Is this too much? Fish stocking

Tamberav

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Would you supplement anything if you QT the leopard wrasse? Would it be a good idea to give Seachem’s Kamaplex with the food?

When people mix stuff in food. It is general cure, not kanaplex. However, you can’t really get a dosage for it since some will wash off and fish eats what it eats.. can’t say here.. take this pill and call me in the morning… also it doesn’t taste good so fish might not eat it.

It doesn’t hurt to try to make it stick using focus if the fish eats eat. It just may not solve any problems. I would do 14 days of it if it is eating.

Otherwise there is a recipe on the sticky somewhere using gelatin to bind it which is more accurate.
 

HankstankXXL750

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So I set up a 4’ 91 gallon tank that’s been running for over 2 months now. I made a stocking list but I’ve been constantly changing it. I am making the preparations for a Reef so I do need my fish reef safe, or at least not prone to nip too much. I don’t want to over crowd, but I don’t want to look at the tank and just see 3 or 4 fish out and about. Here’s the list:

Currently own:

Pair of Amphiprion Bullet Mocha Vinci (female)
Amphiprion Naked Mocha (male)
Chaetodontoplus melanosoma/Chaetodontoplus-? - (Black Velvet Angelfish/Black Phantom Angelfish Hybrid)

Stocking plan:

Valenciennea puellaris - (Diamond Watchman Goby)
Ecsenius midas - (Midas Blenny)
Oxycirrhites typu - (Longnose Hawkfish)
Siganus magnificus - (Magnificent Foxface)
Cirrhilabrus naokoae - (Naoko Fairy Wrasse)
Halichoeres chrysus - (Yellow Coris Wrasse)
Ctenochaetus flavicauda - (White Tail Bristletooth tang)
x 4 Pseudanthias bimaculatus - (Bimaculatus Anthias)
x 1 Pseudanthias squamipinnis - (Lyretail Anthias)
Halichoeres melasmapomus - (Earmuff Wrasse)
Paracheilinus attenautus - (Diamond Tail Flasher Wrasse)
Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis - (Golden Rhomboid Wrasse -supermale-)
Macropharyngodon meleagris - (Leopard Wrasse -female-)
Opistognathus rosenblatti - (Blue Dot Jawfish)
Genicanthus bellus - (Bellus Angelfish -female-)
Stonogobiops draculus and Alpheus bellulus - (Dracula Goby/Pistol Shrimp pair)

What do you guys think? I know I’m taking a chance with the Angel hybrid, but if anyone knows how valuable that specimen is, you know I’m going to try my hardest to have it co-exist with coral. Can the solo male or female Lyretail Anthias mix with the Bimac Anthias and not cause problems with the others? Will the fact that there are more Anthias keep the lone male or female lyretail happy or should I just cut it from the list? Any recommendations when it comes to keeping Blue Dot Jawfish and goby/pistol shrimp pairs and what type of shrimp to get? Any stocking suggestions or cuts? Really any info from you guys. I’m hoping to hear @icantthink ‘s thoughts and comments on this, and hopefully he’ll like I used the scientific names lol. Thank you everyone!
I have at least that many fish in a 110g 5’ tank. But I have to do a lot of water changes, carbon dose and use phosphate removers. Can make it work if your willing to put i. The time and effort.
That being said, I didn’t look up the sizes of all the fish, like the anthias (some get bigger than others).
Also avoid the blue spot jawfish. I would love one, but they are hard to keep, feed, also require 8” sand bed and cooler water so a chiller would be required.
might look at a different hawk fish as well.
I have been told that the Falco/Dwarf Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys falco) is the least likely to give you problems with inverts.
 

i cant think

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So I set up a 4’ 91 gallon tank that’s been running for over 2 months now. I made a stocking list but I’ve been constantly changing it. I am making the preparations for a Reef so I do need my fish reef safe, or at least not prone to nip too much. I don’t want to over crowd, but I don’t want to look at the tank and just see 3 or 4 fish out and about. Here’s the list:

Currently own:

Pair of Amphiprion Bullet Mocha Vinci (female)
Amphiprion Naked Mocha (male)
Chaetodontoplus melanosoma/Chaetodontoplus-? - (Black Velvet Angelfish/Black Phantom Angelfish Hybrid)

Stocking plan:

Valenciennea puellaris - (Diamond Watchman Goby).
Ecsenius midas - (Midas Blenny).
Oxycirrhites typu - (Longnose Hawkfish)
Siganus magnificus - (Magnificent Foxface).
Cirrhilabrus naokoae - (Naoko Fairy Wrasse).
Halichoeres chrysus - (Yellow Coris Wrasse).
Ctenochaetus flavicauda - (White Tail Bristletooth tang)
x 4 Pseudanthias bimaculatus - (Bimaculatus Anthias)
x 1 Pseudanthias squamipinnis - (Lyretail Anthias)
Halichoeres melasmapomus - (Earmuff Wrasse).
Paracheilinus attenautus - (Diamond Tail Flasher Wrasse).
Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis - (Golden Rhomboid Wrasse -supermale-).
Macropharyngodon meleagris - (Leopard Wrasse -female-).
Opistognathus rosenblatti - (Blue Dot Jawfish).
Genicanthus bellus - (Bellus Angelfish -female-).
Stonogobiops draculus and Alpheus bellulus - (Dracula Goby/Pistol Shrimp pair).

