Help deciding stocking levels for new tank (60 gallon)

[jakeb]

I'm in the process of setting up my first marine tank. I'm (hopefully) having a WB Marine X 90.3 (224 litre/60 gallon) delivered next month. I have most equipment now, my rock is cycling in a couple of buckets, so now I'm trying to decide what I'm going to put in it...

I'm struggling to work out what is a suitable stock level for my tank. As far as I can tell, there isn't one 'golden rule' to follow (after making sure all fish are compatible with each other, corals, etc.). I've only kept fresh water tanks in the past and stocking them has always been simple - especially for my current planted tank, as it only has a dozen tetra and cherry shrimp.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - either general advice about stocking levels, or my choices below. I've been researching this for a while, and this is what I have came up with so far (probably getting them in roughly this order):

1 x Molly Miller Blenny
1 x Yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp
2 x Occelaris clownfish
1 x McCoskers flasher wrasse
2 x Benggai cardinal
Potentially 1 or 2 mandarins if I can, but not for a long, long time

For inverts, I was thinking of:
1 x Porcelain anemone crab (I won't be getting an anemone, but understand they are happy with soft corals)
1 x Peppermint shrimp (or a different species - need to research more)
1 x Blue tuxedo urchin (probably the animal I've researched the least, but wouldn't get one for a while)
Trochus, Nassarius snails

 

[P-Dub]

Your list seems perfectly reasonable to me.

 

[mindme]

Aside from the mandarins I don't see any issues.

In many cases it's more about territory than load.

I'd also consider picking up a baby tang. It will eventually outgrow the tank, but that's years down the line and they are good for eating algae. Baby blue tangs are great with fun personalities.

 

[jakeb]

Aside from the mandarins I don't see any issues.

In many cases it's more about territory than load.

I'd also consider picking up a baby tang. It will eventually outgrow the tank, but that's years down the line and they are good for eating algae. Baby blue tangs are great with fun personalities.

Thanks for the advice. I had discounted tangs as I thought my tank wasn't large enough.

Why do you think I shouldn't get mandarins? I was hoping my tank would be big enough to have enough pods for them. But if it's not, I won't get them.

 

[Reefer of Oz]

Yo yo Jakob.... Welcome!
It indeed looks like you have done some research. Your fish all seem of appropriate sizes and temperaments to cohabitate in a system of your size.
You a seem aware of the dietary needs of the Mandarin you hope to keep. They should surely be a final addition to your tank. And only after making certain of a stable system with a healthy Copepod population, plenty of hiding caves and few competitors for grazing on critters. 2 would be pushing it in a 60 gal setup that wasn’t ideal.
You can certainly find success with your plan. It seems well thought out and consulting for opinions is a great step. Try posting any specific questions in the dedicated sub forums to get more directed answers. And start up a build thread to document your progress and share your experience!

 

[jakeb]

Yo yo Jakob.... Welcome!
It indeed looks like you have done some research. Your fish all seem of appropriate sizes and temperaments to cohabitate in a system of your size.
You a seem aware of the dietary needs of the Mandarin you hope to keep. They should surely be a final addition to your tank. And only after making certain of a stable system with a healthy Copepod population, plenty of hiding caves and few competitors for grazing on critters. 2 would be pushing it in a 60 gal setup that wasn’t ideal.
You can certainly find success with your plan. It seems well thought out and consulting for opinions is a great step. Try posting any specific questions in the dedicated sub forums to get more directed answers. And start up a build thread to document your progress and share your experience!

Thanks for the comments. I'll stick to one mandarin if I get one.