Hack away at my stock list please

F

Fretfreak13

I am not a boy!
Hey RC,

Planning on an 80g shallow build (48x24x16) that is slowly in the making. Of course I'm picking a fish list already...lol Can you guys hack away at this list with what should be removed? I'm not new to reefing by any means and work at a LFS, so any fish you recommend to me I guarantee I've already seen, considered, and there's a reason its not on the list lol. I'd like to narrow it down a little bit, but I'm having a really hard time picking what to remove. Who would you kick out and why?

Fathead Sunburst Anthias x3 (Male, female, female)
Black Ice Clownfish x1 (don't want a pair, less aggression that way)
Bellus Angel x2 (Male, female)
Midas Blenny x1
Twinspot Goby x1
Longnose Hawkfish x1
Yellow-stripe Clingfish x1
Flame Angel x1
Mandarin x1 (Already have her, she eats mysis like a champ)
Mystery Wrasse x1
McCoskers Flasher Wrasse x1
Lubbocks Wrasse x1 (Already have her as well, so she can't be removed)
Kole Tang x1
 
I'd remove the six line wrasse(real jerks)' and the twin spot.
The twin spot, although one of my favorite gobies, needed lots of pods to survive. With the mandarin and the wrasses picking at pods all day long, the twin spot will lost likely starve to death.
I have a 11' tank and am still hesitant to put one in there. They have a poor survival rate.
 
The mystery wrasse will be trouble with other wrasses, and he'll find any shrimp quite tasty once of appreciable size.
 
d-man said:
I'd remove the six line wrasse(real jerks)' and the twin spot.
The twin spot, although one of my favorite gobies, needed lots of pods to survive. With the mandarin and the wrasses picking at pods all day long, the twin spot will lost likely starve to death.
I have a 11' tank and am still hesitant to put one in there. They have a poor survival rate.
Click to expand...

There is no sixline wrasse on that list, silly! lol

I have the strangest mandarin in the world. She doesn't eat pods...seriously. She lives in a 6 gallon tank and is fed mysis 3x dailiy. There are pods all over the glass! If she was eating them, that tiny tank population would be gone in an hour. lol I've had her in my care for over a year and a half, and in that tank since November. I see what you mean about the wrasses eating them though. If I add the twin spot at all, it will be near the end. Thanks for your input!

As for the mystery, that wasn't one I was thinking I'd have to alter. I know many people who have mystery wrasses in with other wrasses without issue. I know about the shrimp though, wasn't planning on any. Maybe you just have a really mean mystery! o_O Love your avatar by the way.

I guess my main question is focused on the Bellus Angel pair. Does anyone have any experience with these?
 
Here goes:

Fathead Sunburst Anthias x3 (Male, female, female) These are very passive fish. I don't know how they do in trios but they may be bullied by some of the other fish on your list (i.e., hawkfish, mystery wrasse).
Black Ice Clownfish x1 (don't want a pair, less aggression that way)
Bellus Angel x2 (Male, female)May need more room long-term.
Midas Blenny x1Great fish.
Twinspot Goby x1Really difficult, most starve, seem to do better in pairs.
Longnose Hawkfish x1 I think these guys can be kind of nasty.
Yellow-stripe Clingfish x1These are really cool little fish, but I would skip it. They rarely survive. If you really want to try, you should consider adding a diadema urchin (or two) for it to feed on. Even then, it's iffy.
Flame Angel x1
Mandarin x1 (Already have her, she eats mysis like a champ)
Mystery Wrasse x1They seem to be fine when small, but get mean after they're mature.
McCoskers Flasher Wrasse x1Great fish, assuming you've got a covered tank.
Lubbocks Wrasse x1 (Already have her as well, so she can't be removed)Have you ever kept this fish with other wrasses? This and the mystery could be a problem for a McCoskers and maybe the anthias.
Kole Tang x1 Also a great fish.
 
Fathead Sunburst Anthias x3 (Male, female, female) OK, but do you REALLY like them, or are you hoping for grouping behavior... if the latter, just get one.
Black Ice Clownfish x1 (don't want a pair, less aggression that way) OK
Bellus Angel x2 (Male, female) Maybe another centropyge instead?
Midas Blenny x1 Might be OK, see tang comment
Twinspot Goby x1 Pass, too difficult to feed
Longnose Hawkfish x1 OK
Yellow-stripe Clingfish x1 Never had one... no clue
Flame Angel x1 OK
Mandarin x1 (Already have her, she eats mysis like a champ) She'll never get enough food with all the other fish, unless you do some sort of feeding station that the other fish can't get into
Mystery Wrasse x1 Pass - will be problematic
McCoskers Flasher Wrasse x1 OK
Lubbocks Wrasse x1 OK
Kole Tang x1 Pass, I'd worry about aggression in that size tank - if you want an algae eater, get a starry blenny instead
 
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Thank you! My responses:

1.) Anthias - thanks for the input. I guess we'll just see how this goes. The first sign of trouble that hawkfish is out. I ADORE them, but not nearly as much as some of the other fish on my list. I do like the grouping behavior, though. Do these anthias not school, SDguy?
2.) Angels - If there seems to be an issue, I have a larger home to send them to already. ;) SDguy, do you have any other suggestions?
3.) Clingfish - I have an individual that I have access too that eats Nutrimar OVA. I work at a LFS actually, so I have the pleasure to observe a lot of fish at once and take my pick. Its actually how I wound up with my goofball mandarin.
4.) Twinspot - I'm starting to reconsider the more people are telling me about them. If I do add one (or two), it will be a carefully observed one at the store weeks beforehand. I suppose consider this guy off my list for now.
5.) Mystery - This is crazy to me! I've never seen a mean one! I'm still going to try it, but it'll be my final fish I suppose to hopefully curb any aggression. Of all the wrasses brought back into the store for aggression reasons, I've never seen an unhappy mystery owner. We also have one in our show tank with about 12 other wrasses (our bully is a scotts fairy)...but that 400g. lol
6.) McCoskers - Yup. I've actually had one of these little buggers personally before. My favorite fish in the hobby.
7.) Lubbocks - She came out of that show tank and is currently in an 80 gallon (where I can catch her easier when I'm ready for her in this tank) with a red coris, a six line, and a Labouts. In the 400g she was very shy, we'll see how this goes. lol

Once again, thank you so much for all the information EVERYONE! The different viewpoints are invaluable.