What do you guys think? I know I’m taking a chance with the Angel hybrid, but if anyone knows how valuable that specimen is, you know I’m going to try my hardest to have it co-exist with coral. Can the solo male or female Lyretail Anthias mix with the Bimac Anthias and not cause problems with the others? Will the fact that there are more Anthias keep the lone male or female lyretail happy or should I just cut it from the list? Any recommendations when it comes to keeping Blue Dot Jawfish and goby/pistol shrimp pairs and what type of shrimp to get? Any stocking suggestions or cuts? Really any info from you guys. I’m hoping to hear @icantthink ‘s thoughts and comments on this, and hopefully he’ll like I used the scientific names lol. Thank you everyone!
Sorry for the late reply (Managed to see this thread, start a reply and end up falling asleep for half of the day). P.S. My tanks are both 4’ and 3’ and I have done some risky mixing of fish especially wrasses in both.

So, the families I know best are Labridae, Siganidae and Gobiidae so let’s start with them.
Valenciennea puellaris in your tank is doable as you said you have a 5” sand bed. You will however need to wait 2-3 years if not longer for your sandbed to be established for this fish. You may find that at first this fish will make a burrow (And actually close it at night) so you may find what appears to be a pile of sand. For people who have kept these, there are many mixed results. Some love them whilst some regret them.
As the sandbed matures, try to get as many pods as you can in it, this will boost the micro fauna and you’ll probably discover more pods in the sand than the rocks due to the algae/bacteria that thrives in the sand bed.

The Stonogobiops dracula is also a good choice however you may find the Puellaris to become rather aggressive towards this guy. I would try to get the Pistol Shrimp and Dracula Goby in sooner rather than later as they prefer a less aggressive introduction. Also, be warned that you may not see this guy all the time. Before I upgraded my 18” Nano into my 3’x16”x1’ tank I rarely ever saw my Yasha Goby. In my 3’ tank, the same occurred however both times after he established I see him Atleast once a day.


Siganus magnificus is my favourite fish I’ll ever own. Glad to see you went and had a Magnificus on the list instead of one of the yellows. These guys seem be less risky with coral (I have mine in with Leathers, Mushrooms, LPS and eventually some SPS). I cant keep Zoanthids however I won’t blame the foxface as I have 2-3 other RSWC fish in the tank. Not much to say on these guys other than watch out for the spines. These can go in later however I would add one in earlier. The only reason I’d add him in earlier is due to him being the personality fish (as well as algae eating).


Wrasse compatibility is all about seeing signs of aggression, feeding (how often & how much) and finally territory.

You’ll want to add the Paracheilinus attenuatus in first, these guys dislike aggression and that is often the biggest mistake people do. If you were to add the flasher in last or around the last wrasse you may have issues. The way you manage it is through knowing the behaviour of your wrasses. I added my flasher in as the 2nd to last wrasse, others didn’t recommend this however I knew the behaviour of the wrasses I owned. I would still add the Diamond Tail first just in case though.

Next ones you’ll want to add are the two Cirrhilabrus. These two should play nicely as they are not of the same complex but also they have different body shapes (When I say this, I include the shapes of their fins). These two will hide in the rockwork along with the flasher so you will want to watch out for aggression there. In theory there won’t be any - Flashing to me is different to aggression. I used to lump them together however aggression is when they’re being nasty to eachother whereas flashing is just the group running round the tank in full display. If you get to see your fairies and flasher in display, I’m sure you’ll love it (Naokoae is a stunning displayer - I have had mine in full display along with my flasher and lubbockis).

Of the sand sleepers, you will want to add them either altogether or the Melagris leopard and Yellow Canary first. Melasmapomus is a larger Halichoeres however they play nicely compared to the reputation some others get. You will want to stick to snails that can flip themselves, are nocturnal or that sleep in the sand. I personally have my Halichoeres’ and Macropharyngodon in with Trochus, Nassarius, Turbo and BumbleBee Snails. Although, I rely on my Tang and Foxface more when it comes to algae.
As for shrimp with these wrasses, you will have more success going for smaller wrasses to start with. I have added 3 shrimp since my two Halichoeres have been in the 4’ tank. Of those 3, only one died and it wasn’t due to the wrasses. In my 3’ I have my Macropharyngodon with a deresa clam, fire/blood shrimp and used to have a Peppermint shrimp (Although I think he’s dead).


Let’s go for some fish I wouldn’t do now.

