Stocking Suggestions for a 60 Gallon 2x2x2' Cube Mixed Reef

[JohnNYC8]

Hi! Here's another one of those threads... I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of threads but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

I'm upgrading my 26 gallon Nano Peninsula to a 60 gallon 2x2x2' cube. The tank has an internal overflow so it's probably more like 50-55 gallons of actual fish space (70-75 gallons total system capacity with the sump). I'm looking for fish stocking suggestions to compliment the fish & inverts I'm moving over. The tank will be a mixed reef but if a fish eats only one type of coral I can probably plan around that if the fish is cool enough.

Being moved over:

• Clownfish Pair
• Starry Blenny (he's a chowhound and gets in the clowns' faces sometimes)
• Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
• Tuxedo Urchin

I feed mostly frozen food, nori on a clip, and supplement TDO pellets because the clownfish go crazy for them. I don't mind a complicated feeding routine but I'd like to stay away from fish with really tough dietary requirements like dragonets. I'd also like to keep the feeding to once per day but I could do twice a day if I had to.

The LFS will "rent" me a small yellow tang (take it back for free when it's larger and presumably more expensive) so that option is on the table.

I have some money set aside for the project so budget isn't a concern. I'd love to hear some cool suggestions.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi! Here's another one of those threads... I've watched a lot of videos and read a lot of threads but I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts.

I'm upgrading my 26 gallon Nano Peninsula to a 60 gallon 2x2x2' cube. The tank has an internal overflow so it's probably more like 50-55 gallons of actual fish space (70-75 gallons total system capacity with the sump). I'm looking for fish stocking suggestions to compliment the fish & inverts I'm moving over. The tank will be a mixed reef but if a fish eats only one type of coral I can probably plan around that if the fish is cool enough.

Being moved over:

• Clownfish Pair
• Starry Blenny (he's a chowhound and gets in the clowns' faces sometimes)
• Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
• Tuxedo Urchin

I feed mostly frozen food, nori on a clip, and supplement TDO pellets because the clownfish go crazy for them. I don't mind a complicated feeding routine but I'd like to stay away from fish with really tough dietary requirements like dragonets. I'd also like to keep the feeding to once per day but I could do twice a day if I had to.

The LFS will "rent" me a small yellow tang (take it back for free when it's larger and presumably more expensive) so that option is on the table.

I have some money set aside for the project so budget isn't a concern. I'd love to hear some cool suggestions.

Please please do not get a tang for that tank, even small. Not fair to rehome because it outgrows a tank you have and knew it needed bigger. Also you are going to be very very limited to what fish you can have because of your demensions. Small nano fish only is really your options unfortunately

 

[DrkNMighty]

Maybe some type wetmorella wrasse. They stay small and shouldn’t have any difficult dietary needs.

 

[JohnNYC8]

Please please do not get a tang for that tank, even small. Not fair to rehome because it outgrows a tank you have and knew it needed bigger. Also you are going to be very very limited to what fish you can have because of your demensions. Small nano fish only is really your options unfortunately

My longer term plan is actually to keep going bigger and rehome it to a new tank with me but I see what you’re saying.

 

[JohnNYC8]

Maybe some type wetmorella wrasse. They stay small and shouldn’t have any difficult dietary needs.

Those look cool, thanks!

 

[slogan315]

I had a 60g cube I had to break down recently. I agree with the nano fish idea. I had lots of fish ranging from tiny gobies to larger fish. And anything bigger than clowns didn’t behave naturally.

Various sizes/styles of gobies, smaller wrasses, and hawk fish would be cool!

 

[JohnNYC8]

I had a 60g cube I had to break down recently. I agree with the nano fish idea. I had lots of fish ranging from tiny gobies to larger fish. And anything bigger than clowns didn’t behave naturally.

Various sizes/styles of gobies, smaller wrasses, and hawk fish would be cool!

Thank you for that perspective. Some of the hawkfish are really nice looking.

I really like the Flame Hawkfish. I wonder if my skunk cleaner shrimp is big enough to keep with one. It has molted many times and has cleaner arms/antenna about 6" across. That being said, even if that shrimp is big enough to keep with that hawkfish I may be precluding myself from using peppermint shrimp in the future and they're great CUC.

I'm worried about gobies because the starry blenny is a big guy. He already shows some aggressiveness towards the clowns so I'm worried he'll start offing smaller fish shaped like him. I had a blue neon goby disappear in this current tank so I stopped the additions.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

Hey, I’ve the exact same size tank. I started as a newbie. I’ll give you some do’s and donts.
I have
- a pair of clowns
- a royal gramma
- a Red Sea cleaner wrasse
- a pistol shrimp and goby pair
- another smaller wrasse (Pygmy wrasse)
- coral banded shrimp and red shrimp
- Conch and hermits and snails.
I also got have a yellow coris wrasse and two damsels that I am rehoming. I got the coris wrasse from a fellow hobbyist who was moving to Australia, but am rehoming him this weekend. If you’re watching YouTube videos on 60 gallon stocking options, keep in mind that you don’t have the lateral swimming space that a lot of these fish require, so you may be restricted. I am rehoming him to another fellow hobbyists 4ft tank this weekend. I also am rehoming the two yellowtail damsels this weekend, as they have been complete pricks! I saw them on Ireland’s version of Craigslist for free, so went and got them. They started off fine, but bit by bit got more aggressive and are bullying the hell out of my royal gramma. I’ve had my royal gramma since the start so they have to go. The problem with the 2ft cube is that there is not enough space to escape.

