New 100G - Need Stocking Help!

[Andrew_NYC_Reef]

So I’m a few days into cycling my new 100g (+30 gal sump) and I’m trying to finalize my stocking list and stocking order so I can start thinking about where to source the first couple of fish. I have a 30 gallon tank set up with one clown and CUC so those will probably be the first inhabitants. I am planning to use the 30 gallon as a quarantine for the new additions over the next few months unless someone tells me that’s a bad idea. I’m planning to make this a mixed reef tank over the next 6ish months but fine taking things slow for a bit. Check out my build thread for more info on the system.

I came up with the dream list but now have tons of questions like which fish have similar diets, figuring out compatibility, and trying to figure out the right order in which to stock. Including the “dream list” and some of my comments / questions below. Would really appreciate any advice on compatibility and/or ordering. Do I need to make sure that any of these are the first 1 or 2 fish in the new tank to make sure there aren’t aggression or stress issues down the road?

• Pair of clowns (likely extreme Picasso)
• Twin spot goby (orange spot as alternative)
• Goby / pistol shrimp combo (can I have 2 gobies?)
• Set of zebra bar dart fish
• Tang(s) - is 2 too many for 100g? Any specific preference between these if I have to chose one?
  • Red Sea Sailfin Tang
  • Chevron Tang
• Wrasse - do I need to stick with one species? Do they need to be in pairs? Considering:
  • Flasher Wrasse (2F + 1M)
  • Halichoeres wrasse
• Blue green Chromis (Should I be thinking about other or additional chromis?)
• Flame angel (or coral beauty) - from what I’ve read, it’s basically a 50/50 shot when it comes to being reef safe. I think I’ll take my chances to start since I don’t have any coral yet. If they’re a nuisance, I can figure it out from there
• Royal gramma
• Gulf signal blenny (recommend other/additional blennies?)
• Jawfish (thinking blue dot or chinstrap - okay w. Gobies?)
• Blue spotted puffer (is this ok w/ corals? Ok w/ tank size?)
• Jewel damsel and/or sapphire damsel
• Mandarin Dragonet (I know... since I dont have a refugium for pods, I’ll only do it if I can get a captive bred fish feeding on pellets . But I Really love this fish so I dont want to get other livestock that will preclude me from getting one in the future)
• Boxfish / cowfish - probably my favorite on this list but also the one that makes me the most nervous. Are there particular species that work best in a smaller (100g) reef tank? If I introduce them early will that help prevent stressful situations?
• Harlequin Shrimp (i know, another crazy one) - I love the way they look and think the ~weekly starfish feeding might be a fun recurring event (kind of like feeding a snake?)... would love to hear anyone’s positive or negative experience here. I live 4 blocks from LFS so I’m confident in regular access to starfish without having to maintain them myself.

Any other must haves that I’m missing? Does this feel too heavy in the bottom of the water column? Anything here that is absolutely not something I should be considering?

 

[laverda]

That’s a lot of fish for a 100 gallon tank. Twin spot gobies are almost impossible to keep in my experience. The only way I was ever to keep them was in a small nano tank where I would inject cyclops and other food into the sand bed daily. I was able to keep a pair for about a year that way. It tried to do the same when I moved my pair in to my large tank, but they would not find the food in there and quickly starved sadly. In my 12 gallon tank it seemed like they knew the syringe mention feeding time, but in my big tank if I tried to but food in the tank near them they seemed to get scared and would swim off.
Both tangs you listed will get too big for a 100 gallon tank. They need a 8’ or longer tank. A bristle tooth tang is slower growing, not an open water swimmer and does not get nearly as big as the other two do.
A wrasse and royal gamma will both compete with the mandarin for pods. Royal gamma can be pretty aggressive as can be either of the angels you listed. The other dwarf and pigmy angels are not as aggressive.
A box fish should be fine. Why does it make you nervous? Puffers generally are not reef safe. If they are not eating corals their beaks will need trimming as the grow continually. Jaw fish are fun and should be fine. They need a decent sand bed and a covered tank as do most wrasses. Dart fish also tend to be jumpers, but any fish can be. Chromis and clowns are all damsels and can be aggressive and should be added last.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

