New 125 gallon stock list musings

[fermentedhiker]

Slowly getting my 125 closer to up and running. Which of course means I'm constantly imagining what will go in it for coral/invert and fish. My stocklist at the moment which is too much i'm sure and will have to be whittled down some(or maybe a lot). Thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

Corals with be softies(florida and yuma rics, st thomas and carlgreni) and LPS(euphyllia , goni, acans, duncans, plates, elegance etc...)

Inverts; RBTA and a RFA garden, urchins, snails, and a tiger pistol.

Clown pair(something in the clarkii complex I'm thinking) to hopefully reside in a nice RBTA
Either a Tiger or Pinkbar watchman goby(to join the tiger pistol shrimp)
Canary Blenny
Starry Blenny
Jawfish
Flame hawkfish
Neon dottyback
Blackcap basslet
McCoskers and Carpenters wrasse or something similar
Leopard wrasse
Coral Beauty dwarf angelfish
Potter's dwarf angelfish
orange spotted foxface
Goldflake angelfish
Kole tang
Yellow tang
Powder brown tang
Copperband Butterflyfish
Pakistani Butterflyfish
Golden Semilarvatus Butterflyfish.

Some of this have reef safeness issues
Others like the potters, leopard wrasse, and copperband have feeding issues, and then there is just the ability of the tank to have enough space for everyone to feel comfortable.

I'm hoping to have the tank and header fuge up and running within the next two months. Then another month to get the cycle going. Then transferring stuff to the header fuge. I figure I let the tank mature for another month, which should give me time to get the cryptic fuge built and online. Then I can start adding a little livestock to the DT. Initial stocking will just be the blennies and gobies. After that the decisions will get a little harder

 

[nereefpat]

A lot of your list looks okay, but I have some thoughts.

Clarkiis are among the aggressive clowns, similar to maroon.

You mentioned reef safeness issues. The goldflake angel, and the Pakistan and golden butterflies will more than likely eat your corals. A Genicanthus angel and pyramid butterflies would both be reef-safe. People do keep copperbands in reefs, but I've seen lots of reports of trouble with corals, especially acans.

I would skip the neon dotty, or swap it out for an orchid.

Both the powder brown tang and that specific rabbitfish get a little big.

After the blennies and gobies, I would get the leopard wrasse in early.

 

[fermentedhiker]

A lot of your list looks okay, but I have some thoughts.

Clarkiis are among the aggressive clowns, similar to maroon.

You mentioned reef safeness issues. The goldflake angel, and the Pakistan and golden butterflies will more than likely eat your corals. A Genicanthus angel and pyramid butterflies would both be reef-safe. People do keep copperbands in reefs, but I've seen lots of reports of trouble with corals, especially acans.

I would skip the neon dotty, or swap it out for an orchid.

Both the powder brown tang and that specific rabbitfish get a little big.

After the blennies and gobies, I would get the leopard wrasse in early.

Thanks for the input. is there a specific reason you would do an orchid over a neon other than personal preference?

I'm not too worried about the copperband eating coral(it could happen I know, but it's not high on my list of things that will go wrong) I'm more worried about getting it eating frozen foods. I may end up spending the extra to get a large Australian one as I've read good things about getting them converted.

My research indicated that the Pakistani were sps eaters and so might be OK around softies/LPS?

 

[nereefpat]

Dottybacks are famous for being aggressive. Orchids (Fridmani) are supposedly the most peaceful. I do have a bit of a thing for them. There may potentially be an issue with the dotty and basslett, but I think it will be fine in the 6' tank.

On the Pakistani, I'll let someone with some experience chime in there. I see that they feed on coral polyps. It's possible that this species likes SPS better, but meaty LPS seem really risky to me.

Hopefully some others will chime in.

 

[fermentedhiker]

I made a mistake with the rabbitfish. I meant the yellow blotched, not the goldspotted

 

[fermentedhiker]

Looks like the Golden Butterflyfish is out, although it might be worth risking in my SPS tank. The Pakistani is probably out as well. Looks like it might only be safe with noxious softies.

