BrokenSpoke
New member
Setting up a new 75 gallon tank and if it were yours, how would you stock it? I have 4 T5's for lighting and will have a mix of softies and LPS corals. Looking forward to your thoughts
75 Gallon stocking thread
- Thread starter BrokenSpoke
- Start date
BigBlueTang
Active member
I see your in Parker! Cool! I'm in Boulder!
I have the exact same size, and I'd reccomend all the reef safe wrasses, and wrasses of the Halichoeres sp.
Wrasses are just so friggin cool!
If you like tangs, bristletooth or kole tangs will work..
As well as all dwarf angels..
A 75 is on the bigger size, so it all depends how deep your wallet is.
What's your price range?
scooter31707
New member
I do not recommend any tangs for that size tank. They will eventually become aggressive because of the lack of space. Also you can look at some Gobies/Blennies, small species of Hawkfish.
fredfish13
Member
i have a 75 with pair of clowns, 1 chromis, spotted bristletooth tang, 1 spot foxface, pj cardinal, leopard wrasse, coris wrasse, and bartlett anthias.
BrokenSpoke
New member
I'm not going to get into the tang discussion. I've had them before, will probably have them again, and when they outgrow the tank I move them on.
I've looked hard at wrasses but I have a couple of questions. Would you put one in a new tank, one started with dry rock? I'm not going to use a refugium, don't have the room, and I know I can seed the tank with pods but I'm not certain that's a viable option. Also, I'm using Tropic Marin Reef Flakes for sand and I think it might be too abrasive and at 2" deep it might not deep enough for wrasses. Any thoughts on this?
In my previous iteration of this tank, before it crashed after 7 years, I had a yellow tail damsel (super peaceful), 2 percula clowns, mandarin, flame angel, small regal tang, small yellow tang, and the assorted cleaner shrimp and clean up crew. I had zero issues with aggression or coral nipping.
I've looked hard at wrasses but I have a couple of questions. Would you put one in a new tank, one started with dry rock? I'm not going to use a refugium, don't have the room, and I know I can seed the tank with pods but I'm not certain that's a viable option. Also, I'm using Tropic Marin Reef Flakes for sand and I think it might be too abrasive and at 2" deep it might not deep enough for wrasses. Any thoughts on this?
In my previous iteration of this tank, before it crashed after 7 years, I had a yellow tail damsel (super peaceful), 2 percula clowns, mandarin, flame angel, small regal tang, small yellow tang, and the assorted cleaner shrimp and clean up crew. I had zero issues with aggression or coral nipping.
Spartanman22
New member
All my wrasses have been aggressive frozen and pellet feeders. My black leopards chows on lysis, brine, and pellets
BigBlueTang
Active member
Honestly, the only wrasses that depend on pods to survive are leopard wrasses, and once they become acclimated, they eat everything, but probably require three feedings a day..
Haliocheres wrasses are the ones that need sandbeds, and they're all reef safe with caution because they will eat your CUC occasionally, like the popular Melanurus wrasse.
I'd go with a couple of flasher wrasses, or some fairy wrasses. Super easy to keep, very hardy, very colorful, very active
BrokenSpoke
New member
So here is my initial stocking list. I DO NOT plan on getting every one of these fish as the tank would be severely overstocked but my I' like your thoughts on combinations of these fish.
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 Black Cap Basslet
1 Exquisite Firefish
1 Spotted Mandarin (to be added 8 - 10 months down the road)
1 Mystery Wrasse
1 Tanaka Possum Wrasse
1 Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
1 Leopard Wrasse
1 Black Leopard Wrasse
1 Flame Angel
1 Potters Angel
1 Golden Angel
Again, I do not plan on having 14 fish in my 75, these are just fish I like in the quantities I am considering. The final stocking list will be a combination of fish from this list so I welcome your suggestions and yes, I realize that not all of the fish are compatible with others such as having more than 1 dwarf angel. :thumbsup:
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 Black Cap Basslet
1 Exquisite Firefish
1 Spotted Mandarin (to be added 8 - 10 months down the road)
1 Mystery Wrasse
1 Tanaka Possum Wrasse
1 Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
1 Leopard Wrasse
1 Black Leopard Wrasse
1 Flame Angel
1 Potters Angel
1 Golden Angel
Again, I do not plan on having 14 fish in my 75, these are just fish I like in the quantities I am considering. The final stocking list will be a combination of fish from this list so I welcome your suggestions and yes, I realize that not all of the fish are compatible with others such as having more than 1 dwarf angel. :thumbsup:
Last edited:
BrokenSpoke
New member
Right now I am leaning towards
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 Exquisite Firefish
1 Spotted Mandarin (to be added 8 - 10 months down the road)
1 Mystery Wrasse
1 Tanaka Possum Wrasse
And only one of the following
Flame Angel
Potters Angel
Golden Angel
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1 Royal Gramma
1 Exquisite Firefish
1 Spotted Mandarin (to be added 8 - 10 months down the road)
1 Mystery Wrasse
1 Tanaka Possum Wrasse
And only one of the following
Flame Angel
Potters Angel
Golden Angel
BrokenSpoke
New member
A little background on me:
I had, key word here is had, a very stable reef tank that was close to 7 years old. The tank was full of LPS, softies, and a nice variety of fish (some easy to keep and some considered difficult). Like a lot of folks, I had a heater that was not connected to any sort of controller. This bothered me so I began researching controllers. Unfortunately, before I purchased a controller, I went away for a 3 day weekend.
When I returned home the first thing I noticed was the smell. If you ever lost a tank you know the smell and you never forget it. I went to check on the tank and everything, and I mean everything was dead. It seems the heater stuck on and the water temp was 94 degrees. In frustration I tore everything down, threw away the rock and sand, and put what was left into storage.
After two years of seeing the empty tank every day I figured it was time to start it back up again. Using my old equipment, which is still in great shape, I set the tank back up with Tropic Marin Reef Flakes and Walt Smith 2.1 rock. The tank is now fully cycled and it's time to start slowly stocking the tank again.
I had, key word here is had, a very stable reef tank that was close to 7 years old. The tank was full of LPS, softies, and a nice variety of fish (some easy to keep and some considered difficult). Like a lot of folks, I had a heater that was not connected to any sort of controller. This bothered me so I began researching controllers. Unfortunately, before I purchased a controller, I went away for a 3 day weekend.
When I returned home the first thing I noticed was the smell. If you ever lost a tank you know the smell and you never forget it. I went to check on the tank and everything, and I mean everything was dead. It seems the heater stuck on and the water temp was 94 degrees. In frustration I tore everything down, threw away the rock and sand, and put what was left into storage.
After two years of seeing the empty tank every day I figured it was time to start it back up again. Using my old equipment, which is still in great shape, I set the tank back up with Tropic Marin Reef Flakes and Walt Smith 2.1 rock. The tank is now fully cycled and it's time to start slowly stocking the tank again.
