Fish Stocking for 125

[tbrown]

Alright, so I'm getting ready to set up a 125 gallon mixed reef tank. I'm trying to decide on stocking. My wife wants a Refugium with Macros and I'll be running a skimmer (Bubble Magus Curve 7) so I'm thinking I might need to stock it a little heavy just so I don't have to dose a lot of NO3 and PO4.

Current Stock:

Tomini Tang
Blue Chromis (may add another 3 or 4)
Hector's Goby
Pajama Cardinal (may add 2 or 3 more)
Bangaii Cardinal (2, may add 1 or 2 more)
Green Clown Goby


Want to add:

Lawnmower or Starry Blenny
Foxface Rabbitfish (have a GC for Golden Lined, but prefer Foxface)
Pistol Shrimp/Shrimp Goby pair

What else should I add? Looking for suggestions. My wife doesn't want to spend a ton but she likes movement and color. I was think Lunar Wrasse, maybe Anthias? She wants a Six-Line wrasse...

 

[blaxsun]

Melanarus wrasse, sixline wrasse, cleaner wrasse, flame hawkfish, coral beauty dwarf angel, azure damsel, the obvious clownfish pair, midas blenny, rainford's goby, yellow coris wrasse, lubbock's fairy wrasse, striped dottyback, royal gramma...

 

[vtecintegra]

I'd never put a six line in a tank.

 

[blaxsun]

I'd never put a six line in a tank.

And yet, I just put another one in mine... I must be doing something right if I've 100% success with 2/2 different sixline wrasses in 3 years...

 

[damsels are not mean]

And yet, I just put another one in mine... I must be doing something right if I've 100% success with 2/2 different sixline wrasses in 3 years...

I had one for several years in my nano with other fish, even added a firefish after it and no issues even with CUC and shrimp. I am not sure why this fish has such a bad reputation.

 

[blaxsun]

I had one for several years in my nano with other fish, even added a firefish after it and no issues even with CUC and shrimp. I am not sure why this fish has such a bad reputation.

We both mush have aquascapes conducive to model sixline behavior, ideal water parameters or a combination thereof.

 

[damsels are not mean]

We both mush have aquascapes conducive to model sixline behavior, ideal water parameters or a combination thereof.

There is a lot of rock in my tank. Lots of places to weave in and out of and hunt. May have been to busy and fat to attack?

 

[blaxsun]

There is a lot of rock in my tank. Lots of places to weave in and out of and hunt. May have been to busy and fat to attack?

Same here. Don't know about yours, but my old one (perished due to misadventure last week) and the new one are on the prowl 24/7.

 

[vtecintegra]

That's great. Here are some words from six line threads: bully, jerk, spawns of satan, devil, evil, never again, hates other fish, wreaked havoc, terrifically terrible little fish, rolling the dice. Then there are a number of people asking how to catch the thing because it's such a menace. I learned the hard way with a so called peaceful Roland's damsel. It got up every morning and harassed everyone but a Tang until lights out. Three months to catch it.

 

[blaxsun]

That's great. Here are some words from six line threads: bully, devil, evil, never again, hates other fish, wreaked havoc, terrifically terrible little fish, rolling the dice. Then there are a number of people asking how to catch the thing because it's such a menace. I learned the hard way with a so called peaceful Roland's damsel. It got up every morning and harassed everyone but a Tang until lights out. Three months to catch it.

You forgot satan, a**hat and other colorful metaphors. Half the people I talk to in-person love their six; the other half hate it with an unrelenting passion. There must be some other contributing factors than "flip a coin".

Statistically, I had a 75% chance of my latest sixline being a terror of the deep, and yet he went into the tank, none of the other 41 fish gave two F's and he didn't give two F's about any of them, either.

 

[i cant think]

Usually if added last they will have to work up the chain of hierarchy with wrasses. Also, I have had atleast 3 six lines that were peaceful. One common factor I found with them was the rockwork, I had a lot of hiding spots for him to go in. I also had a more aggressive species in the tank (Neoglyphidodon oxyodon).

When I worked at the LFS we got sixlines in quite often and we would have them in tanks that were heavy with rocks and hiding spots. Usually they wouldn’t care about other tank mates but there was the odd time they picked on a weak one (We usually removed the weaker one to a more peaceful tank).

 

[tbrown]

Man... I didn't mean to start a debate. I've had Six-Line wrasse multiple times. Unfortunately as far as my wife is concerned, this one is non negotiable. He will be my last fish or at least near the end - I am aware of their temperament and also their feed requirements. I forgot to add that I have a single clown already. She'll probably be rehomed because my wife wants a pair of black and whites. I'll also have at least 1 firefish (probably a purple).

Melanarus wrasse, sixline wrasse, cleaner wrasse, flame hawkfish, coral beauty dwarf angel, azure damsel, the obvious clownfish pair, midas blenny, rainford's goby, yellow coris wrasse, lubbock's fairy wrasse, striped dottyback, royal gramma...

Thanks! I totally forgot about hawkfish! I'm not sure about damsel fish. My concern with the Rainfords Goby is that I already have a Hector's and they're very similar. The dwarf angel is probably in the list as well. Lots of great suggestions!