Tank stocking thread

[Cthulukelele]

Hi all! I have a 120 with a 35-40 gallon sump and am finishing up a restock after a power outage crash a year ago. It's got a lot of crevices with 150+ pounds of live rock.

Current inhabitants (in order of tank bossness ):
-Tomini tang
-Blue flasher wrasse
-1x orange 1x black ocellaris clown pair
-Talbots damsel
-Yellow watchman goby
-Royal gramma
-Lawnmower blenny
-Green clown goby
-Pajama cardinal

To add (probably):
-Geometric pygmy hawkfish
-Cherub angelfish
-Biota mandarin

Inverts:
-Huge fire shrimp
-Large skunk cleaner shrimp
-Tiger pistol shrimp (paired with goby)
-Pink pincushion urchin
-Red tuxedo urchin
-Tiger conch
-Sand sifting starfish
-Various different types of snail
-Various different types of hermit crabs
-3x emerald crabs

Coral:
-massive 18+" toadstool
-ultra bta
-rhodactis shoots
-discosoma shoots
-adding some zoas

Looking for opinions on other additions be it fish or inverts!

Thanks in advance! I'm going to include a tank photo but please be gentle been battling hair algae since after the crash a year ago recovering from everything I wanted to keep it all continuous as the toadstool and yellow watchman survived the original crash

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

I would suggest researching the hawk fish. Might not be compatible with your shrimp.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I would suggest researching the hawk fish. Might not be compatible with your shrimp.

I had done some research on the Geometric pygmy hawkfish. I was under the impression that as a 2 inch fish that's more related to anthias than true hawkfish it'd more than likely be okay. Is this inaccurate?

 

[Cthulukelele]

I would suggest researching the hawk fish. Might not be compatible with your shrimp.

And if so, would I be better off with a longnose hawkfish, or if that's also a bad idea, is there another curious cruising perching fish you'd recommend? Thanks!

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

I had done some research on the Geometric pygmy hawkfish. I was under the impression that as a 2 inch fish that's more related to anthias than true hawkfish it'd more than likely be okay. Is this inaccurate?

I haven’t research this one. But my understanding is that safest Hawkfish with shrimp is the Falco. Which is why I suggested researching. I find LFS telling people that hawkfish are reef safe. But they don’t say with caution.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

We have a Falco named hacksaw. In a 210g with skunk, coral banded and peppermint.

Pretty fish and he does perch.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I haven’t research this one. But my understanding is that safest Hawkfish with shrimp is the Falco. Which is why I suggested researching. I find LFS telling people that hawkfish are reef safe. But they don’t say with caution.

I actually really like falcos! Falcos, flame, and longnose are all actually more interesting to me than geometric pygmy. I only chose that one because on review it seemed the most likely to be reef safe based on what people said on the internet. Your Falco is a model citizen? It would have a more "hawkfish-like" personality which I really enjoy. Had a flame hawk for years who was my favorite fish in the tank.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

Yea he is a model citizen. I had the skunks and coral babes before I got him and they are pretty big. But I added the peppermint shrimp afterwards to fight aiptasia. They are still around so he isn’t eating them. They were various sized when added.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

I did look up the pigmy and most sites say he’s safe as well. Although there was a picture posted with white antennae sticking out of its mouth. From what was said it was an adult fish and small shrimp.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

We have both the psychedelic and target mandarins in our reefs one in each. Just make sure you have pods. Biota might eat prepared right away? But pods are a good plan anyway.

 

[Cthulukelele]

We have both the psychedelic and target mandarins in our reefs one in each. Just make sure you have pods. Biota might eat prepared right away? But pods are a good plan anyway.

Yeah the mandarin will be the last addition and the hope is the biota will eat pellet and frozen from the start, but I want to do it right. A dragonet is a dream fish for me and at this point I'm ready to take the plunge. There are creepy crawlies all over my rock, but I know they're pretty insatiable especially if they aren't on frozen yet. You've got me salivating for a falco hawkfish now lol

 

[Cthulukelele]

We have both the psychedelic and target mandarins in our reefs one in each. Just make sure you have pods. Biota might eat prepared right away? But pods are a good plan anyway.

I've also intentionally not stocked any other voracious pod hunters.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

Cherub angel looks pretty cool. Don’t know their feeding requirements, but would probably use mega marine angel frozen as I know it has some sponge in it. Probably can get them to feed on mysis, brine etc, but supplementing with a true angel blend will probably keep him healthier.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

I started my mandarins way too early, but for me they are a must have. I added pods two or three times in the year and a half I’ve had the green. Got the target in March. I also have Ruby red dragonets in both reefs and scooter blenny. All are fat and sassy.

