My 210 stocking List

Drew Halliday

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I’m waiting for my fallow period to be over after adding my sticks and for fish to be readily available again. I have been putting a list together of fish I would like. What does everyone think about this list? Too many big fish?


Mocha Vinci clown
Black Ice clown
Starry lawnmower blenny
Purple firefish
3 springers damsels
Male Mandarin dragonette
Pair of dragon face pipefish

Ornate leopard M. ornatus
Blue star/bicolor M. bipartitus
Halichoeres biocellatus "Red-Lined”
H. chrysus “Canary Wrasse”
H. cosmetus "Adorned Wrasse"

Prionurus Chrysirus tang
Blue tang
Clown tang
Desjardini Sailfin tang
White tail Bristletooth tang
Naso tang
 

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Just my humble opinion, but I think you are a little heavy on the tangs. Personally, I would nix the naso, unfortunately gets too large, and the clown tang, too agressive. Both are beautiful though and I have always had a soft spot for the blonde nasos.
I don't know enough about the Prionurus Chrysirus to opine on that.
I have a Desjardini in my 270.They get large as well, but is a great fish.
I'm sure others will have different opinions and experiences.
 
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Drew Halliday

Drew Halliday

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Just my humble opinion, but I think you are a little heavy on the tangs. Personally, I would nix the naso, unfortunately gets too large, and the clown tang, too agressive. Both are beautiful though and I have always had a soft spot for the blonde nasos.
I don't know enough about the Prionurus Chrysirus to opine on that.
I have a Desjardini in my 270.They get large as well, but is a great fish.
I'm sure others will have different opinions and experiences.
What have you seen clown tangs be aggressive towards? More than newcomers and other acanthurus tangs?
 

Beardo

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Never had one, just had researched since I always thought clown tangs were attractive. The evidence was enough to steer me away. I do hate to just parrot what I read though as everyone has different experiences and risk tolerance.
Do a search on this forum for "clown tang", quite a few horror stories to be found there.

@4FordFamily could provide more details on them and he has a good writeup on tang aggression.
 

Zionas

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Hey OP, mostly looks good but I agree 4 Tangs at most.

If I were you I would do:

x1 White Tail Bristletooth Tang (6.5”)

x1 Blue Hippo Tang (12”)

x1 Chrysirus Tang (12”)

x1 Yellow / Purple Tang (Yellow-8”, Purple-10”)

Acanthurus is perhaps the most difficult genus of Tangs on average to keep, so unfortunately if I had to axe one it would be the Acanthurus. The Naso, Desjardini Sailfin, Clown all get to well over a foot long, I would not keep them for the duration of their lifespans in a 6-foot tank, sorry.

The Pipefish, I don’t know much about them, but they’re not an easy fish to feed and care for as far as I know and may require specialized setups. Correct me if I’m wrong though.

If I were you, I’d do:

A pair of regular or Black and White Ocellaris Clowns (3” each)

A Starry Lawnmower Blenny (5.5”)

A Purple Firefish (3”)

A trio of Springer’s Damsels (2.5” each)

A male Mandarin Dragonette (3”)

An Ornate Leopard Wrasse (5”)

A Blue Star / Bicolored Leopard Wrasse (5”)

A Red Lined Wrasse (4.5”)

A Canary Wrasse (5”)

An Adorned Wrasse (4.5”)

A Royal Gramma Basslet / Black Cap Basslet / Swissguard Basslet / Yellow Assessor / McNeill’s Assessor (all get to 3-4”)

A Coral Beauty / Flame Angel (both get to about 4”)

Another larger fish like a Marine Betta, a Lamarck’s Angel, or a pair of smaller Genicanthus angels like Watanabei / Spot Breast / Bellus. (Marine Betta- 8” Lamarck’s Angel- 9” Spot Breast / Bellus Angel- 7” Watanabei Angel- 6”)

A Yellow / Purple Tang (Yellow Tang- 8” Purple Tang-10”)

A Blue Hippo Tang (12”)

A Chrysirus Tang (12”)

A White Tail or another Bristletooth Tang (White Tail- 6.5” Tomini-6” Yellow Eye Kole- 7” Square Tail- 6.5”)


If you don’t plan to keep inverts, a Hawkfish like a Flame or Long Nose would be nice. If you do plan to keep inverts, nothing beats a Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus spp.) and Pistol Shrimp combo. You could also do a Hawkfish and the Goby without the Shrimp.


