Michael Hughes
Active Member
Looking to get some feedback on the stocking list for our 125 gallon mixed reef. Thanks in advance!
May not show well in the photo, but the structure is absolutely riddled with caves, holes, blocked lines of sight, etc.
System details
Tank goals
Planned stocking list
(In order of introduction)
Specific questions
May not show well in the photo, but the structure is absolutely riddled with caves, holes, blocked lines of sight, etc.
System details
- 125 gallon tank (72x18x20")
- Sump: About 15 gallons at operating capacity
- Refugium: 10 gallons (plumbed into return chamber of sump) - for macroalgae (nutrient export) and supplemental pod production.
- Separate 14 gallon frag tank for coral and invert quarantine (77 days) that's been running for 10 months.
- Separate 20 gallon long for fish quarantine (Jay Hemdal's protocol).
- DT has been running 3 months and is well populated with pods. I started with Ocean Direct sand capped with special grade, and also added a rock spire that had been seasoning in the more mature frag tank for several months. Also moved over some sponge filters from the frag tank to the sump when I set up the DT.
- Currently the DT only has 2 ocellaris clowns that finished QT recently.
Tank goals
- "Real ocean reef" aesthetic
- Corals: Focus on growth forms and patterns instead of colors, avoiding the "highlighters in a windex box" look, generally avoiding the neon greens, etc.
- Inverts: Focus on filling functional roles (algae grazing, sand bed stirring, scavenging, detritus processing, etc.)
- Fish: Focus on small-mouthed planktivores, but more generally, looking to add a variety of behaviors and interaction with the reef itself. I'm not as much looking for fish that will pace back and forth across the front glass, but fish that will interact with the reef structure (caves, etc.).
- I plan to feed a diy frozen blend (PE calanus, baby brine shrimp, fish eggs, polychaete worms, mysis, clam, etc.) at least twice per day with a small amount of pellets on an autofeeder 3x day, plus algae and masstick daily.
- Since fish will be quarantined for 30+ days, introductions will be staggered at least a month between QT batches.
Planned stocking list
(In order of introduction)
- Ocellaris clowns (2) - already in tank
- Red firefish, engineer goby, and orange stripe prawn goby (currently on order with LFS)
- *Yellow longnose butterfly
- *Copperband butterfly
- 5-10 masked gobies? (see below)
- McCosker's flasher wrasse
- Royal gramma
- Tomini tang
- Melanurus wrasse
- Lyretail anthias (6)
- Longnose hawkfish
- *Bluethroat trigger (male)
Specific questions
- Masked goby (Gobiosoma oceanops) - Don't see many of these kept, but those that have them seem to love them. I'm thinking about adding 5-10 to give that "real reef" aesthetic of fish hovering over the reef. Does anyone have experience with these? If so, how do you like them?
- Showpiece fish - There's a handful of fish from which we would love to select 2-3 as real focal points of our tank. Most happen to be more challenging to keep (usually due to feeding difficulties). I am well aware of the difficulties, and have read successful and unsuccesful attempts at keeping them. Assuming I do "everything right" on my end as far as putting in the effort to get them feeding, which would you choose and why? We're looking at yellow longnose butterfly (flavissimus), copperband butterfly, bluethroat trigger (male), orange spotted filefish, Heniochus diphreutes, and multibar angel. Any other thoughts or species suggestions would be appreciated.