So I’m new, but I’ve been spending a lot of time researching my stock list as I’ve set up my build.

from your list, and mind you, I’m no guru. That said. I have a 120g dt I’m setting up. What I can tell you is both of your choices for Tangs are far too big and aggressive for either of our tanks. I want some tangs too. But after my research I’m limited to kole eyed tangs and some of the bristletooths (personally I’m going for a tomini). Sailfins get huge and need at least 180g. I’m pretty sure chevrons need that much at least or more.

As cool as boxfish are, they’re also a no go. The long horn, for example, has been know to grow up to 20” in the wild regularly, meaning that’s not even the record measurement, which is typically what companies like LA and saltwaterfish.com look at when they list their minimum size recommendations. That and they’re very toxic. So If something goes wrong with them they’ll basically nuke the tank. Much like a sea apple.

blue spot jaw fish need a much cooler tank than what the average reef tank typically runs at as far as temperature. Idk about chinstrap, but pearlyjawfish seem to be more suited to reef tanks (I feel this struggle. My girlfriend wants a blue spot but I’m trying to set up a mixed reef so it just would be cruel to try and house a blue spot. Likely they’d survive for a year or two, but there’s enough anecdotal evidence to support the idea that being housed in a tank running at a temperature higher than 70-72 f. Shortens their life. And in reality they come from areas where the water tends to be closer to 68f.). Pearly jawfish seem to be a good alternative

the blue spot puffer is beautiful, but what I’ve read indicates they’re the most likely culprit to go after corals even among the Toby puffers which tend to be hit or miss. I’ve had a valentini and they don’t seem to be quite as nippy, but I never housed it with sps and lps so that’s really not much of a guarantee.

the dwarf angles are similarly hit or miss. Some are model citizens and never bother coral, but a model citizen who takes a munch and likes it is a lost cause. So use caution.

a mandarin could work if you can get it to take frozen along with pods. And that still has the caveat that you have a continuous ample supply available (not impossible but it does take time and continue additions of pods) so it’s a fish that does better with an establish system.

I can’t speak for wrasses per say, but I do know a single halichoeres could work if the tank is big enough. I don’t know a lot about flashers, but fairy wrasses seem to be more commonly considered reef safe. That said, theirs always the possibility of cross species aggression depending on what species are involved. For wrasse advise look for the great articles @evolved wrote. He’s basically the resident guru as far as wrasses go.

all that aside, I’m not trying to discourage you. Just prevent you from possible unforeseen headaches. With regards to the tangs, in theory you could house juveniles of both if you’re willing to re-home them. But that sets up a whole different set of things to figure out. Not saying it’s impossible, just something to think about.

the puffer and angels? People have pulled it off. Maybe you can too, just be aware of what behaviors may pop up down the road. That to may prompt a need to re-home if it’s them vs a prized coral

edit: harlequins are awesome! But chocolate chip stars get expensive if you have to buy one weekly or by weekly. Food for thought

 

[Chef Mateo]

So I’m a few days into cycling my new 100g (+30 gal sump) and I’m trying to finalize my stocking list and stocking order so I can start thinking about where to source the first couple of fish. I have a 30 gallon tank set up with one clown and CUC so those will probably be the first inhabitants. I am planning to use the 30 gallon as a quarantine for the new additions over the next few months unless someone tells me that’s a bad idea. I’m planning to make this a mixed reef tank over the next 6ish months but fine taking things slow for a bit. Check out my build thread for more info on the system.

I came up with the dream list but now have tons of questions like which fish have similar diets, figuring out compatibility, and trying to figure out the right order in which to stock. Including the “dream list” and some of my comments / questions below. Would really appreciate any advice on compatibility and/or ordering. Do I need to make sure that any of these are the first 1 or 2 fish in the new tank to make sure there aren’t aggression or stress issues down the road?

