If money was not an option?

mb5322

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After being out of the hobby for about 12-13 years, I finally decided to get back in. I decided to go with the Red Sea Reefer 300xl. Alot has changed in 12 years, and I like the ease of this, and how I can easily upgrade. It's 80 gallon system.

So my question is if money were no option, what would you stock it with? I currently have a black and an orange snow clown in there that my wife had to have. What corals, fish etc.... should I stock this with? I really dislike (no offense) tanks that have what everyone else has in them. Everytime somebody says they have a salt tank, we all know exactly what fish etc... we're going to see. I want even the experienced hobbyist to look at the tank and go oh you have a x fish or a y coral.

So please help me decide what else to stock this guy with, price doesn't matter, just some funky ideas for fish and coral.
 

ichthyogeek

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What are the tank's dimensions? If you really wanna go out there, you're going to have to pay the $$$ for it usually. What are your thought on cuttlefish (even though they eat everything else) ?

There are a lot of interesting deepwater fish (Liopropomas for example, as well as the deep water angels) that are incredibly rare, and there are a few companies in LA that should be able to get their hands on them (Among The Reef, Marine Collectors, etc.).
 

Ippyroy

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Difficulty in husbandry dictates price usually. Uncommon fishes and corals fall into this category a lot of times. Fish and corals that are common are that way due to ease of care needed. I just go with what looks good to me and is within my limited skill set.
 

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I have thought about this question a lot during my recent build. I wanted the rare and unusual, but i found i was getting caught up in trying to 'one up' other reef tank stocklists and lost sight of why i was setting up a reef tank. Regardless of how rare it is in the hobby, its price or exclusiveness, you are the one that has to care for it and and look at it, or if every other reefer has that fish or not. Stock your tank with what you love.

I wanted a Conspicillatus Angel as the center piece for my tank originally, as it was rare enough very few people have them but relatively affordable when comparing to some other rare fish. But while i was searching for one, it dawned on me that i don't actually love the fish, i loved it reputation. while it is beautiful, its just a brown fish. So i ended up with a Yellow Tang and a White Tail Bristletooth tang because they were two fish i have always been drawn to whenever i saw them in person and i couldn't be happier with my decision.
 

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What are the tank's dimensions? If you really wanna go out there, you're going to have to pay the $$$ for it usually. What are your thought on cuttlefish (even though they eat everything else) ?

There are a lot of interesting deepwater fish (Liopropomas for example, as well as the deep water angels) that are incredibly rare, and there are a few companies in LA that should be able to get their hands on them (Among The Reef, Marine Collectors, etc.).
You dont see many cuttlefish on here... (Ive always loved them but my tank is way too small)
 

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You could try a snowflake eel? Ah but for that you would need a good lid on the tank. A dwarf lionfish or two would look great, but if you added those you wouldnt be able to add any smaller fish. Lots of puffers are cool as well, like the blue spotted and valentini and saddle puffers, but they may nip at corals if you ever plan on getting some. I know some species of tangs work in 80g i believe, but Im sure someone else on here has more knowledge on tangs (i have a small 20g, looking to upgrade to 50g). #reefsquad #TangPolice maybe a lil help pls?
 

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Colt corals are unusual and easy to care for. I don’t see too many people with them. Scolys (especially croc island) also fit into this category. Alveopora is a cool one and way easier than a goni (at least ime) and there are several leather corals such as yellow Tonga that not many people have. Rainbow bottom or tube anemones and feather dusters are also quite stunning! You could also try cool mushrooms Ike Yuma, ricordia, and st. Thomas

If you have the means, lionfish can be very cool but good luck convincing the wife to get rid of the clowns!

Sexy shrimp and pom pom crabs aren’t in every system either but you will have to be very careful with what you add.

You could also have interesting dwarf angels such as flagfin, Elibi, or half black. Many people just have flame, coral beauty, or flameback.

roosterfish, coral crouchers, and leaf fish are also very usual and I don’t think they could do anything to a fully grown clown but I haven’t owned any of them so I don’t know.

lots of cool fish in the sea, I’m on your team here. I want a uniquely stocked tank as well :)
 
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mb5322

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I doesn't necessarily mean I'm spending 5k per animal, I just am looking for unique and not seen in every single other person's reef tank. I'm currently thinking about candy basslet maybe orange spot tile fish. I have no desire to one up anyone or boast about the money spent. This is solely for me, and I'm a bit odd so I was looking to match the tank with my personality. I do want to do a reef so all livestock has to be reef safe.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far
 

GoVols

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I doesn't necessarily mean I'm spending 5k per animal, I just am looking for unique and not seen in every single other person's reef tank. I'm currently thinking about candy basslet maybe orange spot tile fish. I have no desire to one up anyone or boast about the money spent. This is solely for me, and I'm a bit odd so I was looking to match the tank with my personality. I do want to do a reef so all livestock has to be reef safe.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far

Contact @tsmaquatics

Ray may have something in mind, TSM is as good as it gets.
 
