65 Gallon Stocking

[Marine Iguana]

Hey all! After doing research and considering what I wanted to stock my 65 gallon tank with, I think I have came down with a tentative stock list:

Definite:
x1 Linear Blenny (already added)
x2 Flasher Wrasse
x1 Leopard Wrasse (unsure of species)
x2 Zebra Barred Dartfish
x1 Female Lyretail Anthias

Considering (not all will end up added):
x1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
x1 Christmas Wrasse
x1 Coral Beauty
x1-2 Yellow Spotted Scorpionfish (depends on if I can get a pair, these supposedly stay small and are pretty safe in a reef)
x1 Pair of Clowns

What do you all think of this stocking plan? Looking for suggestions as to what your favorite species of flasher wrasse are (with exception to the more pricey ones) and favorite species of leopard wrasse. I'm also curious as to what would be the best order of addition for the tank.

 

[Peach02]

Hey I’ve never kept a tank myself so I can’t say what order I would recommend but I’ve heard the blenny and coral beauty are great so as far as I can tell it sounds good

I’d reccomend a starry blenny though they sound from what I have heard more helpfull and Better looking

 

[eatbreakfast]

I like your list, and prefer the linear blenny to the starry.

I would recommend either one, or 3 or more flasher wrasses, all of different species. Because of their social dynamics having only 2 can be problematic.

What is the scientific name of the Christmas wrasse you are considering? There are a few species called Christmas wrasse and not all are suitable for your setup.

 

[Homebrewer]

Are you planning for this to be fish only or a reef? In either case, that seems like a pretty heavy stock list to me. I have a 65 reef and currently have just 5 fish. I’ve had as many as 7 but they were all very small. Some of the fish you list (i.e. Coral Beauty) are sometimes prone to nip at corals. Also, I’m no wrasse expert but that’s quite a few wrasses to put in a 65. I’ve only ever had one at a time, not to mention there are some people that consider a leopard wrasse as an “expert” level fish. I’ve never had one, so I can only go by what I read.

Not saying this can’t be done, I’m sure someone will disagree with me; this is just my opinion based on what I’ve tried in my 65 over the last 11 years.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Stocking capacity is affected by many factors, fish size, temperament, activity level, filtration, type of rock, amount of rock, temperature, surface area, surface agitation, maintainence routine, etc. So I would think it would be near impossible to tell someone they are at capacity based on a list of compatible species.

Questions to ask:
Are you able to maintain consistent parameters?

Is there aggression?

How does my tank look?

 

[Homebrewer]

Stocking capacity is affected by many factors, fish size, temperament, activity level, filtration, type of rock, amount of rock, temperature, surface area, surface agitation, maintainence routine, etc. So I would think it would be near impossible to tell someone they are at capacity based on a list of compatible species.

Questions to ask:
Are you able to maintain consistent parameters?

Is there aggression?

How does my tank look?

(I think I was typing my message at they same time you entered your first. Please note my first message was not intended as a "rebuttal" to yours)

Fair points made in both posts. Also I respect your position as a staff member and you undoubtedly have more experience than I. That said, no matter how well-maintained a tank may be, 65 gallons is a finite amount of space. Though it could be done, the question I always ask is should it be done. A tank could be stocked to capacity, but I've always tried to run my 65G under that line. Given the stocking list, it seems to me to be a bit heavy for a 65. Again, just my opinion, I hope there wasn't a misunderstanding here.

 

[eatbreakfast]

(I think I was typing my message at they same time you entered your first. Please note my first message was not intended as a "rebuttal" to yours)

Fair points made in both posts. Also I respect your position as a staff member and you undoubtedly have more experience than I. That said, no matter how well-maintained a tank may be, 65 gallons is a finite amount of space. Though it could be done, the question I always ask is should it be done. A tank could be stocked to capacity, but I've always tried to run my 65G under that line. Given the stocking list, it seems to me to be a bit heavy for a 65. Again, just my opinion, I hope there wasn't a misunderstanding here.

Just offering a counterpoint to what you said.

Agreed that there is a finite number of fish. But based on the current stock, much of the proposed stock can still go.

Phrasing such as 'could be done' vs "should be done' is faulty. Rather it should be asked why 'couldn't it be done?' and 'why shouldn't it be done?' If we can answer these than it it can be determined whether it may or may not work.

 

[Homebrewer]

Phrasing such as 'could be done' vs "should be done' is faulty. Rather it should be asked why 'couldn't it be done?' and 'why shouldn't it be done?' If we can answer these than it it can be determined whether it may or may not work.

