Oh look, another stocking post

[FireUnderwater]

So, I'm a bit of a loss for stocking on my new tank. I had originally planned to pick up a 75G full reef tank with 20g Sump, then all the cards seemed to fall into place, and I landed with a Red Sea Reefer P650. So went from a total of 95G of water volume to 175G of total water volume. Tank dimensions are 63x25x24. Pictures of the tank's rockwork are in my build thread on my profile.

The downside of having so many new options though is it's making my head spin and honestly, I need some help with a solid stocking plan/order so I can kick off my QT process. (Following the Humble Reef Medicated process with double baths, 30 days in copper with Seachem MetroPlex for 10 days, then medicated deworming with API General Cure after in a 20G long).

Near future tank upgrades---
Will be going relatively high flow, currently have two Jebao SLW-30s running.
Flow-Reef Octo 4s and Maxspect Gyre
Filtration-Reefmat 1200 and Reef Octo Classic 150INT
Refugium/Algae Scrubber (Not sure which direction I will take; however, tank has no need for one yet)


Current Fish and Livestock:
2x Ocellaris Clowns
1 Royal Gramma
Tuxedo Urchin
Peppermint Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
Assorted Snails/Hermits

Must Haves:
Pacific Blue Tang
Coral Beauty OR Flame Angelfish (I know both can be technically possible, just seems like a lot of risk)

Fish I'm currently interested in:
Achilles Tang (If added, will be very last fish)
Powder Brown Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Squaretail Bristletooth
Yellow Eye Kole
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
One-Spot Fox Face or Magnificent Fox Face
Blue Throat Trigger
Watanabei Angelfish
Pair of Firefish (Probably Helfrichi)
Green Reef Chromis
Purple Dottyback
Bicolor Dottyback
Pair of Cardinals
Diamond Goby (I know they like to cover things in sand but I still like them)
Midas Blenny
Melanurus Wrasse
Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
Assortment of Fairy/Flasher wrasses (Open to wrasse combinations others have had success with)

I'm also open to more suggestions of cool and colorful fish

 

[bradreef]

So, I'm a bit of a loss for stocking on my new tank. I had originally planned to pick up a 75G full reef tank with 20g Sump, then all the cards seemed to fall into place, and I landed with a Red Sea Reefer P650. So went from a total of 95G of water volume to 175G of total water volume. Tank dimensions are 63x25x24. Pictures of the tank's rockwork are in my build thread on my profile.

The downside of having so many new options though is it's making my head spin and honestly, I need some help with a solid stocking plan/order so I can kick off my QT process. (Following the Humble Reef Medicated process with double baths, 30 days in copper with Seachem MetroPlex for 10 days, then medicated deworming with API General Cure after in a 20G long).

Near future tank upgrades---
Will be going relatively high flow, currently have two Jebao SLW-30s running.
Flow-Reef Octo 4s and Maxspect Gyre
Filtration-Reefmat 1200 and Reef Octo Classic 150INT
Refugium/Algae Scrubber (Not sure which direction I will take; however, tank has no need for one yet)


Current Fish and Livestock:
2x Ocellaris Clowns
1 Royal Gramma
Tuxedo Urchin
Peppermint Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
Assorted Snails/Hermits

Must Haves:
Pacific Blue Tang
Coral Beauty OR Flame Angelfish (I know both can be technically possible, just seems like a lot of risk)

Fish I'm currently interested in:
Achilles Tang (If added, will be very last fish)
Powder Brown Tang
Powder Blue Tang
Squaretail Bristletooth
Yellow Eye Kole
Yellow Tang
Purple Tang
One-Spot Fox Face or Magnificent Fox Face
Blue Throat Trigger
Watanabei Angelfish
Pair of Firefish (Probably Helfrichi)
Green Reef Chromis
Purple Dottyback
Bicolor Dottyback
Pair of Cardinals
Diamond Goby (I know they like to cover things in sand but I still like them)
Midas Blenny
Melanurus Wrasse
Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
Assortment of Fairy/Flasher wrasses (Open to wrasse combinations others have had success with)

I'm also open to more suggestions of cool and colorful fish

I have a similar size tank. I started with a one spot and bristle tooth. I then added a small purple, and last a powder blue and blue jaw trigger.

With Tangs, you have to be strategic about size, order, and changes in aqua scaping. Try to only stick with one of each genus and the hippo tangs get to big for your tank.

Ide ditch the dotty backs for wrasses, I have yellow, carpenter, and leopard. They look cool, are active, and have bright colors.

I had a purple fire fish that got through the screen top. I like the helfrichi, I have one in my frag tank. Both of those types do better imo.

I also have a flame angel in my frag tank, I don't keep fleshy coral in there and I have my clams in my display. The flame stands out a ton more but ide also suggest a regal. That can be tough tho.

 

[FireUnderwater]

I have a similar size tank. I started with a one spot and bristle tooth. I then added a small purple, and last a powder blue and blue jaw trigger.

