Are Fish Stocking Wish Lists For Your Aquarium Really Attainable?

[VanDalsenReef]

It took me 10 years but I was able to actually get all the fish I wanted on my original list

 

[ninjamyst]

If you have the money, you can get all the fish you want from online sources

 

[snorklr]

small tank so that limits my choices...LFS' s in the area never seem to have anything i want...paranoid to buy there anyway...too cheap to want to pay for TSM style quarantined fish ( which doesnt seem to have what i want either) and dont trust FedEx to get anything here on time especially during winter...so everything is in limbo...

 

[PeterC99]

small tank so that limits my choices...LFS' s in the area never seem to have anything i want...paranoid to buy there anyway...too cheap to want to pay for TSM style quarantined fish ( which doesnt seem to have what i want either) and dont trust FedEx to get anything here on time especially during winter...so everything is in limbo...

This is pretty much how I also feel!

 

[Weasel1960]

Great thread @PeterC99. I think every hobbyist is different, just like corals, some want the designer fancy stuff, some want the flashy color, some just want one type, etc.

I am working on my wish list now. It will be a mixed reef peaceful tank centered around a couple of seahorses. So not overly large that I will need to re-home it later, not overly fast at feeding time, each has a job to do, etc. So overall I think my list will be attainable.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Theyre totally doable. Not all fish can be acquired year round, but if you know when and where to look you can certainly get just about anything you want thats legally obtainable. Ive gotten every fish i wanted and the ones still on the list i know where to get. Quarantine helps alot to ensure a healthy fish and ordering online has made it alot easier to find a certain fish. It can be tough if you wait for the lfs to get what you want.

 

[KevinC]

It is nearly impossible to obtain the full list! For example: I love angels, regal angels is just one example. I got 3 from LFS, none of them made it. They either Refuse to eat or died in QT and holding tank. I ordered 1 from online quarantined, and it still died. I eventually lost 4 regals before spending $600 from a local reefer that healthy and eats.

completing the list is not impossible, but I can already tell the budget will be x3 to x4 of what each fish will individually cost

 

[LPS Bum]

They're absolutely attainable. You simply need a lot of patience and a solid QT plan.

If you want rare fish, a sizable budget doesn't hurt either...

 

[ssdawood]

Its been a bit tough to find all the fish on my list but I was able to get what I wanted through my local LFS they ordered what they did not have. The pricing on some fish was a bit high and other's not so much, patience is key I had to wait a month or two for what I wanted.

Please share the list. Seeing other people favorites is half the fun.

 

[ssdawood]

...not that anybody needs more choices in Clownfish, but the Soloman Island True Percs have a classic look that has yet to be duplicated by the breeders. If anybody has ever seen one, then you get it - wonderful dark orange/red with pure white and super dark black. I doubt that I would ever buy a wild clown with the massive inventory of CB clowns, but these might tempt me. I am kinda glad that they are not really available anymore to keep my from having to make a hard choice between a really awesome fish and my desire not to deplete the ocean of something that we have available captive bred in such quantity.

Another example of maybe for me is Convict tang. Some have great luck with them, but I never have and the only one that I had that did well was probably just luck. If I see a trade in, then I will jump on it, but otherwise, I am staying away. I like Hawaiian Black Tangs too, but I never bought them... there was enough for trade/free after they started to eat people corals and they were just fed up with them.

Maybe/Someday used to be Rock Beauty Angelfish. They used to be SOOOOO hard, but I have had good luck with my last few both eating and growing. Collection has gotten better, I get them direct from the diver and with the introduction of mysis in the hobby, these seem more doable now than ever. They also stay about 5-7 inches so they won't likely outgrow my tanks.

Sometimes what you thought about fish is just wrong. How many know that there are reef safe triggers that pose less risk than a Tang, Blenny or Angelfish. I found out about these in a magazine and it kinda changed my hobby. I love to have a Sargassum or BlueThroat trigger in my reefs... and Crosshatch if I have a really large tank. Some steer clear of blennies since they can polyp nip, but Midas Blenny is quite great. Genicanthus Angelfish not being nippers in a sea of angelfish that are so-so. People with topless tanks sometimes avoid wrasses, but not all jump, some dart into the sand which makes them less prone to carpet surf. ...you get the point.

...so if there is a fish that you love, pay attention to the details. New foods are helping to keep some. Some are better to get direct from the diver, some can go through LA - it really matters sometimes. ...so if you want that prized Christmas Island Flame Angel, then make sure that you wait and get it from a South Pacific Wholesaler or trans shipper and not risk just getting some generic flame from a LA Wholesaler. The Rock Beauties that I described above all come from the diver and I attribute their success to one less flight from Florida to LA, being kept at full strength 1.026 water, not medicated and all of that.

In summary, this is what drives my maybe list:

• Available again from a wholesaler
• Traded In
• New Foods/Shipping/Collection that is a potential game changer
• Learned some new things

Not Solomon Island but looks a little close.
Just awesome. PNG

 

[Zionas]

I’m more or less certain of the fish I want, with only minor variations when it comes to the actual species (depending on availability), but it’s taken me almost two years to really narrow it down, as well as taking into consideration the bioload, the corals, the behaviors and look of the tank I want. I’ve gone, over the course of this time, from seeking variety to prioritizing behavior in pairs and harems (trios) over having as many species as possible, from wanting a bit of everything to making angels my focus over Tangs and what not, from wanting a mixed reef to a reef with simpler corals because of the angels, from wanting a medium or both bioload to a low-medium one once maintenance and water changes was taken into account. Captive Bred fish has also been factored in a lot more than when I first started investigating what’s out there. The biggest shift of all? Deciding that I am firmly a fish lover over a coral lover and that I want to live with a tank, not really live for the tank.