Number one is the Escenius midas. This is due to if you plan for SPS, it may be a risk. I have had a few a close relatives (Escenius lineatus and Escenius bicolour are the two that I can think of straight away) go rogue for SPS. I would swap this guy out for something with a similar personality but not as much yellow.
The second one I wouldn’t do is the Opistognathus rosenblatti. This is due to them being best in cold water tanks with fewer rocks. In warm water tanks they don’t really do well and often their lifespan is shortened (As with any cold water fish). There is a warm water relative that I personally love watching and have owned previously.

So, what would I replace both of these fish with? Simple, an Opistognathus aurifrons. These have a hint of blue in their dorsal and anal fins, that beautiful yellow cap and an even nicer white body. These have much more personality than the Rosenblatti and don’t mind a more active tank. I would add this guy in sooner though, and I probably wouldn’t do the Valenciennes puellaris with this guy as they can both be relatively territorial with eachother.


Let’s go back to fish I would still do now I’ve gotten those two out of the way :)
Starting again with another family that is close to my heart, Pomacanthidae. The Genicanthus Angel on the list is a good move however since you have a medium Angel already establishing, I would add this guy sooner. These are rather easy to keep, and honestly if you get a female then you’ll have a beautiful fish that won’t revert or become a sub male. I have my Genicanthus melanospilos in my 4’ tank and I would honestly say he’s one of the only exceptions to me not liking the reverting males. Also, nothing beats a fish with streamers!

And I would then cap it off with the Ctenochaetus.
This is due to them being rather active and I’d leave this one till the very end. Once you have the tang in, You may find the tank looks good as it is. There’s nothing wrong with under stocking or stopping at half way down your list.

I have my 4’x2’x18” with around 13 fish in it. Do I think one more could fit? Probably, however I would rather leave that to being a fish I’d absolutely die for. In my 3’x16” tank, I’m also waiting for the fish I would absolutely die for (Yes I’ve found it but I’m still on the edge about it - if you’re curious, it’s a Centropyge multicolor).
Here’s the 4’ in an FTS, as I said it looks rather full however I also have some fish hiding.
image.jpg
 
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Petcrazyson

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When people mix stuff in food. It is general cure, not kanaplex. However, you can’t really get a dosage for it since some will wash off and fish eats what it eats.. can’t say here.. take this pill and call me in the morning… also it doesn’t taste good so fish might not eat it.

It doesn’t hurt to try to make it stick using focus if the fish eats eat. It just may not solve any problems. I would do 14 days of it if it is eating.

Otherwise there is a recipe on the sticky somewhere using gelatin to bind it which is more accurate.
So I’ve tried before with the Seachem’s Kanaplex and my fish don’t mind it in their food. Although all fish are different. I’ll try what you recommended
 
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Petcrazyson

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Sorry for the late reply (Managed to see this thread, start a reply and end up falling asleep for half of the day). P.S. My tanks are both 4’ and 3’ and I have done some risky mixing of fish especially wrasses in both.

So, the families I know best are Labridae, Siganidae and Gobiidae so let’s start with them.
Valenciennea puellaris in your tank is doable as you said you have a 5” sand bed. You will however need to wait 2-3 years if not longer for your sandbed to be established for this fish. You may find that at first this fish will make a burrow (And actually close it at night) so you may find what appears to be a pile of sand. For people who have kept these, there are many mixed results. Some love them whilst some regret them.
As the sandbed matures, try to get as many pods as you can in it, this will boost the micro fauna and you’ll probably discover more pods in the sand than the rocks due to the algae/bacteria that thrives in the sand bed.

The Stonogobiops dracula is also a good choice however you may find the Puellaris to become rather aggressive towards this guy. I would try to get the Pistol Shrimp and Dracula Goby in sooner rather than later as they prefer a less aggressive introduction. Also, be warned that you may not see this guy all the time. Before I upgraded my 18” Nano into my 3’x16”x1’ tank I rarely ever saw my Yasha Goby. In my 3’ tank, the same occurred however both times after he established I see him Atleast once a day.


Siganus magnificus is my favourite fish I’ll ever own. Glad to see you went and had a Magnificus on the list instead of one of the yellows. These guys seem be less risky with coral (I have mine in with Leathers, Mushrooms, LPS and eventually some SPS). I cant keep Zoanthids however I won’t blame the foxface as I have 2-3 other RSWC fish in the tank. Not much to say on these guys other than watch out for the spines. These can go in later however I would add one in earlier. The only reason I’d add him in earlier is due to him being the personality fish (as well as algae eating).


Wrasse compatibility is all about seeing signs of aggression, feeding (how often & how much) and finally territory.

You’ll want to add the Paracheilinus attenuatus in first, these guys dislike aggression and that is often the biggest mistake people do. If you were to add the flasher in last or around the last wrasse you may have issues. The way you manage it is through knowing the behaviour of your wrasses. I added my flasher in as the 2nd to last wrasse, others didn’t recommend this however I knew the behaviour of the wrasses I owned. I would still add the Diamond Tail first just in case though.

