that is why seahorses can no live on them alone or as a major food source unless they are less that 24hrs old with the sack for some nutrition. I wish you had some saltwater around you to collect pods I just found that I can collect them easily in our lagoon pretty neat and easy to get just pick up a shell or peice of LR. also unless I am terribly mistaken scooters are not dragonetts at all....however similar body style and suggested that they are not kept together due to that (territorial possibility) Bi-color blenny's also need algea sheets just as a FYI I like them better than the lawnmower.....and they also are known to eat hair algea....

[FishinInTheDark]

The scooter blenny is a Synchiropus ocellatus. The mandarin goby is a Synchiropus splendidus. Both are dragonettes. Scooters are considered difficult to keep because most perish in captivity because of their feeding habits. They are carnivores, not omnivores.

[coral_diver]

Mandrins are gobies Pterosynchiropus splendidus and Scooter's are blennies Neosynchiropus ocellatus though. There are slight differences. I suppose I wasnt thinking when I stated that I didnt think they were dragonettes you are right Connie my mistake. My mind is not always totally here LOL. Scooters that I have had though have eaten algea sheets??? Guess mine were looking for a little something more? They usually will take brine and eat worms as well as just pods. I will for warn though that I do not suggest feeding brine unless you decapsulate and hatch yourself and feed within 24-48hrs due to 2 things brine cycsts are one of the top ways of importing hydroids and second they really have no nutritional value after the yoke sack is gone even when soaked in enhancers....

[FishinInTheDark]

http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=7981

[essexboy73]

coral-diver...
You had a hippo in a 37???? Ive been debating over whether or not adding one to my 47 reef set up...did you ever have any problems with it...and how big did it eventually get??

[gman0526]

i can tell you that they can grow up to 14-16 inches, kinda big for a 37 IMO

[sophia101]

IMO thats way to many fish for a 47 gallon :( I have a 65 gallon aquarium with small fish like wrasses, clowns, gobies and blennies and im going to have only 7 fish altogether. You have 8. I would probably skip on the chromis. Then, the list would be perfect.

[gman0526]

I agree with sophia101, skip the chromis they tend to kill each othe anyways.