Wonky tank stocking (please give your input if you can)

[L0L_Z]

Setting up a new fowlr tank. Need stocking suggestions. I have tried manhy places - my build thread, the deciding fish thread, lots of places, yet I still do not have any idea what to do. Its 6foot x 14 inch x 18 inch, really wonky (which might be the reason why its hard to decipher), will run on a skimmer, aio and maybe a UV sterilizer. This is a wishlist, and strike off stuff i won't be able to keep, suggest alternatives and exact number of fish #reefsquad

So dream wishlist
regal angelfish or bellus angelfish pair
goldrim or powder blue tang
scopas tang
dragonhead pipefish
mandarin pair
Red head wrasse
eibli angelfish
foxface
a dottyback
sailfin tang
clown pair
azure damsel
diamond goby
midas blenny
cream angelfish
harlequin tuskfish
aiptasia eating filefish
coral hogfish
candy hogfish
trio of sunset anthias
coral croucher trio
long nose hawk
mimic tang
atlantic blue tang
A species of butterflyfish
tomini tang

 

[redfishbluefish]

Nice length at 6 feet, but you're only looking at approximately 78 gallons. Too many fish.....too many tangs.....and the sailfin is going to get way too big.....18 inches high.

 

[L0L_Z]

Nice length at 6 feet, but you're only looking at approximately 78 gallons. Too many fish.....too many tangs.....and the sailfin is going to get way too big.....18 inches high.

Yea I know, but this is a wishlist so i just wanted to know an optimal stocking comprising of those fish.

 

[nereefpat]

I think you could have success with many of those.

Something like:
Regal angel
Tomini tang
Pearlscale butterfly
mandarins
Orchid dotty
Midas blenny
Long nose hawk
clowns

There would be other combos, obviously.

I would strike off:
Goldrim/powder blue tang
Sailfin tang
Foxface
Scopas
Mimic
Atlantic blue

 

[L0L_Z]

I think you could have success with many of those.

Something like:
Regal angel
Tomini tang
Pearlscale butterfly
mandarins
Orchid dotty
Midas blenny
Long nose hawk
clowns

There would be other combos, obviously.

I would strike off:
Goldrim/powder blue tang
Sailfin tang
Foxface
Scopas
Mimic
Atlantic blue

i do want 2 very good algae eaters, so a scopas and a powder blue seem to come up alot. People on other places also said scopas, powder blues would be fine

 

[L0L_Z]

I would also like to mention, i hate pearlscale butterflies.

 

[nereefpat]

i do want 2 very good algae eaters, so a scopas and a powder blue seem to come up alot. People on other places also said scopas, powder blues would be fine

You could make an argument for a scopas. The powder, I think, will outgrow the tank when it grows and start 'pacing' and being too aggressive. Opinions vary when it comes to keeping tangs.

I would also like to mention, i hate pearlscale butterflies.

Ha. Different strokes...

Just a hardy, easy to get butterfly I randomly selected.
What do you like? Most would fit.

 

[vlangel]

I think a tomini tang would be happy in that tank. I have one in a smaller tank and it's an excellent detritivore and also picks at a lot of stray nuisance algae. I am guessing that the eibeli dwarf angel would also do that as I have a coral beauty and it picks at nuisance algae.

You could grow a few easy macroalgae that would help with nutrient uptake and add a natural touch to your aquarium without the attention needed for coral. A lot of the red macros will grow under a regular fish light and that splash of color is nice. Something to think about if you want to make maintenance easier.

 

[L0L_Z]

after accumulating a bit of opinions, I think i will try the PBT. If it gets too aggressive I will rehome. This is a list i got from https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/n...-tank-post-here-and-well-help.200605/page-300

Powder blue tang
regal or flagfin angelfish
honeycomp grouper or cubicus boxfish
yellowhead butterflyfish
trio of anthias
tomini tang
harlequin tusk or a similarly sized wrasse
EIbli angelfish
scopas or goldrim tang

 

[Devaji]

I would also like to mention, i hate pearlscale butterflies.

why its on my stocking list for a upcoming FOWLR just curious about your experience.

@lol what an odd size tank. yes its 6' long but really narrow . IMHO I would not to either the gold rim or PBT even the regal angel is questionable.

what I think would look good in there is schooling smaller fish like a groups of fire fish, anthais, etc.
or just smaller wrasses. i think it will make the tank feel bigger and look more natural.
bigger fish you will loose that effect. IMHO.

