help me decide

[tahoe ocean]

For Mother's Day, My hubby wants to buy me a single fish (tight budget). But I am in a pickle of what to get. I just lost my false perc. of over 6 years. Still no idea what happened, all water parms are testing normal, all corals are open and happy, but I've heard that possibly my tomato who he was friends with for many years may suddenly have turned on him. Now I really have no idea what to get:
I have 3 very small chromis, the tomato, a nasty neon dottyback, the CBS, and baja red legged hermits and assorted snails, a growing brain, many different shrooms, GSP, and xenia.
I am looking for a pretty fish who is reef safe but can hold it's own against the dottybrat.

 

[gonfishin]

How about a 6 line wrasse???

 

[fishman622]

manderin?

 

[tahoe ocean]

can't do a mandarin, the CBS and the dottyback eat all the pods.:nope:

 

[trompet3]

I agree - sixline wrasse. Good size for your tank, fun to watch swim in and out of rockwork.

 

[tahoe ocean]

He's a pretty little fish, but is it ok with the dottyback? Seems to be similar shape. Maybe I should try to catch the dottyback and open up my possibilities.

 

[tahoe ocean]

Ok, researching the 6line wrasse, but also wondering about other reef safe wrasses, and also now wondering about a dwarf angel.
What are some opinions? I'm also researching the egg crate to keep a wrasse from jumping. Any opinions there?:thinking:
Continuing research really leads me to think my dottybrat needs to go. I came home today and found that he was twisting and turning on the floor of the tank. Come to find, he swims up and all I see is wriggling legs sticking out of his mouth! That bugger got one of my hermits! After he got it down his belly was pregnant looking and he hung out in his cave the rest of the afternoon. If only I could catch the stinker.

 

[h2oengr]

A lunare wrasse may be another reef safe wrasse that has a wonderful swimming pattern.

 

[h2oengr]

And to think that SWF has them listed as "Monitor with shrimp" . . . sometimes I wonder if it's all about the sale . . .

 

[saltwaterbob]

The tomatoe clown should be kept alone. No other clowns.

 

[tahoe ocean]

I wouldn't introduce another clown. Although she lived happily with the false perc. for many years, I know it's not the norm and I don't discount the theory that she may have had a PMS moment and killed him.
I'm wondering about the fairy wrasses.

 

[dburr]

Some fairy wrasse are reef safe, also flasher wrasse. I'm looking for a yellow wrasse, aka yellow coris wrasse. They are the only ones that bury themselves. (so i'm told).

 

[sagxman]

I love my 6-Line, and I've never had a problem with him jumping. (Knock on wood, I don't want to come home from work tonight and see him on the carpet.)