Next ones you’ll want to add are the two Cirrhilabrus. These two should play nicely as they are not of the same complex but also they have different body shapes (When I say this, I include the shapes of their fins). These two will hide in the rockwork along with the flasher so you will want to watch out for aggression there. In theory there won’t be any - Flashing to me is different to aggression. I used to lump them together however aggression is when they’re being nasty to eachother whereas flashing is just the group running round the tank in full display. If you get to see your fairies and flasher in display, I’m sure you’ll love it (Naokoae is a stunning displayer - I have had mine in full display along with my flasher and lubbockis).

Of the sand sleepers, you will want to add them either altogether or the Melagris leopard and Yellow Canary first. Melasmapomus is a larger Halichoeres however they play nicely compared to the reputation some others get. You will want to stick to snails that can flip themselves, are nocturnal or that sleep in the sand. I personally have my Halichoeres’ and Macropharyngodon in with Trochus, Nassarius, Turbo and BumbleBee Snails. Although, I rely on my Tang and Foxface more when it comes to algae.
As for shrimp with these wrasses, you will have more success going for smaller wrasses to start with. I have added 3 shrimp since my two Halichoeres have been in the 4’ tank. Of those 3, only one died and it wasn’t due to the wrasses. In my 3’ I have my Macropharyngodon with a deresa clam, fire/blood shrimp and used to have a Peppermint shrimp (Although I think he’s dead).


Let’s go for some fish I wouldn’t do now.

Number one is the Escenius midas. This is due to if you plan for SPS, it may be a risk. I have had a few a close relatives (Escenius lineatus and Escenius bicolour are the two that I can think of straight away) go rogue for SPS. I would swap this guy out for something with a similar personality but not as much yellow.
The second one I wouldn’t do is the Opistognathus rosenblatti. This is due to them being best in cold water tanks with fewer rocks. In warm water tanks they don’t really do well and often their lifespan is shortened (As with any cold water fish). There is a warm water relative that I personally love watching and have owned previously.

So, what would I replace both of these fish with? Simple, an Opistognathus aurifrons. These have a hint of blue in their dorsal and anal fins, that beautiful yellow cap and an even nicer white body. These have much more personality than the Rosenblatti and don’t mind a more active tank. I would add this guy in sooner though, and I probably wouldn’t do the Valenciennes puellaris with this guy as they can both be relatively territorial with eachother.


Let’s go back to fish I would still do now I’ve gotten those two out of the way :)
Starting again with another family that is close to my heart, Pomacanthidae. The Genicanthus Angel on the list is a good move however since you have a medium Angel already establishing, I would add this guy sooner. These are rather easy to keep, and honestly if you get a female then you’ll have a beautiful fish that won’t revert or become a sub male. I have my Genicanthus melanospilos in my 4’ tank and I would honestly say he’s one of the only exceptions to me not liking the reverting males. Also, nothing beats a fish with streamers!

And I would then cap it off with the Ctenochaetus.
This is due to them being rather active and I’d leave this one till the very end. Once you have the tang in, You may find the tank looks good as it is. There’s nothing wrong with under stocking or stopping at half way down your list.

I have my 4’x2’x18” with around 13 fish in it. Do I think one more could fit? Probably, however I would rather leave that to being a fish I’d absolutely die for. In my 3’x16” tank, I’m also waiting for the fish I would absolutely die for (Yes I’ve found it but I’m still on the edge about it - if you’re curious, it’s a Centropyge multicolor).
Yay thx for answering!
 

i cant think

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Yay thx for answering!
No worries :)
I love helping out people with stocking, especially when it’s a similar sized tank to mine.

I will say this;
Having a tank where you can see all the fish 24/7 isn’t quite so natural, have some fish that you may not see all the time and go for the fish that you have to look really closely to see.
 

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So I’ve tried before with the Seachem’s Kanaplex and my fish don’t mind it in their food. Although all fish are different. I’ll try what you recommended

Ya but I mean there is no point to feed them a random medication... it is marketed for fungal/bacterial issues, not internal parasites. I would even argue you could mess up the fishes gut flora.

People should never take antibiotics just because or to treat a cold (virus). No different for animals.
 
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Sorry for the late reply (Managed to see this thread, start a reply and end up falling asleep for half of the day). P.S. My tanks are both 4’ and 3’ and I have done some risky mixing of fish especially wrasses in both.

So, the families I know best are Labridae, Siganidae and Gobiidae so let’s start with them.
Valenciennea puellaris in your tank is doable as you said you have a 5” sand bed. You will however need to wait 2-3 years if not longer for your sandbed to be established for this fish. You may find that at first this fish will make a burrow (And actually close it at night) so you may find what appears to be a pile of sand. For people who have kept these, there are many mixed results. Some love them whilst some regret them.
As the sandbed matures, try to get as many pods as you can in it, this will boost the micro fauna and you’ll probably discover more pods in the sand than the rocks due to the algae/bacteria that thrives in the sand bed.