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Last thing I want to do is be rude but frankly if you’re fortunate to have the room in your living environment for a 6 foot long tank, my opinion is that you ought to do it justice with having decent width and height to the tank as well. Something along the lines of 24-36” in width and 20-30” in height, at least thats my take. I could be totally wrong and also I get it if this is the tank you already have.

 

[L0L_Z]

Last thing I want to do is be rude but frankly if you’re fortunate to have the room in your living environment for a 6 foot long tank, my opinion is that you ought to do it justice with having decent width and height to the tank as well. Something along the lines of 24-36” in width and 20-30” in height, at least thats my take. I could be totally wrong and also I get it if this is the tank you already have.

I already set it up and i dont have that kind of room. Someday...

 

[L0L_Z]

Last thing I want to do is be rude but frankly if you’re fortunate to have the room in your living environment for a 6 foot long tank, my opinion is that you ought to do it justice with having decent width and height to the tank as well. Something along the lines of 24-36” in width and 20-30” in height, at least thats my take. I could be totally wrong and also I get it if this is the tank you already have.

Well, we moved some couches around, and I have a spare 6'x2'x18" tank. This a good size?
What if like int here
A tang gang (4 different genuses)
Wrasse gang
A fairly fish safe eel
Boxfish
Angelfish
Porcupine puffer
Some other random fish
Ideas? Open to predators too

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Well, we moved some couches around, and I have a spare 6'x2'x18" tank. This a good size?
What if like int here
A tang gang (4 different genuses)
Wrasse gang
A fairly fish safe eel
Boxfish
Angelfish
Porcupine puffer
Some other random fish
Ideas? Open to predators too

Look I don’t have any background in 6’ long tanks so please don’t take my word as gospel. With that said, the extra 10” of front to back room should make aquascaping way more fun AND provide more habitat for fish to enjoy and peacefully coexist within. The only thing I would say in opposition to your tank footprint is that you will need to recognize how the tank being slightly shallower will impact your stocking choices. I personally love seeing deep tanks like 30” and more and so I’ve done a bit of reading on their benefits. Many species with jumping tendencies will find themselves less likely to go for the surface if they can instead migrate to what they feel is a safer part of the water column. With this said, especially if you have a sandbed, you’re gonna need to keep an eye on suicidal wrasses, blennies, etc.

What are the four genuses of tangs you’re interested in? I know that there are a few others, but as far as I’m aware the common species for sale boil down to 4 genuses- zebrasoma, ctenochaetus, Naso, and acanthurus. I guess you can also make the argument for paracanthurus but I believe that to be more or less the exact same as acanthurus. With all this said, if you wanted any other genus, you’d most likely be looking at prionurus or something else very uncommon in the trade.

As far as I know, even among the craziest of “tang police”, most people will say a 6’ tank is perfectly appropriate for any kind of zebrasoma or ctenochaetus. However, the acanthurus tangs can get big, and the Naso tangs can get HUGE. You’d likely be fine with a powder or hippo but if you’re looking at stuff in the Naso family like vlamingis and unicorns those get massive.

As far as a fairly fish safe eel is concerned, again not my area of expertise, but I’ve looked around online and NOBODY seems to have a golden dwarf moray for sale anymore. You could probably try out a wolf eel, or as many people would recommend, one of the several pebble tooth variants of morays like zebra morays. The other option to test would be a snake eel. That being said, the only 100% reef safe eel is the garden eel, and given you’re already working with a shallower tank, that could pose challenges.

I think it would be a lot easier to help you with your stocking list if you provided species instead of vague ideas?

 

[L0L_Z]

Look I don’t have any background in 6’ long tanks so please don’t take my word as gospel. With that said, the extra 10” of front to back room should make aquascaping way more fun AND provide more habitat for fish to enjoy and peacefully coexist within. The only thing I would say in opposition to your tank footprint is that you will need to recognize how the tank being slightly shallower will impact your stocking choices. I personally love seeing deep tanks like 30” and more and so I’ve done a bit of reading on their benefits. Many species with jumping tendencies will find themselves less likely to go for the surface if they can instead migrate to what they feel is a safer part of the water column. With this said, especially if you have a sandbed, you’re gonna need to keep an eye on suicidal wrasses, blennies, etc.

What are the four genuses of tangs you’re interested in? I know that there are a few others, but as far as I’m aware the common species for sale boil down to 4 genuses- zebrasoma, ctenochaetus, Naso, and acanthurus. I guess you can also make the argument for paracanthurus but I believe that to be more or less the exact same as acanthurus. With all this said, if you wanted any other genus, you’d most likely be looking at prionurus or something else very uncommon in the trade.