• Pair of clowns (likely extreme Picasso)
• Twin spot goby (orange spot as alternative)
• Goby / pistol shrimp combo (can I have 2 gobies?)
• Set of zebra bar dart fish
• Tang(s) - is 2 too many for 100g? Any specific preference between these if I have to chose one?
  • Red Sea Sailfin Tang
  • Chevron Tang
• Wrasse - do I need to stick with one species? Do they need to be in pairs? Considering:
  • Flasher Wrasse (2F + 1M)
  • Halichoeres wrasse
• Blue green Chromis (Should I be thinking about other or additional chromis?)
• Flame angel (or coral beauty) - from what I’ve read, it’s basically a 50/50 shot when it comes to being reef safe. I think I’ll take my chances to start since I don’t have any coral yet. If they’re a nuisance, I can figure it out from there
• Royal gramma
• Gulf signal blenny (recommend other/additional blennies?)
• Jawfish (thinking blue dot or chinstrap - okay w. Gobies?)
• Blue spotted puffer (is this ok w/ corals? Ok w/ tank size?)
• Jewel damsel and/or sapphire damsel
• Mandarin Dragonet (I know... since I dont have a refugium for pods, I’ll only do it if I can get a captive bred fish feeding on pellets . But I Really love this fish so I dont want to get other livestock that will preclude me from getting one in the future)
• Boxfish / cowfish - probably my favorite on this list but also the one that makes me the most nervous. Are there particular species that work best in a smaller (100g) reef tank? If I introduce them early will that help prevent stressful situations?
• Harlequin Shrimp (i know, another crazy one) - I love the way they look and think the ~weekly starfish feeding might be a fun recurring event (kind of like feeding a snake?)... would love to hear anyone’s positive or negative experience here. I live 4 blocks from LFS so I’m confident in regular access to starfish without having to maintain them myself.

Any other must haves that I’m missing? Does this feel too heavy in the bottom of the water column? Anything here that is absolutely not something I should be considering?

In terms of order I would stock least aggressive to most aggressive this will be the best way to have the least aggression possible. Here are my suggestions on each fish you said :

The Clowns are a likely first addition because they are very hardy through the post cycling

There may be aggression between gobies but in a tank that size it shouldn't be a problem as long as there is enough hiding spots for them

For the tangs most would say just 1 tang in a 100 gal, I prefer the sailfin (probably too big) personally, the tang would should probably be your last addition as they are the most aggro, my suggestion would be a bristhletooth tang

A trio of flame wrasses would probably be ok but I would check with @evolved make sure you have a lid with wrasses

Chromis are kind of hit or miss because they can be fairly aggro to each other but they work in a lot of scenarios.

A coral beauty is likely a better bet than a flame, I've heard better things about them just add the angel after your coral is in the tank

Royal grammas are a very nice fish

Not sure about blennies reccomandations, midas may be nice

Not sure about jawfish with gobies never have had one

Not sure excatly the puffer you mean as many are called by differrent names but I think your talking about (Canthigaster solandri), puffers are kind of iffy not sure if you would want to risk it

The problem with mandarins is they need to throughout the day, so they are still difficult but if you have the time it is a beautiful fish

Not too sure about boxfish for 100gal, love the fish but I think that's too small for anyone species

If you have supplies then go for the harlequin!

Good luck with your tank, let me know if you have anymore questions!

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

I’m sorry, just want to make sure some of the responders here know a chevron is a bristle tooth... Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis. That said it is among the larger of the genus and would eventually need a larger tank. But still a Ctenochaetus with mostly the same growth habits as the rest. So while a larger tank will be needed it could be some time. But my advice to anyone wanting a Chevron has more to do with the fishes adult colors and patterns. Everyone falls in love with the juveniles. But most aren’t a fan of the adult. My two cents, take it or leave it, if you are like me and love the adult Chevron as much as the juvenile, that’s the tang I’d go for. All the while knowing an upgrade is in my future.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I’m sorry, just want to make sure some of the responders here know a chevron is a bristle tooth... Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis. That said it is among the larger of the genus and would eventually need a larger tank. But still a Ctenochaetus with mostly the same growth habits as the rest. So while a larger tank will be needed it could be some time. But my advice to anyone wanting a Chevron has more to do with the fishes adult colors and patterns. Everyone falls in love with the juveniles. But most aren’t a fan of the adult. My two cents, take it or leave it, if you are like me and love the adult Chevron as much as the juvenile, that’s the tang I’d go for. All the while knowing an upgrade is in my future.