The Stonogobiops dracula is also a good choice however you may find the Puellaris to become rather aggressive towards this guy. I would try to get the Pistol Shrimp and Dracula Goby in sooner rather than later as they prefer a less aggressive introduction. Also, be warned that you may not see this guy all the time. Before I upgraded my 18” Nano into my 3’x16”x1’ tank I rarely ever saw my Yasha Goby. In my 3’ tank, the same occurred however both times after he established I see him Atleast once a day.


Siganus magnificus is my favourite fish I’ll ever own. Glad to see you went and had a Magnificus on the list instead of one of the yellows. These guys seem be less risky with coral (I have mine in with Leathers, Mushrooms, LPS and eventually some SPS). I cant keep Zoanthids however I won’t blame the foxface as I have 2-3 other RSWC fish in the tank. Not much to say on these guys other than watch out for the spines. These can go in later however I would add one in earlier. The only reason I’d add him in earlier is due to him being the personality fish (as well as algae eating).


Wrasse compatibility is all about seeing signs of aggression, feeding (how often & how much) and finally territory.

You’ll want to add the Paracheilinus attenuatus in first, these guys dislike aggression and that is often the biggest mistake people do. If you were to add the flasher in last or around the last wrasse you may have issues. The way you manage it is through knowing the behaviour of your wrasses. I added my flasher in as the 2nd to last wrasse, others didn’t recommend this however I knew the behaviour of the wrasses I owned. I would still add the Diamond Tail first just in case though.

Next ones you’ll want to add are the two Cirrhilabrus. These two should play nicely as they are not of the same complex but also they have different body shapes (When I say this, I include the shapes of their fins). These two will hide in the rockwork along with the flasher so you will want to watch out for aggression there. In theory there won’t be any - Flashing to me is different to aggression. I used to lump them together however aggression is when they’re being nasty to eachother whereas flashing is just the group running round the tank in full display. If you get to see your fairies and flasher in display, I’m sure you’ll love it (Naokoae is a stunning displayer - I have had mine in full display along with my flasher and lubbockis).

Of the sand sleepers, you will want to add them either altogether or the Melagris leopard and Yellow Canary first. Melasmapomus is a larger Halichoeres however they play nicely compared to the reputation some others get. You will want to stick to snails that can flip themselves, are nocturnal or that sleep in the sand. I personally have my Halichoeres’ and Macropharyngodon in with Trochus, Nassarius, Turbo and BumbleBee Snails. Although, I rely on my Tang and Foxface more when it comes to algae.
As for shrimp with these wrasses, you will have more success going for smaller wrasses to start with. I have added 3 shrimp since my two Halichoeres have been in the 4’ tank. Of those 3, only one died and it wasn’t due to the wrasses. In my 3’ I have my Macropharyngodon with a deresa clam, fire/blood shrimp and used to have a Peppermint shrimp (Although I think he’s dead).


Let’s go for some fish I wouldn’t do now.

Number one is the Escenius midas. This is due to if you plan for SPS, it may be a risk. I have had a few a close relatives (Escenius lineatus and Escenius bicolour are the two that I can think of straight away) go rogue for SPS. I would swap this guy out for something with a similar personality but not as much yellow.
The second one I wouldn’t do is the Opistognathus rosenblatti. This is due to them being best in cold water tanks with fewer rocks. In warm water tanks they don’t really do well and often their lifespan is shortened (As with any cold water fish). There is a warm water relative that I personally love watching and have owned previously.

So, what would I replace both of these fish with? Simple, an Opistognathus aurifrons. These have a hint of blue in their dorsal and anal fins, that beautiful yellow cap and an even nicer white body. These have much more personality than the Rosenblatti and don’t mind a more active tank. I would add this guy in sooner though, and I probably wouldn’t do the Valenciennes puellaris with this guy as they can both be relatively territorial with eachother.


Let’s go back to fish I would still do now I’ve gotten those two out of the way :)
Starting again with another family that is close to my heart, Pomacanthidae. The Genicanthus Angel on the list is a good move however since you have a medium Angel already establishing, I would add this guy sooner. These are rather easy to keep, and honestly if you get a female then you’ll have a beautiful fish that won’t revert or become a sub male. I have my Genicanthus melanospilos in my 4’ tank and I would honestly say he’s one of the only exceptions to me not liking the reverting males. Also, nothing beats a fish with streamers!

And I would then cap it off with the Ctenochaetus.
This is due to them being rather active and I’d leave this one till the very end. Once you have the tang in, You may find the tank looks good as it is. There’s nothing wrong with under stocking or stopping at half way down your list.

