Stocking Plan for reef tank

[Gnop1950]

I posted this in my build thread, but thought I'd post it here with modifications to get some feedback.

The tank is 132/164-Gallon (display/+sump) 59.1 inches long, 25.6 inches wide, and 23.6 inches high.

The current plan, once the tank is completely cycled:

Week 1 post-cycle:

• Add chaeto to the refugium
• Add copepods, probably 3 or 4 jars
• Set up a small, I'm thinking about a 15 Gallon AIO saltwater tank for coral quarantine.

Week 2 post-cycle:

• Add a pair of Ocellaris clownfish

Week 4 post-cycle:

• Add an initial cleanup crew and ramp up over about a month or so to reach approximately 130 critters. That seems like a lot of critters.

Week 6-8 post-cycle:

• Add some of the hardier soft corals.

The rest of the livestock is still in flux. I spent 3 years diving in the Indo-Pacific, so I'm partial to critters and coral from that area. I know I'd like to add, say Cypraea moneta (money cowries). I believe the cowries would take the place of some of the other snails?

I'm considering things like Flame Hawkfish, Yellow Watchman Gobies, maybe a couple pair of Fairy wrasse (added last), and possibly some small schooling fish. I'll take my time with stocking, but any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[steveschuerger]

More Wrasses. Can never go wrong with wrasses. My particular favorites are any leopard wrasses as they’re active and colorful. Foxface/Rabbit fish, had a Copperband Butterfly and loved it.

 

[Ziggy17]

I wouldn’t hold your breath on schooling fish. A school won’t behave like you see in the wild on a shorter tank like yours. I’ve even read that in a 8’ tank they don’t really “school” like you want them to. And they’re also the fact that chromis and anthias will kill each other off one by one until there’s a winner, or two. So what once was a school is no longer. I come from the FW side originally, so I really wanted something that would school and also have personalities, like my Tropheus or cyps, but my harem of Anthias turned into a lone male.

Just food for thought.

 

[Gnop1950]

I wouldn’t hold your breath on schooling fish. A school won’t behave like you see in the wild on a shorter tank like yours. I’ve even read that in a 8’ tank they don’t really “school” like you want them to. And they’re also the fact that chromis and anthias will kill each other off one by one until there’s a winner, or two. So what once was a school is no longer. I come from the FW side originally, so I really wanted something that would school and also have personalities, like my Tropheus or cyps, but my harem of Anthias turned into a lone male.

Just food for thought.

I had read/watched some videos that said bad things about Chromis. I was thinking more of something like, say, 6 pajama cardinalfish.

 

[Marine Betta]

I posted this in my build thread, but thought I'd post it here with modifications to get some feedback.

The tank is 132/164-Gallon (display/+sump) 59.1 inches long, 25.6 inches wide, and 23.6 inches high.

The current plan, once the tank is completely cycled:

Week 1 post-cycle:

• Add chaeto to the refugium
• Add copepods, probably 3 or 4 jars
• Set up a small, I'm thinking about a 15 Gallon AIO saltwater tank for coral quarantine.

Week 2 post-cycle:

• Add a pair of Ocellaris clownfish

Week 4 post-cycle:

• Add an initial cleanup crew and ramp up over about a month or so to reach approximately 130 critters. That seems like a lot of critters.

Week 6-8 post-cycle:

• Add some of the hardier soft corals.

The rest of the livestock is still in flux. I spent 3 years diving in the Indo-Pacific, so I'm partial to critters and coral from that area. I know I'd like to add, say Cypraea moneta (money cowries). I believe the cowries would take the place of some of the other snails?

I'm considering things like Flame Hawkfish, Yellow Watchman Gobies, maybe a couple pair of Fairy wrasse (added last), and possibly some small schooling fish. I'll take my time with stocking, but any suggestions would be welcome.

The flame hawk may go after your watchman goby, and flame hawks are more of a threat to inverts like snails than a lot of other species. If you want the hawkfish, I would go with a larger species of goby. Other than that, I think the stock list is fine. It’s ultimately what you like and is compatible together. You can do a lot of different fish in a tank of that size.

