Red Sea Reefer 300xl stocking list ideas

[Fabiant15]

Hey all im new to the hobby and i found a great deal on a Red Sea Reefer 300xl it came with almost everything i needed so now im cycling my tank for the next month and im thinking about what fish ill be putting in the tank and these are just ideas but i want second opinions on these fish before i go forward and get any next month. so the fish id like to have in the tank are 2 naked clownfish 3 helfrichi firefish/dartfish? 1male yasha goby and a pistol shrimp 1flasher wrasse 1 midas blenny 1 royal gramma 1 longnose hawkfish and maybe a flame angel in no specific order id like to know in what order you all would introduce these fish into the tank or which fish i should or shouldnt get out of these thx

 

[TexanCanuck]

Congrats on your new tank, and welcome to R2R!

You've already identified some great livestock there.

In general, in thinking about livestock there are a few key decisions to make first:

(1) are you going to add corals at some point, or will this be a FISH-ONLY setup? This is important since having corals will often preclude you from certain species of fish

(2) do you also like the idea of having invertebrates in your tank (i.e. shrimp, crabs, feather dusters, etc.)? This will also begin to preclude certain species of fish

(3) If the answers to the first two questions are both "NO", then do you want to have an "aggressive" tank? There are some species of fish that are particularly aggressive, and can only be kept with other fish that are also aggressive)

(4) How much effort to you want to put into caring for your fish? Some species are very demanding in terms of what they will eat, and how often they have to be fed ... while others will be completely fine if you throw just about anything in the tank at least once per day.

So far, the livestock you've picked out will work with coral and inverts, but won't go well with overly aggressive fish (such as Triggers). Also, the fish you've picked out should be able to get away with eating most commercially available foods once per day.

Although I'm not a huge fan of buying fish form them, LiveAquaria has a handy "compatibility guide" that would be a big help here:

Saltwater Fish Compatibility Chart

Saltwater Fish Compatibility Chart

www.liveaquaria.com

(notice that corals and invertebrates appear at the bottom of this chart to help you with the rest two questions above)

They also have a handy search engine that allow you to filter livestock selections by level of aggression and degree of care required:

Saltwater Fish: Marine Aquarium Fish for Saltwater Aquariums

Shop LiveAquaria® Marine Fish category for the finest selection of saltwater tropical aquarium fish. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned hobbyist, find quality aquatic life when you shop LiveAquaria®.

www.liveaquaria.com

So I would recommend you start with the two resources above. Once you find something you like, then go buy it from an online seller that has a robust quarantine process (Marine Collectors and Dr Reef are my favorites).

When you eventually have your livestock plan built, the general rule of thumb is to add them in the following order:

1) a SMALL number of very hardy fish - the Clownfish are usually the best. This allows you to continue maturing the tank with fish that will help finish the cycling of your tank without worrying about them too much

2) non-aggressive fish - once you are confident that your cycle really is complete, then next you should add your "peaceful" fish first. Best not to add more than 2 fish every 2 weeks ... but that's a personal opinion. Other people do it much faster

3) aggressive fish - the fish that will be the most territorial should come LAST - this usually includes Angelfish, Triggers, and some Tangs.

It's a lot to think about - I know - but take it slow and you will be fine.

If I were to give you one last piece advice - BE PATIENT and GO SLOW. I promise you will have a better experience in the long run!

 

[qhduong]

I have the same tank with 2 tangs, 2 wrasse, 2 damsel, 2 clown, a fire fish, a blenny and a goby... Adding 2 more wrasses

 

[shadow1013]

What wrasses?

I have the same tank with 2 tangs, 2 wrasse, 2 damsel, 2 clown, a fire fish, a blenny and a goby... Adding 2 more wrasses

 

[Fabiant15]

Congrats on your new tank, and welcome to R2R!

You've already identified some great livestock there.

In general, in thinking about livestock there are a few key decisions to make first:

(1) are you going to add corals at some point, or will this be a FISH-ONLY setup? This is important since having corals will often preclude you from certain species of fish

(2) do you also like the idea of having invertebrates in your tank (i.e. shrimp, crabs, feather dusters, etc.)? This will also begin to preclude certain species of fish

(3) If the answers to the first two questions are both "NO", then do you want to have an "aggressive" tank? There are some species of fish that are particularly aggressive, and can only be kept with other fish that are also aggressive)

(4) How much effort to you want to put into caring for your fish? Some species are very demanding in terms of what they will eat, and how often they have to be fed ... while others will be completely fine if you throw just about anything in the tank at least once per day.

So far, the livestock you've picked out will work with coral and inverts, but won't go well with overly aggressive fish (such as Triggers). Also, the fish you've picked out should be able to get away with eating most commercially available foods once per day.

Although I'm not a huge fan of buying fish form them, LiveAquaria has a handy "compatibility guide" that would be a big help here:

Saltwater Fish Compatibility Chart

Saltwater Fish Compatibility Chart

www.liveaquaria.com

(notice that corals and invertebrates appear at the bottom of this chart to help you with the rest two questions above)

They also have a handy search engine that allow you to filter livestock selections by level of aggression and degree of care required:

Saltwater Fish: Marine Aquarium Fish for Saltwater Aquariums

Shop LiveAquaria® Marine Fish category for the finest selection of saltwater tropical aquarium fish. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned hobbyist, find quality aquatic life when you shop LiveAquaria®.

www.liveaquaria.com

So I would recommend you start with the two resources above. Once you find something you like, then go buy it from an online seller that has a robust quarantine process (Marine Collectors and Dr Reef are my favorites).

When you eventually have your livestock plan built, the general rule of thumb is to add them in the following order:

1) a SMALL number of very hardy fish - the Clownfish are usually the best. This allows you to continue maturing the tank with fish that will help finish the cycling of your tank without worrying about them too much

2) non-aggressive fish - once you are confident that your cycle really is complete, then next you should add your "peaceful" fish first. Best not to add more than 2 fish every 2 weeks ... but that's a personal opinion. Other people do it much faster

3) aggressive fish - the fish that will be the most territorial should come LAST - this usually includes Angelfish, Triggers, and some Tangs.

It's a lot to think about - I know - but take it slow and you will be fine.

If I were to give you one last piece advice - BE PATIENT and GO SLOW. I promise you will have a better experience in the long run!

Thanks for the feedback will be doing more research before finalizing my stocking list

 

[qhduong]

What wrasses?

Six line, lineatus. Have a leopard wrasse in qt, and looking to get a flasher or another fairy.

 

[Fabiant15]

I have the same tank with 2 tangs, 2 wrasse, 2 damsel, 2 clown, a fire fish, a blenny and a goby... Adding 2 more wrasses

what tangs?

 

[Fabiant15]

and i do plan on having corals such as euphylia and maybe some stylopora down the line but i want to start with a good CUC and a Black widow anemone