Plenty of people on here ask for help with stocking lists and it’s my favorite part of participating, although I wish I had the decades of experience many of you here have. I’m 25 going on 26 so, yeah lol. I hope that what I end up with will be with me for years and decades to come, constantly replacing fish isn’t my thing.

I think it’s still very important to have a general idea and knowledge that comes from making a stocking list and having more experienced hobbyists give insight. Even if things do change down the line, perhaps fundamentally, I would never jump into getting a fish or a group of fish before doing as much research as possible. There is a reason why certain fish are successfully kept over the long-term by so few, other times they’re just overlooked / haven’t been thrust into the spotlight by the hobby and the industry but I try not to just get anything that “looks good.” I might even be considered a bit too “conservative” and “bland” but it’s the longevity and health of a specimen that does it for me.

Others may be different, but I’d be much happier to tell people that I’ve had a fish for 20 years than tell people I have a long list of fish I’ve kept over the course of 20 years.

 

[Zionas]

I seldom see Diphreutes, in fact I have never seen a living one unless it was mixed in with a shipment of Acuminatus. They’re beautiful fish (both species) but grow large and really tall. In Taiwan there was this bar with a large FOWLR (I think maybe even like 500 gallons) where the owner had an adult Acuminatus. I’m not sure if Diphreutes get any smaller, and maybe the thing was caught at or near that size, but it was easily 8” and VERY tall to boot. I’m not sure about their hardiness, or the hardiness of the Pyramid Butterflies, but one thing that’s put me off BFs entirely (for now at least) is their reputation for being touchy. Even semi-aggressive / assertive fish can stress them out.

Many butterflies pair for life but to my knowledge they aren’t hermaphrodites like angels.

 

[Zionas]

I just wouldn’t expect any angel or butterfly to be 100% reef safe. The label really has to go IMO. For example there are reports of Tangs and Rabbitfish munching on corals, even wrasses and Clowns, but they are generally regarded as “reef safe”. Sometimes they don’t go after the corals themselves but it’s collateral damage from going after the micro-organisms that are in the corals. Other times they just munch on the corals themselves to varying degrees.

I think “Generally Reef Safe” or “Mostly Reef Safe” down to “Moderately Reef Safe” and “Generally Unsafe” could be a more accurate way of describing these behaviors. It’s a spectrum rather than something set in stone.

 

[KevinC]

When they are available from the wholesalers again and not banned. I was not really clear, sorry, but the limitation is not me... I had multiples of these fish when they were available, but not all of of them live as long as tangs or angels (looking at you most wrasses), so when they die of old age, they cannot be replaced anymore.

I also like some fish that are only really available once a year for a short time. Chrysurus Angelfish is from Africa and only collected in a small window usually once a year, so you better know when to look and jump if you see one.

Please tell me where I can get directly from diver, I need to know bad

 

[jda]

Those percs are really nice, but still don't temp me as much as the Soloman Island ones. You know what I mean - nice to see that there are a few of us still.

The Genicanthus angels are 100% reef safe. Other angels are hit or miss. Pyramid BF are 100% reef safe for me - Zosters too. Tangs and rabbits are not 100% reef safe - none of them. Genicanthus Angels, X Triggers and Pyramids are safer than most tangs and rabbits, IME.

As for divers... There are are a few in Florida. I use ReefTopia - they don't always have everything all of the time, but I respect that and will buy when they have good specimens available, or wait for them to catch stuff. ReefTopia will do FedEx to homes. Hawaii might be opening back up soon again and there are several there. There are many in the south pacific. Are you sure that you want this? You bear all of the risk, have to go to the airport and pay the freight, etc. Lots of people say this, but don't end up wanting to meet minimums (sometimes $1000 or $2500 or more) and stuff. If Southwest loses your box or it gets delayed, you are just out - no refunds and nobody who cares if you want to complain. It can be mandatory for some who want rare things, but not a great idea for everybody. You can figure this out if you want to search hard enough, but searching and figuring it out is part of the work that is needed to be successful.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Always wonder if the fish stocking wish lists for your aquarium were really attainable?

Seems that there are so many factors that come into play:

1) Locating & availability
2) Finding the fish in good health
3) Fish may not ultimately get along with your other fish
4) Budget constraints
5) Transportation concerns

So have you been able to complete your aquarium's fish stocking list and if so, how did you accomplish it?

I haven't started stocking my first fish (for my first saltwater tank) yet, but I've been looking. I have a rough idea of what I want to have, and order of addition... First fish I want: a pair of frozen frostbite clownfish (from Sustainable Aquatics). Yeah, jumping on the designer clown wagon, lol. I just think they're beautiful. I'm pretty nervous to have a fish shipped to me in winter though, and haven't seen any in my LFS... I did email SA, and got an amazingly fast response with some great info! Thought I'd share in case a designer or captive bred clown is on anyone's wish list and they're interested in SA (their online store is called The Coral Reef):

"Hi Erica, Thanks for your excellent questions!
We feed the medium sized clownfish our .08 mm SA Hatchery Diet pellets. We recommend Mysis, Spirulina, Brine Shrimp with garlic as frozen treats for medium and larger clownfish.

If you don't want a WYSIWYG bonded pair we recommend you purchase a medium and a small of the frostbite frozen variety and attempt to have them bond. You could request a medium that is on the smaller side of the medium category.

We do ship with heat packs and use UPS overnight so you will receive tracking information and can even request that UPS hold the fish at a local Hub rather than deliver to your door if the weather outside is extreme. The fish have received copper treatment but are not otherwise medicated. You will not need to isolate or pretreat the fish in any way before introducing them to their tank.

Regards
The Coral Reef Team"