Once these are gone and lessons have been learned, I’m hoping to possibly try another royal gramma. My friend is keeping a pair successfully at the moment and it’s really cool so I’d like to give it a stab. I’m also thinking of a long nose hawk fish, a lawnmower blenny and possibly a pair of bangai cardinals. The nice thing about your tank is that you can keep a good few fish, just not big ones or aggressors. I would keep the stocking to more quiet and rock clinging or substrate dwelling fish.
I cannot recommend the royal gramma enough, they’re absolutely class! The goby and shrimp pair is really nice aswell, and the Red Sea cleaner wrasse adds some blue, although he does eat sps so I’m just keeping softies and LPS.
Mandarins (if trained on frozen), Hawkfish, gobies, blennies, clowns, and small wrasses are all really good ideas, as are invertebrates.

Your starry blenny sounds a bit too boisterous, but I’ve also seen really cool pipefish and seahorses kept in this sort of tanks dimensions aswell! Best of luck.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

Hey, I’ve the exact same size tank. I started as a newbie. I’ll give you some do’s and donts.
I have
- a pair of clowns
- a royal gramma
- a Red Sea cleaner wrasse
- a pistol shrimp and goby pair
- another smaller wrasse (Pygmy wrasse)
- coral banded shrimp and red shrimp
- Conch and hermits and snails.
I also got have a yellow coris wrasse and two damsels that I am rehoming. I got the coris wrasse from a fellow hobbyist who was moving to Australia, but am rehoming him this weekend. If you’re watching YouTube videos on 60 gallon stocking options, keep in mind that you don’t have the lateral swimming space that a lot of these fish require, so you may be restricted. I am rehoming him to another fellow hobbyists 4ft tank this weekend. I also am rehoming the two yellowtail damsels this weekend, as they have been complete pricks! I saw them on Ireland’s version of Craigslist for free, so went and got them. They started off fine, but bit by bit got more aggressive and are bullying the hell out of my royal gramma. I’ve had my royal gramma since the start so they have to go. The problem with the 2ft cube is that there is not enough space to escape.

Once these are gone and lessons have been learned, I’m hoping to possibly try another royal gramma. My friend is keeping a pair successfully at the moment and it’s really cool so I’d like to give it a stab. I’m also thinking of a long nose hawk fish, a lawnmower blenny and possibly a pair of bangai cardinals. The nice thing about your tank is that you can keep a good few fish, just not big ones or aggressors. I would keep the stocking to more quiet and rock clinging or substrate dwelling fish.
I cannot recommend the royal gramma enough, they’re absolutely class! The goby and shrimp pair is really nice aswell, and the Red Sea cleaner wrasse adds some blue, although he does eat sps so I’m just keeping softies and LPS.
Mandarins (if trained on frozen), Hawkfish, gobies, blennies, clowns, and small wrasses are all really good ideas, as are invertebrates.

Your starry blenny sounds a bit too boisterous, but I’ve also seen really cool pipefish and seahorses kept in this sort of tanks dimensions aswell! Best of luck.

 

[JohnNYC8]

Hey, I’ve the exact same size tank. I started as a newbie. I’ll give you some do’s and donts.
I have
- a pair of clowns
- a royal gramma
- a Red Sea cleaner wrasse
- a pistol shrimp and goby pair
- another smaller wrasse (Pygmy wrasse)
- coral banded shrimp and red shrimp
- Conch and hermits and snails.
I also got have a yellow coris wrasse and two damsels that I am rehoming. I got the coris wrasse from a fellow hobbyist who was moving to Australia, but am rehoming him this weekend. If you’re watching YouTube videos on 60 gallon stocking options, keep in mind that you don’t have the lateral swimming space that a lot of these fish require, so you may be restricted. I am rehoming him to another fellow hobbyists 4ft tank this weekend. I also am rehoming the two yellowtail damsels this weekend, as they have been complete pricks! I saw them on Ireland’s version of Craigslist for free, so went and got them. They started off fine, but bit by bit got more aggressive and are bullying the hell out of my royal gramma. I’ve had my royal gramma since the start so they have to go. The problem with the 2ft cube is that there is not enough space to escape.

Once these are gone and lessons have been learned, I’m hoping to possibly try another royal gramma. My friend is keeping a pair successfully at the moment and it’s really cool so I’d like to give it a stab. I’m also thinking of a long nose hawk fish, a lawnmower blenny and possibly a pair of bangai cardinals. The nice thing about your tank is that you can keep a good few fish, just not big ones or aggressors. I would keep the stocking to more quiet and rock clinging or substrate dwelling fish.
I cannot recommend the royal gramma enough, they’re absolutely class! The goby and shrimp pair is really nice aswell, and the Red Sea cleaner wrasse adds some blue, although he does eat sps so I’m just keeping softies and LPS.
Mandarins (if trained on frozen), Hawkfish, gobies, blennies, clowns, and small wrasses are all really good ideas, as are invertebrates.

Your starry blenny sounds a bit too boisterous, but I’ve also seen really cool pipefish and seahorses kept in this sort of tanks dimensions aswell! Best of luck.

Awesome, thank you for sharing your experience. A pair of royal grammas would be really cool.

 

[Daniel Doherty]

Awesome, thank you for sharing your experience. A pair of royal grammas would be really cool.

Yes - got home from university today (came home a day early to get my damsels out as I had someone to collect them. Came home and the damage had been done. Really really sickening, I had my gramma since the start. Definitely definitely definitely do not add damsels! I know it’s tempting but they only really turned on the gramma in the space of a week! Not worth the risk!