Tank stocking thread

[Cthulukelele]

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.

Triggers are traumatizing honestly. So interesting and intelligent, but you never forget witnessing your first brain hole punch lol

 

[i cant think]

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

The reason why the ‘Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish’ is so reefsafe is because they aren’t a true hawkfish. In fact this species is an anthias. The smallest true hawkfish is the Falco hawkfish which only gets around 3 inches in captivity. However these two are extremely unlikely to eat a 2” shrimp which is how big Lysmata amboinensis gets and I believe Lysmata debellius can also hit 2 inches.

Cherub Angelfish are one of the smallest in the Centropyge genus however they’re not the most reefsafe. And when this species (and many other species of Pomacentrid) isn’t kept fat and healthy, they tend to go for Zoas, Palys and fleshy LPS. The way most reefers keep angels off of their corals is through 3-4 feedings a day. Also, angels don’t purely eat sponges it’s just a small part of their diet, they also need algae ontop of other meaty foods.

A Mandarin, I would wait another year before adding them. And if i would recommend a specific mandarin, I’d go for the S. picturatus. I find the simpler pattern to look nicer. Also, try to add as many pods as you can throughout the year (and maybe try a culture of them) just in case you get a biota one that stops feeding on frozen - I’ve had a couple do this to me. The wild caught mandarins are worse when it comes to reverting however just remember that no matter where it comes from you still risk the chance of the mandarin reverting and only feeding on pods.

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.

Firefish aren’t all known for being in groups. The only species known for being communal is the Magnifica. The other two are likely to end up in a mass murder. In a larger tank like yours, it’s likely they will work but still risk the chance of killing eachother off. In a 120G tank, the risk of them killing eachother off is high. With Firefish, since they aren’t sexually dimorphic, it’s best keeping them singular in smaller tanks or if you want a pair, get an already established pair.

I wouldn’t add any more blennies knowing the one in the OPs tank is likely to be established. Also, the Fang Blennies aren’t hard to keep alive. They generally eat readily in the fish stores, they are also not fully pod eaters, they feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans in the sandbed. The downside to any blenny is, if the OP wants SPS in the future then the blenny is likely to nip on them.

Bar Gobies are another species of dartfish and will do best in groups however they tend to startle and stress easily. With a tomini tang and damsel in the tank it’s likely that they could stress out the dart fish.

 

[Cthulukelele]

The reason why the ‘Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish’ is so reefsafe is because they aren’t a true hawkfish. In fact this species is an anthias. The smallest true hawkfish is the Falco hawkfish which only gets around 3 inches in captivity. However these two are extremely unlikely to eat a 2” shrimp which is how big Lysmata amboinensis gets and I believe Lysmata debellius can also hit 2 inches.

Cherub Angelfish are one of the smallest in the Centropyge genus however they’re not the most reefsafe. And when this species (and many other species of Pomacentrid) isn’t kept fat and healthy, they tend to go for Zoas, Palys and fleshy LPS. The way most reefers keep angels off of their corals is through 3-4 feedings a day. Also, angels don’t purely eat sponges it’s just a small part of their diet, they also need algae ontop of other meaty foods.

A Mandarin, I would wait another year before adding them. And if i would recommend a specific mandarin, I’d go for the S. picturatus. I find the simpler pattern to look nicer. Also, try to add as many pods as you can throughout the year (and maybe try a culture of them) just in case you get a biota one that stops feeding on frozen - I’ve had a couple do this to me. The wild caught mandarins are worse when it comes to reverting however just remember that no matter where it comes from you still risk the chance of the mandarin reverting and only feeding on pods.

Firefish aren’t all known for being in groups. The only species known for being communal is the Magnifica. The other two are likely to end up in a mass murder. In a larger tank like yours, it’s likely they will work but still risk the chance of killing eachother off. In a 120G tank, the risk of them killing eachother off is high. With Firefish, since they aren’t sexually dimorphic, it’s best keeping them singular in smaller tanks or if you want a pair, get an already established pair.

I wouldn’t add any more blennies knowing the one in the OPs tank is likely to be established. Also, the Fang Blennies aren’t hard to keep alive. They generally eat readily in the fish stores, they are also not fully pod eaters, they feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans in the sandbed. The downside to any blenny is, if the OP wants SPS in the future then the blenny is likely to nip on them.

Bar Gobies are another species of dartfish and will do best in groups however they tend to startle and stress easily. With a tomini tang and damsel in the tank it’s likely that they could stress out the dart fish.

All helpful info! I think Geometric pygmy then. Also, I know cherubs are like 50/50 on picking at corals, but I feed frozen twice a day and flake/pellet 1-2x a day and plan to mostly keep noxious softies and aren't very attached to the zoas. The info is still appreciated and considered though!

You might be right on the mandarin. I'll keep an eye on tank progression and move accordingly. I share your concerns on the addition of another blenny as well.

