What would you stock in this weird 26 gal?

[DCJ]

@EricR They are weird! Access is restricted, but it's not TOO bad.

I'm intrigued by that idea though - like a FOWLR? What else would you stock in it if you were doing it?

I like hearing your opinions!

My responses are more about why I could/couldn't/would/wouldn't do that in this tank, but I still love hearing them

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

@Kasrift I thought it was, isn't their tank size like 70 gal? I love pipefish! I'm worried they'd be too sensitive though. I'm not a newb, but I'd say I'm a beginner and I'd like to keep things easy

 

[DCJ]

Two roads diverged in a weird-shaped reef tank, I took... no path, because everyone's ideas are so good.

Thank you for all the input you've given me so far, it's been so helpful and very interesting!

I've narrowed it down to two options (unless someone comes up with something that hits them out of the park)

1) WARTY FROGFISH
I'm a little unsure, giving up all that space to just one fish, but the one fish it is, is very interesting.
The thing that's swaying me towards it is that it might work really well with a brackish tank I MIGHT set up.

I want to keep Indian Glass Fish, and lately I've been considering keeping them brackish. I would keep knight gobies with them, but then I could also breed mollies, which would provide food for the frogfish!

The problems remain that I'm still unsure about 'using up' one tank for one fish.

2) CLOWNFISH AND NEMS
A classic, one I haven't done though because I've always been wary about nems. I have kept rock flower anemones in the past.

Some RTB nems, a pair of black and white clownfish (I was going to go pink skunk, but I think the b/ws are a better fit), a sapphire damsel and a black cap basslet or an orchid dottyback, to keep the aggression levels balanced

I could keep the Indian Glass Fish brackish or freshwater then (probably with kuhli loaches, maybe a single black angelfish)

I'm more anxious about killing the RTB nem than anything else with this tank, and I'd probably stock with soft corals, the nem potentially walking around might cause problems. I'm not sure.


I'd still love to hear from you all, but if you're just not sure, which of the two might you do?

Thank you again forum!


EDITED TO ADD:

I have alighted on an idea. I think I'm going to get a frogfish first, and when he passes (hopefully he'll live more than a year, I've heard they go after that point a lot of the time), do the nem tank. That would allow the tank to mature for the nem, and I get both.

Nice having a plan!

 

[EricR]

@EricR They are weird! Access is restricted, but it's not TOO bad.

I'm intrigued by that idea though - like a FOWLR? What else would you stock in it if you were doing it?

I like hearing your opinions!
...

My quick response was from the perspective of:
I like inverts and often see NOT reef-safe inverts that I'd love to keep but can't (due to corals),,, and note that I have NO SUMP (for separation from corals) so that comes into play here.
CC star and aggressive crabs were just first things that came to mind. (Don't really have a lot of specifics in mind right this second, unfortunately).

...but, yeah, I'd be thinking FOWLR with heavy emphasis on inverts over fish, just for me.

 

[DCJ]

My quick response was from the perspective of:
I like inverts and often see NOT reef-safe inverts that I'd love to keep but can't (due to corals),,, and note that I have NO SUMP (for separation from corals) so that comes into play here.
CC star and aggressive crabs were just first things that came to mind. (Don't really have a lot of specifics in mind right this second, unfortunately).

...but, yeah, I'd be thinking FOWLR with heavy emphasis on inverts over fish, just for me.

Could you do something like that in a smaller pico-esque tank? Do you have space? I want you to have your reef-unsafe invert tank!

It sounds so unique, I never see much about inverts, and even less about inverts that are reef-safe. I'm officially enabling you.

 

[EricR]

Could you do something like that in a smaller pico-esque tank? Do you have space? I want you to have your reef-unsafe invert tank!

It sounds so unique, I never see much about inverts, and even less about inverts that are reef-safe. I'm officially enabling you.

Ha ha,,, thanks for the enablement.
I occasionally consider 2nd (small) tank for this but likely won't do it just because maintaining single, low effort tank (which is where I'm at now) is already at about my motivation limit,,, but we shall see...

 

[DCJ]

Ha ha,,, thanks for the enablement.
I occasionally consider 2nd (small) tank for this but likely won't do it just because maintaining single, low effort tank (which is where I'm at now) is already at about my motivation limit,,, but we shall see...

Always! lol

Ohhh I get that. I'm disabled, I'm trying not to pile my plate with too much work. That's why everything I do goes so sloooow. That and I have no money, so I'm saving up a tenner here and there for everything.

I'm going to do some Google-window-shopping about reef-unsafe inverts now, you have me curious!