290 stock list and methodology

[Fiziksgeek]

Getting close to adding fish to my 290 peninsula (72x36x26). Intent is for a mixed reef, heavy on acros, few LPS, trying to stay away from softies. Looking for other suggestions and also a methodology to on stocking. What should I add and when? If all goes well, I would like to get something in there before Christmas, but will let the water tell me when its ready. Ideally looking to purchase quarantined fish.

Was thinking of adding the chromis, a one or two gobies, royal gramma or purple dotty back and maybe the six line in the first batch. Butterfly and tangs in 2-3 months . Anthias and mandarin sometime later once the tank has aged some.




My thoughts for stock:

2-3 gobies, sand sifting like a orange spot or dracula, maybe a yellow watchman.

Green Chromis - cheap and easy, maybe 10 for a small school...if they will school?

Royal Gramma Basslet or purple dottyback

Blue Mandarin - had good success with these in the past, cool little fish.

Six line wrasse

Anthias - lyretail maybe, never had luck with these in the past.

Butterfly - pearlscale, latticed, copper banded? learning toward copper banded, pearlscale is my preferred, but may too much rick with the corals.

Fox face?

Tang Gang - CLown, blue hippo, Naso, and yellow? Add all at once if possible?

Some sort of clown maybe, not planning on having any anemones.

 

[blaxsun]

Not entirely sure about the order (I add fish whenever I feel like it), but a few additional suggestions:
* Flame hawkfish, melanarus wrasse, leopard wrasse, cleaner wrasse, striped dottyback, quoy's parrotfish, marine betta, midas blenny and lawnmower blenny.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Not entirely sure about the order (I add fish whenever I feel like it), but a few additional suggestions:
* Flame hawkfish, melanarus wrasse, leopard wrasse, cleaner wrasse, striped dottyback, quoy's parrotfish, marine betta, midas blenny and lawnmower blenny.

Thanks for the suggestions. Its been a while since I research compatibility. Back in the day I too just added fish as I wanted, but trying to be smart about it to maximize success this time around!

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks for the suggestions. Its been a while since I research compatibility. Back in the day I too just added fish as I wanted, but trying to be smart about it to maximize success this time around!

I've got 50 fish right now, some reef safe that aren't - some non-reef safe that are - more than a few that shouldn't be compatible or play well with others (yet do anyway). Compatibility is really a coin toss influenced by the particular fish you get multiplied by how elaborate your rockscaping is.

 

[nuxx]

Think of myself of a bit of Tang nerd...

I've had the following all at the same time (Gem, Black, Achilles, Achilles Hybrid, Chevron, 3 Yellows, Purple, Blue) and I'll just say this:

"Tang Gang - CLown (too big, too aggressive), blue hippo (probably ok), Naso (too big), and yellow (all good)? Add all at once if possible?"

 

[i cant think]

Getting close to adding fish to my 290 peninsula (72x36x26). Intent is for a mixed reef, heavy on acros, few LPS, trying to stay away from softies. Looking for other suggestions and also a methodology to on stocking. What should I add and when? If all goes well, I would like to get something in there before Christmas, but will let the water tell me when its ready. Ideally looking to purchase quarantined fish.

Was thinking of adding the chromis, a one or two gobies, royal gramma or purple dotty back and maybe the six line in the first batch. Butterfly and tangs in 2-3 months . Anthias and mandarin sometime later once the tank has aged some.




My thoughts for stock:

2-3 gobies, sand sifting like a orange spot or dracula, maybe a yellow watchman.

Green Chromis - cheap and easy, maybe 10 for a small school...if they will school?

Royal Gramma Basslet or purple dottyback

Blue Mandarin - had good success with these in the past, cool little fish.

Six line wrasse

Anthias - lyretail maybe, never had luck with these in the past.

Butterfly - pearlscale, latticed, copper banded? learning toward copper banded, pearlscale is my preferred, but may too much rick with the corals.

Fox face?

Tang Gang - CLown, blue hippo, Naso, and yellow? Add all at once if possible?

Some sort of clown maybe, not planning on having any anemones.

I’d avoid the sixline personally. There are many other wrasses out there! Take a look at these genera;
- Macropharyngodon
- Anampses
- Pseudojuloides
- Halichoeres
- Cirrhilabrus
- Xenojulis
- Paracheilinus
- Labroides

Each genus I have recommended is able to be intermixed with species from the same genus and even others from another of those genera. Just be careful when mixing several of the same species (Avoid doing this with Halichoeres, Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus until you gain more experience in wrasses then you may be able to do this but even then it’s not normally recommended).