Added (me and SDguy were responding at the same time):

Mandarin - the diner will be no problem. She already eats out of a shell and is a very curious individual. She sits in my hand sometimes. The addition to food in a bottle or something will be an easy adjustment for her.

Kole tang - Not arguing, but what are your reasons behind saying no to this fella? EDIT:: Don't know how I missed your aggression statement. lol Thanks for the input!
 
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I have a Kole. It's about 4 inches right now, in a 180. Although it is one of the smaller tangs, it uses every inch of space in my tank. Also, it is a bit ornery. So, I give you a 50/50 chance that it will work out. Good luck!
 
Thanks lilalove! (LOVE YOUR ARBOK! lol) Like for the rest of the fish though, I have the wonderful advantage of watching them in the store for hours a day, weeks at a time. With your comment, I will keep an eye out for a kole who seems rather lazy but of course not sickly.

Silly as it is, since I've been a nano reefer the entire time I've been in the hobby, this is the first oppourtunity I've ever had to personally have a tang. I NEED one, but I do not like Tomini's. Every single one I've seen is afraid of its own shadow, and I've seen a lot. lol Seemed like the Kole was my next best option.
 
Dispar and ignitus are two of my favorite anthias species that do a lot of interacting with each other in an aquarium.

I'd get a coral beauty instead of a bellus angel

I'd still pass on the mystery wrasse (I personally find them hideous :o :D )

Honestly, regarding the tang, I would think you'd want a timid one. Bold could mean aggressive...
 
Fretfreak13 said:
As for the mystery, that wasn't one I was thinking I'd have to alter. I know many people who have mystery wrasses in with other wrasses without issue. I know about the shrimp though, wasn't planning on any. Maybe you just have a really mean mystery! o_O Love your avatar by the way.
Click to expand...
I don't have one; I intentionally avoid all Pseudocheilinus wrasses. ;)
And thank you.
 
SDguy said:
Dispar and ignitus are two of my favorite anthias species that do a lot of interacting with each other in an aquarium.

I'd get a coral beauty instead of a bellus angel

I'd still pass on the mystery wrasse (I personally find them hideous :o :D )

Honestly, regarding the tang, I would think you'd want a timid one. Bold could mean aggressive...
Click to expand...

I've seen both dispar and ignitus and I'm just not impressed with their colors. The fatheads are like...BOOM!!! Lyretails are okay, but it seems like everyone and their mom has them. What about Carberryi?

I have a flame angel on the list and most likely he and a coral beauty wont get along. I think I'm going to give the bellus a shot regardless, but since I'm with the store I have connections to places I can rehome them (or her if I only get one) if there seems to be an issue.

And...are you nuts? lol Yes, its no lineatus, but "hideous"?

And I totally get you about bold=maybe aggressive, but I just mean as a whole every tomini tang I see put in tanks are rarely ever seen again. Why add a bioload you can't enjoy? lol Just from staring at the fish for about 7 hours daily at the store, I can normally pick out who's going to be a jerk and who isn't, even if they're the same species of fish. Normally. Customers love that I can generally help them choose between two yellow tangs depending on their specific in-store behavior. haha

I'm just rambling now. I love my job... <3
 
Wow, that dispar is stunning! While we're on the subject of dwarf angels, what about a lemon peel over a coral beauty? Or an Eibli? Or a potters! For some reason Coral Beauties are my least favorites of the dwarf angels...

Would adding the two angels together curb potential aggression?
 
Just use a clear acclimation box to introduce the new angel.

Sure, I don't see a problem with the other smaller centropyges... lemonpeels are big IMO... pass.
 
I still realllllyyy want to try at least one Bellus. That way too I can report my findings to the rest of the community.

The acclimation box is a good idea, but will not having anywhere to hide stress out the one in the box? Do you know of a large enough box and can link me to it where I can stick a little PVC pipe in there for shelter? Plus I can also use the sump method if the resident angel gets a little too comfortable lol.

I just want to thank you again for all your help. You're wonderful!
 
What do you want to know about the Bellus? Also I would skip the mystery wrasse, I added it last and after it grew a littlest became a real pest to the rest of my wrasses. I would guess it would go after anthias as well.
 
Do you have a Bellus? What is the tank like? How does it behave? Favorite foods? Any coral issues?

That is so crazy...I never would have guessed. I still want to try a mystery, but will be keeping a close eye on it because of all the recommendations. If a problem popped up the mystery wouldn't have even been a suspect without you guys. Thank you!
 
The bellus pair are great in a reef, mine are in a 120. I wouldn't put them in anything smaller they are really active. I feed mine mostly mysis and spurlina brine. They ignore pellets and have never touched nori. As for corals they ignore them.
 
How long is your 120? I was planning on an 80, but its shallow and 4 ft long. Do you think two would spark more activity than if I just had one?

Edit: I've spent the last two hours watching videos on youtube and scouring pictures of all different kinds of anthias. I'll be going with a trio of Carberryis, so thanks for making me look into the fatheads a little further!
 
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