I have my 4’x2’x18” with around 13 fish in it. Do I think one more could fit? Probably, however I would rather leave that to being a fish I’d absolutely die for. In my 3’x16” tank, I’m also waiting for the fish I would absolutely die for (Yes I’ve found it but I’m still on the edge about it - if you’re curious, it’s a Centropyge multicolor).
Here’s the 4’ in an FTS, as I said it looks rather full however I also have some fish hiding.
image.jpg
Sorry for answering late, and thank you for your response. Let me start in the order you did. The Valenciennea puellaris is a fish I plan on adding like you said further down the road, a lot further. I’ve already made that mistake with a Valenciennea strigata. I’ll take your advice and from now I’ll start chucking in pods, both in the DT and my Refuge.

I am skeptical of even getting the Stonogobiops dracula and the shrimp now. As you say, I don’t expect to see them much, and they may cause sand problems. I’m definitely going to give them more thinking.

The Siganus magnificus is one of my favorite fish, which is why I wanted it more tank as well. You have an absolute stunning shower. And yes I’ll be careful with the spines, I almost got jabbed once. And I do want to upgrade the tank when he gets to a bigger size.

I’ll take your advice and add the Paracheilinus attenuatus first.

The two Cirrhilabrus will come in early as well, with the Rhomboidalis second. Or the Naokoae second? Or at the same time? Would it be best to add the two at the same time? I have many “smaller“ crevices, besides the bigger caves, in the tank so I’m hoping they will use them.

I thought it was best to add the leopard last to let the pod colonies establish? But now I’ll look into it more. The Halichoeres is a fish I had planned to add not too early but not late. I think I’ll just stick to one Halichoeres instead of two. I wanted two originally but maybe keeping that many wrasses of those specific genus isn’t the brightest idea. As for the snail part of the CUC, all my snails I plan on having, or at least most, I do want them to flip themselves, as the Chaetodontoplus I have already LOVES to play with my snails. Fun to watch but I know it’s not fun for my snails, or the wallet. The angel studies the snail for a few secs, pick them up and throws them to the ground, when they hit the ground he will flip it over, if not already flipped, pick it up, swim right above the power head and drop it in the current. Since I plan on having a Halichoeres, will there be a potential problem if the Halichoeres finds the poor snail before the Angel?

So I’ll take what you said and swap the rosenblatti for the aurifrons. Other people in this thread have said they need a 8” sand bed? Is that really true? Since I have a 2’1/2 pvc pipe cave/tunnel with different chambers help if I do need the 8” bed?

Many of the Escenius I have seen do eventually go rogue, especially the Bi-color. The Midas is the one that is less prone to do that, so I was hoping to give it a shot, but I’ll look into it more.

The Genicanthus bellus is one of my absolute dream fish, and since it’s a Genicanthus, I’m happy it’s 99% reef safe. If there are serious aggression issues between the two angels, I’d have a serious dilemma, what should I do? As you probably know the Chaetodontoplus is a priceless gem, and I really don’t want to get rid of him, but I wouldn’t want to get rid of the Bellus either. In the tank I have 3 bigger caves, with the biggest being 17”. Will this help? Will adding the Genicanthus at night with all the lights off be a good move?

The Ctenochaetus like you said will be one of the fish added last, I’m trying to avoid problems the best I can. Your Ctenochaetus is the reason I even wanted a tang of that genus lol, as I’ve always leaned more to the other genus’. Will the fact there will be the resident Ctenochaetus help with the Tang’s aggression? Or just make it worse?

I did plan on cutting the solo squamipinnis, just so I don’t have any potential issues with the bimaculatus. I am aiming for the smaller ”Pseudos”.

Thank you again for your answer :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:
 

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Sorry for answering late, and thank you for your response. Let me start in the order you did. The Valenciennea puellaris is a fish I plan on adding like you said further down the road, a lot further. I’ve already made that mistake with a Valenciennea strigata. I’ll take your advice and from now I’ll start chucking in pods, both in the DT and my Refuge.

I am skeptical of even getting the Stonogobiops dracula and the shrimp now. As you say, I don’t expect to see them much, and they may cause sand problems. I’m definitely going to give them more thinking.

The Siganus magnificus is one of my favorite fish, which is why I wanted it more tank as well. You have an absolute stunning shower. And yes I’ll be careful with the spines, I almost got jabbed once. And I do want to upgrade the tank when he gets to a bigger size.

I’ll take your advice and add the Paracheilinus attenuatus first.

The two Cirrhilabrus will come in early as well, with the Rhomboidalis second. Or the Naokoae second? Or at the same time? Would it be best to add the two at the same time? I have many “smaller“ crevices, besides the bigger caves, in the tank so I’m hoping they will use them.

I thought it was best to add the leopard last to let the pod colonies establish? But now I’ll look into it more. The Halichoeres is a fish I had planned to add not too early but not late. I think I’ll just stick to one Halichoeres instead of two. I wanted two originally but maybe keeping that many wrasses of those specific genus isn’t the brightest idea. As for the snail part of the CUC, all my snails I plan on having, or at least most, I do want them to flip themselves, as the Chaetodontoplus I have already LOVES to play with my snails. Fun to watch but I know it’s not fun for my snails, or the wallet. The angel studies the snail for a few secs, pick them up and throws them to the ground, when they hit the ground he will flip it over, if not already flipped, pick it up, swim right above the power head and drop it in the current. Since I plan on having a Halichoeres, will there be a potential problem if the Halichoeres finds the poor snail before the Angel?

