Mature tank seeks hot young fish (critique my stocking plan)

[stgla]

Hey RC friends, I need some stocking advice.

I have a 75g that's been up 5 and half years. I lost all my corals in an "incident" a couple years ago and have been in a holding pattern since then. I've been watching my tank turn into an aiptasia and valonia farm with only an ocellaris pair and a mandarin goby to look at for quite some time.

What do you think of this plan?

Long-time residents:
- 3" and 2" ocellaris pair (with no coral or anemone )
- fat mandarin goby, about 2"

Recent additions:
- flame angel
- watchman goby
- inverts (pep shrimps, cleaner shrimps, emerald crabs, mexican turbos)

Future additions
- A group of fish of the same species: either 3 lyretail anthias or 5 chromis viridis
- A copperband butterfly (if I can't control the aiptasia with Aiptasia-X and peppermint shrimps) or else a foxface rabbitfish or some other algae eater
- Snails -- large variety of small snails to help clean up detritus, algae, and anything that dies
- Coral frags from other hobbyists, whatever they have -- I've got decent lighting and flow -- and I don't yet know if the angel will nip


What do you think of the proposed future additions, especially the fish? Is it fishicide to add the green chromis or copperband after the ocellaris and flame angel are established?

 

[happyclam]

I don't know about the copperband, but the chromis should be fine. They have security in numbers, and it seems that nothing really cares about them swimming around too much. Might be good actually as the clowns might 'scare' the chromis into schooling more and not being agressive with each other.

 

[disc1]

Might I suggest cardinals as the schooling fish.

 

[stgla]

@disc1 thanks but I'm worried about cardinals snacking on my ornamental shrimps.

Thinking out loud here but if I go with either an anthias or green chromis group I'm looking at very frequent feedings to keep everyone well behaved. That's going to be hard to pull off if I'm at work 10 hours/day...

I'll put this on a separate thread but I'm worried about how to keep a copperband because I like the fish and I like the idea of a permanent aiptasia controller but they are so finicky and delicate. I've lost one already and rarely find healthy ones in LFS's.

 

[zy112]

@disc1 thanks but I'm worried about cardinals snacking on my ornamental shrimps.

Thinking out loud here but if I go with either an anthias or green chromis group I'm looking at very frequent feedings to keep everyone well behaved. That's going to be hard to pull off if I'm at work 10 hours/day...

I'll put this on a separate thread but I'm worried about how to keep a copperband because I like the fish and I like the idea of a permanent aiptasia controller but they are so finicky and delicate. I've lost one already and rarely find healthy ones in LFS's.

On the copperband butterfly, I would maybe continue to evaluate. I've had the exact same problems in a FO I had set up for over 5 years. Even in a very established tank, I unfortunately went through two before I gave up. It might have been por judgement on my part and I could never get them to eat. I think they did feed on the few aptasia I had, but when supply ran out they wouldn't eat anything else and I lost them. Very delicate and like you mentioned, even more difficult to find one healthy and eating, IMO.

Just sharing some of my past mistakes hope it helps.

 

[bobbychullo]

i've heard chromis will eventually kill each other off until theres only one or two left unless you have a very large tank.

ive also heard that a tahitian butterfly is a little more hardy than a copperband, easier to get to eat and is more apt to eat aiptasia but nothing is 100% in this hobby lol

no real experience, just what i've read on reefcentral

 

[fuzzy_dunlop]

I have nothing to add. Just wanted to say awesome topic title.

 

[frankpayne32]

With that size tank and only 5 of them, the chromis will likely kill each other off until you only have one or two left as they mature. I speak from several different experiences on this. It seems you need a large tank, frequent feedings, and a large number (20+) of them to succeed in keeping them in a shoal/school.

 

[lionfish300]

plus 1 on the chromis and I believe 75g is not big enough for anthias, they need alot of swimming room

 

[Ethan Music]

I have nothing to add. Just wanted to say awesome topic title.

agreed thanks for the laugh OP

 

[duncantse]

Thinking out loud here but if I go with either an anthias or green chromis group I'm looking at very frequent feedings to keep everyone well behaved. That's going to be hard to pull off if I'm at work 10 hours/day...

I'll put this on a separate thread but I'm worried about how to keep a copperband because I like the fish and I like the idea of a permanent aiptasia controller but they are so finicky and delicate. I've lost one already and rarely find healthy ones in LFS's.

A school of chromis does not need frequent feedings IMO. Feed it 1x daily and you should be fine. Not sure on Anthias since I never took care of them but there are many members in RC that feeds anthias only once a day and they are still thriving.

As for the CB, make sure that it is eating frozen/pellets before purchasing it. This way, there is a greater chance for them to survive in captivity.