What fish should I put in my FOWR tank???

[stevearthur]

I am planning a fish and reef tank and I was wondering what fish I should put in the tank? or Invertabrates?

I have taken a fancy to the flamming angel and my fiance likes the wrasses but she hasn't picked on out yet. Any suggestion on fish compatability as well as reef compatability?

 

[danmhippo]

Basically, FOWLR tank is just like a Reef tank, except there are significantly less corals. FWIW, I don't like to mix too many fish with corals anyway. The level of waste we need to deal with when so many fish are stocked, it's hard to maintain prestine water quality for the corals.

I am not aware of any wrass compatibility problems when stocked with flame angel. Wrass in general are too quick swimmer for any pygmy angels. However, I would suggest you look into "flasher wrass" as many call them. These subgroup of the wrass are generally invertibrate safe-r, smaller size and very eye catching body coloration in pink, red, yellow, orange, and some green.

Search the googles or DFS site for flasher wrass.

Even these smaller wrass are generally invert safe-r, you should still practice caution placing them together. I would recommend placing the shrimps into the tank first, and allow a couple of days for the shrimp to establish their terriroty before you introduce the wrass.

 

[Anonymous]

If you should decide upon a Flame Angel, just don't make the mistake I did. I have tried to add two different Falme Angels on 2 separate occasions only to have them die within weeks of purchase. I didn't wait to see if the Angels would last a significant amount of time at the LFS and they simply did not survive long. IMO, Flame Angels are "fragile" fish and perhaps the methods with which they were captured(at least the ones we've purchased) have been less than "ideal"

On the other hand, we have a Coral Beauty, another type of Dwarf Angel, that we've had in our 20g Reef Tank for well over a year that has been doing exceptionally well. Additionally, I've mentioned in a prior post my favorite fish for a reef tank....the Marine Betta. They are entirely "reef safe", have a good demeanor, and are exceptionally hardy. HTH

 

[M.E.Milz]

The best approach is to make a list of fish & inverts that you would like to eventually have in your tank, and then either post it here or talk to someone knowledgeable to find out if they are all compatible. It is easy to make a mistake when you stock the tank piecemeal. For example, you might decide to add that lunare wrasse as your first fish, only to discover later on that he will eat cleaner shrimps and most corals. Many fish won't eat shrimp and corals, but they may so aggressive that they will harm or kill other fish added later. Dwarf angels can be this way.

Please note, I am not suggesting that you add all the fish at once. This would be a huge mistake. But I am suggesting that you identify the ypes of fish that you might want to eventually keep, and then: 1) figure out if they are compatible, and 2) figure out the best order to add them to the tank.

I have been doing this for years, but I still make mistakes. For example, I really wish I had not added that little 1.5" sailfin tang to my reef tank last July because he is now 6" big and beats the crap out every other fish I try to add.

 

[M.E.Milz]

As an example of what I am talking about, read the thread "Catching Damsels".