Need help deciding on whether or not a fish is right for your tank? Post here and we'll help!

[Raymark]

I'm planning the future purchase of a 32g biocube. In what order should I stock the proposed creatures & should I avoid anything I have listed. I'm a beginner. I'll use about 20lbs of pukani rock, live sand, & aquatic life 115 skimmer.

1. 2 clowns
2. 1 yellow watchman goby & pistol shrimp
3. 1 starry blenny
4. firefish (this fish doesn't speak to me as much as others but they have nice color)
5. *maybe 1 ruby red dragonet or scooter blenny after the tank ages and I have added a small fuge for pods in the back. I'm not sure if this is compatible with the starry blenny & watchman goby. 6 fish will also push the stocking limits.
6. 1 red serpent star/or a brittle star (could I do 2 stars?)
7. 1 tuxedo urchin
8. Some nassarius snails (how many?)
9. Hermit crabs (how many?)
10. 1 emerald crab
11. Trochus snails (how many?)

 

[Dl0reef]

Should be fine but make sure you have enough copepods in your tank or rise your own copepods colony to keep your Mandarin alive and healthy, even if it can eat frozen food it won't able to compete with other fishes for it share of food and die later of malnutrition, starvation.

Okay thanks a lot and I'm hoping to have all of this setup up a bit before macna and thanks a lot l.

 

[Dl0reef]

Should be fine but make sure you have enough copepods in your tank or rise your own copepods colony to keep your Mandarin alive and healthy, even if it can eat frozen food it won't able to compete with other fishes for it share of food and die later of malnutrition, starvation.

Any idea on a fish I should replace with it?

 

[Raymark]

I'm planning the future purchase of a 32g biocube. In what order should I stock the proposed creatures & should I avoid anything I have listed. I'm a beginner. I'll use about 20lbs of pukani rock, live sand, & aquatic life 115 skimmer.

1. 2 clowns
2. 1 yellow watchman goby & pistol shrimp
3. 1 starry blenny
4. firefish (this fish doesn't speak to me as much as others but they have nice color)
5. *maybe 1 ruby red dragonet or scooter blenny after the tank ages and I have added a small fuge for pods in the back. I'm not sure if this is compatible with the starry blenny & watchman goby. 6 fish will also push the stocking limits.
6. 1 red serpent star/or a brittle star (could I do 2 stars?)
7. 1 tuxedo urchin
8. Some nassarius snails (how many?)
9. Hermit crabs (how many?)
10. 1 emerald crab
11. Trochus snails (how many?)

Corals I'm interested in are zoas, mushrooms, frogspawn, Xenia (on an island)..... all beginner stuff

 

[Dl0reef]

Does anyone know a good replacement for a mandarin goby. I want a fish that's blue but any fish is welcome for discussion

 

[Pittsford_Pets]

Stocking this 20g? Low budget so nothing special. I have 2 clowns and a black clown goby.

 

[Dl0reef]

Stocking this 20g? Low budget so nothing special. I have 2 clowns and a black clown goby.

Maybe one or two firefish and a cleaner shrimp. At the most

 

[Oohkris123]

Fluval spec 5g tank.... Will a mantis or frog fish be okay?

I'm also thinking of making it a invert only tank reef friendly....what would be great with this tank?

 

[eatbreakfast]

120 Gallon Display + 55 Gallon sump = 140-ish gallons total water volume.

Check out my tank in the link in my signature.

Currently dosing nitrates and phosphates to the system... I need more fish load! Don't you wish you had my problems?

Current Fish List:
2x Wyoming White Clowns
3x Bartlett's Anthias
1x Magnificent Foxface Rabbitfish (biggest fish in the tank)
1x Bluestripe Fairy Wrasse (Temminckii "Threadfin")
2x Leopard Wrasse (one male, one female)
1x Kole Tang
1x Diamond Goby

Future Fish:
1x Yellow Clown Goby (cute! possibly concerned about polyp nipping though)
2-3x Pajama Cardinals (I'd enjoy watching them breed)
2-3x Firefish (looking for some more smaller fish to fill in the gaps)
1x Tailspot Blenny (or similar blenny-type algae grazer)
1x Yellow Tang (or similar tang that would work with the existing Kole tang)

Total fish:
18-20

What do you guys think of my future fish stocking plans? Thoughts? Changes?

Those plans look good. The only possible issues are that firefish are intolerant of other firefish, and bangaiis are intolerant of other bangaiis, unless they are a bonded pr, so instead of 2-3, 1-2 would be better.

Hey fellow reefers I was wondering if all of these fish can fit in a future 50 gallon cube:
2 clowns
1 red stop light cardinal
1 yellow striped cardinal
1 royal gramma basslet
1 mandarin goby
1 cleaner shrimp
Some nassarius snails

As long as the tank is established for 6-12 months, 50g should be able to support a mandarin. There aren't any other pod eaters that would be competition on the list.