 

[Jesterrace]

If you plan on having a reef then skip the butterflies, except for the Copperband (make sure you pick one that has adapted to feeding and doing well for a few weeks at the LFS, and the same goes for the Leopard Wrasse). That's too many Tangs and Dwarf Angels for a 125 gallon IMHO. I would stick to either the Kole or the Powder Brown, Yellows can be downright aggressive. Keep in mind Tangs poop like crazy and that will definitely affect your bioload. Dwarf Angels tend not to care for each other and are often coral nippers to boot, I have heard of some having success with the coral beauty and potter's though. Goldflake IMHO is too expensive to take a gamble on. If you do a Dottyback, stick to the Orchid and I would definitely not keep one with a basslet. The Foxface you are referring to is the One Spot aka Blotched Foxface and would be a great choice (I have one in my 90 gallon along with a Coral Beauty Dwarf Angel and Blue Star Leopard Wrasse among others and they are all great fish). I agree that for clownfish I would stick to the Occ (ie Nemo) or Percula varieties. The others can be downright aggressive once established.

 

[fermentedhiker]

If you plan on having a reef then skip the butterflies, except for the Copperband (make sure you pick one that has adapted to feeding and doing well for a few weeks at the LFS, and the same goes for the Leopard Wrasse). That's too many Tangs and Dwarf Angels for a 125 gallon IMHO. I would stick to either the Kole or the Powder Brown, Yellows can be downright aggressive. Keep in mind Tangs poop like crazy and that will definitely affect your bioload. Dwarf Angels tend not to care for each other and are often coral nippers to boot, I have heard of some having success with the coral beauty and potter's though. Goldflake IMHO is too expensive to take a gamble on. If you do a Dottyback, stick to the Orchid and I would definitely not keep one with a basslet. The Foxface you are referring to is the One Spot aka Blotched Foxface and would be a great choice (I have one in my 90 gallon along with a Coral Beauty Dwarf Angel and Blue Star Leopard Wrasse among others and they are all great fish). I agree that for clownfish I would stick to the Occ (ie Nemo) or Percula varieties. The others can be downright aggressive once established.

Thanks for the input, but to be clear I was not referring to a one spot foxface. I referenced a yellow blotched rabbitfish (siganus guttatus) which gets a couple inches bigger than the onespot. I hear you on the clowns I have a GBR clown in my sps tank that tries to take my fingers off if she's in a bad mood. I'd like something different than Oce/percs though.

 

[fermentedhiker]

still playing with the stock list as I was working on the plumbing and waiting for my custom acrylic display fuge to be ready.

clowns; still haven't decided on a species.
tiger or pinkbar goby is still up in the air
canary blenny is still a go(actually in QT now)
Starry blenny still a yes.do \\ for bluespotted jawfish and dropping the yellow faced from this tank.
Been doing some reading and a site or maybe more indicated not mixing hawkfish with flasher wrasse so I may have to skip the flame hawk as well :{
blackcap basslet is a definite.
I may drop the dottyback although I have a friend who has them mixed with other basslets without issue(his tank is bigger though).
haven't decided on which leopard wrasse to go with but leaning towards an ornate or a potters.
Flasher wrasses are a definite but specific species is still in flux
still debating a coral beauty and potters versus a golden dwarf angelfish
still leaning towards the orange spotted rabbitfish
As far as tangs I'm now debating a kole or a white tailed. Possibly a powder brown(next best thing to an achilles IMO)
As far as large angelfish I'm still torn. Goldflake are gorgeous and fall into the type that most interest me. None of the Genicanthus really jump out at me as what I want. But Goldflake are pricey and a risk.
For butterflyfish I've dropped the pakistani and Golden although I love them both. Looking at a copperband, atlantic longnose, Tahitian in some combo or singly. Just nothing definitive.
Considering a mandarin as well but doubtful it would do well with wrasses around.

 

[fermentedhiker]

The list musings continue.

