In What Order Should I Stock This?

[NC122606]

Here is what I plan on stocking in a 180 Reef.
I would like to know what order I should stock these in.
Also, I wanted to know if I should start out with corals and add fish or do a FOWLR and transition to a reef.
So just order like adding Regal first then maybe Eel last or something.
So I was thinking something like this Example
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1x Regal Angelfish (First)
*Add Corals and Transition to Reef
1x Flame Angelfish (5th)
Just a example
Or should I start as Reef?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1x Regal Angelfish
1x Type Of Swallowtail Angelfish
1x Flame Angelfish
1x Potters Angelfish
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )
1x Powdered Blue Tang Powdered Brown Tang (Acanthurus)
1x Harlequin Tusk
1x Leopard Wrasse
1x Starry Blenny
1x One Spot Foxface
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish
1x Heniochus Diphreutes (These are Reef Safe)
1x Flame Hawkfish
1x Royal Gramma
1x Green Mandarin
2x Orange Blood Clownfish
1x Marine Betta
3x Indian Ocean Lyretail Anthias
2x Banggai Cardinalfish
1x Zebra Moray Eel

 

[Westoncase]

Least aggressive fish first is what I’ve always been told/done.

 

[NYAquatic]

skip tusk (will decimate your inverts) and betta (will eat smaller fish)

 

[NC122606]

skip tusk (will decimate your inverts) and betta (will eat smaller fish)

Anything you would suggest instead of them?

 

[NC122606]

Ok so I was looking a bit and will get rid of the Tusk since it does seem like a brute when it grows up, I still do want to have a Marine Betta since it is a better chance with shrimp and stuff. I will get rid of the Royal Gramma if it is really that bad considering it is I think the smallest I have here. I will keep this updated when I find a replacement. Thanks!

 

[NC122606]

Sorry for Triple Posting but...
I am making these changes

Adding:
+ 1 - 2x Blue Throat Triggerfish
+ 1x Melanarus Wrasse (Forgot to move this over )

Staying the same:
1x Marine Betta

Removing
- 1x Harlequin Tusk
- 1x Royal Gramma
- 2x Banggai Cardinalfish

@NYAquatic Look any better? Also, thank you I took a closer look at the tusk and decided otherwise. I will be ok with removing the Melanarus.
----------------------------------------------------------
1x Regal Angelfish
1 - 2x Type Of Swallowtail Angelfish
1x Flame Angelfish
1x Potters Angelfish
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )
1x Powdered Blue Tang Powdered Brown Tang (Acanthurus)
1x Melanarus Wrasse
1x Leopard Wrasse
1x Starry Blenny
1x One Spot Foxface
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish
1x Heniochus Diphreutes (These are Reef Safe)
1x Flame Hawkfish
1 - 2x Blue Throat Triggerfish
1x Green Mandarin
2x Orange Blood Clownfish
1x Marine Betta
3x Indian Ocean Lyretail Anthias
1x Zebra Moray Eel

 

[NC122606]

I was looking a bit and Banggais should be ok with MB as they are not slim bodied like Royal Grammas.
Here is what I am thinking
----------------------
1st: 1x Regal Angelfish
3rd: 2x Type Of Swallowtail Angelfish
8th: 1x Flame Angelfish
8th: 1x Potters Angelfish
12th: 1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)
12th: 1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )
12th: 1x Powdered Blue Tang Powdered Brown Tang (Acanthurus)
6th: 1x Melanarus Wrasse
6th: 1x Leopard Wrasse
5th: 1x Starry Blenny
11th: 1x One Spot Foxface
1st: 1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish
2nd: 1x Heniochus Diphreutes (These are Reef Safe)
5th: 1x Flame Hawkfish
10th: 2x Blue Throat Triggerfish
7th: 1x Green Mandarin
9th: 2x Orange Blood Clownfish
4th: 2x Banggai Cardinalfish
9th: 1x Marine Betta
7th: 3x Indian Ocean Lyretail Anthias
13th / Last: 1x Zebra Moray Eel
------------------
So the Combos will be
1. Regal and Copperbanded
2. Schooling Bannerfish (H. Diphreutes)
3. Pair Of SwallowTails
4. Pair Of Banggai
5. Starry Blenny and Flame Hawk
6. Leopard Wrasse and Melanarus
7. Green Mandarin and Trio Of Anthias
8. Flame and Potters Angel
9. Clownfish Pair and Marine Betta
10. Pair Of Triggers
11. Solo Foxface
12. Trio Of Tangs
13. Eel

 

[NYAquatic]

Probably too many fish in total

 

[Michael Gray]

Alot of fish

 

[NC122606]