As far as I know, even among the craziest of “tang police”, most people will say a 6’ tank is perfectly appropriate for any kind of zebrasoma or ctenochaetus. However, the acanthurus tangs can get big, and the Naso tangs can get HUGE. You’d likely be fine with a powder or hippo but if you’re looking at stuff in the Naso family like vlamingis and unicorns those get massive.

As far as a fairly fish safe eel is concerned, again not my area of expertise, but I’ve looked around online and NOBODY seems to have a golden dwarf moray for sale anymore. You could probably try out a wolf eel, or as many people would recommend, one of the several pebble tooth variants of morays like zebra morays. The other option to test would be a snake eel. That being said, the only 100% reef safe eel is the garden eel, and given you’re already working with a shallower tank, that could pose challenges.

I think it would be a lot easier to help you with your stocking list if you provided species instead of vague ideas?

Hmm sure. I was looking at the regular nasos, not vlamingiis and that kind of stuff. Im interested in - Zebrasoma, Ctenouachetus, Acanthurus and naso. One of each. Nasos typically max out ant 12-14" it seems

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Hmm sure. I was looking at the regular nasos, not vlamingiis and that kind of stuff. Im interested in - Zebrasoma, Ctenouachetus, Acanthurus and naso. One of each. Nasos typically max out ant 12-14" it seems

One of my LFS’s, Corner Reef, has a tank with a unicorn tang in it. I haven’t taken the dimensions of the tank but it’s in the 6-8’ range, and is definitely 24-30” front to back and 24-30” tall. Their unicorn tang is about 15” and it makes that tank look small. That’s not to say it’s the most egregious possible thing, but just think about how a Foot long fish will need to make a U turn in a 2 foot wide space, not including rockwork. I might suggest holding off on the Naso for now.

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

If I were in your shoes I’d take the time to consider some other categories of fish that are usually suggested for that 70-200 gallon range. I mean, aside from the largest species, you have plenty of room for at least one if not multiple angelfish. Anything centropyge would be a good choice, and id say you can probably get away with any of the larger angelfish- excluding those from the genuses pomacanthus and holacanthus.

You can also look at butterfly fish. Pyramids, any of the roaps, copper bands, most should do fine in a tank that size.

That being said, it’s worth noting with all of these that they’re not known to be the most reef safe things.

you should also look at anthias. And maybe look at one of the pufferfish from the genus canthigaster if you really want a puffer. From what I hear they’re a lot more likely to play well than the porcupine you mentioned

 

[MantisShrimpMan]

Also, since you seem to want an aggressive reef tank, if you’re already willing to sacrifice any shrimp and snails and crabs, you might as well look at squirrel fish and goatfish. Both very cool

 

[fishywishy]

Setting up a new fowlr tank. Need stocking suggestions. I have tried manhy places - my build thread, the deciding fish thread, lots of places, yet I still do not have any idea what to do. Its 6foot x 14 inch x 18 inch, really wonky (which might be the reason why its hard to decipher), will run on a skimmer, aio and maybe a UV sterilizer. This is a wishlist, and strike off stuff i won't be able to keep, suggest alternatives and exact number of fish #reefsquad

So dream wishlist
regal angelfish or bellus angelfish pair
goldrim or powder blue tang
scopas tang
dragonhead pipefish
mandarin pair
Red head wrasse
eibli angelfish
foxface
a dottyback
sailfin tang
clown pair
azure damsel
diamond goby
midas blenny
cream angelfish
harlequin tuskfish
aiptasia eating filefish
coral hogfish
candy hogfish
trio of sunset anthias
coral croucher trio
long nose hawk
mimic tang
atlantic blue tang
A species of butterflyfish
tomini tang

Where did you get that tank from? That’s a good size for my house.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

after accumulating a bit of opinions, I think i will try the PBT. If it gets too aggressive I will rehome. This is a list i got from https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/n...-tank-post-here-and-well-help.200605/page-300

Powder blue tang
regal or flagfin angelfish
honeycomp grouper or cubicus boxfish
yellowhead butterflyfish
trio of anthias
tomini tang
harlequin tusk or a similarly sized wrasse
EIbli angelfish
scopas or goldrim tang

Make it a Bennetti butterfly and a Ostracion meleagris Boxfish (male if you can find one)