Looking for input on my stocking plan!

[Eienna]

Marine Collectors is garbage. I'd strongly recommend avoiding them and I speak from experience with their poor quality.

Interesting. OK. That sucks, I was looking forward to QTed fish.

 

[Lavey29]

Interesting. OK. That sucks, I was looking forward to QTed fish.

Dr. Reefs, TSA, etc... there are several well references here on the site

 

[Eienna]

Dr. Reefs, TSA, etc... there are several well references here on the site

Guess I'll go find the reviews. Had no idea Top Shelf did it. Marine Collector's owner seemed to know what he was doing, so I'm surprised they are poor. What specifically have the problems been?

 

[Eienna]

Carnivore, big eater and fast swimmer

Okey dokey. I might pass, but he's a cutie XD

 

[Eienna]

@Lavey29 Uhhh if you don't want to answer that last question, I understand.

 

[bradreef]

I say, keep the tang, I also like the idea of yellow coris.

 

[Eienna]

I say, keep the tang, I also like the idea of yellow coris.

Okay, thank you

 

[Lavey29]

@Lavey29 Uhhh if you don't want to answer that last question, I understand.

I'll PM

 

[bradreef]

Maybe switch chalk bass for yellow coris

 

[Eienna]

Maybe switch chalk bass for yellow coris

Chalk bass is actually one of my favorites. Might swap the royal gramma.

 

[Eienna]

Oh, wow, I hadn't realized how much candy hogfish had dropped in price! I wonder....

 

[Eienna]

Get a fangtooth blenny. Super cool top swimmer and peaceful. Even sleeps at the top

Somehow I thought you meant the striped blenny specifically. Silly me! I realized the Bundoon is in the genus too, and I like its look. Maybe I'll go with that.

 

[i cant think]

So apparently I haven’t replied to this thread yet, so let me start from the top

If, on the other hand, you guys think there's more room (it'll be a reef) I may include a Conde's fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus condei.)

Cirrhilabrus condei is a relatively aggressive species from what I remember when I last looked after them. They can be rather active as well so I’d personally pass on them.

I figured I'll have inverts for some things and will be QTing the hell out of stuff, so I doubt I'll have to fight with pests too much. Maybe I should substitute a yellow coris for one of the clowns? I was considering a blue star leopard, would that do the same job?

Leopards can do the same job as Halichoeres however they aren’t totally reliable for it.

@i cant think If I added a conde's or magma fairy wrasse to the list, would that work OK? I also need a good place to get a healthy pencil wrasse. Maybe MarineCollectors? I know I'll need to ask them to ship him with sand...do they change sexes like the fairy wrasses?

A Magma should work however the Condei won’t likely work well. Those who know me will have an idea of my love for the magma, I just need to hunt one down.
Unfortunately, MC seems to have gone slightly downhill from what I’ve read (I’m in the UK and not in the US) however it seems TSA and Dr. Reef are great with these guys.

Pencil Wrasses do change sex and this is where you NEED to be cautious. These guys are easily outcompeted by other fish and do need more specialised tanks, built around them. I have yet to actually have my own personal pencil (I’m waiting for a more specialised tank for a few) however I know @SaltyT experienced her pencil wrasse being outcompeted for food by her other wrasses.

 

[Eienna]

So apparently I haven’t replied to this thread yet, so let me start from the top

Cirrhilabrus condei is a relatively aggressive species from what I remember when I last looked after them. They can be rather active as well so I’d personally pass on them.

Leopards can do the same job as Halichoeres however they aren’t totally reliable for it.


A Magma should work however the Condei won’t likely work well. Those who know me will have an idea of my love for the magma, I just need to hunt one down.
Unfortunately, MC seems to have gone slightly downhill from what I’ve read (I’m in the UK and not in the US) however it seems TSA and Dr. Reef are great with these guys.

Pencil Wrasses do change sex and this is where you NEED to be cautious. These guys are easily outcompeted by other fish and do need more specialised tanks, built around them. I have yet to actually have my own personal pencil (I’m waiting for a more specialised tank for a few) however I know @SaltyT experienced her pencil wrasse being outcompeted for food by her other wrasses.

