180 gal stock list, please give suggestions

[redwhiteandblue]

well, as you all know, my 180 gal is under way and you can view it in the large tank forum.

its up and running and WILL be a mixed reef tank as the progression continues.

so far, i have:

two ocelaris clowns

zoa's
gsp
branch hammer
frogspawn
red mushrooms

there is a lot of opinions on stocking this size tank all over the web, its difficult to decide what i want to do based on these opinions. and noone has "my wishlist"

i am aware that some types may be aggressive in 1 fish, but maybe not the other and so on.

here is my wishlist to be indtroduced over a period of time.

-2 black ocellaris ( ive heard this can work with false perculas in a big enough tank) what you all think?
-flame angel (doubt it)
-coral buaety angel (i love these, and really hope that it could work, however, it seems like a 50/50 if it will work out or not based on other people having done this)
-YWG paired with a tiger pistol
-firefish
- a few chromis to add diversity and they are cheap and easy to replace
- hippo tang
-yellow tang
-foxface lo
-2 mandarins down the road


I know this list is a little risky, but do you think its possible?

also, having that list, it appears there is a little wiggle room for some more, any suggestions of colorful small fish to add?

 

[clowntriggerfis]

The hippo tang will get to big.

 

[nonstopfishies]

Looks like a good realistic stock list for the most part.

The clowns can work if they settle on opposite ends on the tank. I would be more concerned about the aggression they display when they start breeding. If two pairs are pushing the other fish to the opposite side, but that side is occupied also, it may cause additional stress.

It looks like you are aware, both of the angels may/will pick at some of your corals. The decision rests with you on what you want for corals and the corals health.

Personally I would only do 1 pair of clowns and go with a couple wrasses. Most fairy or flasher wrasses don't get very big or aggressive and would fit in well with the other fish you want. They also come in pretty much every color.

When your tank is fully mature and ready for a mandarin, I would only do one of those(tank raised) to make sure it is healthy and happy with plenty of pods(hopefully to supplement it eating other foods).

 

[A_Z]

I have always liked a PBT. and would be just as gorgeous as a Hippo IMO.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

well if it were my 180 gallon (dream tank) it would look something like this:
purple tang
achilles tang
chevron tang
mag foxface
4 wrasses
yellow watchman or starry blenny
trio of anthias
1 or 2 small grammas
pair of clowns

 

[Amoore311]

Your original list is good, but you can do a bit better I think! (Color-wise especially)

1 Pair of Black Ocellaris Clowns
Good choice... but you have a pair of clowns already. I would not risk multiple pairs of clowns unless the tank was set up for that purpose.

Flame Angel
Should be fine if you don't keep any brain corals or acans. Good choice.

Coral Beauty
Same as above.

-YWG paired with a tiger pistol
They sell pairs of watchmen w/ a pistol shrimp as well. I'd go with a pair if one were available.

-firefish
Meh.... not really my cup of tea. If you don't have a screen top kiss em goodbye. Look into a Midas Blenny as an alternative.

- a few chromis to add diversity and they are cheap and easy to replace
Don't bother. They will kill each off eventually and they aren't much to look at. Go with Lyretail Anthias. Much prettier, very hardy, won't kick the crap out of each other, and you don't have to worry about feeding them CONSTANTLY like other anthias. 2-3 Times a day is just fine.

hippo tang
Come on..... you can do better than this haha. Boring choice IMO, and they also get way to big for a 180.

yellow tang
Same as above. Size wise they will do fine in a 180 though.

foxface lo
Same as Yellow Tang. I've heard foxface like to munch on zoas as well. No personal experience there though.

2 mandarins down the road
Good choice. Be Patient when adding these guys.


My suggestions for the medium-large sized fish to look into instead of the cliche tangs and the foxface are below. I'd pick 3 of these from the list. Any more than that and it might get a bit crowded. The fish that are "*" tend to be a bit on the pricier end.

-Chevron Tang*
-Bluejaw Trigger (A Pair would work here)
-Longnosed Butterfly (As safe as a tang in terms of eating coral)
-Declivis Butterfly* (About as safe as your dwarf angel choices)
-Regal Angel* (Expert Level Care required for these guys.. but well worth the effort)
-Chocolate Tang
-Lavender Tang

 

[reefjunkie42]

id ditch all tangs you mention and go with a chevron. Love em, just know about there adult coloration. also they dont get along with many other tangs so id just pick 1. usually with tangs its 1 or 3. not 2. Id also skip the chromis and pick a few flasher wrasses. fairys as well. I love wrasses though so i might be impartial.

 

[redwhiteandblue]

thank you all for the input, you gave me more choices to look at, as well as the idea of more money to burn . one beauty of this hobby is ther possibilities are endless. good call on the chromis being a crappy pick. i just kind of figured them in because of the "expendability" factor. i will def be looking into alternative tang choices, but the hippo has always struck me as very pretty, even before finding nemo.