 

[Cthulukelele]

The reason why the ‘Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish’ is so reefsafe is because they aren’t a true hawkfish. In fact this species is an anthias. The smallest true hawkfish is the Falco hawkfish which only gets around 3 inches in captivity. However these two are extremely unlikely to eat a 2” shrimp which is how big Lysmata amboinensis gets and I believe Lysmata debellius can also hit 2 inches.

Cherub Angelfish are one of the smallest in the Centropyge genus however they’re not the most reefsafe. And when this species (and many other species of Pomacentrid) isn’t kept fat and healthy, they tend to go for Zoas, Palys and fleshy LPS. The way most reefers keep angels off of their corals is through 3-4 feedings a day. Also, angels don’t purely eat sponges it’s just a small part of their diet, they also need algae ontop of other meaty foods.

A Mandarin, I would wait another year before adding them. And if i would recommend a specific mandarin, I’d go for the S. picturatus. I find the simpler pattern to look nicer. Also, try to add as many pods as you can throughout the year (and maybe try a culture of them) just in case you get a biota one that stops feeding on frozen - I’ve had a couple do this to me. The wild caught mandarins are worse when it comes to reverting however just remember that no matter where it comes from you still risk the chance of the mandarin reverting and only feeding on pods.

Firefish aren’t all known for being in groups. The only species known for being communal is the Magnifica. The other two are likely to end up in a mass murder. In a larger tank like yours, it’s likely they will work but still risk the chance of killing eachother off. In a 120G tank, the risk of them killing eachother off is high. With Firefish, since they aren’t sexually dimorphic, it’s best keeping them singular in smaller tanks or if you want a pair, get an already established pair.

I wouldn’t add any more blennies knowing the one in the OPs tank is likely to be established. Also, the Fang Blennies aren’t hard to keep alive. They generally eat readily in the fish stores, they are also not fully pod eaters, they feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans in the sandbed. The downside to any blenny is, if the OP wants SPS in the future then the blenny is likely to nip on them.

Bar Gobies are another species of dartfish and will do best in groups however they tend to startle and stress easily. With a tomini tang and damsel in the tank it’s likely that they could stress out the dart fish.

Any other fish you'd recommend with this stocking list that aren't super aggressive pod hunters? I'm a fellow wrasse lover but trying to keep the pod hunting to a minimum in hopes of having a better shot with the mandarin.

 

[Cthulukelele]

The reason why the ‘Geometric Pygmy Hawkfish’ is so reefsafe is because they aren’t a true hawkfish. In fact this species is an anthias. The smallest true hawkfish is the Falco hawkfish which only gets around 3 inches in captivity. However these two are extremely unlikely to eat a 2” shrimp which is how big Lysmata amboinensis gets and I believe Lysmata debellius can also hit 2 inches.

Cherub Angelfish are one of the smallest in the Centropyge genus however they’re not the most reefsafe. And when this species (and many other species of Pomacentrid) isn’t kept fat and healthy, they tend to go for Zoas, Palys and fleshy LPS. The way most reefers keep angels off of their corals is through 3-4 feedings a day. Also, angels don’t purely eat sponges it’s just a small part of their diet, they also need algae ontop of other meaty foods.

A Mandarin, I would wait another year before adding them. And if i would recommend a specific mandarin, I’d go for the S. picturatus. I find the simpler pattern to look nicer. Also, try to add as many pods as you can throughout the year (and maybe try a culture of them) just in case you get a biota one that stops feeding on frozen - I’ve had a couple do this to me. The wild caught mandarins are worse when it comes to reverting however just remember that no matter where it comes from you still risk the chance of the mandarin reverting and only feeding on pods.

Firefish aren’t all known for being in groups. The only species known for being communal is the Magnifica. The other two are likely to end up in a mass murder. In a larger tank like yours, it’s likely they will work but still risk the chance of killing eachother off. In a 120G tank, the risk of them killing eachother off is high. With Firefish, since they aren’t sexually dimorphic, it’s best keeping them singular in smaller tanks or if you want a pair, get an already established pair.

I wouldn’t add any more blennies knowing the one in the OPs tank is likely to be established. Also, the Fang Blennies aren’t hard to keep alive. They generally eat readily in the fish stores, they are also not fully pod eaters, they feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans in the sandbed. The downside to any blenny is, if the OP wants SPS in the future then the blenny is likely to nip on them.

Bar Gobies are another species of dartfish and will do best in groups however they tend to startle and stress easily. With a tomini tang and damsel in the tank it’s likely that they could stress out the dart fish.

Also you'd love the blue flasher. He's a gorgeous 3+" fat happy terminal male. Keeps everyone in line with wrasse signature bullet flash bull rush.

 

[Cthulukelele]

Sadly I lost my lawnmower blenny to not taking prepared food (tried everything). Would I be okay if I added a starry and a midas blenny at the same time? Thanks