Hope this helps!


(I don’t get why some people like the more difficult species of Acanthurus tangs so much. IMO they’re not even that good looking compared to your Purple, Sailfin, or even common Yellow Tang. Not to mention more aggressive.)
 
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Drew Halliday

Drew Halliday

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Hey OP, mostly looks good but I agree 4 Tangs at most.

If I were you I would do:

x1 White Tail Bristletooth Tang (6.5”)

x1 Blue Hippo Tang (12”)

x1 Chrysirus Tang (12”)

x1 Yellow / Purple Tang (Yellow-8”, Purple-10”)

Acanthurus is perhaps the most difficult genus of Tangs on average to keep, so unfortunately if I had to axe one it would be the Acanthurus. The Naso, Desjardini Sailfin, Clown all get to well over a foot long, I would not keep them for the duration of their lifespans in a 6-foot tank, sorry.

The Pipefish, I don’t know much about them, but they’re not an easy fish to feed and care for as far as I know and may require specialized setups. Correct me if I’m wrong though.

If I were you, I’d do:

A pair of regular or Black and White Ocellaris Clowns (3” each)

A Starry Lawnmower Blenny (5.5”)

A Purple Firefish (3”)

A trio of Springer’s Damsels (2.5” each)

A male Mandarin Dragonette (3”)

An Ornate Leopard Wrasse (5”)

A Blue Star / Bicolored Leopard Wrasse (5”)

A Red Lined Wrasse (4.5”)

A Canary Wrasse (5”)

An Adorned Wrasse (4.5”)

A Royal Gramma Basslet / Black Cap Basslet / Swissguard Basslet / Yellow Assessor / McNeill’s Assessor (all get to 3-4”)

A Coral Beauty / Flame Angel (both get to about 4”)

Another larger fish like a Marine Betta, a Lamarck’s Angel, or a pair of smaller Genicanthus angels like Watanabei / Spot Breast / Bellus. (Marine Betta- 8” Lamarck’s Angel- 9” Spot Breast / Bellus Angel- 7” Watanabei Angel- 6”)

A Yellow / Purple Tang (Yellow Tang- 8” Purple Tang-10”)

A Blue Hippo Tang (12”)

A Chrysirus Tang (12”)

A White Tail or another Bristletooth Tang (White Tail- 6.5” Tomini-6” Yellow Eye Kole- 7” Square Tail- 6.5”)


If you don’t plan to keep inverts, a Hawkfish like a Flame or Long Nose would be nice. If you do plan to keep inverts, nothing beats a Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus spp.) and Pistol Shrimp combo. You could also do a Hawkfish and the Goby without the Shrimp.


Hope this helps!


(I don’t get why some people like the more difficult species of Acanthurus tangs so much. IMO they’re not even that good looking compared to your Purple, Sailfin, or even common Yellow Tang. Not to mention more aggressive.)

Thanks for all of the effort you went though on this post especially posting all of the sizes and the additional recommendations.

What makes Acanthurus difficult in your opinion and what are the most difficult species and why? I think people want them because of the lack of information on what problems there could be, the likelihood and contributing or mitigating factors.

What if I went with an powder blue instead of the Chysirus? (It is an ich free tank)

Why would you do the regular clowns instead of the designers?

I’m going to avoid angels. I would love them on this list but I like polyp extension too much.

The pipefish would be very similar in husbandry requirements to a mandarin.

I have had royal grammas before and I have found them to be reclusive and territorial. Would the others in that group be as well?

I have had hawkfish and have found them annoying because they perch on corals and would eat shrimp.

Betas are cool but they hide a lot and would eat little critters.

I like the pistol shrimp goby idea.
 