they certainly are brstletooths. But they are the UNITS of the bristletooths. Gorgeous at all ages but they get BIG. You’re right they’ll grow slowly but in then end it’s still going to be a case of trying to rehome. Doable? Certainly, but still worth keeping in mind

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

they certainly are brstletooths. But they are the UNITS of the bristletooths. Gorgeous at all ages but they get BIG. You’re right they’ll grow slowly but in then end it’s still going to be a case of trying to rehome. Doable? Certainly, but still worth keeping in mind

Absolutely one of the very few monsters of the Ctenochaetus family lol. That said, I personally REALLY try not to rehome fish myself and plan my fish accordingly. If I know the fish I’m getting will out grow my current system or any system I have in storage (not likely but it’s happened lol) I at bare minimum start planning the next system. If @Andrew_NYC_Reef finds himself dead set on either a desjardini or a chevron for his 100 my advise would land on the chevron. While they are both beautiful fish the chevron will allow more time for planning building and maturing the next system. Of course, as I said already, this is all only my 2 cents.

 

[evolved]

Wrasse - do I need to stick with one species? Do they need to be in pairs? Considering:

• Flasher Wrasse (2F + 1M)
• Halichoeres wrasse

You don't necessarily have to stick to one species, but do NOT buy pairs or trios - single specimens of any species.
Here's a great place to start, if I can be so self indulgent:

All About Reef Safe Wrasses in Aquaria

Introduction My name is Hunter and I am a wrasse addict. Admitting such is the first step to buying another wrasse, I think. Wrasses are not only my passion, but my niche in this hobby since 2010. My tank is full of them, and unfortunately...

www.reef2reef.com

A trio of flame wrasses would probably be ok but I would check with @evolved make sure you have a lid with wrasses

A trio is not advised; they will all eventually transition to male, fight, and there will be one survivor of the 3.

 

[Andrew_NYC_Reef]

Thanks for all of the great feedback here. I definitely didn’t expect / intend for even a majority of my list to work and it sounds like there’s some more research to do

Twin spot gobies are almost impossible to keep in my experience. The only way I was ever to keep them was in a small nano tank where I would inject cyclops and other food into the sand bed daily. I was able to keep a pair for about a year that way. It tried to do the same when I moved my pair in to my large tank, but they would not find the food in there and quickly starved sadly. In my 12 gallon tank it seemed like they knew the syringe mention feeding time, but in my big tank if I tried to but food in the tank near them they seemed to get scared and would swim off.

Puffers generally are not reef safe. If they are not eating corals their beaks will need trimming as the grow continually.

Has anyone else had this experience with Twin Spot Gobies? I definitely have a strong preference for the twin spot but if it’s just not feasible without daily food injections then I’ll steer clear.

I didn’t know that about beak trimming, noted..

As cool as boxfish are, they’re also a no go. The long horn, for example, has been know to grow up to 20” in the wild regularly, meaning that’s not even the record measurement, which is typically what companies like LA and saltwaterfish.com look at when they list their minimum size recommendations. That and they’re very toxic. So If something goes wrong with them they’ll basically nuke the tank. Much like a sea apple.

blue spot jaw fish need a much cooler tank than what the average reef tank typically runs at as far as temperature. Idk about chinstrap, but pearlyjawfish seem to be more suited to reef tanks (I feel this struggle. My girlfriend wants a blue spot but I’m trying to set up a mixed reef so it just would be cruel to try and house a blue spot. Likely they’d survive for a year or two, but there’s enough anecdotal evidence to support the idea that being housed in a tank running at a temperature higher than 70-72 f. Shortens their life. And in reality they come from areas where the water tends to be closer to 68f.). Pearly jawfish seem to be a good alternative

the blue spot puffer is beautiful, but what I’ve read indicates they’re the most likely culprit to go after corals even among the Toby puffers which tend to be hit or miss. I’ve had a valentini and they don’t seem to be quite as nippy, but I never housed it with sps and lps so that’s really not much of a guarantee.

the dwarf angles are similarly hit or miss. Some are model citizens and never bother coral, but a model citizen who takes a munch and likes it is a lost cause. So use caution.