Probably too many fish in total

Yeah, I figured that I was making a list and think I will take out these.
- Schooling Bannerfish (People have bad experiences with them...)
- Swallowtail Pair (Too Much)
- Melanarus (Was My First Choice To Take Out)
- Anthias Trio ( I do not want to feed my tank like 4 - 6 times a day)
- Pair Of TriggerFish (Just like the Tusk get a brute like)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fish that I might remove:
Dwarf Angelfish or just keep 1
Foxface
*I would like do Foxface > Dwarf Angelfish if that is too much
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1x Regal Angelfish
[ 1x Flame Angelfish 1x Potters Angelfish ]
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )
1x Powdered Blue Tang / Powdered Brown Tang / Achilles Tang (Acanthurus)
1x Leopard Wrasse
1x Starry Blenny
[ 1x One Spot Foxface ]
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish
1x Flame Hawkfish
1x Green Mandarin
2x Banggai Cardinalfish
2x Orange Blood Clownfish
1x Marine Betta
1x Zebra Moray Eel

 

[NC122606]

Ok so, if that stocking is good then any invertebrates you suggest?
Also, is stocking good?

 

[Marco S]

I would highly recommend rethinking the Tusk. My Tusk is the best looking fish in my DT and I have an Achilles and Purple Tang that I thought would be my prize fish, but they don't compare to my Tusk! And my Purple Tang is way more of a brute than my Tusk.

Granted he will eat shrimp, clams, crabs and even smaller fish, but I am just planning to overstock snails like crazy since he doesn't seem interested at all in my Turbo and Nassarius snails. You just need to get a little more creative with the CUC, but you can still have one.

Just my two cents though...

Also, add him last if you do add one. Anything you put in the tank after him will be food to him.

 

[NC122606]

I would highly recommend rethinking the Tusk. My Tusk is the best looking fish in my DT and I have an Achilles and Purple Tang that I thought would be my prize fish, but they don't compare to my Tusk! And my Purple Tang is way more of a brute than my Tusk.

Granted he will eat shrimp, clams, crabs and even smaller fish, but I am just planning to overstock snails like crazy since he doesn't seem interested at all in my Turbo and Nassarius snails. You just need to get a little more creative with the CUC, but you can still have one.

Just my two cents though...

Also, add him last if you do add one. Anything you put in the tank after him will be food to him.

I can??? I can happily take out the Dwarf Angelfish for it. The only reason I wanted Potters was that I wanted something that looked like it. Do you think I am overstocking or am I ok?

 

[Marco S]

I can??? I can happily take out the Dwarf Angelfish for it. The only reason I wanted Potters was that I wanted something that looked like it. Do you think I am overstocking or am I ok?

The Potters Angel and Flame will probably be aggressive towards each other and you will want to add all the Tangs at once to minimize the aggression, (there will still be some initially). But I don't think that's overstocked for a 180 gallon, (not sure about the eel though as I have done no research on them since I wasn't planning on having one). What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[NC122606]

The Potters Angel and Flame will probably be aggressive towards each other and you will want to add all the Tangs at once to minimize the aggression, (there will still be some initially). But I don't think that's overstocked for a 180 gallon, (not sure about the eel though as I have done no research on them since I wasn't planning on having one). What are the dimensions of the tank?

I would probably get it somewhere in the measurements of 6' by 2' by 2' / I avoided the 150 Gallon because all I could find was the shallow which was shorter. I would maybe like a whitetail bristle tooth, it is worth asking but it is ok if not. I would just like a red fish.

 

[Marco S]

I would probably get a somewhere in the measurements of 6' by 2' by 2' / I avoided the 150 Gallon because all I could find was the shallow which was shorter. I would maybe like a whitetail bristle tooth, it is worth asking but it is ok if not. I would just like a red fish.

A six foot 180 gallon should be fine for all the Tangs although some may say you need a 200+ gallon. I have four in a 6 foot 160 gallon tank. I do plan on moving my Hippo and Achilles to a 300+ gallon tank in a few years, but they are fine for now.

I just got a Whitetail Bristletooth and it is a beautiful fish. I am probably asking for trouble when I actually introduce it into my DT with four other Tangs, but we will see. They are one of the tamer Tangs, but I have a Powder Blue, Achilles and Purple that will probably show aggression initially until they teach it the pecking order in the tank.

One thing I would recommend with Tangs is to Quarantine them if you can. Every Tang I got had either Ich, Velvet, Flukes or some sort of bacterial disease.

 

[NC122606]

A six foot 180 gallon should be fine for all the Tangs although some may say you need a 200+ gallon. I have four in a 6 foot 160 gallon tank. I do plan on moving my Hippo and Achilles to a 300+ gallon tank in a few years, but they are fine for now.

I just got a Whitetail Bristletooth and it is a beautiful fish. I am probably asking for trouble when I actually introduce it into my DT with four other Tangs, but we will see. They are one of the tamer Tangs, but I have a Powder Blue, Achilles and Purple that will probably show aggression initially until they teach it the pecking order in the tank.

One thing I would recommend with Tangs is to Quarantine them if you can. Every Tang I got had either Ich, Velvet, Flukes or some sort of bacterial disease.

