Is this a good stock for a 120g reef tank?

[LagginPotato]

Hi, this is my first time in the forums, and I am getting ready to start a 120 gallon reef tank. This will be my first ever reef tank so I need some opinions on whether this would be a good stock for a 120g. My tank will contain fish, invertebrates, and corals. Here's my fish stock for now:

-1 Occellaris Clownfish
-1 Black & White Occellaris Clownfish
-1 Yellow Tang
-1 Blue Hippo Tang
-1 Schooling Bannerfish
-1 Magnificent Foxface
-5 Ignitus Anthias (1 male, 4 female)
-1 Coral Beauty Anglefish OR Flame Anglefish (Which one's better?)

So would that be a good stock for a 120g and would all the fish get along and not mess with the corals or invertebrates much? Would these fish have enough swimming room?

Also, heres the invertebrates i'm thinking of getting:
-50 Scarlette Reef Hermits
-60 Dwarf Blue Leg Hermits
-50 Astraea Turbo Snails
-40 Nassarius Snails
-30 Cerith Snails
-6 Peppermint Shrimp
-5 Emerald Crabs
-1 Red Sea Star

Do you think thats too much of each species for my tank size? Or is it the right amount?

And lastly, i'm not quite sure of what corals to get yet. Does anybody know of any nice looking and colorful corals for beginners? Thanks.

 

[reeferstace]

-The Paracanthurus hepatus will get too large for your tank.
-As far as the dwarf angel goes, it seems like both of those can be decent citizens in a reef tank (although any of them may be prone to coral nipping). It may be simply personal preference. I like the coral beauties.
-I would scale way back on your invert stock list, especially for a newly set-up tank.
-I would start with maybe 1/3 or less of the hermits you have listed.
-Also, the Astrea snails will starve without some algae growth on which to feed. I would stock with many less than 50.
-Shrimp and emerald crab number you suggest should be OK.
-I would replace sea star with a brittle star. Sea stars do not always fare well in tanks unless they are well established and very large.
-You can always add more inverts to your CUC as your tank matures.
-Corals??? Total preference and dependent upon your tank lighting. Look at the Liveaquaria site's coral section. I believe there is a section there specifically for beginners.

Good luck with your tank!

 

[danimallaminad]

Watch out on the yellow tang because it may become aggressive and for the two clowns try and buy a pair or buy two small clowns

 

[GroktheCube]

Heniochus and Magnificent Foxface are REALLY PUSHING it for a 120 IMHO. Even a yellow tang is a little on the large side, but I've seen people do it. I'd consider looking into smaller fish. A large tang or butterfly will make a 120 look like a 20 long, even if that individual happens to be happy in such a (relatively) small tank. Having a larger number of smaller fish tends to make both the tank and corals look bigger, and it tends to keep the fish happier. You'll see more interesting behavior that way too. Almost all Bristletooth tangs (genus Ctenochaetus) would be pretty comfortable in a 120. They have plenty of personality, just like the big tangs. I have a twinspot bristletooth tang in my 120 that I love. Loads of personality, very active, incredible appetite for algae, and a very pretty fish.

You have way too many inverts in my opinion.

Scarlet hermits actually get pretty large, and regardless of what sellers say I couldn't imagine more than 1 per ~15 gallons. While the blue legs stay pretty small, you don't need that many of them either. I'd start with like 4 scarlets and 12 blue legs. If you wanted to, you could throw in an assortment of other hermits too. Be careful of the larger hermits, I've had a couple large Calcinus go homicidal in other hermits. I have a big on exiled down in the sump at the moment while I work on setting up a nano on my desk for him and a Xanthid crab in my tank that's getting a bit too large to be trusted.

You probably don't need that many nassarius snails with so many hermits around. They are pretty much exclusively scavengers, and I don't think you'll have need for so many of them. 50 Astreas is a lot too, I'd start with 6-10 and see how things go.

Keep in mind that those snails will all breed, and rather successfully at that, in your tank. I have hundreds of baby astreas and ceriths in my 120.

You're probably fine with the peps and the emeralds. One thing to keep in mind is that emeralds will occasionally go rogue and start munching on corals, so if you have more of them, it can be more difficult to find the culprit.

I'd skip the star until the tank has been up for a year +.

I'd recommend waiting at least a couple months before adding any of it though, give some times for the hitchhiking critters/CuC in the LR to populate, and to get some algae growing, otherwise no one will have anything to eat.

Keep in mind also that things like peppermint shrimp and emerald crabs tend to be pretty reclusive. My favorite "outgoing" non-hermit motile inverts are my porcelain anemone crab and my sexy shrimp. The crab has taken up residence in a Stylophora, and spends the whole day waving his little fans around. My sexies usually live on a mini-carpet, but one of them seems to prefer a Nepthrea tree-leather for some reason.

Hardy LPS corals like Favias and Acans make good starter corals that you probably won't regret down the road, and which won't turn into pests. With corals, a lot of it comes down to personal taste, lighting, water movement, and how much work you're willing to do over time.

 

[smartwater101]

The CUC is too much. I agree the hermits should be cut down to 1/3.

The Blue Hippo Tang will have to be small... and should be moved after a year or two.

Keep the angel well fed. My cherub does well in a reef.

As for corals... don't know where to start... so many...

 

[CHSUB]

fish list looks fine, yellow and hippo tangs do great together...i suggest the hippo be added first and be larger than the yellow. be sure you QUARANTINE!!! stocking advice is opinion, quaranting is not!!!