220 Caribbean/Costa Rica themed reef...stocking?

[tworochelles]

I've been out of reef/SW for a few years and finally got settled into a house where I can get back into it..._Yeah! So, of course I go overboard and find a steal on a 220 Oceanic Reef Ready with 40 gallon sump full setup. I'm planning on doing a DSB w/ plenum and would like to start pretty simple to get back into the hobby. Any simple stocking suggestions to replicate a Caribbean reef? FYI Everything will have to be ordered/shipped in b/c only fish store is Petco.

 

[jbvdhp]

Damn you aren't lying: you've really been out of it! Plenums were the "thing" back when I began in the late 90s maybe 2000. Not too many people run DSB anymore either.

When I was in the Caribbean recently, the fish that stuck out the most were barracuda (which I'm sure you won't do), Atlantic blue tangs and beautiful parrot fish and whatever looking local wrasses. The parrot fish stuck out the most. A lot of damsels too.

I didn't see too many coral reefs.


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[tworochelles]

just a little while...

just a little while...

We just got back from Punta Uva and there were tons of large brain corals, carpet anemone, some unknown softies, and a few others I didn't know I didn't know
We didn't see barracuda but did see lion fish (invasive), cuttle fish, ray, tons of wrasses, lots of tangs, gobies, tons of damsels (esp. Sgt Majors), urchins, and some cool macro algaes.
I guess I should research setup if it's changed that much...and yes, that does kind of date me.
Thanks for the input!

 

[jbvdhp]

We just got back from Punta Uva and there were tons of large brain corals, carpet anemone, some unknown softies, and a few others I didn't know I didn't know

We didn't see barracuda but did see lion fish (invasive), cuttle fish, ray, tons of wrasses, lots of tangs, gobies, tons of damsels (esp. Sgt Majors), urchins, and some cool macro algaes.

I guess I should research setup if it's changed that much...and yes, that does kind of date me.

Thanks for the input!

Yes the lion fish are becoming a problem over there and in Florida. The Sgt. majors were the main damsels I saw. We saw plenty of Cuda at Grand Turk, lots of tangs every where but mainly Atlantic blues.


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[MorganAtlanta]

You can get Caribbean stock shipped directly from collectors in Florida. Look at Diver Tom, KP Aquatics and MySaltwaterFishStore.

 

[saf1]

Just came back from Hawaii and underwater I grabbed one of the dive masters, pointed to a lion fish, and wrote on my slate to kill it He wrote back, LOL. Back at the boat he said that is most common for him to hear visitors say that to them. They are native to their area.

Ironically I only saw one out of the four days of diving...and it was small. I saw Kole Tangs larger that that poor guy.

Last time in Cozumel I saw lots of sea fans, Gorgonians, damsels, tangs, wrasses, shrimp, morays, rays, stone / brain corals, and what not while doing a few drift dives. Just depended on the depth.

 

[skanderson]

I would stick with the dsb because my favorite Caribbean fish is a yellow headed jawfish. I would also do a lot of gorgonians, and a group of grammas.
you could also consider adding some sea grasses or macro algae.

 

[saf1]

I would stick with the dsb because my favorite Caribbean fish is a yellow headed jawfish. I would also do a lot of gorgonians, and a group of grammas.
you could also consider adding some sea grasses or macro algae.

Yeah - that right there sounds pretty sweet actually.