Ok, so it is ok? Thank you! I plan on Quarantining everything that needs to be QT'd.
1x Regal Angelfish
[ 1x Flame Angelfish ] This option is just there
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )
1x Achilles Tang (Acanthurus)
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus)
1x Leopard Wrasse
1x Starry Blenny
1x Harlequin Tusk
[ 1x One Spot Foxface ]
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish
1x Flame Hawkfish
1x Green Mandarin
2x Banggai Cardinalfish
2x Orange Blood Clownfish
1x Marine Betta
1x Zebra Moray Eel

 

[Marco S]

Ok, so it is ok? Thank you! I plan on Quarantining everything that needs to be QT'd.
1x Regal Angelfish
[ 1x Flame Angelfish ] This option is just there
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )
1x Achilles Tang (Acanthurus)
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus)
1x Leopard Wrasse
1x Starry Blenny
1x Harlequin Tusk
[ 1x One Spot Foxface ]
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish
1x Flame Hawkfish
1x Green Mandarin
2x Banggai Cardinalfish
2x Orange Blood Clownfish
1x Marine Betta
1x Zebra Moray Eel

Here is my take on it...

1x Regal Angelfish
[ 1x Flame Angelfish ] This option is just there This one is "Reef Caution" and may nip at coral
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)Great reef fish, good choice
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )Great reef fish, good choice
1x Achilles Tang (Acanthurus) This is an "Expert Only"fish and requires high flow and lots of swimming room
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus) Great reef fish, good choice
1x Leopard Wrasse Great reef fish, good choice
1x Starry Blenny Great reef fish, good choice
1x Harlequin Tusk Will eat shrimp, crabs, clams and potentially smaller fish, but good choice IMO
[ 1x One Spot Foxface ] Great reef fish, good choice
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish I have read that these are hard to keep fish, maybe others will speak up...
1x Flame Hawkfish This one is "Reef Caution" and may nip at coral
1x Green Mandarin This fish requires an established tank with plenty of copods to eat many recommend not adding one for 6 months to a year
2x Banggai Cardinalfish Love these guys!!! Great peaceful fish, but they don't swim much so kind of boring
2x Orange Blood Clownfish Great reef fish, good choice
1x Marine Betta Not sure about this one, others may speak up and give their experience and advice
1x Zebra Moray Eel Not sure about this one, others may speak up and give their experience and advice

 

[NC122606]

Here is my take on it...

1x Regal Angelfish
[ 1x Flame Angelfish ] This option is just there This one is "Reef Caution" and may nip at coral
1x Blue Hippo / Yellow Belly Hippo (Paracanthurus)Great reef fish, good choice
1x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma )Great reef fish, good choice
1x Achilles Tang (Acanthurus) This is an "Expert Only"fish and requires high flow and lots of swimming room
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus) Great reef fish, good choice
1x Leopard Wrasse Great reef fish, good choice
1x Starry Blenny Great reef fish, good choice
1x Harlequin Tusk Will eat shrimp, crabs, clams and potentially smaller fish, but good choice IMO
[ 1x One Spot Foxface ] Great reef fish, good choice
1x Copperbanded Butterflyfish I have read that these are hard to keep fish, maybe others will speak up...
1x Flame Hawkfish This one is "Reef Caution" and may nip at coral
1x Green Mandarin This fish requires an established tank with plenty of copepods to eat many recommend not adding one for 6 months to a year
2x Banggai Cardinalfish Love these guys!!! Great peaceful fish, but they don't swim much so kind of boring
2x Orange Blood Clownfish Great reef fish, good choice
1x Marine Betta Not sure about this one, others may speak up and give their experience and advice
1x Zebra Moray Eel Not sure about this one, others may speak up and give their experience and advice

Ok, thank you!
Flame Angel: Should I just skip the Dwarf Angelfish? I would be fine without it.
Achilles Tang: Do you think I am able to keep this fish if I really take the time to research it and stuff? (I have got lots of time to do that) Not that I will not research every fish on this list thoroughly but I will take a look at success stories, experiences, and other things. I have asked 4Ford about this and told me some stuff I could do.
Copperbanded Butterflyfish: Yeah I have been looking more into this and will hopefully not have a hard time with these as the Regal Angelfishes problems seem to be the same. Getting them to eat is a big challenge and after that feeding in the DT. Of course, they are with caution but I would love to keep these.
Flame Hawkfish: I only put this fish on my list because people really suggest it, I had no clue they nipped on corals I only thought that was inverts.
Green Mandarin: Understood
Marine Betta: These are pretty shy and could be hard to feed with these but it could not, they have the same problem as the Tusk fish with the small fish and inverts, I think they should be fine as Banggai Cardinalfish do not have the torpedo shape that is easily eatable. Not aggressive at all towards others.
Zebra Moray Eel: I also did take a look at these, these Moray do not eat small fish as they have rounded teeth for eating crustaceans, the only problem that could be posed here is it knocking over rocks and smashing corals if I do not provide a good spot for it to hang. They are pretty inactive staying in the cave (But all eels are this way) and should work with what I have here.

Thank you so much for the things you helped me with!