Want fish that swims through lr and reef safe

[jodilynn]

I am having to get rid of my cherub angel fish because it has started nipping at one of my mushroom corals. It is not taking bites but is nipping it constantly so that the mushroom won't expand like it used to. The angel was my favorite because it was the only fish that interacted with its surroundings. My purple firefish is pretty but it just hovers over the same spot, day after day, ...my bangaii is kinda neat but it just sits in the middle of the tank and frankly acts the least intelligent if you know what I mean. My perc clown is okay, but it just swims along the glass and last but not least, my neon goby is too small to see unless I get really close to the tank and then he just perches on the sides of the tank glass. So, I need a suggestion as to what will do well in my tank. I have about 3 to 4 inches live aragonite with 30 lbs of live rock in a 29G tank. I have several corals (soft), sand sifter starfish, pom pom crab, several blue legged crabs, 5 mexican turbos, 2 bumblebee snails, hang-on sand filter, remora skimmer. All levels are good except I am in the process of raising my calcium and lowering my alk (result of using tap water in tank. Now using RO water). The calcium level is 320 (sh be 425/450) and alk is 3.2 (sh be 2.9). I am using salifert tests and using B-Ionic tw0 part. Thanks.
Jodilynn

 

[adrian]

My 6-line wrasse is constantly jetting in and out of the rocks. Sometimes I wish it would sit still so I could get a decent picture

 

[old hermit]

i agree my six line loves to swim through holes in the rock all day long.

 

[crew]

yup i would agree. The six line wrass sure loves to move around in and out of the rock. they stay small and the pictures do not do it justice. My only problem is, i'm not sure if he is eating my hermits. Nice fish though.........hth

 

[wrassecal]

My royal gramma swims in and out of the rock holes and crevices a lot, it's not too big and the purple and yellow show up real well. I really like watching it.

 

[twoods71]

I agree with the royal gramma.
Fantastic fish to watch and is a great choice for a fish to swim through rock work.

 

[jumpfrog]

Agree with all the comments about the 6-line, very active and gorgeous to boot. Other fish good for motion and some color are green chromis'. A small group of 3 or 5 stay on the move but tend to stay above the rockwork.
Good Luck!

 

[jim672]

Jodilynn,
I hate being the cautious one all the time
Based on my calculations, you already have somewhere between 6 and 10 inches of fish, not including the angel. Going by the "one inch of fish for every 5 gallons" rule of thumb, you've already maxed out in your 29 galon tank.
If you're planning on returning more of your current stock, then I'd go with the 6-line wrasse, as so many other people have recommended.
Jim

 

[chinnyr]

How about some blennies?My scooter is all over the tank,and my bicolor is really fun to watch.He has his favorite perch,and when I approch the tank he darts all over in and out of "his teritory".

 

[richard rendos]

Bi-color blenny.

 

[austin01]

I agree with the bicolor. My favorite fish to watch and after reading you comment on the intelligence of your fish, I don't think you will be disappointed. Infact, in my opinion a bicolor acts much like a dog. I know that seems far fetched, but it will look right at you and **** it's head to the side just like a confused dog. And, definatley in and out of rock crevaces. Very entertaining fish!

 

[austin01]

I just read what I typed after posting and noticed that a word I used for "tilt" that starts with a "c" then has an "o" then "c" then "k", was bleeped out. That's hilarious. I wasn't trying to be distasteful.

 

[jodilynn]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I will be looking into the fish that you all suggested. I have a book (Marine Fishes) by Scott W Michael that I will read and when I go on my "Coral Run" this Saturday I hopefully will be getting a new fish. So sad to see my angel go, though. It seemed to be the least likely to nip at my corals, too (for Angels). Wish me luck!
Jodilynn

 

[joe's reefer]

where did u get the pom pom crab

 

[bosco0633]

I just went to the LFS and purchased a royal gramma. So far it wont even come out. hope it starts swimming around soon.

 

[fishfood]

Mine hid in the rocks for probably 2 - 3 weeks. They can be very shy. It never was very comfortable out in the open and would always stay close to his hole. The one at my parents house was out all the time. It never hid in the rocks. Just depends on the fish i guess.

 

[karlas]

my chromises, scooter, and lawnmower are in and out of the rock all of the time and either kind would go nice in that size tank

 

[blennybabe]

I have several of the same fish as you do. The clown and cardnal and the neon. i had a gramma but it jumped out of the tank into an empty bucket he was fascinating to watch but since hes gone I replaced him with a Red Lipped Blenny. he has so much personality. hes constantly swimming around and through the rockwork. good luck with your gramma. keep the lid on.

 

[jodilynn]

Joe's reefer,
A friend of mine picked him up at a store called Moby

[hr]
near Detoit, Mi. He has one and knew that I wanted one also. He said he would give me his but I just couldn't accept it. He cost $16.00.
Jodilynn

 

[drillsergeant]

I have a lawnmower blenny that is incredibly active (finds holes in all my rocks and checks them out), and loves the atention the the cleaner shrimp. My scooters are also all over the place always looking for the next g-shrimp to eat. not exactly the most colorful though, but deffinatly all over,around and in the LR.