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

[eatbreakfast]

Thanks for the reply. Is it safe to assume all dottybacks have the same temperament?

Most do, but orchid and elongatus seem to be a little better behaved.

 

[Clarinuto]

Hey all, been working on my stocking list for a 75 gallon tank, FOWLR at first with eventual reef) for a while. I have all the equipment I need, but can't set it up for another month or so until after I move... that's giving me a whole lot of time for research (yay!) and for continually refining my stocking list (not sure if this is a good thing or not, haha ). Here's the current list... do you see any issues? What order should the fish be added? (Side note: The mandarin would have to be added last of course after the tank has had lots of time to establish itself... will that be an issue for the other fish?) Thanks all!!

1 Diamond or Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Royal Gramma Basslet
2 Green Chromis (Considering ditching these bc I keep hearing that they will kill each other and are shipped with disease, but would like to know how to order them in case I do decide to try it.... would also be open to replacements!)
2 Kauderns Cardinalfish
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Dwarf Flame Angel
1 Longnose Hawkfish
1 Lunare or Moon Wrasse (will this guy eat cleaner or pistol shrimp if added?)
1 Green Mandarin

 

[eatbreakfast]

Hey all, been working on my stocking list for a 75 gallon tank, FOWLR at first with eventual reef) for a while. I have all the equipment I need, but can't set it up for another month or so until after I move... that's giving me a whole lot of time for research (yay!) and for continually refining my stocking list (not sure if this is a good thing or not, haha ). Here's the current list... do you see any issues? What order should the fish be added? (Side note: The mandarin would have to be added last of course after the tank has had lots of time to establish itself... will that be an issue for the other fish?) Thanks all!!

1 Diamond or Yellow Watchman Goby
1 Royal Gramma Basslet
2 Green Chromis (Considering ditching these bc I keep hearing that they will kill each other and are shipped with disease, but would like to know how to order them in case I do decide to try it.... would also be open to replacements!)
2 Kauderns Cardinalfish
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
1 Dwarf Flame Angel
1 Longnose Hawkfish
1 Lunare or Moon Wrasse (will this guy eat cleaner or pistol shrimp if added?)
1 Green Mandarin

Skip the lunar wrasse. They get pretty big and aggressive and will definitely eat inverts.

Wait 6months for the tank to get established before adding a mandarin.

Some have reported chromis picking each other off. Don't get 2. 1 can be fine by itself.

 

[NoWaiAma]

28G nano. Planning a pair of clowns (not decided but won’t be the large maroons)
And a yellow watchman goby.
Undecided on the rest. What 2-3 more would work well? Lawnmower Benny?

Want to have a coral band shrimp and pistol shrimp also

Would an urchin work?

 

[Clarinuto]

@eatbreakfast , thanks for the heads up about the Lunare Wrasse. Is there another fish that would be around the same size as the flame angel and swim in the upper section of the tank that would get along well with everyone?

Also, would love to hear your opinions on what order I should introduce them. Thank you

 

[eatbreakfast]

28G nano. Planning a pair of clowns (not decided but won’t be the large maroons)
And a yellow watchman goby.
Undecided on the rest. What 2-3 more would work well? Lawnmower Benny?

Want to have a coral band shrimp and pistol shrimp also

Would an urchin work?

A lawnmower blenny can be a bit big and bossy for that size tank. Consider a stigmatura or bicolor blenny instead.

Coral banded shrimp can be opportunistic with small fish.

That tank is a little small for an urchin.

@eatbreakfast , thanks for the heads up about the Lunare Wrasse. Is there another fish that would be around the same size as the flame angel and swim in the upper section of the tank that would get along well with everyone?

Also, would love to hear your opinions on what order I should introduce them. Thank you

Order doesn't much matter with your list.

Some options would include: purple tilefish, royal gramma, yellow assessor, midas blenny, trio of scissortail or zebra goby.

 

[Clarinuto]

Thank you. Those are some gorgeous options.

 

[NoWaiAma]

Thank you. Figured it might be too big.

 

[the new reef kid]

I have a 50 gallon tank and was wondering if clownfish chromisies and a fumanchu lion fish would be compatible specially a fu Manchu lionfish

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have a 50 gallon tank and was wondering if clownfish chromisies and a fumanchu lion fish would be compatible specially a fu Manchu lionfish

Depends on the size of the fish involved. If the clowns and chromi are big, and thfu is small it should be fine. But there is always a degree of risk with small fish with a predator.

 

[the new reef kid]

Depends on the size of the fish involved. If the clowns and chromi are big, and thfu is small it should be fine. But there is always a degree of risk with small fish with a predator.