If you want a starting list then here’s just some of my favourites from each genus;
- Halichoeres iridis
- Halichoeres cosmetus
- Halichoeres biocellatus
- Halichoeres vroliki
- Halichoeres melasmapomus
- Cirrhilabrus naokoae
- Cirrhilabrus pylei
- Cirrhilabrus shutmani
- Cirrhilabrus nahackyi
- Cirrhilabrus efatensis
- Pseudojuloides atavai
- Pseudojuloides severnsi
- Pseudojuloides cerasinus ‘tahiti’
- Pseudojuloides cerasinus
- Pseudojuloides paradiseus
- Macropharyngodon bipartitus
- Macropharyngidon marisirubri
- Macropharyngodon negrosensis
- Macropharyngodon vivienae
- Macropharyngodon meleagris
- Anampses melagrides
- Anampses neoguinaicus
- Anampses lineatus
- Anampses twistii
- Anampses lennardi
- Xenojulis margaritaceus
- Paracheilinus attenuatus
- Paracheilinus lineopunctatus
- Paracheilinus cyaneus
- Paracheilinus flavianalis
- Paracheilinus angulatus
- Labroides dimidatus
- Labroides bicolour
- Labroides pectoralis

 

[Fiziksgeek]

I’d avoid the sixline personally. There are many other wrasses out there! Take a look at these genera;
- Macropharyngodon
- Anampses
- Pseudojuloides
- Halichoeres
- Cirrhilabrus
- Xenojulis
- Paracheilinus
- Labroides

Each genus I have recommended is able to be intermixed with species from the same genus and even others from another of those genera. Just be careful when mixing several of the same species (Avoid doing this with Halichoeres, Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus until you gain more experience in wrasses then you may be able to do this but even then it’s not normally recommended).

If you want a starting list then here’s just some of my favourites from each genus;
- Halichoeres iridis
- Halichoeres cosmetus
- Halichoeres biocellatus
- Halichoeres vroliki
- Halichoeres melasmapomus
- Cirrhilabrus naokoae
- Cirrhilabrus pylei
- Cirrhilabrus shutmani
- Cirrhilabrus nahackyi
- Cirrhilabrus efatensis
- Pseudojuloides atavai
- Pseudojuloides severnsi
- Pseudojuloides cerasinus ‘tahiti’
- Pseudojuloides cerasinus
- Pseudojuloides paradiseus
- Macropharyngodon bipartitus
- Macropharyngidon marisirubri
- Macropharyngodon negrosensis
- Macropharyngodon vivienae
- Macropharyngodon meleagris
- Anampses melagrides
- Anampses neoguinaicus
- Anampses lineatus
- Anampses twistii
- Anampses lennardi
- Xenojulis margaritaceus
- Paracheilinus attenuatus
- Paracheilinus lineopunctatus
- Paracheilinus cyaneus
- Paracheilinus flavianalis
- Paracheilinus angulatus
- Labroides dimidatus
- Labroides bicolour
- Labroides pectoralis

Can you narrow your recommendations down to items that are readily available? haha

The bigger questions is, when would you recommend adding wrasse to the tank, especially if adding more than one? Should they all go in together like tangs? should they come before tangs? after tangs?

 

[i cant think]

Can you narrow your recommendations down to items that are readily available? haha

The bigger questions is, when would you recommend adding wrasse to the tank, especially if adding more than one? Should they all go in together like tangs? should they come before tangs? after tangs?

Ideally these guys come before the tangs do however if adding them after tangs an acclimation box should work. A tight fitting lid is a must (well, it should be a must with any fish no matter what). As for when to add them, it highly depends on the genus. Macropharyngodon, Pseudojuloides and Anampses should go in after having a tank established whilst Halichoeres, Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus can go in almost instantly after the cycle. Labroides should be added once you have those larger fish such as the tangs as they can use them to feed from.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Ideally these guys come before the tangs do however if adding them after tangs an acclimation box should work. A tight fitting lid is a must (well, it should be a must with any fish no matter what). As for when to add them, it highly depends on the genus. Macropharyngodon, Pseudojuloides and Anampses should go in after having a tank established whilst Halichoeres, Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus can go in almost instantly after the cycle. Labroides should be added once you have those larger fish such as the tangs as they can use them to feed from.

Thanks, I guess my thought is to group things together and trying to figure out the best order, never guarantees, but this is what I am thinking:

1. chromis, gobies, basselets etc
2. butterfly, wrasse
3. anthias
4 tangs.

I am sure any plan I make will get blown up when I see something "pretty" at a LFS....

 

[i cant think]

Thanks, I guess my thought is to group things together and trying to figure out the best order, never guarantees, but this is what I am thinking:

1. chromis, gobies, basselets etc
2. butterfly, wrasse
3. anthias
4 tangs.

I am sure any plan I make will get blown up when I see something "pretty" at a LFS....

That plan seems great!
And hey, I’ve had my plans just go way off the rails - I never intended for a wrasse dominant 4’ tank but I ended up with it.