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mb5322

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Dimensions are 36" by 22" by 23" deep
Red sea reefer 300xl 65 gallon main 15 gallon sump
Red sea rsk 600 skimmer
Red sea reef led 90 x2
Red sea reefwave 45
75 lbs live rock
80lbs pink Fiji live sand
 
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mb5322

mb5322

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Colt corals are unusual and easy to care for. I don’t see too many people with them. Scolys (especially croc island) also fit into this category. Alveopora is a cool one and way easier than a goni (at least ime) and there are several leather corals such as yellow Tonga that not many people have. Rainbow bottom or tube anemones and feather dusters are also quite stunning! You could also try cool mushrooms Ike Yuma, ricordia, and st. Thomas

If you have the means, lionfish can be very cool but good luck convincing the wife to get rid of the clowns!

Sexy shrimp and pom pom crabs aren’t in every system either but you will have to be very careful with what you add.

You could also have interesting dwarf angels such as flagfin, Elibi, or half black. Many people just have flame, coral beauty, or flameback.

roosterfish, coral crouchers, and leaf fish are also very usual and I don’t think they could do anything to a fully grown clown but I haven’t owned any of them so I don’t know.

lots of cool fish in the sea, I’m on your team here. I want a uniquely stocked tank as well :)
I really like the scoly and colt corals, definitely not in every tank thanks!
 
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mb5322

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I have thought about this question a lot during my recent build. I wanted the rare and unusual, but i found i was getting caught up in trying to 'one up' other reef tank stocklists and lost sight of why i was setting up a reef tank. Regardless of how rare it is in the hobby, its price or exclusiveness, you are the one that has to care for it and and look at it, or if every other reefer has that fish or not. Stock your tank with what you love.

I wanted a Conspicillatus Angel as the center piece for my tank originally, as it was rare enough very few people have them but relatively affordable when comparing to some other rare fish. But while i was searching for one, it dawned on me that i don't actually love the fish, i loved it reputation. while it is beautiful, its just a brown fish. So i ended up with a Yellow Tang and a White Tail Bristletooth tang because they were two fish i have always been drawn to whenever i saw them in person and i couldn't be happier with my decision.
The white tail bristletooth im also drawn to, but it would be last in. Im not sure why but I find myself constantly looking at them
 

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Gotta have hammers and torches !!
 

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I like your way of thinking! I'll give you a list of some cool animals you could get.


-A group of Huchtii, Ignitus or Carberyii anthias would look amazing in that tank. All three of those species are unique and not often seen in the aquarium trade, but are hardy enough for people with lower experience. They will shoal at higher densities, but for that size tank I would go with 3-5 maximum. Never start with an even number.

-A very cool addition to the tank could be an Echidna eel of some species, such as the snowflake, chainlink or Skeletor (my favorite). Snowflake males have sharper teeth than others and may pose a risk to some fish at larger sizes.

-A miniature puffer from the genus Canthigaster could be a very cool addition to the tank, but you would have to be careful with corals as they may nip certain fleshier ones. If you want to be really sure about coral safety, get a Leopard puffer, they are not found in coral-rich habitats and therefore don't eat coral.

-Any of the dwarf angelfish of the Centropyge genus would be really cool to have, avoid flame, flameback, and coral beauty because they are all very common. I would recommend a Potters angelfish for a unique look and lower coral risk.

On to corals/inverts!

-A coral that I don't see a lot of in many tanks are Cynarina, or button corals. They come in a wide array of colors (I can link you to some sources for high end rainbows) and are very robust. The problem is, they don't grow new heads so you won't make a return from the investment.

-I don't often see Acanthophyllia often either, similar to Cynarina but often with more desirable shape and/or color. They are a bit more commonly kept in the hobby, I have three.

-If you would want to go with an anemone at some point, you can never go wrong with a Macrodactyla doreensis, or Long Tentacle Anemone. They willingly host many species of clownfish and are big, bold and beautiful.

-Some cool inverts are the Halloween and electric blue hermit crabs, just like the normal hermits but less often seen in the hobby and very flashy.

-If you don't have any clean up crew yet, you could scour Live Aquaria for a special type of Turbo snail that is yellow instead of brown. Super cool and they are sold in packages on the Diver's Den nearly every day.