So I’ll take what you said and swap the rosenblatti for the aurifrons. Other people in this thread have said they need a 8” sand bed? Is that really true? Since I have a 2’1/2 pvc pipe cave/tunnel with different chambers help if I do need the 8” bed?

Many of the Escenius I have seen do eventually go rogue, especially the Bi-color. The Midas is the one that is less prone to do that, so I was hoping to give it a shot, but I’ll look into it more.

The Genicanthus bellus is one of my absolute dream fish, and since it’s a Genicanthus, I’m happy it’s 99% reef safe. If there are serious aggression issues between the two angels, I’d have a serious dilemma, what should I do? As you probably know the Chaetodontoplus is a priceless gem, and I really don’t want to get rid of him, but I wouldn’t want to get rid of the Bellus either. In the tank I have 3 bigger caves, with the biggest being 17”. Will this help? Will adding the Genicanthus at night with all the lights off be a good move?

The Ctenochaetus like you said will be one of the fish added last, I’m trying to avoid problems the best I can. Your Ctenochaetus is the reason I even wanted a tang of that genus lol, as I’ve always leaned more to the other genus’. Will the fact there will be the resident Ctenochaetus help with the Tang’s aggression? Or just make it worse?

I did plan on cutting the solo squamipinnis, just so I don’t have any potential issues with the bimaculatus. I am aiming for the smaller ”Pseudos”.

Thank you again for your answer :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:
It’s best to add the two fairies at the same time however if you can’t do this, I added my naoko last to make sure he wouldn’t cause any trouble.
With the Leopards, I added mine into an 18” nano 1 year ago at less than an inch (I think she was 0.5 inches, possibly smaller). The nano was established by 7 months so actually quite young, I now have her in a 3’x16”x1’ tank and she’s still thriving. Macropharyngodon do not eat as many pods as one would expect. The thing with these guys is they will wait for their next meal and more so graze on the pods inbetween.
Now, with two Halichoeres honestly, it’s not a bad move. You have chosen two that will get along quite well with eachother, If it helps then I know of a few people who have several Halichoeres wrasses in a 4’ tank. I am one of those, I have a Halichoeres chloropterus in with a Halichoeres iridis which isn’t recommended due to chloropterus getting a bad temper but I’ve had the opposite. My chloropterus is peaceful whilst my iridis has the temper. If your Halichoeres finds the snails before the Angel does, they may have a small meal. My CBB, Iridis and Chloropterus all inspect the snails once flipped however rarely take a meal from it.

Aurifrons doesn’t need as much of a sandbed, I honestly don’t think any jawfish NEEDS an 8” sandbed unless it’s a large species. Aurifrons seems to do well in sandbeds of 3 inches (I had mine in a 2.5” sandbed before it jumped during feeding). In a 5 inch sandbed Aurifrons should be just fine, also Aurifrons is a smaller species than Rosenblatti is.

If you don’t plan on SPS with your blenny I say go for it! If you plan for SPS then go for it with caution. I’ve found blennies prefer the fluffy SPS such as some millipora.

You shouldn’t have too much of a dilemma as long as you go for a smaller bellus that is definitely female. Adding any fish at night will be best as it will reduce aggression as well as having the territory.

Honestly, aggression from Ctenochaetus is minimal. Mine couldn’t care less about ruling the tank and more about the detritus or algae’s. Often when you see mine swimming around he’ll be at the back of the “pack”, trailing behind the wrasses with the foxface in the lead. Do you already have a Ctenochaetus species? If so then that will be more risky and you may have fighting going on.
And just because you said you like mine ;)
D81E669F-BA82-4E54-BE87-936603C7FCF8.jpeg
 
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I’ll add the two fairies atst if I can, and if I can’t I’ll add the Naoko last like you said. I figured the wrasse would eat them, since the angel leaves the poor snail wherever when he gets bored. I’ll definitely tread with caution with the blenny, and yea my tank is going to be an SPS dominant :grimacing-face:, no plans on keeping millies though.

Lovely tang you got there :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:. Since you showed your little guy, I wanted to show you mine, I heard you wanted one like this in one of your other threads? Don’t think you we’re looking for a priceless hybrid though:
1664297872805.jpeg
 

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I’ll add the two fairies atst if I can, and if I can’t I’ll add the Naoko last like you said. I figured the wrasse would eat them, since the angel leaves the poor snail wherever when he gets bored. I’ll definitely tread with caution with the blenny, and yea my tank is going to be an SPS dominant :grimacing-face:, no plans on keeping millies though.