Apparently the max size of the fu mancHu lionfish is four inches so hot was wondering if he was exceptionally safe

 

[eatbreakfast]

Slightly larger than 4", but one of the safer choices.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Please review stock plan. I will add one at a time except for the clownfish. Order is below as well. Tank is 125G 6 ft long operating on a Aquamaxx FC180 and 55G sump + Fuge, 100 lbs of special grade reef sand, & 120 lbs of Macro Rock:

2 Occ Clowns (tiny size)
1 Orchid Dottyback (tiny size)
1 Springers or Tank Bred Azure Damsel (Springer is better for pest control, Azure is tank bred and more colorful) - tiny size
1 Male Malnarus Wrasse (Medium size)
1 Diamond Watchman Goby (Medium Size)
1 Kole Tang (Small Size)
1 Yellow Tang (Small Size)
1 Male Blue Throat Triggerfish (Small Size)

Can all these fish get along? Other subs I have though of are (They would replace any fish on this list above):

1 Tank Bred Coral Beauty (Instead of Damsels)
2 Bangaii Cardinalfish (thought the initial stock list was fully stocked so left them off)
1 Tailspot Blenny (Same as Bangaii)
1 Foxface (I think Lo is the smaller one) - Instead of Yellow Tang

Tank would be a mixed reef (mostly softies and LPS). I don't care about having something that would eat inverts as long as they don't eat my corals.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Please review stock plan. I will add one at a time except for the clownfish. Order is below as well. Tank is 125G 6 ft long operating on a Aquamaxx FC180 and 55G sump + Fuge, 100 lbs of special grade reef sand, & 120 lbs of Macro Rock:

2 Occ Clowns (tiny size)
1 Orchid Dottyback (tiny size)
1 Springers or Tank Bred Azure Damsel (Springer is better for pest control, Azure is tank bred and more colorful) - tiny size
1 Male Malnarus Wrasse (Medium size)
1 Diamond Watchman Goby (Medium Size)
1 Kole Tang (Small Size)
1 Yellow Tang (Small Size)
1 Male Blue Throat Triggerfish (Small Size)

Can all these fish get along? Other subs I have though of are (They would replace any fish on this list above):

1 Tank Bred Coral Beauty (Instead of Damsels)
2 Bangaii Cardinalfish (thought the initial stock list was fully stocked so left them off)
1 Tailspot Blenny (Same as Bangaii)
1 Foxface (I think Lo is the smaller one) - Instead of Yellow Tang

Tank would be a mixed reef (mostly softies and LPS). I don't care about having something that would eat inverts as long as they don't eat my corals.

Your initial list is fine and shouldn't pose any compatibility issues.

 

[ReefWithCare]

Your initial list is fine and shouldn't pose any compatibility issues.

What would you say the bioload would be when all the fish are in there? Would this be considered medium or heavily stocked?

 

[eatbreakfast]

What would you say the bioload would be when all the fish are in there? Would this be considered medium or heavily stocked?

It doesn't look too heavy. But each tank has different bioload capacities.

 

[Surfside74]

Ok. 120 gallon reef that's just about done cycling. Will have all types of corals and stuff. Following is list of fish I'm thinking about and all would be small size.

Harlequin tusk
Emperor angel
Blonde naso tang
Pair of snowflake clowns
Sixline wrasse or mystery wrasse
Kole tang
Other small assorted fish

Down the road possibly mandarin goby or blue spot jawfish.

What do you think?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Ok. 120 gallon reef that's just about done cycling. Will have all types of corals and stuff. Following is list of fish I'm thinking about and all would be small size.

Harlequin tusk
Emperor angel
Blonde naso tang
Pair of snowflake clowns
Sixline wrasse or mystery wrasse
Kole tang
Other small assorted fish

Down the road possibly mandarin goby or blue spot jawfish.

What do you think?

As they get bigger tuskfish can be aggressive and predatory to small fish.

Sixlines can be very aggressive toward mandarins.

Emperor angel and blonde naso get too big for a 120g.

Blue spot jawfish need cooler temps.

 

[starypotter]

Hi everyone,

I have a 29 gallon (12x30x18h) with a 20 high sump that I'll get to start stocking after a 76 day wait for my rock and CUC to ensure it's pest free. The refugium area is 10" x 12" x 8" high with the baffle but the height might be increasing once I get my plumbing issues worked out. I plan to have a reef and I do prefer the look of soft corals over hard corals but I don't want to limit myself with my fish stocking. I used the comparability chart and other information on Live Aquaria to figure out which fish I could potentially get and I wanted to see what sort of advice or recommendations you all have. I will be running a Curve 5 in the sump. 32 lbs live rock split between DT and sump (for aesthetic reasons, it's too much for DT. Probably close to 60 pounds live sand.

These are the fish that I like, it is NOT A STOCKING LIST. It is merely the fish that I am considering, I DO NOT plan on putting all of these fish in my tank. This is a list that I would like to pick my stock from.

I have a peppermint shrimp in my CUC along with a bunch of snails, and a couple hermit crabs.

I definitely want a pair of clown fish, LFS breeds them and I plan on getting them at about 1" in size if a little bit smaller, I like the idea of getting to see them grow.

