Hello! I'm a long-time lurker, finally becoming active. 
I've been in the hobby on and off for 21 years and have kept the following systems:
135g heavily planted freshwater (my most advanced/complex setup)
30g tall freshwater (angels, light plants)
55g 'easy' reef (mostly a carpet anemone tank with a dominant sailfin tang, clowns, goby, zoanthids)
10g nano reef (softies, LPS)
55g eel only
Depending on stage of life I've been limited by space, budget, or both. Well the wife and I are currently house-shopping, and she has agreed to prioritizing a finished basement for a 'man cave' with a significant budget for my dream reef! Hooray.
That being said, I'm in the 'dream about my future tank while I grind away at work' stage of tank planning. We're probably 4-6 months away from home purchase, and then I anticipate 6-12 months for setting up a tank. Still, I would appreciate feedback on my tank dreaming for those who are interested. The purpose of this post is for me to get a better understanding of bioload and species compatibility for a ~400 gallon mixed reef display with ~150 gallon sump. I'm excited to explore many fish options that I've never been able to consider because of tank size.
Current plan:
Tangs:
1 blonde naso
1 achilles
1 blue hippo
1 yellow
1 purple
1 yellow eye kole
1 chevron
1 sailfin
1 copperband butterfly
2 tomato clownfish
9 chromis
5 anthias
5 cardinalfish (pajama)
1 yellow watchman goby
1 pinkbar goby
1 leopard wrasse
8 tangs + 25 other = 33 total fish
---
Cleanup crew (approximations)
1 hermit crab per 10 gallons (scarlet + blue legged mix if possible)
1 astrea snail per 10 gallons
3 emerald crab
6 shrimp (cleaner, blood red fire, peppermint mix)
2 serpent star
4 nassarius snail
I prioritize a harmonious and healthy ecosystem above my human desire to have as many beautiful fish as possible, and therefore I'm more than happy to shorten this list - I imagine that's assumed, but might as well say it. One exciting aspect of 400g display system is that I should be able to maintain some fish that would be aggressive towards one another in a smaller system, but I still want to have a conservative approach to stocking and not push it to the limits with both bioload and species compatibility.
List of thoughts to consider:
-Overall bioload for 400g display + 150g sump
-Compatibility of these 8 tangs
-Keeping Copperband with 8 tangs
-Subjective - thoughts on color diversity? As an example I included the yellow tang not because it's my favorite fish but because the yellow adds to the overall aesthetic.
-Leopard wrasse in large tank with some aggressive tankmates + is it actually reef safe (corals and cleanup crew)?
-The two gobies and compatibility with each other and substrate cleanup crew (nassarius and serpents)
-Jumping - I don't want jumpers.
-I want to increase chances of shoaling with chromis, anthias, and cardinals... coming from freshwater I know this means balancing the shoal with somewhat aggressive tankmates that tighten shoal yet don't actually harm the fish. Objective achieved here with 8 tangs or no? Would you change numbers in any of these groups to maximize chance of shoaling behavior?
-Room for another wrasse? If so, suggestions?
-Will the leopard wrasse eat the snails?
-My favorite fish missing is powder blue tang... But I'm concerned with aggression with the achilles and other tangs as well as horror stories about susceptibility to parasites.
-I considered a coral beauty or other angel but ultimately don't think it's worth risking corals for this fish.
-Chevron tang might be more expensive than it's worth.
-Blonde naso should prove to be the largest fish. Is there room for a second 'massive' fish like the blonde naso?
-Overall what would you take away or add? My first to go would probably be the cardinals and the chevron tang.
Thanks in advance!
I've been in the hobby on and off for 21 years and have kept the following systems:
135g heavily planted freshwater (my most advanced/complex setup)
30g tall freshwater (angels, light plants)
55g 'easy' reef (mostly a carpet anemone tank with a dominant sailfin tang, clowns, goby, zoanthids)
10g nano reef (softies, LPS)
55g eel only
Depending on stage of life I've been limited by space, budget, or both. Well the wife and I are currently house-shopping, and she has agreed to prioritizing a finished basement for a 'man cave' with a significant budget for my dream reef! Hooray.
That being said, I'm in the 'dream about my future tank while I grind away at work' stage of tank planning. We're probably 4-6 months away from home purchase, and then I anticipate 6-12 months for setting up a tank. Still, I would appreciate feedback on my tank dreaming for those who are interested. The purpose of this post is for me to get a better understanding of bioload and species compatibility for a ~400 gallon mixed reef display with ~150 gallon sump. I'm excited to explore many fish options that I've never been able to consider because of tank size.
Current plan:
Tangs:
1 blonde naso
1 achilles
1 blue hippo
1 yellow
1 purple
1 yellow eye kole
1 chevron
1 sailfin
1 copperband butterfly
2 tomato clownfish
9 chromis
5 anthias
5 cardinalfish (pajama)
1 yellow watchman goby
1 pinkbar goby
1 leopard wrasse
8 tangs + 25 other = 33 total fish
---
Cleanup crew (approximations)
1 hermit crab per 10 gallons (scarlet + blue legged mix if possible)
1 astrea snail per 10 gallons
3 emerald crab
6 shrimp (cleaner, blood red fire, peppermint mix)
2 serpent star
4 nassarius snail
I prioritize a harmonious and healthy ecosystem above my human desire to have as many beautiful fish as possible, and therefore I'm more than happy to shorten this list - I imagine that's assumed, but might as well say it. One exciting aspect of 400g display system is that I should be able to maintain some fish that would be aggressive towards one another in a smaller system, but I still want to have a conservative approach to stocking and not push it to the limits with both bioload and species compatibility.
List of thoughts to consider:
-Overall bioload for 400g display + 150g sump
-Compatibility of these 8 tangs
-Keeping Copperband with 8 tangs
-Subjective - thoughts on color diversity? As an example I included the yellow tang not because it's my favorite fish but because the yellow adds to the overall aesthetic.
-Leopard wrasse in large tank with some aggressive tankmates + is it actually reef safe (corals and cleanup crew)?
-The two gobies and compatibility with each other and substrate cleanup crew (nassarius and serpents)
-Jumping - I don't want jumpers.
-I want to increase chances of shoaling with chromis, anthias, and cardinals... coming from freshwater I know this means balancing the shoal with somewhat aggressive tankmates that tighten shoal yet don't actually harm the fish. Objective achieved here with 8 tangs or no? Would you change numbers in any of these groups to maximize chance of shoaling behavior?
-Room for another wrasse? If so, suggestions?
-Will the leopard wrasse eat the snails?
-My favorite fish missing is powder blue tang... But I'm concerned with aggression with the achilles and other tangs as well as horror stories about susceptibility to parasites.
-I considered a coral beauty or other angel but ultimately don't think it's worth risking corals for this fish.
-Chevron tang might be more expensive than it's worth.
-Blonde naso should prove to be the largest fish. Is there room for a second 'massive' fish like the blonde naso?
-Overall what would you take away or add? My first to go would probably be the cardinals and the chevron tang.
Thanks in advance!
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