Lovely tang you got there :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:. Since you showed your little guy, I wanted to show you mine, I heard you wanted one like this in one of your other threads? Don’t think you we’re looking for a priceless hybrid though:
1664297872805.jpeg
I was looking for the Chaetodontoplus melanosoma. Not the hybrid (I find hybrids are iffy and I prefer seeing adults before cashing in for a rarity) however I do have my own rarity albeit it’s a wrasse hybrid so not as exciting.
 
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I was looking for the Chaetodontoplus melanosoma. Not the hybrid (I find hybrids are iffy and I prefer seeing adults before cashing in for a rarity) however I do have my own rarity albeit it’s a wrasse hybrid so not as exciting.
You got any pictures? ;)
 
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I’ll add the two fairies atst if I can, and if I can’t I’ll add the Naoko last like you said. I figured the wrasse would eat them, since the angel leaves the poor snail wherever when he gets bored. I’ll definitely tread with caution with the blenny, and yea my tank is going to be an SPS dominant :grimacing-face:, no plans on keeping millies though.

Lovely tang you got there :grinning-face-with-smiling-eyes:. Since you showed your little guy, I wanted to show you mine, I heard you wanted one like this in one of your other threads? Don’t think you we’re looking for a priceless hybrid though:
1664297872805.jpeg
So originally I didn’t know it was a hybrid. I just thought it was a regular Chaetodontoplus melanosoma, but after some digging and speaking to people it turns out he was half melanosoma and half of the unknown genus of Chaetodontoplus the Black Phantom falls into. Now I didn’t know it fell into the Black Phantom category, so I thought it was just something very pretty and expensive, so I just went ahead with the purchase. It wasn’t a few days later I found the Reefbuilders article and did some tests of my own I found out what the fish really was. I’m so happy I bought him
 

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It’s best to add the two fairies at the same time however if you can’t do this, I added my naoko last to make sure he wouldn’t cause any trouble.
With the Leopards, I added mine into an 18” nano 1 year ago at less than an inch (I think she was 0.5 inches, possibly smaller). The nano was established by 7 months so actually quite young, I now have her in a 3’x16”x1’ tank and she’s still thriving. Macropharyngodon do not eat as many pods as one would expect. The thing with these guys is they will wait for their next meal and more so graze on the pods inbetween.
Now, with two Halichoeres honestly, it’s not a bad move. You have chosen two that will get along quite well with eachother, If it helps then I know of a few people who have several Halichoeres wrasses in a 4’ tank. I am one of those, I have a Halichoeres chloropterus in with a Halichoeres iridis which isn’t recommended due to chloropterus getting a bad temper but I’ve had the opposite. My chloropterus is peaceful whilst my iridis has the temper. If your Halichoeres finds the snails before the Angel does, they may have a small meal. My CBB, Iridis and Chloropterus all inspect the snails once flipped however rarely take a meal from it.

Aurifrons doesn’t need as much of a sandbed, I honestly don’t think any jawfish NEEDS an 8” sandbed unless it’s a large species. Aurifrons seems to do well in sandbeds of 3 inches (I had mine in a 2.5” sandbed before it jumped during feeding). In a 5 inch sandbed Aurifrons should be just fine, also Aurifrons is a smaller species than Rosenblatti is.

If you don’t plan on SPS with your blenny I say go for it! If you plan for SPS then go for it with caution. I’ve found blennies prefer the fluffy SPS such as some millipora.

You shouldn’t have too much of a dilemma as long as you go for a smaller bellus that is definitely female. Adding any fish at night will be best as it will reduce aggression as well as having the territory.

Honestly, aggression from Ctenochaetus is minimal. Mine couldn’t care less about ruling the tank and more about the detritus or algae’s. Often when you see mine swimming around he’ll be at the back of the “pack”, trailing behind the wrasses with the foxface in the lead. Do you already have a Ctenochaetus species? If so then that will be more risky and you may have fighting going on.
And just because you said you like mine ;)
D81E669F-BA82-4E54-BE87-936603C7FCF8.jpeg

I don't think you can say what will be aggressive and what will not in a matter of sense. I personally found bristletooths (koles) to be really untolerable and my bellus omg.. she was small but man she hated fire fish and anthias. I think some fish... like tangs can be hit or miss as adults.

I mean I have a copperband who chased a yellow tang around. Like what!
 
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I wish I had caught more of it on video but the copperband would come hang out by me when I would try to film.

This is the copperband yelling the tang to **** and go hide in the rocks.




and here is one where the copperband does not want to share any food... pokey pokey you! They eventually worked it out and will eat together now lol

 

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I don't think you can say what will be aggressive and what will not in a matter of sense. I personally found bristletooths (koles) to be really untolerable and my bellus omg.. she was small but man she hated fire fish and anthias.

I mean I have a copperband who chased a yellow tang around. Like what!
I go from what I’ve experienced and the majority of specimens I’ve cared for have followed the pattern of what I have explained.
Although, I too have a CBB that will fight off larger more aggressive fish.
 

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