With Tangs, you have to be strategic about size, order, and changes in aqua scaping. Try to only stick with one of each genus and the hippo tangs get to big for your tank.

Ide ditch the dotty backs for wrasses, I have yellow, carpenter, and leopard. They look cool, are active, and have bright colors.

I had a purple fire fish that got through the screen top. I like the helfrichi, I have one in my frag tank. Both of those types do better imo.

I also have a flame angel in my frag tank, I don't keep fleshy coral in there and I have my clams in my display. The flame stands out a ton more but ide also suggest a regal. That can be tough tho.

I like your tank stocking that you described. I think I’ll still stick with a Hippo as one of the tangs though. Seems like average growth rate of them is a quick burst over a year or two to half their max size, then drastically slowing to an 1/2 inch-1 inch per year after that point. So, with one of the 1-2inch hippos my LFS constantly has, I’d be looking at well over 5-6 years before I’d really have to worry about either upgrading or finding a new home.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

With a lot of rock work ,caves and places to swim in and out, I’ve had no problem, keeping flames and Coral beauties together

 

[FireUnderwater]

With a lot of rock work ,caves and places to swim in and out, I’ve had no problem, keeping flames and Coral beauties together

Any tips on introducing them? I'd be extremely averse to adding them together into a 20G long qt tank, so they'd have to be in two different batches.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

With a lot of rock work ,caves and places to swim in and out, I’ve had no problem, keeping flames and Coral beauties together

Any tips on introducing them? I'd be extremely averse to adding them together into a 20G long qt tank, so they'd have to be in two different batches.

So your QT tank is 20 gallons?

 

[FireUnderwater]

So your QT tank is 20 gallons?

Yes, it's a 20G Long Marineland tank with a HOB filter. Filter foam has been cycling in the back of my Biocube for a 3-4 weeks now.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

With a lot of rock work ,caves and places to swim in and out, I’ve had no problem, keeping flames and Coral beauties together

Any tips on introducing them? I'd be extremely averse to adding them together into a 20G long qt tank, so they'd have to be in two different batches.

So your QT tank is 20 gallons?

Sorry, I just saw that it is I would introduce the coral beauty first maybe it’s just the names but OMO they’re the least aggressive of the two and then followup up in a few weeks with the flame angel or both together

In my tank, I have a 5 inch bi colored angel. I introduced the coral beauty first he got chased around a little bit, but he had plenty of hiding spaces then added the flame angel a month later and they all get along fine now.
My total tank is 120

 

[larrysaltisfun]

You can kind of see everybody here


Flame lower left bicolor in the middle and coral beauty on the lower right

 

[FireUnderwater]

Sorry, I just saw that it is I would introduce the coral beauty first maybe it’s just the names but OMO they’re the least aggressive of the two and then followup up in a few weeks with the flame angel or both together

In my tank, I have a 5 inch bi colored angel. I introduced the coral beauty first he got chased around a little bit, but he had plenty of hiding spaces then added the flame angel a month later and they all get along fine now.
My total tank is 120

I might just go for it. If it works out, then I have another one of my favorite fish, if it doesn't then I can trade one into my LFS without any problems.

Current stocking would be:
Blue Hippo
Ocellaris Clowns x2
Royal Gramma
Coral Beauty Angelfish
Flame Angelfish

Still have room for a good bit more fish since those all are relatively smaller fish compared to tangs/fox faces/bigger angels/triggers

 

[larrysaltisfun]

I agree I also just started up a 175 last month. I’ve got a blue hippo tang in that…. it’s an incredible color and a flame with that would really pop…. the blue and orange together.. right now in that tank I’ve got an A eibli angel in with it, which is my wife’s favorite

 

[FireUnderwater]

You can kind of see everybody here


Flame lower left bicolor in the middle and coral beauty on the lower right

This is my current rock work, still have a solid chunk of the rock from my BioCube to move over whenever the tank has progressed further into the cycle. Rock in my Cube has corals so want to make sure everything is decently established before they make the move.

 

[larrysaltisfun]

Very cool work rock work . I would think as long as fish of the same genus, such as dwarf angels could completely hide from each other if needed. It shouldn’t be a problem. My dont chase each other and don’t hide from each other. I know people with more experience than me would disagree about keeping dwarfs together. But I’ve never had a problem. I think the ability to seek shelter as opposed to being in the shelter is what’s important.

 

[FireUnderwater]

Very cool work rock work . I would think as long as fish of the same genus, such as dwarf angels could completely hide from each other if needed. It shouldn’t be a problem. My dont chase each other and don’t hide from each other. I know people with more experience than me would disagree about keeping dwarfs together. But I’ve never had a problem. I think the ability to seek shelter as opposed to being in the shelter is what’s important.

Took a good bit to build and a few chemical burns from superglue and sand together, but overall, I'm extremely happy with how the rock work turned out.