I'm planning the future purchase of a 32g biocube. In what order should I stock the proposed creatures & should I avoid anything I have listed. I'm a beginner. I'll use about 20lbs of pukani rock, live sand, & aquatic life 115 skimmer.

1. 2 clowns
2. 1 yellow watchman goby & pistol shrimp
3. 1 starry blenny
4. firefish (this fish doesn't speak to me as much as others but they have nice color)
5. *maybe 1 ruby red dragonet or scooter blenny after the tank ages and I have added a small fuge for pods in the back. I'm not sure if this is compatible with the starry blenny & watchman goby. 6 fish will also push the stocking limits.
6. 1 red serpent star/or a brittle star (could I do 2 stars?)
7. 1 tuxedo urchin
8. Some nassarius snails (how many?)
9. Hermit crabs (how many?)
10. 1 emerald crab
11. Trochus snails (how many?)

Start with the firefish, then watchman, then clowns, then starry blenny.

I would be reluctant to suggest a dragonet in that size tank. Though if it can be established for a year+ it may be ok.

Any idea on a fish I should replace with it?

Stigmatura blenny, eyelash blenny, neon goby.

Stocking this 20g? Low budget so nothing special. I have 2 clowns and a black clown goby.

Perhaps neon goby, stigmatura blenny, or a small watchman goby.

Fluval spec 5g tank.... Will a mantis or frog fish be okay?

I'm also thinking of making it a invert only tank reef friendly....what would be great with this tank?

Frogfish will not work. If it is a small species of mantis, it will be ok, but peacocks or other common species get too big.

 

[zachxlutz]

Those plans look good. The only possible issues are that firefish are intolerant of other firefish, and bangaiis are intolerant of other bangaiis, unless they are a bonded pr, so instead of 2-3, 1-2 would be better.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[R€€F @DD¡ÇT]

2x Chalk bass and a royal gramma in a 75g. Thoughts? If it's possible should I add the gramma first?

 

[eatbreakfast]

2x Chalk bass and a royal gramma in a 75g. Thoughts? If it's possible should I add the gramma first?

They should be fine together. I would recommend gramma first.

 

[Dl0reef]

Should be fine but make sure you have enough copepods in your tank or rise your own copepods colony to keep your Mandarin alive and healthy, even if it can eat frozen food it won't able to compete with other fishes for it share of food and die later of malnutrition, starvation.

Do you think it would be fine if I took out the mandarin and replaced it with 2 firefish???

 

[eatbreakfast]

Do you think it would be fine if I took out the mandarin and replaced it with 2 firefish???

As long as they are a bonded pr they will be fine. Otherwise firefish are intolerant of conspecifics.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Do you think it would be fine if I took out the mandarin and replaced it with 2 firefish???

Sure if you can get mated pair, other than that I'll just get 1 firefish.
Don't over stock your tank, sometime few fish less is best in long run.
If you love Mandarin then just wait until your tank matured enough or raise your own copepods then add a mandarin.
If I were you I'll wait rather than add something and have to remove them later.

 

[Dl0reef]

Sure if you can get mated pair, other than that I'll just get 1 firefish.
Don't over stock your tank, sometime few fish less is best in long run.
If you love Mandarin then just wait until your tank matured enough or raise your own copepods then add a mandarin.
If I were you I'll wait rather than add something and have to remove them later.

Okay thanks

 

[Dl0reef]

As long as they are a bonded pr they will be fine. Otherwise firefish are intolerant of conspecifics.

Okay thanks

 

[simonsays]

Hi guys! I know that at times it can be difficult to know whether or not a fish is right for your tank. There are lots of things to consider when purchasing a new addition to your reef community: What size is the tank? What other fish are already in there? What inverts are in there? Is it a reef or fowlr? What about food availability? Is it a sensitive fish that needs special care requirements? Does it require particular water parameters? Is it aggressive? Is it a picky eater? Is it prone to disease?

These are all possible concerns that can come up in purchasing a new fish. REEF2REEF is here to help! Whether you're new to the hobby, or just unsure about a new addition, we'll be glad to help with advice and giving info about our new pet that will help it live many years in your tank. Of course, the tank is yours and so is the fish, so no one here will tell you what you can or CANNOT do with your own tank. We're just here to help by sharing our own knowledge and experience.

So let's get this thread going! If you're thinking about a new purchase and just not sure, post it up! 1smile1

Does anyone know what fish this is? At LFS. Was a special order not picked up. I can get cheap but not sure if reef safe

 

[eatbreakfast]

Does anyone know what fish this is? At LFS. Was a special order not picked up. I can get cheap but not sure if reef safe

Looks to be a tomato clown, but a better pic would help. If it is, they are reef-safe, but one of the more aggressive clown species.

 

[Katrina71]

Do yellow watchman need a pistol shrimp?