33 gallon stocking plan

[RafaReef]

Hi all,

I’m new to reefing and have just bought a 123L / 33 gallon tank I am cycling!

Was hoping to get some advise as to whether my fish would work together and would coexist happily in a tank this size

phase one:
To start I was planning on a black and white clownfish ocellaris, a regular orange and white clownfish ocellaris and a royal gramma

phase two:
once they’ve settled in I was planning on introducing a longnose hawkfish, red firefish and cardinal fish

phase three:
and finally I was hoping to add a mandarin goby when the tank was very well established , after I was told in the local fish shop they would be fine in this size tank… although having done more research sounds like it might struggle with pod population, so some advise would be grea

in terms of clean up crew, what would people suggest as I know hawkfish are know for eating them!

thanks in advance!

 

[Chef Mateo]

Honestly that list is going to be too much you probably want to be in the 3-5 fish range especially at the sizes of fish you are looking at.

Clownfish are a great fish for newbies although some including myself have found they can become quite territorial especially in a tank that size. Likely the cardinal and firefish would just be bullied (mine were and I know others have been by clowns)

Royal Gramma is a solid choice to pair with clowns because it will generally stand its ground, some are more cryptic and do not like to be out though.

Longnose Hawk is a hit or miss, can be aggressive can be not and will likely kill any shrimps if you have any.

Cardinals, Firefish are great picks just worry about them around clowns but luck may be on your side.

I would not touch a mandarin in that tank, likely will starve to death unless Biota but even then it will not be healthy, LFS's (although some are great) want to sell fish so they are always going to be a bit lenient on what you should put in a tank, always do your own research in addition to their advice.

Good luck I would personally recommend the 2 clowns, royal gramma and maybe a chalk bass !

 

[i cant think]

Hi all,

I’m new to reefing and have just bought a 123L / 33 gallon tank I am cycling!

Was hoping to get some advise as to whether my fish would work together and would coexist happily in a tank this size

phase one:
To start I was planning on a black and white clownfish ocellaris, a regular orange and white clownfish ocellaris and a royal gramma

phase two:
once they’ve settled in I was planning on introducing a longnose hawkfish, red firefish and cardinal fish

phase three:
and finally I was hoping to add a mandarin goby when the tank was very well established , after I was told in the local fish shop they would be fine in this size tank… although having done more research sounds like it might struggle with pod population, so some advise would be grea

in terms of clean up crew, what would people suggest as I know hawkfish are know for eating them!

thanks in advance!

Personally, I would ditch the clowns (These will just get aggressive and eventually may kill some of the other inhabitants) and either the fire fish or gramma. The reason I’d ditch the gramma or fire fish is due to them potentially not getting along and maybe fighting.

That would leave you with 4 fish total which is a good stocking list for a standard 33g tank. I would personally avoid the mandarin due to how much they need to be fed and how often.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

No royal gramma
I agree that 4 or so fish will be your limit.
If you were doing smaller fish or blennys and gobies ect it would be ok in the 5 or 6 fish range.

I've never exp long nose hawkfish to be aggressive or to eat cuc. Even shrimp.
Maybe sexy shrimp.
D

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I have a 32 gallon, I keep 5 fish (2 clowns, flametail blenny, yellow watchman, and a black clingfish), I feel I could add one more, but I'm too afraid of introducing a bully. But I feel 5-6 fish is the max for this size tank.

Add only one clownfish pair, not 2, they will likely kill each other.

I say dont get a mandarin, unless you can get a captive raised one that is proven to eat prepared foods.

To start, add only 1 fish at a time (2 clowns at a time is the exception), then wait a few weeks to add the next one, take it very slow.

Personally, I'm not crazy about clean up crew, I buy minimum amounts only as I need them. I dont keep crabs at all, and I think the most snails I ever had was 8.

 

[RafaReef]

Do any of you guys have some good suggestions for fish that would all get along, generally looking to have quite a colourful tank!

 

[zen]

I have a 29 gallon with a clownfish, orchid dottyback and a green mandarin. If you have enough rock for the pods to hide and breed, then you can keep a mandarin well fed. I would start with a small mandarin and create several rock piles around the tank for the pods and maybe add a pod hotel. Pipefish, firefish, royal gramma, cleaner shrimp and blood red fire shrimp are also options that are colorful and moderately sized. In total I wouldn't recommend adding more than 4-5 these fish total. As you increase the bioload, consider adding more snails like astrea. I have 10 snails and I need to add another 5 at least to keep algae away.