add fish in what order??

[GuppyGuy]

Hey so I was thinking of what fish I would want to stock my tank with, and I've narrowed it down to these:

1 yellow tang
1 blue (or powder blue) tang
2 true percs
1 coral wrasse
1 or 2 red/cleaner shrimps
1 clam (wouldn't happen until over a year from now though)


Is there any particular order to add these fish that would cause the least disturbance to territories/acclimation/etc. ??

Thanks so much

 

[snorvich]

Tank size? Tank age?

 

[GuppyGuy]

300 gal. almost a year old.

 

[Tang tank]

I personally would add the tangs last. But I'm brand new to the hobby. But in the short time I am learning that I should have waited to add my tang until last since they get stressed so easily.

 

[MCCOOL]

What's currently in the tank? What's a coral wrasse?

I agree, add the tangs last as they can be aggressive to newcomers.

 

[GuppyGuy]

in the tank currently is a CUC and a few corals. the guy at vivid aquariums said it is similar to a melanurus wrasse? it looked exactly the same to me hah. and good to know that tangs should be last. what order should i place the clowns, wrasse, and shrimps? all at once? if i don't end up getting the wrasse until much later down the road, is it ok to introduce it to the tank with the tangs already in it?

 

[MCCOOL]

The wrasse should be fine added after the tangs, but if it's a Halichoeres species like the Melanurus, it might eat the Shrimp.

 

[GuppyGuy]

should i wait for the clowns and/or shrimps to grow to a certain size before i add the tangs? should i buy the tangs small?

 

[betamed]

Get the shrimp before any wrasses and it will be less likly they are viewed as food. My melanarus if fine with the cleaner shrimp. Get the largest cleaner you can find to be safe.
Of the fish listed I would add the powder blue last or at least at the same time as the yellow tang. All other fish are unrelated and should behave in a 300g regardless of order.

As far as fish size these individual species can be found at about any size. I like to buy smaller young fish as the tend to adapt better the captive life. Tangs might be an exception as smaller ones need to feed a lot and I don't think they ship well.

Also plan on adding more than 5 fish to a 300. I have about 25 in mine.

 

[snorvich]

I always prefer buying small fish and letting them grow. For me, small/juvenile fish are more easily introduced into community tanks. I also agree with tang addition last. Be sure to quarantine all fish.

 

[GuppyGuy]

ok thanks everyone! one last question: is it safe to buy livestock online? for example, liveaquaria.com, bluezoo.com, etc. any suggestions? it is kinda hard to pinpoint a LFS that has a powder blue tang sometimes or a specific wrasse. thanks so much!

 

[award212]

ok thanks everyone! one last question: is it safe to buy livestock online? for example, liveaquaria.com, bluezoo.com, etc. any suggestions? it is kinda hard to pinpoint a LFS that has a powder blue tang sometimes or a specific wrasse. thanks so much!

I buy most of my livestock online. Liveaquaria and bluezoo are both great sites to order from. I've also had great experiences with reefhotspot.

 

[Tang tank]

Check out the Divers Den on liveaquaria.com. You get to see an actual picture of your fish that you are buying. Plus the fish goes through a very long acclimation period with a watchful eye caring for them so when you get the fish it is the strongest healthiest it could possibly be. Plus you will know what they are eating and how well they are eat. The fish from here could be a little bit on the pricy side but I am a FIRM believer that you get what you pay for.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I've bought all my fish online for years and will never do it any other way. LA (and DD) is my favorite, have had good results with BZ too.