Hi RC, I need help :(

[AaronOwens]

This will be a rather long post.. I do appreciate any feedback that experienced 'reef' junkies can provide me!!!

My Dad and I have recently tapped into the drug everyone calls "reefing" as we got given a 4ft tank with curved front; upon much research, and deciding what fish Dad wanted, he opted to upgrade right at that second: (before any judgement, we have done LOTS of research watching countless hours of youtube and reading many RC posts!!) anyway, he recently got given a 6ft tank in a mahogany cabinet for free from his brother in which we will be setting up shortly, it's 500 litres, which equates to something like 120 galons!

Anyway, me personally, decided to have a custom made tank to fit in my home office which is 40 inches wide, 20 deep and 16 high, equating to around 210 litres, or 55 galons. I have been cycling this tank for about 2 months now, and added 2 Clarkii Clowns and a Red Saddleback clown (aware that they fight but we got given them together and will split when Dad's 6 foot tank is up).

Lots of growth all over the live rock, inwhich is crowding the tank because Dad needs a place to store his, so the aqua scape is not finalised.
the tank has an AquaOne protein skimmer, AquaOne heater, two internal powerheads (providing some extra filtration and some flow until wave makers). and a $200 zhillo light with the blue lighting etc
Tank is doing GREAT, nitrates 15, everything else 0, Ph perfect, salt etc.

We are building a 2ft sump for my 55 galon tomorrow, just waiting on the diamond drill bit to drill the tank.

ANYWAY, to what I wanted to ask; I have composed a short list of the eventual stocklist of fish that I would like to house:

2 x Yellowtail Blue damselfish
1 x Flame angel (can i have two if acclimated at the same time.)
2 x Clarkii Clowns
Gobi (Unsure which species and how many, just interested in there relationship with the shrimp)
2 x Cleaner shrimp
1 x Kole Tang (I have heard these do OK in 55's, however, I was thinking of buying small, and eventually housing it in the 120 galon, OPINION please)
I would love a foxface.. however heard they need more space?


I have NO idea what type of corals and stuff I should get, I just NEED some guidance, some steps on what to do next !
THANKS
Aaron
Any feedback is appreciated please.

 

[dppitone]

Looks good, perhaps add a couple fish at a time every few weeks. You may lose some as you go through the learning process. Same thing with corals, everyone loses some in the beginning. You'll be advised by other folks to hold off on them, but I think it's OK after a couple of months of good water parameters to add leathers. Just be prepared for some ups and downs.

 

[billdogg]

Sounds to me like you have a pretty good plan. I would forget the damsels if it were me. They just get mean, and especially since you will have clowns in there as well (very closely related) they will just end up being trouble. As far a catching one of the clowns - unless you like to tear apart your rocks to get to them, it can be a frustrating experience, to say the least. I would avoid putting anything in the tank that you think you might have to move in the future. It will just be easier for everyone that way. The tang, because of a shortage (pun intended) of swimming space, will probably not be too happy long term.

Please remember to set up a QT for all your fish - even when you are first starting out - life is just easier if you can avoid introducing pests from the get go.

hth

 

[Bd670]

I second the quarantine. My tank just got velvet from the last addition and I lost all my fish in two days..I tried a hospital tank with copper treatment to no avail

 

[stlcards14]

Do the QT it makes life so much easier. If you want to do two flames go with on big one (male) and the smallest one you can find (female). They change genders so the best way for success with them is big size difference.

 

[jenjen]

IME Clarkii clowns can get very aggressive as they mature and start spawning. I had a pair that completely took over a 55g and held the other fish to a small corner behind a rock. I'd definitely skip the damsels.

I have a foxface who is around 9" long - they grow quickly, get big and are messy eaters. Mine is in a 180g and I personally wouldn't ever have one in a smaller tank than this despite the min tank size recommendations.

YWG / pistol shrimp pair are fantastic fun to watch! As long as you can live with your sand constantly being moved around into large piles, and onto any corals that are on the substrate. I absolutely love mine, and they have tunnels throughout my entire tank. I can easily go a week or two without seeing either, then suddenly out they pop from a new cave.

As for corals.. do you have an eventual plan? Do you prefer softies, or aspire toward SPS? Any types of coral that grab your eye? There are many different ways to go here, but best to have a bit of a game plan before you start adding.

 

[hogfanreefer]

I'd run the proposed list by Snorvich on this thread.http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2068112&page=325

He will let you know about long term compatibility. For me, two eventually large grazers in a 55 gallon seems likely to be trouble. One yellow tail would probably be ok but two would be trouble.

Pretty aggressive list of fish. Goby might have trouble getting something to eat with this lot.

I have a Yasha's goby/pistol shrimp pair in my 6ft tank and love them. They are out all the time but especially at feeding time. I must be lucky, mine stick to one rock in one end of the tank to stay under.

 

[AaronOwens]

As for corals.. do you have an eventual plan? Do you prefer softies, or aspire toward SPS? Any types of coral that grab your eye? There are many different ways to go here, but best to have a bit of a game plan before you start adding.

I don't know, would my light do okay for both? cause i would like ot have both