Considerations for success in stocking a new aquarium

[windowlicker916]

I searched the forum and only found posts asking for help with the list of fish they should get or whether there were any issues with the list they had made already....not what I am looking for. If anyone knows of a good write up to read, please share it :beer:

My question is this:

What order should various families of fish be introduced if introducing them all at the same time is a bad idea? I am upgrading from a smaller tank to a large tank at the end of the month.

I assume stocking all the fish at once will easily be a huge mistake due to the inability to quarantine them all at once and that just one sick fish could wipe an expensive purchase.

From what I have read, there are obvious stocking issues, some fish can't have more than one of the same family or color/shape. Example from the fish FAQ in this forum being two male fairy wrasses of the same species or coloration/size/shape. I believe the same is true of tangs as well.

I have read that if stocking more than one tang you want to introduce them at the same time so one isn't aggressive over the other for being in its territory and avoid same type and coloration.

I plan on some more tangs and wrasses and perhaps a reef safer butterfly. There might be more of other species added but these listed are the ones I have identified that I should be most methodical about.

Fish I will be moving over from my current tank that will be taken into account when selecting additional fish are:

Yellow Tang
Kole Yellow Eye Tang
Six Line Wrasse
5 Chromis
Paired Ocellaris
Cleaner Shrimp
Fire Shrimp
Harlequin Shrimp

 

[Kahuna Tuna]

When upgrading to a bigger tank it is absolutely ideal if the process can be a gradual introduction from the old tank to the new one with both still up and running. Give us some information, how big is the new tank? Corals? Possible new tankmates? From the list you have now I have one suggestion already, especially if you want other wrasses (especially fairy or flasher wrasses) and that would be to ditch the six line, unholy little terrors they are.

 

[windowlicker916]

Really? What is the issue with the six line, I am curious.

More information......This is my 3rd tank. I took the approach to start small and end up big so I could learn what works, doesn't work, and what will make my life easier.

Current setup is a 55g, I am upgrading to a 180 or 210, still up for grabs because of internal euro bracing and the fact I will be using a BeanAnimal overflow which due to the bracing will need to go under the bracing which will cut in to volume. I am leaning towards the 210 since my water line will be at the bracing which is like 3" from the top rim. All said, both tanks are 6 feet by 2 feet with the height undetermined yet.

Corals are a mix right now of stony and soft, zoa/paly, mushrooms, acan, acropora, montipora, chalice, cyphastria, some hairy sps I can't ID, and a candy cane.

Don't know if that helps, I will be coming up with a list of fish I wish to add, but my set back to developing that is compatibility and when to add them. If I add in the wrong order I run the risk of one fish killing the other.

 

[PokerReefer]

Another reefer posted this link awhile back and it helped me with compatibility. http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm gl with the new set up. Hth.

 

[windowlicker916]

Another reefer posted this link awhile back and it helped me with compatibility. http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm gl with the new set up. Hth.

Thanks for the link, I was aware of it and will be using it. Sadly it does not address issues of introducing one before another. To clarify if needed, adding 2 fish at the same time usually means they will not pick on each other but if one was established and you introduced the second, the second will get picked on or killed through stress or damage.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Introduce fish starting with the most docile working your way to the most aggressive. This means starting with fish like firefish, small gobies, etc. and working your way up to the most aggressive like tangs and angels.

 

[windowlicker916]

How about the issue that I have 2 tangs already? When I transplant them this should theoretically be when I would add similar fish since they will be in a new environment so not territorial.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

Are you going to be able to have both tanks running at the same time? If you are then add them after more peaceful fish are added, but they shouldn't be too bad if the fish you add are going to look very different from them. Tangs should for the most part ignore something like a goby or wrasse because they don't look like a tang.

 

[windowlicker916]

I will be running both so my new tank can cycle.

And I am not sure if I am being clear or not but I will be adding more tang I believe, so when I move the two existing, thats when I should add any additional tangs or similar shaped?

 

[Reefing Newbie]

What are you planning to add to your existing fish? This may help and make it less confusing.

To answer your question, it is going to depend on the tang you add. If you add something like a powder blue then you are going to want to add your current tangs before the powder blue. If you choose a peaceful tang like a convict tang, then you should add it before the yellow tang. Order of addition can be tricky. I would recommend and acclimation box to put new additions in for a day or two (after being in QT) to see how the existing fish react to it.

 

[jtarmitage]

As was mentioned above, if you want to keep other wrasses, do NOT add the 6 line. They will harass any new wrasse additions. It is possible to keep a 6 line with other wrasses, but it will have to be added last.

As for the tangs, they really need to be added at pretty much the same time, with the smaller, less aggressive ones ahead of larger, aggressive ones. For example, I had a very small, rather shy scopas in my 225g, and added a yellow that was easily 2x his size. He went to town on the yellow. A day or 2 of darkness, with a mirror added to the side of the tank for the next week helped quite a bit, but it finally stopped when I added my considerably larger Purple tang back to the tank. The Purple had been pulled for a week because I was going to add the yellow. Now that he's back, the true pecking order is not in question, so they all calmed back down.
You may also have issues adding a butterfly to a tank with established tangs, so that group of fish really should go in last.

The reality is, if you plan on keeping similar types(body shape, color, feeding behavior) fish together, they will do best if added simultaneously.