Cycling done... Time to stock!!!

[gorillapimp28]

Hey guys, just finished cycling my 65 gal and now have a couple of clowns in there along with a small group of cuc. Now I am looking for advise on the rest of my stocking list down the road. Let me know what you guys think about compatibility and order of aqusition. The plan is to have a mixed reef of lps and soft corals (beginner species).

-2 perc clowns
-Diamond or yellow goby/pistol shrimp - do I need an established sand bed do the goby?
-Sarcophyton
-Six line wrasse
-Mushrooms and pulsing Xenia
-Coral beauty

And maybe one more fish(suggestions?). Im sure some other types of corals will catch my attention down the road but I'll cross that bridge once I get there.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JUNBUG361]

Not sure if the coral beauty is reef safe

 

[thegrun]

You need sand but not an established sand bed for the golby. I would go with one of the flasher wrasses rather than a six line wrasse, they nearly always get very aggressive, particularly in a tank under 100 gallons. If a six line is a must have fish for you be sure it is the last fish you add, it will not tolerate new comers. The Coral Beauty can also get quite aggressive in a smaller tank, but not nearly as bad as the 6 line. Dwarf angels will often nip or even destroy corals, so again it is a fish you might want to pass on. Mushrooms and particularly xenia can spread to a point of becoming a problem. Sorry to have mostly bad news on your selections!

 

[BryanCaruso]

A 65 is a hard tank to stock too small for anything really cool like a centerpiece type fish. I have one myself so I know. So this is what I came up with. 3 wrasse one leopard,1mccosker,1 fairy wrasse lubbocks they all get along fine and are very cool to watch swim and peck and flash so instead of one bigger centerpiece I have 3 cool wrasse imho. I have 2 mocha clownfish. I would research the gobies more they can wipe out the micro fauna pretty quick. Diamonds are messy so if you have corals on the sand not a good idea. I have a cleaner shrimp and some pistols can eat them and other hermit crabs. I am going to get a royal gramma next.

 

[gorillapimp28]

Not sure if the coral beauty is reef safe

Thanks, I will take into consideration.

 

[gorillapimp28]

You need sand but not an established sand bed for the golby. I would go with one of the flasher wrasses rather than a six line wrasse, they nearly always get very aggressive, particularly in a tank under 100 gallons. If a six line is a must have fish for you be sure it is the last fish you add, it will not tolerate new comers. The Coral Beauty can also get quite aggressive in a smaller tank, but not nearly as bad as the 6 line. Dwarf angels will often nip or even destroy corals, so again it is a fish you might want to pass on. Mushrooms and particularly xenia can spread to a point of becoming a problem. Sorry to have mostly bad news on your selections!

Please don't be sorry. I need to hear these things to help me make the right decision. None of these are a must have aside from the 2 "Nemos" my daughter requested. I'm just glad I was able to convince her that Dory will not be happy in our tank. Thanks for your advice and it's back to the drawing board for me. Good thing there is a lot of waiting involved in this hobby lol.

 

[gorillapimp28]

A 65 is a hard tank to stock too small for anything really cool like a centerpiece type fish. I have one myself so I know. So this is what I came up with. 3 wrasse one leopard,1mccosker,1 fairy wrasse lubbocks they all get along fine and are very cool to watch swim and peck and flash so instead of one bigger centerpiece I have 3 cool wrasse imho. I have 2 mocha clownfish. I would research the gobies more they can wipe out the micro fauna pretty quick. Diamonds are messy so if you have corals on the sand not a good idea. I have a cleaner shrimp and some pistols can eat them and other hermit crabs. I am going to get a royal gramma next.

I think I'll be ok without having a "centerpiece" fish and just having a peaceful community. I will look more into the wrasses you've recommended. I am intrigued by the symbiotic relationship between a goby and pistol shrimp. But if it will cause more trouble or harm I would rather go without these guys. Thanks for your input!

 

[sde1500]

You'll be fine with a yellow, I assume you mean yellow watchman, goby/pistol combo. It shouldn't cause any harm. 65 gallons is a great size, maybe I'm a little biased though. Big enough for visitors to go "woah thats a big tank" and not too big for you to get overwhelmed with maintenance. Plenty of better looking wrasses out there than the 6-line if you ask me. I have a melanurus that is just great to watch swim around. Its not terribly aggressive either, though it didn't like my fairy wrasse who eventually jumped anyway. It will be my only wrasse.