250gal DD passive schooling tank stock plan

[bluebayou]

I want to try something a little different so I was thinking about getting a 250 Perfecto Deep Dimension (60x36x27) putting a few live rock islands, gullys and caves but leaving quite a bit of open space, and then filling it with small schooling fish as well as some bottom dwellers. I really am looking for interesting fish that may be a little different but I am not adverse to a nice large school of mixed Chromis. I will have a large attached refugium that I will insure maintains a nice supply of copepods and amphipods. I will more or less be limiting the stocking to fish 3" or less but I would like to have a mess of them while still maintaining water parameters for a mixed coral setup. I will have a split drain going to the fuge and an I-Tech 400 skimmer, meeting in the center and being returned.

How many of these small fish would equal a medium/heavy bioload?

I am looking to put in at minimum pairs when possible otherwise trios up to say 5-10 fish schools.

For stock I was thinking:

School of mixed Apogons
School of mixed Chromis
School of mixed Anthias
Pair of Green Mandarins
Pair of Scooters
Trio of Royal Grammas
Small group of Assessors (yellow and blue)
Pair of Yellowhead Jawfish
1 Banggai Cardinal
Pair of percula clowns
Pair of Yellowtail Blue Damsels (parasema)
Pair of Convict Blennies
Pair of Neon Gobies

Would I be able to get away with adding a Flame Hawk to the mix?

Would a pistol shrimp/goby pair just be a risk for the other small fishes? I've heard that pistol shrimps can attack sleeping fish.

What about Firefish/Dartfish with the above?

Any other ideas?

 

[claytonkelly2004]

I would either have the Grammas or the Assessors. I my experience Royal Grammas can be agressive and territorial competing against like fish. i.e. Small fish that live in the rockwork.

 

[Jdbrine]

I would either have the Grammas or the Assessors. I my experience Royal Grammas can be agressive and territorial competing against like fish. i.e. Small fish that live in the rockwork.

+1....... grammas are aggressive and they a very similar to accesors. Accesors are much more peaceful. Would also steer clear of the yellow tailed damsels. They as super aggressive and VERY territorial!!!..... the yellow headed jawfish are very cool.... they are some of the most entertaining fish to watch..... in a tank that large I would add 4-6 jawfish.....you'll be fine with all the other fish you have listed.. just steer clear of those mean yellow tailed damsels and your gonna have one amazing setup!!!!!!! Be sure and post pics.....

 

[Gill_bucket]

+1 on not including the yellow tail damsels they are mean little guys. In a tank that size I would think you could do a school of Banggai Cardinal, just a thought.

 

[Gill_bucket]

If you do decided to get a pistol shrimp just remember to put down our rock work before the sand.

 

[IFbettas]

+1....... grammas are aggressive and they a very similar to accesors. Accesors are much more peaceful. Would also steer clear of the yellow tailed damsels. They as super aggressive and VERY territorial!!!..... the yellow headed jawfish are very cool.... they are some of the most entertaining fish to watch..... in a tank that large I would add 4-6 jawfish.....you'll be fine with all the other fish you have listed.. just steer clear of those mean yellow tailed damsels and your gonna have one amazing setup!!!!!!! Be sure and post pics.....

I disagree that yellow tail blue damsels are very aggressive. They are one of the most peaceful damsels, IME. I kept a mated pair of them in my reef for a few years and they never bothered anyone. They laid eggs on the underside of one of my chalices every few weeks and it was really fun to watch.

I think your stock list sounds fine, but I'd skip the convict blennies because they get so big (about a foot!) and like to dig all over.

 

[betamed]

Agree on the grammas. Trios usually do poorly too. Otherwise I think its good. just add some wrasses and the hawkfish. Honestly a few damsels in a 250 are not going to be a big issue.

 

[IFbettas]

+1 on not including the yellow tail damsels they are mean little guys. In a tank that size I would think you could do a school of Banggai Cardinal, just a thought.

It's not a good idea to keep banggais in groups other than a male/female pair. Once they hit maturity and pair up they will usually try to eliminate all other banggais in the same tank.

 

[therman]

Check out azure/Kupang damsels (C. hemicyanea). Similar to yellowtail blues but with even better colors. I have both in separate tanks and both are great fish. They are very peaceful and don't give firefish any trouble but can hold their own against a sixline.

I'd add a pair of firefish to that list too. Maybe a yellow or radiant wrasse.

 

[mrwilson]

I like the idea generally; it's similar to what I've got going in my 200 DD. One thing you might consider is adding one or two much larger (but docile) fish also, for added visual interest. In my tank, for instance, my 7" foxface looks quite dramatic in contrast with all of the small fish: the seven little Apogon leptacanthus, trio of bicolor blennies, the fridmani pseudochromis, the adornatus wrasse, pair of zebra dartfish, pair of bristletail filefish, etc.

(Also, for what it's worth, my trio of royal grammas, which I added next to last, have shown no aggression to any other fish since I added them about five months ago. The largest of those is nearly twice the size as the other two, and that seems to have resulted in the social structure I'd hoped for - the smaller two seem to know he's the boss and stay in line.)