OK. I thought condei was on the list of either green or yellow aggression on the chart, not red - but I get it, and I don't want to push aggression limits either. I like my tanks fight-free if at all possible. I may get the pencil early on and train it to hand-feed so that I can be sure it'll get enough as the tank fills up. I do feed pretty heavily in general, too (mental note, gotta make sure I build the filtration to handle that.) I'm disabled, so I have the time to stand there and make sure everyone gets what they need. I have a trick I've used in the past, too - if you drop the food in two or three different spots regularly, they spread themselves out and while the biggest bully is concentrating on one source the others can move to another. It works especially well if you wait until he's fully absorbed to start the subsequent spots. I could make that the only wrasse, though, which would probably help. Maybe fill in the missing red with a little flame hawk instead.
I do like the bipartitus leopard, though...do you think the two could reasonably go together, if I did try a second wrasse? Betting the yellow coris wouldn't work here at all, being as...boisterous as they are. Obviously I'd have to watch the two carefully so I could separate and rehome one if it wasn't working out.

Thank you for your time <3 it's really appreciated!

 

[Eienna]

OK, so updated list (including something I forgot to add.)

1x Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)
1x Black Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Orange Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Royal Pencil Wrasse (Pseudojuloides severnsi)
1x Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
1x Chalk Bass (Serranus tortugarum)
1x Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus flavicauda) - with possibility of trading this guy out if he gets uncomfortably big. Some sites say 75g minimum, but not all.
1x Photosynthetic Clam (haven't decided species yet)

EDIT: After a couple edits, I guess it really hasn't changed, LOL!!

 

[Cthulukelele]

OK, so updated list (including something I forgot to add.)

1x Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)
1x Black Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Orange Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Royal Pencil Wrasse (Pseudojuloides severnsi)
1x Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
1x Chalk Bass (Serranus tortugarum)
1x Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus flavicauda) - with possibility of trading this guy out if he gets uncomfortably big. Some sites say 75g minimum, but not all.
1x Flame Hawk (Neocirrhites armatus)
1x Photosynthetic Clam (haven't decided species yet)
MAYBE 1x Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus), this one's iffy.

This is imo a decent and well stocked list with the same caveat you put with the tang. Leopard wrasse without pinched stomachs who are aggressively eating tend to do well, but be choosey. If you see one at your lfs for several weeks round and eating pounce on it. I'd suggest a Derasa for first clam. Least demanding and lowest light requirements and a sand dweller which is easier to manage.

 

[Cthulukelele]

OK, so updated list (including something I forgot to add.)

1x Mandarin Dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus)
1x Black Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Orange Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1x Royal Pencil Wrasse (Pseudojuloides severnsi)
1x Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
1x Chalk Bass (Serranus tortugarum)
1x Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto)
1x White Tail Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus flavicauda) - with possibility of trading this guy out if he gets uncomfortably big. Some sites say 75g minimum, but not all.
1x Flame Hawk (Neocirrhites armatus)
1x Photosynthetic Clam (haven't decided species yet)

I will say though maybe no Leopard wrasse in this tank just saw the mandarin. Idk that you'll have enough pods for both. Leopard will outhunt the mandarin

 

[Eienna]

This is imo a decent and well stocked list with the same caveat you put with the tang. Leopard wrasse without pinched stomachs who are aggressively eating tend to do well, but be choosey. If you see one at your lfs for several weeks round and eating pounce on it. I'd suggest a Derasa for first clam. Least demanding and lowest light requirements and a sand dweller which is easier to manage.

All right, thank you! I was kind of thinking a purple Maxima, but the Derasas are pretty cool too.

 

[Eienna]

I will say though maybe no Leopard wrasse in this tank just saw the mandarin. Idk that you'll have enough pods for both. Leopard will outhunt the mandarin

I'm getting my mandarin captive-bred, so he'll be getting supplemented with extra food (and I tend to feed heavy as a rule.) I may make a habit of dosing pods too if I have both. They are similar in color, though, so...yeah, maybe I'll pull him off. I'll go edit that list.

 

[Eienna]

There <3
Wonder if pencil wrasses eat flatworms. That said, I'm gonna be doing my very best not to end up with flatworms or nudis in the first place.