Oddball hexagon stocking suggestions?

[UncommonSense]

Well, i think the time’s come for me to ask for a bit of help!

My ~45g hexagon system has been up and running for just shy of four months now, and is doing better than I could have expected! (~30g DT, 15g sump @ operating volume)

Now it’s time to consider stocking a bit more carefully…

— This tank is extreme weird, to say the least… dimensions are 18.5x21.5x24… in addition, I welded a 6” laser cut acrylic tube in the center to serve as my weir/overflow box!

— so, I basically have a 6”-7.5” thick donut/hollow column of swimming space, 20-21” tall…

current stocking:

— paired ocellaris clowns, juveniles
— Diamond watchman goby, juvenile
— lawnmower blenny, adult
— a few misc snails, small

I’d love to know what fish would work well with the tank’s current inhabitants, hopefully adding a bit more color, and activity to the upper water column! (Also, keep in mind that I have a 5ft, ~90g tank in the works!)

Thanks in advance!

 

[smitten with ocean life]

wow! that turned out neat! maybe a tailspot blenny and some neat shrimp?

 

[UncommonSense]

wow! that turned out neat! maybe a tailspot blenny and some neat shrimp?

Good reminder!

— I actually have a skunk cleaner shrimp on-order through my LFS currently!

Is there any concern of conspecific aggression with a tailspot and lawnmower in the same tank? I can imagine the lawnmower would win that fight every day!

 

[i cant think]

Well, i think the time’s come for me to ask for a bit of help!

My ~45g hexagon system has been up and running for just shy of four months now, and is doing better than I could have expected! (~30g DT, 15g sump @ operating volume)

Now it’s time to consider stocking a bit more carefully…

— This tank is extreme weird, to say the least… dimensions are 18.5x21.5x24… in addition, I welded a 6” laser cut acrylic tube in the center to serve as my weir/overflow box!

— so, I basically have a 6”-7.5” thick donut/hollow column of swimming space, 20-21” tall…

current stocking:

— paired ocellaris clowns, juveniles
— Diamond watchman goby, juvenile
— lawnmower blenny, adult
— a few misc snails, small

I’d love to know what fish would work well with the tank’s current inhabitants, hopefully adding a bit more color, and activity to the upper water column! (Also, keep in mind that I have a 5ft, ~90g tank in the works!)

Thanks in advance!

A smaller species of wrasse would work quite nicely in there - specifically the Wetmorella and Pseudocheilinops species. They’re peaceful, shy to start with but do become rather active once used to their surroundings.

 

[UncommonSense]

A smaller species of wrasse would work quite nicely in there - specifically the Wetmorella and Pseudocheilinops species. They’re peaceful, shy to start with but do become rather active once used to their surroundings.

Very interesting indeed! I don’t suppose having both is realistic, is it?

I did mandarins in this tank for years, long ago… I’m curious to try out some different micro predators this time around!

 

[i cant think]

Very interesting indeed! I don’t suppose having both is realistic, is it?

I did mandarins in this tank for years, long ago… I’m curious to try out some different micro predators this time around!

If you add both at once, you’ll probably find it’ll work out nicely. You have the rock’s for them that’s for sure!

 

[UncommonSense]

If you add both at once, you’ll probably find it’ll work out nicely. You have the rock’s for them that’s for sure!

Haha I do indeed!

I’ve only ever had a Yellow Chrysus wrasse, which was big enough to avoid the majority of my starry blenny’s bullying… (well, I did have a six-line, for a few months… never again!!)

I’m guessing these smaller wrasse species are able to use the rock to hide from larger bullies?

 

[i cant think]

Haha I do indeed!

I’ve only ever had a Yellow Chrysus wrasse, which was big enough to avoid the majority of my starry blenny’s bullying… (well, I did have a six-line, for a few months… never again!!)

I’m guessing these smaller wrasse species are able to use the rock to hide from larger bullies?

Yep! They’ll use the rocks and navigate them to hide. I’d go for a Wetmorella nigropinnata as they are often more robust and hold their own against aggressors.

 

[UncommonSense]

Yep! They’ll use the rocks and navigate them to hide. I’d go for a Wetmorella nigropinnata as they are often more robust and hold their own against aggressors.

Excellent advice, thank you!

Presumably the pink streak wrasse is a bit more of a risk, even added at the same time, when aggression could be a concern?

 

[i cant think]

Excellent advice, thank you!

Presumably the pink streak wrasse is a bit more of a risk, even added at the same time, when aggression could be a concern?

If you can add both at once that will be great to separate the aggression, but you will also possibly want a mirror on one side to ensure the best chance of diverting aggression.

 

[i cant think]

Once settled, pink streaks can be quite defensive themselves! Here’s my male showing his personality and colour off.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/icantthink62/3711445148925173150?igsh=MWQ0a3M0dDk1bTM=

 

[twentyleagues]

Man those corners make viewing difficult. As a hindsight I wonder if using something different or placing rocks around the overflow would have been neat. Rocks with some barnacles and barnacle blennies would be cool. I am thinking a set up like a pilon in the ocean like something that would hold a pier or platform. Proper coral placement would have been paramount.

It looks good though from what I can see. Its tough I am not a small saltwater fish guy so unsure on best stocking. Maybe some small clown gobies, stuff like shark nose or tiger goby, flaming prawn goby for some flash, gumdrop coral crouchers for an odd ball choice or pygmy wasp fish? Obviously these all cant go together.

 

[JohnNYC8]

+1 vote for a Possum Wrasse as long as they can make a full turn when fully grown. I think they can grow to 3-4”

 

[UncommonSense]

but you will also possibly want a mirror on one side to ensure the best chance of diverting aggression.

Ah, yes… The mirror trick! I wasn’t aware that this worked reliably on wrasses! — Thank you, excellent info!

Once settled, pink streaks can be quite defensive themselves! Here’s my male showing his personality and colour off.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/icantthink62/3711445148925173150?igsh=MWQ0a3M0dDk1bTM=

Awesome!!

Proper coral placement would have been paramount.

This was a major consideration during the aquascape! — the initial idea was a rock structure around the center overflow akin to a volcano erupting in shape…

The concern therein was available horizontal rock real estate for coral placement!

— next thought was 3-6 vertical pillars in the corners, but same issue… very little real estate for coral…

So, I landed on a triple helix! — it seems to make the most efficient use of the tall, narrow water column!

+1 vote for a Possum Wrasse as long as they can make a full turn when fully grown. I think they can grow to 3-4”

That’s the direction I’m leaning! — there should be ample turnaround space, and the fish seem to naturally treat the tank as a ring; not going tank wall to overflow so much as traveling in a loop!

 

[UncommonSense]

If you can add both at once that will be great to separate the aggression, but you will also possibly want a mirror on one side to ensure the best chance of diverting aggression.

Quick update; both wrasses are on order from my LFS!