Zionas

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Hey OP:

1. I admit there’s some personal bias when it comes to selecting the regular Clowns over the designer ones. I just find the regular Clowns to be a lot more natural looking, and thus better for me, but if you like the designer Clowns then by all means go ahead and get them. It’s just a difference in personal preferences really.

2. If you have an ich free tank and you feel confident, then sure you can go ahead and get a Powder Blue or any Acanthurus tang. I was just on the side of caution because this genus is known to be a bit more sensitive.


3. The Pipefish- Great. Go ahead. They should be very interesting.

4. The Royal Gramma- If you feel they’re too territorial, you could go with an Assessor like a Yellow Assessor instead. They’re one of the most peaceful fish, just quite skittish.

5. Hawkfish- Okay, give them a pass then. If you want more bottom dwellers I guess you could get a couple different genuses of gobies or Blennies or even Dragonets.

6. Pistol Shrimp and Goby- Yeah, should be fun!


7. The Marine Betta, from what I know, gets less shy once it’s settled. Best to have it established before faster, more aggressive fish like the Tangs. However, if you feel it’s not your cup of tea, then all the power to you. If you’re up for any butterflies, maybe a pair of Schooling Bannerfish or Pyramid Butterflies? If you decide to go with the Schooling Bannerfish, make sure it’s H. diphreutes.



Good luck with your tank!
 
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Drew Halliday

Drew Halliday

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Hey OP, mostly looks good but I agree 4 Tangs at most.

If I were you I would do:

x1 White Tail Bristletooth Tang (6.5”)

x1 Blue Hippo Tang (12”)

x1 Chrysirus Tang (12”)

x1 Yellow / Purple Tang (Yellow-8”, Purple-10”)

Acanthurus is perhaps the most difficult genus of Tangs on average to keep, so unfortunately if I had to axe one it would be the Acanthurus. The Naso, Desjardini Sailfin, Clown all get to well over a foot long, I would not keep them for the duration of their lifespans in a 6-foot tank, sorry.

The Pipefish, I don’t know much about them, but they’re not an easy fish to feed and care for as far as I know and may require specialized setups. Correct me if I’m wrong though.

If I were you, I’d do:

A pair of regular or Black and White Ocellaris Clowns (3” each)

A Starry Lawnmower Blenny (5.5”)

A Purple Firefish (3”)

A trio of Springer’s Damsels (2.5” each)

A male Mandarin Dragonette (3”)

An Ornate Leopard Wrasse (5”)

A Blue Star / Bicolored Leopard Wrasse (5”)

A Red Lined Wrasse (4.5”)

A Canary Wrasse (5”)

An Adorned Wrasse (4.5”)

A Royal Gramma Basslet / Black Cap Basslet / Swissguard Basslet / Yellow Assessor / McNeill’s Assessor (all get to 3-4”)

A Coral Beauty / Flame Angel (both get to about 4”)

Another larger fish like a Marine Betta, a Lamarck’s Angel, or a pair of smaller Genicanthus angels like Watanabei / Spot Breast / Bellus. (Marine Betta- 8” Lamarck’s Angel- 9” Spot Breast / Bellus Angel- 7” Watanabei Angel- 6”)

A Yellow / Purple Tang (Yellow Tang- 8” Purple Tang-10”)

A Blue Hippo Tang (12”)

A Chrysirus Tang (12”)

A White Tail or another Bristletooth Tang (White Tail- 6.5” Tomini-6” Yellow Eye Kole- 7” Square Tail- 6.5”)


If you don’t plan to keep inverts, a Hawkfish like a Flame or Long Nose would be nice. If you do plan to keep inverts, nothing beats a Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus spp.) and Pistol Shrimp combo. You could also do a Hawkfish and the Goby without the Shrimp.


Hope this helps!


(I don’t get why some people like the more difficult species of Acanthurus tangs so much. IMO they’re not even that good looking compared to your Purple, Sailfin, or even common Yellow Tang. Not to mention more aggressive.)

Thanks for the help. I am excited. For this tank I’m doing it the right way so I don’t have unwanted hitch hikers (as far as I know) and quarantining any hard surface for 76 days and a Bayer dip and I will do the tank transfer method and praziquantel dip on all the fish.
 

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