72g stocking question - how much more room do I have?

[PSU_Reefer]

Hey All,

I have a 72g (waterbox 100.3) that i'm in the process of stocking up. Tank has been up and running for about 4 months and my current fish list is:

- 2 maroon clownfish
- 1 fairy wrasse
- 1 firefish
- 1 foxface

i'm interested in adding a goby, sunset anthias, royal gramma, maybe a damsel, and maybe a kole to tomini tang. i'd also like to get a clam somewhere down the road.

am i at the point where i need to start making cuts to my list? fish obviously won't be added all at once but i've made it through my first round of "must haves" so i'm looking to be a bit more selective moving forward.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

Hey All,

I have a 72g (waterbox 100.3) that i'm in the process of stocking up. Tank has been up and running for about 4 months and my current fish list is:

- 2 maroon clownfish
- 1 fairy wrasse
- 1 firefish
- 1 foxface

i'm interested in adding a goby, sunset anthias, royal gramma, maybe a damsel, and maybe a kole to tomini tang. i'd also like to get a clam somewhere down the road.

am i at the point where i need to start making cuts to my list? fish obviously won't be added all at once but i've made it through my first round of "must haves" so i'm looking to be a bit more selective moving forward.

Think you're okay in planning

Find this to be an interesting article, if you haven't yet read it:

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Biokabe]

You're fine, honestly. You could even go a little bit more if you wanted to.

We have similar tanks (I think you have overall a little more volume than I do, but my tank is longer) and in my tank I have:

• Pyramid Butterfly
• Sapphire Damsel x 2
• Pink Skunk Clown
• Red Margin Fairy Wrasse
• Lyretail Anthias
• Tomini Tang
• Forktail Blenny
• Purple Firefish
• Melanarus Wrasse

I'll probably add one or two more (pearly jawfish, Rainford's goby) and call it done.

The only aggression in my tank comes from the lyretail anthias, who seems offended at anything that has a similar tail. Never taken a bite at anything, but it lunges at the blenny and the fairy more often than I would like.

If you get a damsel, definitely go for either the one I have (look for Springer's damsel, there's another damsel that's sometimes called the Sapphire Damsel) or its cousin, the Starcki damsel. Both very peaceful and very beautiful blue fish, and I don't mean "for damsels". They're legit peaceful and gorgeous. Starcki has a bit more color (blue and yellow) but the Springer's is more vibrant (blue and black, the blue practically glows under LEDs) and will also eat flatworms.

As you bring in more fish, you do need to make sure that your filtration is up to the task, and you need to make accommodations for more frequent feedings. I have a Plank autofeeder, set up to feed the tank 4 times a day (two small feedings, two medium feedings). If I didn't feed as much as I do, I don't think the tank would be as peaceful as it is. This is particularly true if you want to keep Anthias... with hand-feeding, it's too easy to forget to feed the tank and doom your anthias to a slow and inevitable death.

 

[PSU_Reefer]

Think you're okay in planning

Find this to be an interesting article, if you haven't yet read it:

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

wow that’s a great article. Need to spend some time and digest that. Thank for for sharing!

 

[PSU_Reefer]

You're fine, honestly. You could even go a little bit more if you wanted to.

We have similar tanks (I think you have overall a little more volume than I do, but my tank is longer) and in my tank I have:

• Pyramid Butterfly
• Sapphire Damsel x 2
• Pink Skunk Clown
• Red Margin Fairy Wrasse
• Lyretail Anthias
• Tomini Tang
• Forktail Blenny
• Purple Firefish
• Melanarus Wrasse

I'll probably add one or two more (pearly jawfish, Rainford's goby) and call it done.

The only aggression in my tank comes from the lyretail anthias, who seems offended at anything that has a similar tail. Never taken a bite at anything, but it lunges at the blenny and the fairy more often than I would like.

If you get a damsel, definitely go for either the one I have (look for Springer's damsel, there's another damsel that's sometimes called the Sapphire Damsel) or its cousin, the Starcki damsel. Both very peaceful and very beautiful blue fish, and I don't mean "for damsels". They're legit peaceful and gorgeous. Starcki has a bit more color (blue and yellow) but the Springer's is more vibrant (blue and black, the blue practically glows under LEDs) and will also eat flatworms.

As you bring in more fish, you do need to make sure that your filtration is up to the task, and you need to make accommodations for more frequent feedings. I have a Plank autofeeder, set up to feed the tank 4 times a day (two small feedings, two medium feedings). If I didn't feed as much as I do, I don't think the tank would be as peaceful as it is. This is particularly true if you want to keep Anthias... with hand-feeding, it's too easy to forget to feed the tank and doom your anthias to a slow and inevitable death.

Hey thanks for the detailed reply. Your tank sounds beautiful and very similar to mine and where I want to get it.

That’s great info on the damsels. I love the blue that they bring but have obviously heard that the aggression can be a problem.

Your anthias anecdote on feeding is interesting. Four feedings is definitely way more than I’m currently doing. I’ll probably have to look more into their aggression before taking the plunge.

Thanks again for your perspective

 

[Biokabe]

Hey thanks for the detailed reply. Your tank sounds beautiful and very similar to mine and where I want to get it.

That’s great info on the damsels. I love the blue that they bring but have obviously heard that the aggression can be a problem.

Your anthias anecdote on feeding is interesting. Four feedings is definitely way more than I’m currently doing. I’ll probably have to look more into their aggression before taking the plunge.

Thanks again for your perspective

To be clear, with anthias the extra feedings are less about aggression and more about just making sure they survive. Anthias are plankton feeders in the wild and they're adapted to feeding pretty much constantly; they have a very short digestive tract and don't get a whole lot out of each individual meal. Consequently, they do need to eat pretty much constantly in order to do well. They're kind of like pelagic mandarins.

For most of the easier anthias out there, you don't need to go all-in on a Plank feeder; just getting an Eheim autofeeder with 2-3 feedings a day (using a blend of different pellets for complete nutrition) should be enough. What's nice about the Plank is that the pump/feeding tube that it uses inserts the food into the water column at neutral buoyancy. This has three major benefits: It better simulates natural feeding; it reduces waste into the overflow; and it allows you to use freeze-dried food in your autofeeder. Not a necessity by any means, but I noticed a huge improvement in fish and coral health after I installed it.