cdw79
Well-Known Member
Recently added two flasher wrasses from Dr Reef's to my 65 display (Reefer 300XL), but ended up experiencing some aggression first from my longnose hawkfish, then from my male Blue Star Leopard wrasse. The hawk has been removed, but I have been disappointed to also see aggression from the leopard as that was (rightly or wrongly) very unexpected.
The wrasses are sitting in an acclimation box as I wait hoping the leopard will chill out, but either way I decided I need to take a step back and really rethink my current stocking and stocking plans and the fishes' compatibility. For context, the tank is well established (1.5 years or so), rock-heavy, generally high flow.
Current fish stock:
Pair of mature Ocellaris clowns
Full grown Bangaii
Yellow Assessor, which only seems to come out in the mornings and evenings
Male Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
Shrimp goby + pistol shrimp pair
Small lawnmower blenny
Bluespotted Jawfish
To be added (in acclimation box):
Blue Flasher Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
I've always liked fish more than the average reefer, it seems, so it's important to me to have a well stocked tank with outgoing fish. My nitrate levels were also too low (3 ppm as last check) and I've been recommended to increase the fish stock anyway, which I'm always happy to do. My main point to think about is compatibility- I've been around the hobby for a long time, yet I'm still not perfect at mixing fish.
Some potential additions in mind are:
Pygmy hawkfish- trying to get a similar hawkfish-like character, but without the aggression
Helfrichi filefish- always been on my bucket list but never added due to the expected hawkfish aggression
Another kind of dartfish, maybe a blue gudgeon or scissor tail
Yellow clown goby- heard they are absolute delights but can pick at acros, apparently?
Blue Reef Chromis- I appreciate that they're always out, have a color I don't have in my current stock, seem less fragile than Blue/Green chromic
Tilefish- seems there are questions about the actual tank size for these, but have reached out to trusted LFS, a close friend in the fish importing business, etc. and I feel reasonably confident a 60 would do the trick, especially a well established and (soon to be) completely peaceful one
Additional wrasses- my biggest gap in knowledge. I've seen the fairy wrasse compatibility tree (though that didn't apply to my recent purchase and subsequent aggression), but I'm not sure about additions like a Haliochores wrasse, fairy wrasses, other flasher wrasses perhaps, etc with my current stock + those soon to be added from the acclimation box.
To those with more fish-mixing experiences than me, any recommendations, especially in the wrasse department? I am by no means planning to add all of the ideas listed above, just spitballing for maybe 2-3 more fish total. Thanks so much!
The wrasses are sitting in an acclimation box as I wait hoping the leopard will chill out, but either way I decided I need to take a step back and really rethink my current stocking and stocking plans and the fishes' compatibility. For context, the tank is well established (1.5 years or so), rock-heavy, generally high flow.
Current fish stock:
Pair of mature Ocellaris clowns
Full grown Bangaii
Yellow Assessor, which only seems to come out in the mornings and evenings
Male Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
Shrimp goby + pistol shrimp pair
Small lawnmower blenny
Bluespotted Jawfish
To be added (in acclimation box):
Blue Flasher Wrasse
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
I've always liked fish more than the average reefer, it seems, so it's important to me to have a well stocked tank with outgoing fish. My nitrate levels were also too low (3 ppm as last check) and I've been recommended to increase the fish stock anyway, which I'm always happy to do. My main point to think about is compatibility- I've been around the hobby for a long time, yet I'm still not perfect at mixing fish.
Some potential additions in mind are:
Pygmy hawkfish- trying to get a similar hawkfish-like character, but without the aggression
Helfrichi filefish- always been on my bucket list but never added due to the expected hawkfish aggression
Another kind of dartfish, maybe a blue gudgeon or scissor tail
Yellow clown goby- heard they are absolute delights but can pick at acros, apparently?
Blue Reef Chromis- I appreciate that they're always out, have a color I don't have in my current stock, seem less fragile than Blue/Green chromic
Tilefish- seems there are questions about the actual tank size for these, but have reached out to trusted LFS, a close friend in the fish importing business, etc. and I feel reasonably confident a 60 would do the trick, especially a well established and (soon to be) completely peaceful one
Additional wrasses- my biggest gap in knowledge. I've seen the fairy wrasse compatibility tree (though that didn't apply to my recent purchase and subsequent aggression), but I'm not sure about additions like a Haliochores wrasse, fairy wrasses, other flasher wrasses perhaps, etc with my current stock + those soon to be added from the acclimation box.
To those with more fish-mixing experiences than me, any recommendations, especially in the wrasse department? I am by no means planning to add all of the ideas listed above, just spitballing for maybe 2-3 more fish total. Thanks so much!