 

[bluebayou]

Thank you all for the information. It's funny, I've read every book I can get my hands on, and from them I came up with the list above. But then I read the Fish FAQ sticky on this forum and just learned about Chromis and how they will kill the remainder of their compadres Additionally I learned about the difference between true schooling and shoaling. Maybe it's best if I axe the Chromis and start over with what I'm looking for and just ask for recommendations.

I want a large tank that is visually deep that is filled with small shoaling and interesting fish. Additionally I want incredible coral. I am a beginner but have spent countless hours researching in preparation to setup a dream I've had since the 80's.

First I am looking for an idea how many small fish (2-3")could be correctly housed in a 250DD aquarium. 20? 30? I do understand that there are an enormous amount of variables but pretending I have a great skimmer and fuge, great nutrient export ect.

I plan on maximizing the zooplankton aspect and really making sure that I am generating tons of copepods and amphipods.

The LFS has a flame Hawk in their display tank. This has been one of the most enjoyable fish I've seen so far. What can I do to include this fish in my setup? I've read a lot about their possible aggressiveness with small bottom fishes.

Is it possible with some/most of the candidates above to include a small group of pipefish? I understand their highly specialized requirements.

Is it true that pistol shrimp are unsafe with the other passive species listed above?

More that anything I want:

Enjoyable to watch, interesting behavior
Beauty in color and movement

Thanks

 

[bluebayou]

I like the idea generally; it's similar to what I've got going in my 200 DD. One thing you might consider is adding one or two much larger (but docile) fish also, for added visual interest. In my tank, for instance, my 7" foxface looks quite dramatic in contrast with all of the small fish: the seven little Apogon leptacanthus, trio of bicolor blennies, the fridmani pseudochromis, the adornatus wrasse, pair of zebra dartfish, pair of bristletail filefish, etc.

(Also, for what it's worth, my trio of royal grammas, which I added next to last, have shown no aggression to any other fish since I added them about five months ago. The largest of those is nearly twice the size as the other two, and that seems to have resulted in the social structure I'd hoped for - the smaller two seem to know he's the boss and stay in line.)

Thanks MrWilson. That is the sort of stuff I'm looking for. I would like to maximize (and am willing to pay for) getting pairs and trios ect.

I was thinking about adding a large trophy fish or two but wonder if the available bioload is better spent on smaller fishes. I do realize this is a complete matter of opinion. I would love a puffer but had to give up that idea early on...:sad2:

 

[bluebayou]

If you do decided to get a pistol shrimp just remember to put down our rock work before the sand.

I've actually really been thinking about this. My plan is to have zones of substrate going from fine all the way to coral rubble in "rivers" through the tank like a delta. For safety, modularity, and maintenance sake the idea of glueing cubes of acrylic below all your rockwork to lift the bottom of the rocks up to the top level of the substrate really caught my attention. Stability, safety and it will look cool. My current plan is to use molds and create nubs with some of the black pond spray foam on the bottom of my base rocks to provide lift as well as excellent stability.

 

[treylane]

+1 for the hemicyanea damsels, super color, not too mean and fun to watch in pairs. Chromis retrofasciata do well in pairs as well, with slightly different behavior.

Assessors are great in a nano - indestructible, cute, mellow. But in a large tank they're booooring (imo)... I had a school of ~6 hulafish (Trachinops taeniatus) that were fun to watch and didn't show signs of picking each other off for the ~3months that I had them, but I unfortunately lost them in a tank move... so maybe someone else has more info on long-term issues with them.

 

[el aguila]

Your stocking ideas are similar to mine. I'm just getting started. Personally, I'm skipping the chromis. just rate your fish according to aggression and add the most docile first. Many consider jawfish a good first fish to add so that they get used to feeding before competition starts in.

I got a pair of purple fire fish. Went to a local LFS that had several in a tank and watched for a while noticing two that stuck together. Keeping track of them while getting them out can be a trick.

My next fish to add are going to be a group of zebra dartfish.

I like flasher wrasses and some of the more docile fairy wrasses for some nice color.

I'm still undecided about a small Royal Gramma group, if I do they will be some of the last to go in the tank. I will try to get a male (large one) and a few females (smaller ones). Of course there is no guarantee on the sexing deal.

I also want one to two types of larger fish to compliment the small fish. I'm thinking about a trio of smaller Regal Angels added last.

 

[Bret61081]

Id consider a possum wrasse! I love mine, always weaving in and out of the rock work! Other fish Ive had good luck with in a reef is Janns Pipefish. They are a little more aggressive feeders and will come right out and get the food! As for the assessors, I dont find them boring! They are one of my favorite fish...just make sure you have lots of caves and overhangs so they can hang out upside down! I have a pair of flame hawks in my tank and they tend to pick on my glass cardinals. I started off with 6 now Im down to 2. I always see my smaller of the 2 chasing after them!