Need help choosing fish, ARGH!!

[Teremei]

I'm pulling my hair out. My 125 is still cycling and I'm in "fish window shopping mode". . I have a coral beauty, 2 occelaris, royal gramma, and a neon goby that will be the initial inhabitants of this tank. I've had an initial plan. But I've seen so many fish I like. I've seen a few "big" fish I like. The hippo tang is the mostly likely one I'll get because I love their color. But I've also seen some powder browns that seemed very excited as I watched them, almost trying to say "hi, how ya doin?" looking out at me. I also like the foxface because how it gracefully and peacefully swims slowly from one side of the tank to the other, then flips around to do it again. But I know I have to choose 1, maybe 2 max of these 3 fish. I also have to consider if I want more of the smaller fish, I might have to scratch one of these bigger guys.

Here's a list of fish I really like, and I know I cannot have them all. But some help, and maybe input from owners of any of these fish to chime in. These are all the fish I am interested in, keeping long term, in my 125 w/40g sump.

Royal Gramma
Coral Beauty
Occelaris Pair (w RBTA)
Neon Goby
Trio of Bartlett Anthias
Green clown goby
Yashia Goby w/randalli pistol
Firefish
a couple different colored fairy wrasse
Hippo Tang
Powder Brown Tang
Foxface Rabbitfish

I need some help picking the best mix of fish! These are what it all boils down to. My absolute favorite fish to keep in a fish tank. For variety. You've got fish that swim in and out of rocks, fish that swim in the open from one end to the other, fish that nest in corals, fish that perch, fish that borrow, fish that could become friends. I'd really like to have fish that like eachother and see them "hang out" like I've seen and heard about. Like tangs that swim together, or at the LFS a baby tang seemed to always stay close to the lemon peel angel. What gives me the best chance of this, what is the best combo? Keep in mind the top 4 I already have.

 

[aaronpentz]

Well keeping the Hippo and the Powder brown tang might give you a little bit of a problem. But then again It might not. I have ( and I might get some flack for this) a yellow tang, Hippo and a unicorn tang in the same tank. You can get away with tangs if they are two different shapes, In schools of three or more, or way on the opposite sides of the color specturm and then you still might have a problem. Mine are all getting along just great. The smallest of my tangs is the yellow and hes a good 3.5 inches long. My hippo and the uni are around 4.5 - 5 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. They are best fish Ive ever owned.

As for personality my uni stays out all the time never goes behind the rocks. Hes the first one up at the top of the tank when its feeding time and the last one to clean it all up. The others are kinda shy but have gotten worlds better since the day I brought them home.

 

[whiirly]

If its a FOwLR you can put moore fish in than say a Reef
I have 7 tangs in my 180 and a fox face without issue other than the bio load get a above average skimmer and go for it

 

[bboersma79]

Yashia Goby w/randalli pistol...gets my vote...get me a pair also!

 

[Edward Smith]

No wrasse? I know your not a big fan of Deep Reef but....... this was my experience:

I wanted all the same fish as you, but as time goes by, I keep finding fish I've never soon before at Deep Reef. Consistently, I've found these rare fish more attractive than the more well known ones. I now plan on pulling several fish out of my tank and replacing them with others.

Good luck!

 

[Teremei]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7644397#post7644397 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Edward Smith
No wrasse? I know your not a big fan of Deep Reef but....... this was my experience:

I wanted all the same fish as you, but as time goes by, I keep finding fish I've never soon before at Deep Reef. Consistently, I've found these rare fish more attractive than the more well known ones. I now plan on pulling several fish out of my tank and replacing them with others.

Good luck!

Ed, in my list should be (couple fairy wrasse). . So Deep Reef wrasse are on my list. By the way all since this info seems important. .

It's a 125 with a 4" DSB, a 40 gallon sump with 15g fuge area as well as an ASM G3 skimmer. Planning on about 135-140# of LR and it will be a reef but not tons and tons of long stalked corals. More of alot of zoas and musrooms growing on the rocks and a couple leathers. Please reconsider this and help me choose which fish I need to take off my list.

I really really would like 2 of those "large fish". . Right now I am thinking of a hippo tang and the foxface (even though I will miss not owning a powder brown). . And then I maybe need to decide which I like more, trio of anthias or a couple fairy wrasse.

 

[bjolly]

you and I have the same size tank and a lot of the same taste in fish! I have a pair of ocellaris clowns, a firefish, a green chromis and a hippo tang. Oh, and a spotted mandarin who I almost never see. I agree with you that the powder browns are beautiful & I'm going to try to get one eventually. Ditto on the small group of anthias.

I think 2 large fish plus some small ones is a good mix for this size tank.

 

[Teremei]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7648002#post7648002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bjolly

I think 2 large fish plus some small ones is a good mix for this size tank.

Thanks. But how many small fish is the question. I guess I can further reduce this down to. . .

Hippo Tang
Foxface
Royal Gramma
Coral Beauty
Occelaris Pair (w RBTA)
Neon Goby
Green Clown Goby
Firefish
Yasha Goby w/pistoll
Lineatus Wrasse
Carpenter's Wrasse

And skip the anthias. Or go with the Anthias and maybe only 1 wrasse. Is that too much?

 

[marilynrn711]

If I had it to do over again I would stay away from the Coral Beauty. Mine did fine for about a year and then started nipping at the SPS causing poor PE. It has also just recently eaten two whole zoo colonies. I cant catch him or he would be gone.

 

[Teremei]

I've had mine for about a year and a half. For better or worse, she stays with me.

 

[marilynrn711]

My husband has the same opinion regarding keeping the coral beauty.

I see no point in having a reef tank when you have no PE and cant have zoos.

 

[Teremei]

My Coral Beauty never nips at the zoas when I had them, and they had great polyp extension. If anything my clowns cause bad PE to my speghetti leather because of hosting.

My Coral Beauty is the most beautiful CB you've ever seen. Dark deep layered royal purple with just a bit of yellow.