Feature fish for 55 gallon reef

[pokerfish]

I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 osc clowns and a bi color dottyback. I have a torch coral and a bubble coral, some zoas and a galaxy coral. Everything is doing great. I have been very patient and it's paying off. My water has been perfect, thanks to bi weekly changes, about 90 pounds of live rock, and my reef oct H.O.B. skimmer. I plan on getting more corals but my wife has been bugging me about getting a cool fish to add some drama to the tank. Of course, she wants a trigger, a dwarf lionfish, a tang ...all the fish that are either not reef safe, too big for my tank, or, in many cases, both.
I am looking for a feature fish that I can have in a 55, that won't eat my corals and C.U.C. I really like the schooling bannerfish, but am getting mixed info on whether a 55 is big enough for one, and it's not clear if its a gaurentee that it wont nip my LPS. I also have looked at the dwarf angels, but the genus that is most reef safe ( swallowtails and such ) need a larger tank... and it seems the pygmies can be coral nippers...can anyone recommend a fish that meets my narrow requirements? I truly would appreciate your suggestions and experiences...

 

[BillyB]

A lemonpeel may be cool, they're pretty easy to keep and reefsafe. A Mandarin would be another option, but a bit more difficult......you've got enough liverock to keep a good amount of copepods for it to feast on, and if you're lucky they'll eat frozen (mine won't). If you do go with a mandarin, get a bottle of tigerpods and put them in at night. It will give them a better chance to get into the live rock and reproduce. You've got a lot of options, but those are just a couple off the top of my head. Hope it helps!

 

[pokerfish]

Thanks for the response..i absolutely love the lemonpeel, but everywhere I look says they are the worst of the dwarfs regarding corals. The mandarin is really cool too, but my dottyback has done a number on pod population already, and they aren't really the prescence that I'm looking for as the "star" of the tank, as they seem to hide a bit ... I do appreciate your input, and welcome any other ideas you might have...

 

[tommy6905]

You could go with a tang, I've seen plenty of tangs in peoples 55 gallon tanks

 

[cilyjr]

there many anthias that could be kept in a 55. or you could consider a jawfish they like to burrow in the sand but once settled down they will pop in and out of their hole all day. its very interesting to watch.

 

[Owen386]

Hey,

I'm in the same exact situation have a 55 gal tank with 2 clowns and wanting too add some excitement to the tank also have ( or had, recent tank crash) so will have softies. What are the dimensions of the tank? Mines four feet so I figure that's a little more swimming room for the fishes, I also have a 20 gal sump, so wil take some of the extra bioload. You have a sump? So this is what I decided, might be too much don't know will be adding over the next 6months so... 2 clowns,3 blue reef chromis,spotted mandarin,kole tang, and a lemon peel angel. Good luck!

-Owen

 

[pokerfish]

You could go with a tang, I've seen plenty of tangs in peoples 55 gallon tanks

I am condsidering a yellow tang...I have seen people get into wars on other forums about tank size fror tangs, but I have also been told it's OK for a yellow one in a 55. There is a lot of debate about it....

 

[pesto]

Fathead Sunburst Anthias

 

[pokerfish]

I don't have a sump, so my water volume is less than yours ( my dimensions are the same ) I think we are on another forum together and have witnessed the "Tang police" in action. Those folks would tell you the Kole needs more room and it's too many fish, but I really don't know...when i find the feature fish I'm looking for, I am only gonna add a bottom dweller (possibly a jawfish! Thanks cilyjr!) to my bio load....

Hey,

I'm in the same exact situation have a 55 gal tank with 2 clowns and wanting too add some excitement to the tank also have ( or had, recent tank crash) so will have softies. What are the dimensions of the tank? Mines four feet so I figure that's a little more swimming room for the fishes, I also have a 20 gal sump, so wil take some of the extra bioload. You have a sump? So this is what I decided, might be too much don't know will be adding over the next 6months so... 2 clowns,3 blue reef chromis,spotted mandarin,kole tang, and a lemon peel angel. Good luck!

-Owen

 

[pokerfish]

Fathead Sunburst Anthias

Thanks for the suggestion...a very cool fish, but my wife is gonna say "GOLDFISH" and dismiss me with the wave of her hand ..LOL...

 

[pokerfish]

Would anyone here try a dwarf lion or a fuzzy lion? I realize that it might eat clowns, but I have read of people who have had peaceful ones...i also read that they are a bit lazy so probably wont catch my dottyback....downside is the messy eating situation, but is there anyone here who keeps one in a reef?

 

[BillyB]

You can try a Copperband, but I'd be very very cautious. I've got one in my 55, but they are really hard to keep and very finicky eaters.

 

[pesto]

She needs to see it in person. The colors are amazing!!!

 

[cilyjr]

She needs to see it in person. The colors are amazing!!!

true but be aware these fish are a bit more demanding to keep alive

 

[pesto]

No pain ...no gain!

 

[pokerfish]

No pain ...no gain!

I will show her one...i like the cut of your jib!...errrr...whatever that means...any opinion on tang or lion?

 

[BillyB]

I will show her one...i like the cut of your jib!...errrr...whatever that means...any opinion on tang or lion?

I def wouldn't add a lion (just my opinion). A tang may be iffy....... I've heard, in some cases, of them being pretty aggressive towards other fish. It may or may not outgrow the 55.

 

[pesto]

No lion. I would also be very weary of angels. Yes, they safe some are safer than others but, too risky. I had a good citizen Eibel's angel who now is a PITA. I have tried to catch him for weeks but, too elusive. Aside from the Sunburst my other reef safe fish is the wrasse. You can see mine in the avatar.

 

[CrazyCorals]

get a yellow tang and get it small.....they grow acording to your tank size and swimming space and also easy to keep

 

[RadReefer]

I would go with some type of wrasse, nice fish...you won't have to worry about coral eating, and they are all really peaceful for the most part so no real aggression issues either. If you went with a tang you run the risk in that size tank of agression as it becomes an adult, it happened to me with a yellow tang. It beat the crap out of my maroon clown (which was pretty tough herself) on a daily basis, I had to get rid of the tang.