Other than the clown fish, these are the fish that I like... I know some of them seem to be a border line, and one says on Live Aquaria that you need to have a stocked fuge, now does that simply mean that I need to have pods in my fuge and they will make their way up the return pump on their own, or will I need to spot feed? I do not want anything high maintenance that needs to be spot fed daily, or that are too tricky eaters. I notice Live Aquaria frequently only lists live food as what the fish eat, is this the only food these fish could eat or will any be fine on pellet/flake etc.

+Pair of clownfish- LFS Breeds these
+Royal Gamma- I've heard some mixed review on the temperament of these fish...
+Dusky Jawfish
+Six Line Wrasse
+Kaudern's Cardinalfish- LFS Breeds these
+Cave Transparent Goby
+Diamond Watchman Goby- I'm not sure if my tank and fuge would be big enough for this one and I would much rather play it safe than get a fish that's going to be unhappy in my tank
+Sharknose Goby
+Neon Goby

Another thing that I really care about is where the fish come from, I really do not want to contribute to taking these fish from the ocean so sustainability is important to me, I don't know LFS's status on breeding the other fish. Are there any others that I could have a pair or more of, Live Aquaria says some gobies can be kept in mated pairs, is that unreasonable for a beginner? Are they like clownfish where if you get them young it could work? Do I just have too small of a setup for that?

Any advice and opinions are welcome. Pic of DT rock work since some fish bios say they need 'a lot' of rock work for eating/hiding but don't know what 'a lot' of rock work actually is. The two bottom rocks on either side have a sort of cubby in them, and the branch of coral is a tunnel to the other side

 

[starypotter]

Hi everyone,

I have a 29 gallon (12x30x18h) with a 20 high sump that I'll get to start stocking after a 76 day wait for my rock and CUC to ensure it's pest free. The refugium area is 10" x 12" x 8" high with the baffle but the height might be increasing once I get my plumbing issues worked out. I plan to have a reef and I do prefer the look of soft corals over hard corals but I don't want to limit myself with my fish stocking. I used the comparability chart and other information on Live Aquaria to figure out which fish I could potentially get and I wanted to see what sort of advice or recommendations you all have. I will be running a Curve 5 in the sump. 32 lbs live rock split between DT and sump (for aesthetic reasons, it's too much for DT. Probably close to 60 pounds live sand.

These are the fish that I like, it is NOT A STOCKING LIST. It is merely the fish that I am considering, I DO NOT plan on putting all of these fish in my tank. This is a list that I would like to pick my stock from.

I have a peppermint shrimp in my CUC along with a bunch of snails, and a couple hermit crabs.

I definitely want a pair of clown fish, LFS breeds them and I plan on getting them at about 1" in size if a little bit smaller, I like the idea of getting to see them grow.

Other than the clown fish, these are the fish that I like... I know some of them seem to be a border line, and one says on Live Aquaria that you need to have a stocked fuge, now does that simply mean that I need to have pods in my fuge and they will make their way up the return pump on their own, or will I need to spot feed? I do not want anything high maintenance that needs to be spot fed daily, or that are too tricky eaters. I notice Live Aquaria frequently only lists live food as what the fish eat, is this the only food these fish could eat or will any be fine on pellet/flake etc.

+Pair of clownfish- LFS Breeds these
+Royal Gamma- I've heard some mixed review on the temperament of these fish...
+Dusky Jawfish
+Six Line Wrasse
+Kaudern's Cardinalfish- LFS Breeds these
+Cave Transparent Goby
+Diamond Watchman Goby- I'm not sure if my tank and fuge would be big enough for this one and I would much rather play it safe than get a fish that's going to be unhappy in my tank
+Sharknose Goby
+Neon Goby

Another thing that I really care about is where the fish come from, I really do not want to contribute to taking these fish from the ocean so sustainability is important to me, I don't know LFS's status on breeding the other fish. Are there any others that I could have a pair or more of, Live Aquaria says some gobies can be kept in mated pairs, is that unreasonable for a beginner? Are they like clownfish where if you get them young it could work? Do I just have too small of a setup for that?

Any advice and opinions are welcome. Pic of DT rock work since some fish bios say they need 'a lot' of rock work for eating/hiding but don't know what 'a lot' of rock work actually is. The two bottom rocks on either side have a sort of cubby in them, and the branch of coral is a tunnel to the other side

I think the six line wrasse is moving up in the list to a 'really want' fish, the clowns are 'practically mandatory'. The bristle worms in my tank are getting a bit much for me, I really don't want to look in my tank during the day with the lights on and see them poking out of the rocks, and I think one has contributed in the killing of one of my snails. I know bristle worms don't typically do that sort of thing, but the other day I found a bristle worm living in one of my turbo snail's shells, and today that snail is dead so I'm not a very happy camper, I had it less than a week. Maybe the snail was compromised and the worm did it's thing but it's still left a bad taste in my mouth about them and I'd prefer to keep their population a bit smaller.