 

[Cthulukelele]

I started my mandarins way too early, but for me they are a must have. I added pods two or three times in the year and a half I’ve had the green. Got the target in March. I also have Ruby red dragonets in both reefs and scooter blenny. All are fat and sassy.

They are the perfect combination of beautiful, interesting to watch, and filled with personality. A fat, happy, dragonet is hard to beat in a tank as far as just something to mindlessly stare at and watch move around the tank. Hawkfish have a similar charm but in different ways.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

Other suggestions. I love a school of fire fish. Either regular or purple. The orange and white cheaper, purple more colorful, or the helfrichi but they are $100 each. That is why I don’t have three of them yet lol.

Bar gobies, fang gobies are both that can be schooling and they are out and about all the time.

Bi-color blenny or Midas blenny really cool and have great personality. We love watching them back into a hole and then peak out. Our Midas turned brown to mimic our bicolor. I also have a canary in the smaller reef, but they can be really hard to keep alive. Guessing that mine survived as I must had a good pod population. So if picking one, I would go with one of the first two.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Other suggestions. I love a school of fire fish. Either regular or purple. The orange and white cheaper, purple more colorful, or the helfrichi but they are $100 each. That is why I don’t have three of them yet lol.

Bar gobies, fang gobies are both that can be schooling and they are out and about all the time.

Bi-color blenny or Midas blenny really cool and have great personality. We love watching them back into a hole and then peak out. Our Midas turned brown to mimic our bicolor. I also have a canary in the smaller reef, but they can be really hard to keep alive. Guessing that mine survived as I must had a good pod population. So if picking one, I would go with one of the first two.

I would have a hard time keeping bar gobies or firefish with the talbots. He's a total pushover once the fish pushes back, but he nags anything that gets added relentlessly until they put him in his place lol (something those fish would never do).

A midas blenny or bicolor would be cool, but can they go in with a lawnmower?

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

I would have a hard time keeping bar gobies or firefish with the talbots. He's a total pushover once the fish pushes back, but he nags anything that gets added relentlessly until they put him in his place lol (something those fish would never do).

A midas blenny or bicolor would be cool, but can they go in with a lawnmower?

Yeah I wasn’t sure about the Talbots. I always thought damsels were safe fish as every fish store sold them as your first fish back I. The 89’s when I started. This time around I won’t put one in a tank.

My canary is in a 110g with a starry, different colored lawnmower, and the big-color and Midas are in my 210g with a standard lawnmower.
The starry is more aggressive in my opinion and maybe took out part of the canary’s tail, but might also have been from getting in my Nero’s when shut off for water change.

The bi-color lost most of its tail fin at one point, but with 40 fish in the tank, I don’t know who did it. But they sorted it out as he is fine now, and that would have been in February.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Yeah I wasn’t sure about the Talbots. I always thought damsels were safe fish as every fish store sold them as your first fish back I. The 89’s when I started. This time around I won’t put one in a tank.

My canary is in a 110g with a starry, different colored lawnmower, and the big-color and Midas are in my 210g with a standard lawnmower.
The starry is more aggressive in my opinion and maybe took out part of the canary’s tail, but might also have been from getting in my Nero’s when shut off for water change.

The bi-color lost most of its tail fin at one point, but with 40 fish in the tank, I don’t know who did it. But they sorted it out as he is fine now, and that would have been in February.

The talbots I do not regret adding at all. He's totally handleable, is very unique in the way he swims and behaviors, and is only really an issue if people invade his area of the reef, but he chose the part all the fish seem to love lol.

I have a lot more close calls with the tomini tang and other fish haha. He likes to go "remember I got a knife if you act up" but never does anything.

I think midas blenny is going on the list. I've always loved the way they swim and their borderline eel-ness. They also fit my tank as it's pretty rock heavy with tons of caves but also an area for swimming.

 

[HankstankXXXL750]

I had domino damsels. So cute and adorable, like a fluffy kitty. Grew up to be satan’s spawn and huge, spot fades and just a big ugly black fish lol. Moved into my predator tank and it was too aggressive there, killed my majestic angel.

So therefore my wife won’t let me have any. Won’t
Let me have any triggers either.