I read about the toxins with the boxfish but wasn’t sure about how detrimental they might be. If there are not smaller species though, it sounds like they wont work for my tank size anyways.

Bummer about the blue spot jaw fish but thanks for the recommendation on the pearly, I’ll check it out as a subsititute.

I think I want to at least try my odds with the dwarf angel. I’m in no rush to pack the tank full of livestock so if something isn’t working I can pause the stocking while I find a new home for a problematic fish.

In terms of order I would stock least aggressive to most aggressive this will be the best way to have the least aggression possible. Here are my suggestions on each fish you said :

The Clowns are a likely first addition because they are very hardy through the post cycling

There may be aggression between gobies but in a tank that size it shouldn't be a problem as long as there is enough hiding spots for them

For the tangs most would say just 1 tang in a 100 gal, I prefer the sailfin (probably too big) personally, the tang would should probably be your last addition as they are the most aggro, my suggestion would be a bristhletooth tang

A coral beauty is likely a better bet than a flame, I've heard better things about them just add the angel after your coral is in the tank
If you have supplies then go for the harlequin!

Good to know re: least aggressive fish first. I’m only thinking I was 1 goby so just need to figure out what my options are with a 100 gal. I’ll stay away from the sailfin tangs and start looking into smaller bristletooth Species as alternatives. No rush I guess if that should be final addition. Definitely not thinking of having more than 1.

Good to know about the coral beauty vs flame, I had not heard that before.

If @Andrew_NYC_Reef finds himself dead set on either a desjardini or a chevron for his 100 my advise would land on the chevron. While they are both beautiful fish the chevron will allow more time for planning building and maturing the next system. Of course, as I said already, this is all only my 2 cents.

Thanks, I definitely prefer the Chevron but don’t plan to upgrade for at least ~5 years so I think that means I would end up having to rehome which I Want to avoid if possible. Back to the tang drawing board.

You don't necessarily have to stick to one species, but do NOT buy pairs or trios - single specimens of any species.
Here's a great place to start, if I can be so self indulgent:

All About Reef Safe Wrasses in Aquaria

Introduction My name is Hunter and I am a wrasse addict. Admitting such is the first step to buying another wrasse, I think. Wrasses are not only my passion, but my niche in this hobby since 2010. My tank is full of them, and unfortunately...

www.reef2reef.com

A trio is not advised; they will all eventually transition to male, fight, and there will be one survivor of the 3.

Thanks! I think i read otherwise about the trio somewhere so I’ll do some more research (starting with the article you shared)

 

[Chef Mateo]

Thanks for all of the great feedback here. I definitely didn’t expect / intend for even a majority of my list to work and it sounds like there’s some more research to do




Has anyone else had this experience with Twin Spot Gobies? I definitely have a strong preference for the twin spot but if it’s just not feasible without daily food injections then I’ll steer clear.

I didn’t know that about beak trimming, noted..




I read about the toxins with the boxfish but wasn’t sure about how detrimental they might be. If there are not smaller species though, it sounds like they wont work for my tank size anyways.

Bummer about the blue spot jaw fish but thanks for the recommendation on the pearly, I’ll check it out as a subsititute.

I think I want to at least try my odds with the dwarf angel. I’m in no rush to pack the tank full of livestock so if something isn’t working I can pause the stocking while I find a new home for a problematic fish.