Currently have
Atlantic longnose butterflyfish
Orange blotched rabbitfish
Tahitian Butterflyfish(may have to remove as it likes acans, although it hasn't touched anything else yet)
Pinkbar goby w/tiger pistol shrimp
Blood red cleaner shrimp
skunk cleaner shrimp
red mithrax crab.
Pearly jawfish
starry blennie

Side point the display fuge is almost up and running. Just waiting on a few plumbing items to get it tied into the display. It will contain a maxi mini garden, zoa's & palys, various display macros, maybe some sponges, eventually a Malu anemone, as well a colony of Poci. For fish it will get all of the fish currently in my 29;black photon clown(and a replacement mate lost to carpet dive), yellow assessor, talbot damsel, Randalls prawn goby w/pistol shrimp and a couple molly's leftover from a live food experiment. I may add after that a tailspot blennie, pink streaked and/or possum wrasse, a colony of sexy shrimp, Poci crab and whatever nano creatures that catch my eye.

Back to the DT

Green canary blennie
Leopard wrasse
Orange spotted filefish
Copperband butterflyfish
Carpenters wrasse
Mckoskers wrasse
Lubbocks fairy wrasse
Ruby longfin fairy wrasse.
Not necessarily all of the wrasses but this is what I'm looking at choosing from currently
Lyretail Anthias trio?
Blackcap basslet
Coral beauty
Potters Angelfish
Kole tang

 

[eatbreakfast]

I don't know if you are still interested in the flame hawk, but they are perfectly fine with flasher wrasses.

A 125 can hold a few tangs depending on species.

The basslets and orchid dottyback are fine together if the basslets are in first.

 

[fermentedhiker]

I don't know if you are still interested in the flame hawk, but they are perfectly fine with flasher wrasses.

A 125 can hold a few tangs depending on species.

The basslets and orchid dottyback are fine together if the basslets are in first.

Thanks. I would like a flame hawk but was concerned it would make a meal out of the cleaner shrimp. If I could trap them I could move them to the display fuge though I suppose. Originally I was thinking a Tang from each group so a hole, yellow and powder brown, but got concerned about over crowding, not from a bioload standpoint but just territory and hiding spots perspective

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thanks. I would like a flame hawk but was concerned it would make a meal out of the cleaner shrimp. If I could trap them I could move them to the display fuge though I suppose. Originally I was thinking a Tang from each group so a hole, yellow and powder brown, but got concerned about over crowding, not from a bioload standpoint but just territory and hiding spots perspective

If the cleaner shrimp is in first and not tiny, it will be fine with a flame hawk.

3 tangs of dfferentgenera should be fine. My concern would be the powder brown, as they are one of the more aggressive Acanthurus species. Choosing a gentler Acanthurus, such as a convict or mimic will give a better chance of success.

 

[fermentedhiker]

Thanks for the info. I was under the impression Powder Browns were pretty chill but maybe that's just in comparison to Achilles and Powder Blues I wonder what the smallest most peaceful zebrasoma tang would be?

If the cleaner shrimp is in first and not tiny, it will be fine with a flame hawk.
3 tangs of dfferentgenera should be fine. My concern would be the powder brown, as they are one of the more aggressive Acanthurus species. Choosing a gentler Acanthurus, such as a convict or mimic will give a better chance of success.

 

[eatbreakfast]

IME yellows aren't too bad.

 

[nereefpat]

The smallest Zebrasoma are yellow, purple, gem, black, and (usually; apparently they can get large, although I've never seen it) scopas.

The two sailfins are, in my experience, peaceful as juveniles, but get huge and aggressive.

Powder browns are really underrated tangs. They are beautiful. I had one in my 125 for a while. They, along with some of the other medium sized Acanthurus really use the length of the tank. Mine tended to pace, and looked a little unnatural in my 125. I would probably recommend the lavender from that genus, but other folks with experience with convict tangs recommend them.

 

[fermentedhiker]

The smallest Zebrasoma are yellow, purple, gem, black, and (usually; apparently they can get large, although I've never seen it) scopas.

The two sailfins are, in my experience, peaceful as juveniles, but get huge and aggressive.

Powder browns are really underrated tangs. They are beautiful. I had one in my 125 for a while. They, along with some of the other medium sized Acanthurus really use the length of the tank. Mine tended to pace, and looked a little unnatural in my 125. I would probably recommend the lavender from that genus, but other folks with experience with convict tangs recommend them.

Size wise poweder brown, lavender, and convict are all listed as semi-aggressive with a max size of 8" So I guess it's down to peoples experiences with them.

Looks like yellow are the smallest zebrasoma. I may just omit it as an option since I'm not in love with it.