Help suggest some fish for my 220G mixed reef

[BrettDS]

I just upgraded my 75G reef to a 220 and I'm trying to come up with a good plan to stock it with fish. Currently I have:

1 small (2.5 inch) Christmas wrasse
1 small (3.5 inch) Kole tang
1 decent sized (3 inch) true percula clown
2 small (2 inch) green chromis

Here's what I'm thinking so far:

The clown was originally part of a pair and unfortunately I don't know what happened to it's mate. I'd like to get another clown in the hopes that they will mate.

The two chromis were originally 6, but they seemed to slowly pick off the other 4 while they were in the 75. These two seem to be getting along and are almost always together. I'd like to get another 4 or 6 in the hopes that with more room in the 220 they'll all get along.

I love tangs in general, particularly the bigger ones and I'd love to get a couple more. Near the top of my list would be a yellow tang, a hippo, and possibly a powder blue. I love the power blue, but I'm a bit concerned that they seem somewhat delicate.

I'd also love to get a mandarin dragonette, but I plan to wait until my refugium is more established for that

Any comments on the fish I've mentioned? Any suggestions on what else might be good for this 6 foot 220G tank. I definitely prefer larger and more brightly colored fish.

Thanks,
Brett

 

[ca1ore]

Hippo is still a 'push' for even a 220, but a yellow (or purple) would be ideal. At 3" your clown is probably a female, so adding a small one would be the safest way to go. I'm not personally a particular advocate of the mandarin. I've never actually bought one, though have inherited a few from tank shut downs. Damn tricky to feed, even with a productive refugium. Unless you're lucky enough to get one that'll take frozen, heroic efforts are often required. Plus, pod populations have a tendency to wax and wane, even crash sometimes. My last Manadrin, thriving for two years, died as a result of my pods crashing.

Green chromis aren't high on my list. I also have a pair in my 265, and they're fine, I just wouldn't waste too much bio-capacity on more. A far nicer schoaling fish, though more expensive too, are resplendent anthias.

I always keep a few 'utility' fish. A bristle tang, either Kole or chevron, for general husbandry, a large halo wrasse, Melanarus or Dusky, for pest control (tough on the CUC though), and a zebrasoma or Acanthurus tang for algae control. Beyond that it's a matter of personal preference. Aforementioned anthias for a small shoal, pair of clowns and an appropriate host anemone, I like PJ cardinals and chalk basslets, and a few dwarf Angels (nipping shmipping). Though flasher and fairy wrasses are too neurotic for me, I do have a soft spot for the various leopard wrasses (have five currently).

 

[BrettDS]

Thanks. Maybe I pass on the hippo tang then, and adding a small juvenile clown certainly seems to be a good plan. I saw a few other posts that say the same thing.

I'll look into the anthias instead of the chromis. I like the idea of a school, but I'd hate to add more chromis just to see them die.

I love the mandarins, but I want to be sure I can support one before I add it. Maybe I just need to keep waiting until I find one that will definitely eat frozen food.

I hadn't seen the acanthurus tang before, but I just looked it up and it looks like a good option instead of the common yellow tang. Will it do as well with algae as a yellow tang, and will it get along with my existing Kole and a powder blue if I decide to add one?