I don’t know what you were thinking for schooling fish, but I would not do blue green chromis. They fight with one another, and they’re magnets for uronema. I would do blue eyed cardinalfish instead.

Here are some other ideas for potential fish stock. A combination of:
Smaller species of tang
Starki damsel or Springeri damsel (the only damsels I would ever recommend to someone)
Any anthias (be wary of uronema though and certain species are more likely to fight amongst each other until there is only one left)
Jawfish ( blue spotted and pearly jaws are my favorite)
Any Leopard wrasse
Other flasher and fairy wrasses
Any species of dwarf angel (if you’re not doing brain corals)

 

[Marine Betta]

I posted this in my build thread, but thought I'd post it here with modifications to get some feedback.

The tank is 132/164-Gallon (display/+sump) 59.1 inches long, 25.6 inches wide, and 23.6 inches high.

The current plan, once the tank is completely cycled:

Week 1 post-cycle:

• Add chaeto to the refugium
• Add copepods, probably 3 or 4 jars
• Set up a small, I'm thinking about a 15 Gallon AIO saltwater tank for coral quarantine.

Week 2 post-cycle:

• Add a pair of Ocellaris clownfish

Week 4 post-cycle:

• Add an initial cleanup crew and ramp up over about a month or so to reach approximately 130 critters. That seems like a lot of critters.

Week 6-8 post-cycle:

• Add some of the hardier soft corals.

The rest of the livestock is still in flux. I spent 3 years diving in the Indo-Pacific, so I'm partial to critters and coral from that area. I know I'd like to add, say Cypraea moneta (money cowries). I believe the cowries would take the place of some of the other snails?

I'm considering things like Flame Hawkfish, Yellow Watchman Gobies, maybe a couple pair of Fairy wrasse (added last), and possibly some small schooling fish. I'll take my time with stocking, but any suggestions would be welcome.

The flame hawk may go after your watchman goby, and flame hawks are more of a threat to inverts like snails than a lot of other species. If you want the hawkfish, I would go with a larger species of goby. Other than that, I think the stock list is fine. It’s ultimately what you like and is compatible together. You can do a lot of different fish in a tank of that size.

I don’t know what you were thinking for schooling fish, but I would not do blue green chromis. They fight with one another, and they’re magnets for uronema. I would do blue eyed cardinalfish instead.

Here are some other ideas for potential fish stock. A combination of:
Smaller species of tang
Starki damsel or Springeri damsel (the only damsels I would ever recommend to someone)
Any anthias (be wary of uronema though and certain species are more likely to fight amongst each other until there is only one left)
Jawfish ( blue spotted and pearly jaws are my favorite)
Any Leopard wrasse
Other flasher and fairy wrasses
Any species of dwarf angel (if you’re not doing brain corals)

Somehow forgot to mention my favorite fish. The marine betta. Despite what some say, mine never touched any small fish, including nano gobies, or invertebrates. The only thing that was not safe around him were ghost shrimp.

 

[Ziggy17]

I had read/watched some videos that said bad things about Chromis. I was thinking more of something like, say, 6 pajama cardinalfish.

My cardinals just hover and don’t do much schooling behaviour. They look nice and peaceful, but quite honestly have zero character. Again, just my opinion but by the sounds of your diving experience, you might find them super boring. You could always get a 8’ tank and get a school of Yellow Tangs :)

 

[painter1982]

My 13 chromis that I’ve had for a year swim in a school. Especially when I’m cleaning the glass. Then they dart as a group from one end of the tank to the other. They haven’t killed each other as others say they will. They get along great. I see occasional dominance and breeding behavior. I feed them 4 times a day. It’s a 60” tank. They have become my favorite fish in my reef. Never thought that would happen but they brought life to the open water.

 

[Gnop1950]

My cardinals just hover and don’t do much schooling behaviour. They look nice and peaceful, but quite honestly have zero character. Again, just my opinion but by the sounds of your diving experience, you might find them super boring. You could always get a 8’ tank and get a school of Yellow Tangs :)

My wife loves my freshwater tanks. But would probably do unspeakable things to me if I even hinted I was considering an 8' tank.