If you go the route of the anemone (no matter the species) you could try one or two of the Anemone shrimp species, like the Pedersen's shrimp. Just know that if you choose to get an eel or any basslets (like the Candy bass you mentioned) they may be turned into an expensive snack.

You could try a Strawberry crab, a large omnivorous scavenger that will handle the same amount of work that you would need two or even three emeralds to take care of. Just remember to keep them fed lest they get hungry enough to try and eat your fish.

Another super cool addition could be a slipper lobster, most often sold in food markets but occasionally available to the hobbyist. Just keep in mind that they will try to eat clams. The species sold as food get massive, so I would advise you to try and find one of the smaller species (I may be able to help you locate one).

-If you plan to keep only large, active fish you could try a reef lobster (Daums of Hawaiian are the smallest I believe) but they may still pose a risk to sleeping fish so I wouldn't advise one.

-If you really want a challenge, you could try some Sea Cucumbers in your tank. You could either go with the basic Tigertail or you could try something like a giant cuke or black Holothuria.

-And finally, if you really, really want to try something completely outlandish and crazy you could try to keep pygmy squid, but there is little to no information out there on their care so I wouldn't advise this.

Good luck with the tank! I'll be watching to see how it turns out.
 
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mb5322

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I like your way of thinking! I'll give you a list of some cool animals you could get.


-A group of Huchtii, Ignitus or Carberyii anthias would look amazing in that tank. All three of those species are unique and not often seen in the aquarium trade, but are hardy enough for people with lower experience. They will shoal at higher densities, but for that size tank I would go with 3-5 maximum. Never start with an even number.

-A very cool addition to the tank could be an Echidna eel of some species, such as the snowflake, chainlink or Skeletor (my favorite). Snowflake males have sharper teeth than others and may pose a risk to some fish at larger sizes.

-A miniature puffer from the genus Canthigaster could be a very cool addition to the tank, but you would have to be careful with corals as they may nip certain fleshier ones. If you want to be really sure about coral safety, get a Leopard puffer, they are not found in coral-rich habitats and therefore don't eat coral.

-Any of the dwarf angelfish of the Centropyge genus would be really cool to have, avoid flame, flameback, and coral beauty because they are all very common. I would recommend a Potters angelfish for a unique look and lower coral risk.

On to corals/inverts!

-A coral that I don't see a lot of in many tanks are Cynarina, or button corals. They come in a wide array of colors (I can link you to some sources for high end rainbows) and are very robust. The problem is, they don't grow new heads so you won't make a return from the investment.

-I don't often see Acanthophyllia often either, similar to Cynarina but often with more desirable shape and/or color. They are a bit more commonly kept in the hobby, I have three.

-If you would want to go with an anemone at some point, you can never go wrong with a Macrodactyla doreensis, or Long Tentacle Anemone. They willingly host many species of clownfish and are big, bold and beautiful.

-Some cool inverts are the Halloween and electric blue hermit crabs, just like the normal hermits but less often seen in the hobby and very flashy.

-If you don't have any clean up crew yet, you could scour Live Aquaria for a special type of Turbo snail that is yellow instead of brown. Super cool and they are sold in packages on the Diver's Den nearly every day.

If you go the route of the anemone (no matter the species) you could try one or two of the Anemone shrimp species, like the Pedersen's shrimp. Just know that if you choose to get an eel or any basslets (like the Candy bass you mentioned) they may be turned into an expensive snack.

You could try a Strawberry crab, a large omnivorous scavenger that will handle the same amount of work that you would need two or even three emeralds to take care of. Just remember to keep them fed lest they get hungry enough to try and eat your fish.

Another super cool addition could be a slipper lobster, most often sold in food markets but occasionally available to the hobbyist. Just keep in mind that they will try to eat clams. The species sold as food get massive, so I would advise you to try and find one of the smaller species (I may be able to help you locate one).

-If you plan to keep only large, active fish you could try a reef lobster (Daums of Hawaiian are the smallest I believe) but they may still pose a risk to sleeping fish so I wouldn't advise one.

-If you really want a challenge, you could try some Sea Cucumbers in your tank. You could either go with the basic Tigertail or you could try something like a giant cuke or black Holothuria.

-And finally, if you really, really want to try something completely outlandish and crazy you could try to keep pygmy squid, but there is little to no information out there on their care so I wouldn't advise this.

Good luck with the tank! I'll be watching to see how it turns out.
Wow thank you so much for the list, I truly appreciate the time you took. This is great it gives me alot to research and ponder. My wife did have her eye on a neon pink long Tentacle nem for her clowns.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 69 37.5%
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    Votes: 62 33.7%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 13.6%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 28 15.2%
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