74 gallon tower stock question..

G

GOSKN5

New member
I have a 74 gallon tower 24x24x30... unique deep tank... I'm looking at a few options for stocking.. I have 3 fish currently..

Black snowflake clown
Orchid dottyback
Flame hawkfish

The hawkfish is a little pushy to small fish and probably should have been added later or last. However, I love the guy haha..

So I need some fairly robust and tough fish.. I also want fish that swim and will use the open water and the height of the tank... the hawk chills on the rocks, the dottyback has a hole or two and the clown does clown things.. wobbles in a spot...

Thinking about a couple of options..

Some type of damsel or trio of damsels (yellowtails, azure, saphire)

Is the tank too small for a trio of lyretails? Maybe just a single female?

Chalk bass (probably gonna hang at bottom more than open water)

What other suggestions for open water fill the space and use the depth type fish??

Here is tank.. open rock work...

ff13a1084db060b520d1e737da1a435f.jpg
 
Those dimensions certainly make it an issue with most larger species. I don't think any anthias will do well in a tank sized like that as they won't have room to swim (most fish swim on a lateral, not on a vertical). That hawk fish could also be an issue with getting any type of small goby... You could certainly look into some damsel species though, just be aware that the dottyback is likely to be aggressive to any new tankmates, so I'd suggest an acclimation box for the first few days. Also, most damsels are jerks so research carefully. :)
If you didn't already have fish I would have suggested doing a cold-water tank with seahorses, pipefish and cold-water goby species as those dimensions are perfect for such a pairing.
 
I agree with doing damsels, that looks like a perfect damsel tank. Cheap too. Look into starkii damsels, they are beautiful. And some blennies. Midas, starry are good options. The Midas should be able to use a lot of the tank and perch occasionally. Look into the smaller flasher wrasses, like carpenters and mccoskers.
 
simpleman98 said:
What about a flame angel? Very active colorful fish that can hold it's own. Always been one of my favorites.
Click to expand...

No unfortunately, look at the tank dimensions. Flame Angels need a good 4' of swimming room as they are very active. His tank is only 2' wide/long as he has a tower.
 
Don't trust a flame anyway around lps and gorgs which will be the focus of the tank...

if I could find a starcki it would be in there...

midas is a possibility although I have had them before..

Flasher maybe.. leaning toward damsel trio... maybe mix three and let em duke it out haha... I think the flame and orchid can hold their own... the clown is my worry...
 
I would get on the waiting list for a starcki on live aquaria, add another clown( a small one, so ensure it is a junevile), and a blenny.
 
As a side note, I actually really like this tank and almost as a rule I hate tower tanks. But you did a really good job on it, mad props
 
Spork3245 said:
Flame Angels need 4' of lateral swimming space.
Click to expand...

I've seen more than a few flame angels in tanks that have less than 4' of swimming space, so I would be wary of advice that insisted upon it, though with the corals in the op tank a n angel is not the best choice.
 
Thanks.. it's the first deep tank I have had.. I love the look and it feels like a drop off reef cliff to me..

Still have a LONG ways to go to get where I want it... but it's a good start.. thanks again
 
I think a midas blenny would be perfect for that tank. And maybe some cardinal fish. They like standing still, but may stand still in the upper part of the tower.
 
eatbreakfast said:
I've seen more than a few flame angels in tanks that have less than 4' of swimming space, so I would be wary of advice that insisted upon it, though with the corals in the op tank a n angel is not the best choice.
Click to expand...

I've heard you can get away with one in a 36", but a 24" is certainly not enough room. LiveAquaria (who's usually correct with minimum tank size recommendations) states that a (standard sized) 70 gallon tank is minimum for a Flame Angel due to their activity levels. When I had a FA in a 90 gallon it was all over the tank and constantly out
I'd be weary of advice that insisted upon 24" being enough swimming room for an active fish such as a Flame Angel. Maybe as a juvenile it'd be fine, but once fully grown it'd be going nuts.
 
some of the Flasher Wrasse would be great. You just have to be aware of the Flame Hawk as you introduce them. You may have to try an acclimation box.
 
Martini5788 said:
What is maintenance like?
Click to expand...
It's a bit challenging.. I'm 5'11 and the top of the tank is nose high on me.. so I have a stool and it takes me literally up to my shoulder to reach bottom... which is more challenging for placing corals and getting stuff than maintenance...

I use a scraper for the glass.. I'm also gonna order some long tongs to grab stuff on bottom... it's barebottom so that helps as well... I have a long piece of stuff tubing for water changes I can use without getting my hands in.. so yeah its a bit of a pain but most of it can he worked around...
 
Spork3245 said:
I've heard you can get away with one in a 36", but a 24" is certainly not enough room. LiveAquaria (who's usually correct with minimum tank size recommendations) states that a (standard sized) 70 gallon tank is minimum for a Flame Angel due to their activity levels. When I had a FA in a 90 gallon it was all over the tank and constantly out
I'd be weary of advice that insisted upon 24" being enough swimming room for an active fish such as a Flame Angel. Maybe as a juvenile it'd be fine, but once fully grown it'd be going nuts.
Click to expand...
Flame angel isn't on the list for that reason and the possibility of picking on corals... I agree it's too small of a space...maybe a flameback or a cherub in this space...
 
Spork3245 said:
I've heard you can get away with one in a 36", but a 24" is certainly not enough room. LiveAquaria (who's usually correct with minimum tank size recommendations) states that a (standard sized) 70 gallon tank is minimum for a Flame Angel due to their activity levels. When I had a FA in a 90 gallon it was all over the tank and constantly out
I'd be weary of advice that insisted upon 24" being enough swimming room for an active fish such as a Flame Angel. Maybe as a juvenile it'd be fine, but once fully grown it'd be going nuts.
Click to expand...
Have you seen one 'go nuts' in a 24"x24"? Unlikely. I have seen on more than one occasion flame angels kept in a 60g cube and constantly be out without issue.

To state that since you had them in a 90g and they used all of that space, well I have a pr in an 11'x3' and they use all the space there, would that be justifiable to say that 4' would be to small? I think not.
 
eatbreakfast said:
Have you seen one 'go nuts' in a 24"x24"? Unlikely. I have seen on more than one occasion flame angels kept in a 60g cube and constantly be out without issue.

To state that since you had them in a 90g and they used all of that space, well I have a pr in an 11'x3' and they use all the space there, would that be justifiable to say that 4' would be to small? I think not.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you've seen someone keep a Flame Angel in an irresponsibly sized tank and think that justifies one in a 24"x24" space. I've seen small Blue Tangs in a 60 gallon cube, I guess that means 24" is enough for one then! :deadhorse1:
Please enlighten me as to why all guides for keeping Flame Angels recommend a minimum of a 3' tank space and recommend 4' if "24 inches is enough"?
Again, when smaller it'll likely be fine, at full-size, not so much.
 
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