Fish stocking EA Reef Pro 1200s

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

Hi all,

This is my 1st post on R2R so hopefully I manage to do it right!

So I've been buying all the equipment to setup an EA Reef Pro 1200s for the last 4 months. Yesterday I pressed the button and ordered the tank which will be delivered in 10 days time, eeeeeeek! So it's time to start planning ahead my stocking and just wanted some feedback on my plans, see if I'm shooting too high or scope for more/changes etc. I personally think fish bring a reef alive so have always tended to go heavy on fish stock. This setup I want to go with a more sensible stocking level, best way I can describe it would be pushing stock levels to just past moderate (that's my personal compromise haha)

So the tank will be approximately 400 litres after displacement, 1200 x 600 x 600 mm. Filtration Clarisea SK3000 plumbed straight in from the drain pipe, BM Curve 7 skimmer, approximately 35kg of Real Reef rock and a marine pure block in sump. Will see how these go controlling no3/po4 but can adding reactors for pearls/GFO further down the road if required, if I can however avoid this will be preferable. The long term plan is a mixed reef, some softies such as mushrooms, Zoas, a nice leather, GSP, mostly LPS and starting with some basic SPS. In terms of fish I have chosen friendly to mildly aggressive fish and no risks with regards to safety of corals and cuc. Sooooo, my draft list for fish, listed in order of addition is:

1. Purple fireFire (already in QT)
2. Pair clownfish (Ocellaris/designer)
3. Leopard wrasse
4. Royal Gramma
5. Blue dot Jawfish
6. Bella Rose Goby
7. Cleaner wrasse
8. Melanurus wrasse
9. Radiant wrasse
10. Mystery wrasse
11. Yellow eye Kole tang
12. Purple tang

I'd love a little quartet lyretail anthias but know that will mostly likely mean stock too high or having to drop some off the above list. Sooooo yeah, if anyone has a constructive feedback or advice, alteratives please please feel free to post.

Thanks for reading

 

[Diesel]

Hey bro, welcome to R2R.
You already have done some homework which is a good thing.
Your 120g is a nice foot print.
Just be aware you have s large wrasse list for this tank.
@evolved @eatbreakfast @4FordFamily can help you out on which will work as a group.
Make sure you cycle this tank through before you load it up.

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

@Diesel , hi fella, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Most definitely the tank will be fully cycled. I'm QT'ing every fish so the most the bioload will increase in any one go is the pair of clownfish. Will be buying small specimens, love seeing them grow! Be interesting to hear about the wrasses. I know mystery can get a bit aggressive, that's why it's the last fish before the tangs

 

[eatbreakfast]

Mystery wrasses don't mix well with the wrasses on your list.

Cleaner wrasses can be challenging and do better in a setup that is bigger and has more large fish to serve as clients.

Blue spot jawfish need cooler temps.

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

@eatbreakfast

The cleaner wrasse was mainly on my list as a functional fish so I can happily drop that.

Regarding the mystery are there any wrasses that can cohabitat with them or is it a straight choice between mystery alone or the others but no mystery? Had one before and is my favourite fish of all time

 

[eatbreakfast]

Mystery wrasses can go with non-reefsafe wrasses, true Coris wrasses, cigar wrasses, hogfish, and tusk fish.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Not the wrasse expert i just read a lot lol.
So @eatbreakfast will correct if this is a bad idea.

But there are somewhat similar color fairy wrasse like Lineatus Fairy Wrasse.

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

Ok definite food for thought. I'm guessing there is an element of individual fish, as mentioned my previous mystery bothered no one, unfortunately succumbed to ws

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

Hi @Gareth elliott .

So the lineatus as an alternative to the mystery? Have always liked these too tbf

 

[eatbreakfast]

A lineatus would work.

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

So basically to decide mystery alone or all the other plus lineatus

 

[eatbreakfast]

So basically to decide mystery alone or all the other plus lineatus

Yup

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

Damm that's a tough decision, well plenty of time to decide. Thanks for that input everyone

 

[408Dartfish]

As stated earlier the blue spot is more of a cooler water temp fish. I have a black cap jawfish and he’s great maybe not as colorful as blue spot. Just a thought. Dustin

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

Hi @408Dartfish, yeah I've taken that on board. Had several chats with a few of my lfs that I trust most and they say all they have sold have done well, but will most definitely keep this information in mind

 

[eatbreakfast]

Hi @408Dartfish, yeah I've taken that on board. Had several chats with a few of my lfs that I trust most and they say all they have sold have done well, but will most definitely keep this information in mind

I have never heard of a BSJ lasting even a year in tropical temps.

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

@eatbreakfast can only go by my lfs as never owned one myself but I am most definitely listening to what you are saying. I'd rather have a fish that I can have from juve and see it grow over the years than wonder if it will survive 12 months. This is precisely why I posted on this forum, all getting the brain cogs ticking over haha

 

[Gareth elliott]

I also dont trust lfs recommendations. Its not that they dont care for their livestock but you dont always know what they are basing their recommendations on. One customers experience, their own 1 time experience, miss interpreting someones advice or miss judging identification.

This i have found is especially true of their ideas of proper conditions for uncommon inverts.
(That brightly colored nudibranch or seastar is probably a bad idea for your tank lol)

 

[Reef Obsessed 1981]

@Gareth elliott

Oh believe me I know which livestock are best left in the oceon. Do love an interesting member of cuc but know where to stop.

So something that hasn't been touched on, if I were to swap out the mystery for lineatus, and take off the blue dot, that would leave 11, would 4 lyretail be oushinp the limits on the bioload past moderate stocking, to enable me to try out SPS further down the road?

 

[Gareth elliott]

@Gareth elliott

Oh believe me I know which livestock are best left in the oceon. Do love an interesting member of cuc but know where to stop.

So something that hasn't been touched on, if I were to swap out the mystery for lineatus, and take off the blue dot, that would leave 11, would 4 lyretail be oushinp the limits on the bioload past moderate stocking, to enable me to try out SPS further down the road?

I think they would need a larger tank than the 105g and a larger school than 4.