Good to know re: least aggressive fish first. I’m only thinking I was 1 goby so just need to figure out what my options are with a 100 gal. I’ll stay away from the sailfin tangs and start looking into smaller bristletooth Species as alternatives. No rush I guess if that should be final addition. Definitely not thinking of having more than 1.

Good to know about the coral beauty vs flame, I had not heard that before.



Thanks, I definitely prefer the Chevron but don’t plan to upgrade for at least ~5 years so I think that means I would end up having to rehome which I Want to avoid if possible. Back to the tang drawing board.



Thanks! I think i read otherwise about the trio somewhere so I’ll do some more research (starting with the article you shared)

Yep always good to check with the community! Hope you find success with you tank and are happy with the outcome. If you have anymore questions I can definitely try and answer.

 

[Pistondog]

So I’m a few days into cycling my new 100g (+30 gal sump) and I’m trying to finalize my stocking list and stocking order so I can start thinking about where to source the first couple of fish. I have a 30 gallon tank set up with one clown and CUC so those will probably be the first inhabitants. I am planning to use the 30 gallon as a quarantine for the new additions over the next few months unless someone tells me that’s a bad idea. I’m planning to make this a mixed reef tank over the next 6ish months but fine taking things slow for a bit. Check out my build thread for more info on the system.

I came up with the dream list but now have tons of questions like which fish have similar diets, figuring out compatibility, and trying to figure out the right order in which to stock. Including the “dream list” and some of my comments / questions below. Would really appreciate any advice on compatibility and/or ordering. Do I need to make sure that any of these are the first 1 or 2 fish in the new tank to make sure there aren’t aggression or stress issues down the road?

• Pair of clowns (likely extreme Picasso)
• Twin spot goby (orange spot as alternative)
• Goby / pistol shrimp combo (can I have 2 gobies?)
• Set of zebra bar dart fish
• Tang(s) - is 2 too many for 100g? Any specific preference between these if I have to chose one?
  • Red Sea Sailfin Tang
  • Chevron Tang
• Wrasse - do I need to stick with one species? Do they need to be in pairs? Considering:
  • Flasher Wrasse (2F + 1M)
  • Halichoeres wrasse
• Blue green Chromis (Should I be thinking about other or additional chromis?)
• Flame angel (or coral beauty) - from what I’ve read, it’s basically a 50/50 shot when it comes to being reef safe. I think I’ll take my chances to start since I don’t have any coral yet. If they’re a nuisance, I can figure it out from there
• Royal gramma
• Gulf signal blenny (recommend other/additional blennies?)
• Jawfish (thinking blue dot or chinstrap - okay w. Gobies?)
• Blue spotted puffer (is this ok w/ corals? Ok w/ tank size?)
• Jewel damsel and/or sapphire damsel
• Mandarin Dragonet (I know... since I dont have a refugium for pods, I’ll only do it if I can get a captive bred fish feeding on pellets . But I Really love this fish so I dont want to get other livestock that will preclude me from getting one in the future)
• Boxfish / cowfish - probably my favorite on this list but also the one that makes me the most nervous. Are there particular species that work best in a smaller (100g) reef tank? If I introduce them early will that help prevent stressful situations?
• Harlequin Shrimp (i know, another crazy one) - I love the way they look and think the ~weekly starfish feeding might be a fun recurring event (kind of like feeding a snake?)... would love to hear anyone’s positive or negative experience here. I live 4 blocks from LFS so I’m confident in regular access to starfish without having to maintain them myself.

Any other must haves that I’m missing? Does this feel too heavy in the bottom of the water column? Anything here that is absolutely not something I should be considering?

My blue spot is the star of the tank, however, will nip/eat zoas, all sps, most lps, eats crabs
IME Blue spotted puffer safe list:
Xenia
Gsp
Rhodactis
Ricordea
Torch
Frogspawn
Hammer
All palythoa
Sun corals
Bta
Bubble coral
Pipe organ coral

Tailspot blenny is the tank comedian.
Many of the fish listed are jumpers, get a screen lid

I bought a harlequin for asterinas, when they are gone I'll have to decide if we want to cut up starfish to feed him. He is fun and unique.