FOWLR Stocking

[MonsterFishBook]

I'm planning 2, possibly 3 FOWLRs. One will be decorated nicely with high quality rock and possibly some basic corals for a display and the others will have base rock and PVC decorations.

First tank plans:
-Green moray eel
-If it has a chance of surviving (if not moved into their own tank) - porcupine puffer, sohal tang, emperor snapper, queen/french and/or annularis angelfish

Second tank plans:
-Achilles tang
-2 yellow tangs
-2 yellow belly hippo tangs
-Naso tang
-Cuban hogfish
-Majestic angelfish
-Tribal blenny
-Pair of mai tai clownfish (maroon/ocellaris hybrids, sweet looking clowns)
-Vanderbilt's chromis
-Princess damselfish
-Blue dot jawfish
-Yellow watchman goby
-Green clown goby colony (probably around 6 or 7)
-4 dragonets
-Sargassum triggerfish
-Christmas wrasse
-Melanurus wrasse
-Vrolik's wrasse
-Harlequin tusk
-Some sort of schooling fish (like anthias, cardinals, etc but only one species - suggestions?)
-Some sort of cleaner shrimp (suggestions?)

Are these plans okay? Thanks

 

[Taahirs]

Shrimp is out for the second tank. There are a few predators on that list that will/could eat it.

 

[MonsterFishBook]

Shrimp is out for the second tank. There are a few predators on that list that will/could eat it.

Gotcha. That's what I though, figured I'd try it because cleaner wrasses have a pretty low survival rate. Are there any other really good cleaners that wouldn't immediately be eaten?

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Heniochus are what I call the nurse fish of the saltwater world. I have had a few and they all have been "cleaner" or what I called my "nurse" fish as they would clean all of the fish in the tank just like the cleaner shrimp or fish do. My large Emperor would flare his gills out so she could pick inside of them as well as in his mouth.

Get this one

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+242&pcatid=242

 

[MonsterFishBook]

The heniochus are cool, but wouldn't there be problems with aggression and space since they're kinda big? Neon gobies seem like they might work out, and they kinda look like smaller cleaner wrasses and are much easier to care for. Anyone have suggestions for a schooling fish? Preferably something cardinal or anthias sized.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

LOL Neon gobies might look the part but they don't do anything as far as being a cleaner.

It takes them quite a while to get big, I had 3 of them in a 200 gal for about 3 years and they were slow growers. I'd get them at the normal purchase size of 2-3" great fish and no aggression either from them or towards them. If you look around you can find some smaller ones. Just due to their behavior they were one of my favorite butterfly fish.

 

[MonsterFishBook]

Hmmm, I might have to think about heniochus then. LA said neon gobies would help clean fish. I imagine they do but probably not nearly as well as a cleaner wrasse

 

[MonsterFishBook]

I don't want to have to go through the troubles of feeding anthias, and the only successfully schooling saltwater fish (say that 5 times fast) I have really found is cardinals. I want a school of pyjamas in the tank but it seems like they really won't school. If they will 100% not school then I will likely go with blue eye threadfin cardinals because they seem to be pretty good schooling fish. Does 12 sound like a good number?

Also what sort of rockwork should I have for the tangs? I used to have a 125 FOWLR and the tangs were fine with 2 rock islands but is there anything special for the bigger/more delicate species like achilles or nasos?

 

[MonsterFishBook]

Forgot to put that the second tank will be 8x4x30" and the first is designed around the moray, so probably either 8 by 4 or 10 by 4, and bigger if necessary for the other fish (snapper and puffer)

 

[MonsterFishBook]

Sorry last post for now. Going to replace 1 yellow tang for a moorish idol - or is the tank too aggressive for one?