I think we are on the same page. You are right that "could" and "should" on their own are faulty as they are only considering one side of the argument. I didn't mean for my statement to be interpreted in that way, but to your point, in this scenario, when asking "could" one must also ask "why couldn't" … with the same going for "should" and "why shouldn't" … I appreciate the discussion.

 

[nereefpat]

Hey all! After doing research and considering what I wanted to stock my 65 gallon tank with, I think I have came down with a tentative stock list:

Definite:
x1 Linear Blenny (already added)
x2 Flasher Wrasse
x1 Leopard Wrasse (unsure of species)
x2 Zebra Barred Dartfish
x1 Female Lyretail Anthias

Considering (not all will end up added):
x1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
x1 Christmas Wrasse
x1 Coral Beauty
x1-2 Yellow Spotted Scorpionfish (depends on if I can get a pair, these supposedly stay small and are pretty safe in a reef)
x1 Pair of Clowns

What do you all think of this stocking plan? Looking for suggestions as to what your favorite species of flasher wrasse are (with exception to the more pricey ones) and favorite species of leopard wrasse. I'm also curious as to what would be the best order of addition for the tank.

I think most of that can be done together.

The female lyretail anthias will turn male, just so you are aware.
Make sure that christmas wrasse is H. claudia, as @eatbreakfast alluded to. I wasn't aware that others have that common name until I spent some time on this board.
I know almost nothing about those scorpions. It looks like they stay small (about 3"), but do some research to make sure they won't eat their tankmates.

For order of addition:

Group 1 (least aggressive/shy/delicate)
flasher wrasses
leopard wrasse
dartfish

Group 2
blenny
clowns
yellow and claudia wrasses

Group 3 (most aggressive)
coral beauty angel
lyretail anthias - This may seem counter-intuitive, but these anthias are big and aggressive feeders. 65 gallons may be borderline for tank size.

 

[Marine Iguana]

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate them!!!

@Homebrewer, I value your input on stocking! I’ll be keeping a close eye on my water parameters and the social hierarchy of my tank as I go along. I have some pretty good filtration and want to intentionally add species that shouldn’t dispute of territory too much. Over the past 8 years of keeping this tank I’ve stocked lightly, but I’ve also stocked it rather heavily in the past as well. I have a pretty good feel for the system and what it can handle haha.

@eatbreakfast If I add a Christmas wrasse, I was hoping to find a claudia- they stay smaller and are generally less aggressive right?

@nereefpat How quickly do the female lyretails turn male? I’m still on the edge about whether or not I truly want to add one- I love the look of females and I know they can be successfully kept in 65s (although going smaller is pushing it), but I also want to be aware of aggression as you mentioned. As for the scorpions, I found a few articles with some info on them and it appears that they have been kept successfully in tanks with smaller fish- they have pretty small mouths comparatively to other scorpions. I still want to research them more before I make any final decision though! Also, thank you for the order addition advice!!!

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thank you all for your responses, I really appreciate them!!!

@Homebrewer, I value your input on stocking! I’ll be keeping a close eye on my water parameters and the social hierarchy of my tank as I go along. I have some pretty good filtration and want to intentionally add species that shouldn’t dispute of territory too much. Over the past 8 years of keeping this tank I’ve stocked lightly, but I’ve also stocked it rather heavily in the past as well. I have a pretty good feel for the system and what it can handle haha.

@eatbreakfast If I add a Christmas wrasse, I was hoping to find a claudia- they stay smaller and are generally less aggressive right?

@nereefpat How quickly do the female lyretails turn male? I’m still on the edge about whether or not I truly want to add one- I love the look of females and I know they can be successfully kept in 65s (although going smaller is pushing it), but I also want to be aware of aggression as you mentioned. As for the scorpions, I found a few articles with some info on them and it appears that they have been kept successfully in tanks with smaller fish- they have pretty small mouths comparatively to other scorpions. I still want to research them more before I make any final decision though! Also, thank you for the order addition advice!!!

TBH, I would be reluctant to house a claudia with a leopard and yellow coris in a 65g. Maybe a biocellatus, but any other Christmas wrasses might be a little too aggressive in that size tank.

 

[Marine Iguana]

TBH, I would be reluctant to house a claudia with a leopard and yellow coris in a 65g. Maybe a biocellatus, but any other Christmas wrasses might be a little too aggressive in that size tank.

I'll definitely look into the biocellatus more then, I thought that it was the other way around but I must have been mistaken!

 

[Jesterrace]

FYI on Leopard Wrasses they are poor shippers and can be picky eaters. I recommend waiting until your LFS does a bulk order and then buy one that is healthy, active and eating a couple of weeks later. This gets you a healthy and adaptable specimen. I used this method with my Blue Star Leopard and it has paid off well (Half or more of the shipment that mine came in with didn't make it a week).