Need Help with Stocking Plan

[GoBigGuy]

Hello All,

Well I think I have finished my stocking list now I need help with the stocking order/plan.

So here are the fish my family all agreed to:

Yellow Belly Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)
Powder blue
Harlequin Tusk (Choerodon fasciatus)
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
Blue Girdled Angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus)
Red Sea Eritrean Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus)
Coral beauty
Pakistan Butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare)
Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
Saddle Valentini Puffer (Canthigaster valentini)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) - Already Have
Niger Triggerfish (Odonus niger)
Pinkface Wrasse (Thalassoma quinquevittatum)
Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster solandri)
Diamond Watchman Goby (Valenciennea puellaris) - Already Have
Firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) - Already Have
Firefish, Purple (Nemateleotris decora) - Already Have
Blue Damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea) - Already Have


Now as far as what order to add them in this is what I was thinking:

1st:
Yellow Belly Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
Red Sea Eritrean Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus)

2nd:
Pakistan Butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare)
Saddle Valentini Puffer (Canthigaster valentini)
Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster solandri)

3rd:
Harlequin Tusk (Choerodon fasciatus)
Blue Girdled Angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus)

4th:
Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

5th:
Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)
Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)

6th:
Niger Triggerfish (Odonus niger)
Pinkface Wrasse (Thalassoma quinquevittatum)

Thoughts?

 

[Genera]

How many gallons and what are the dimensions of your tank? It is a fowlr correct?

 

[GoBigGuy]

How many gallons and what are the dimensions of your tank? It is a fowlr correct?

Shite, my bad

It will be a 180 gallon FOWLR, (use to be reef), with 60 gallon sump running a Regal 200INT Protein Skimmer rated for 400 gallons. Also running 2 Two Little Fishies PhosBan Reactor 150, one running carbon and the other GFO.

 

[Genera]

I'd ditch the Powder Blue and go for a Blue Eye/Twospot Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus Binotatus), a Rabbitfish (Siganus Sp.) maybe S. Unimaculatus or S. Magnificus. , or if you still want blue, a Caribbean Blue Tang (Acanthurus Coeruleus). Powder Blues are super mean fish, great colors though. The butterflies may be a bit hard to feed, but hardy once eating. The wrasse may become quite aggressive, and may need to be compromised if it gets too mean.

 

[GoBigGuy]

I'd ditch the Powder Blue and go for a Blue Eye/Twospot Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus Binotatus), a Rabbitfish (Siganus Sp.) maybe S. Unimaculatus or S. Magnificus. , or if you still want blue, a Caribbean Blue Tang (Acanthurus Coeruleus). Powder Blues are super mean fish, great colors though. The butterflies may be a bit hard to feed, but hardy once eating. The wrasse may become quite aggressive, and may need to be compromised if it gets too mean.

My kid really wanted a Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) but trying not to add fish that get to be over a foot

Thoughts on a purple tang?

 

[Genera]

My kid really wanted a Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus) but trying not to add fish that get to be over a foot

Thoughts on a purple tang?

Blue Tangs don't get over a foot, but an 8ft tank is recommended for them. Purple tangs aren't as aggressive as Powder Blues, but I'd add them at the same time as other tangs, and after any butterflies. On your list, you put Powder blue. What is the scientific name of the 'Powder blue' on your list, Acanthurus Leucosternon, or Paracanthurus Hepatus?

 

[ichthyogeek]

OP meant A. leusternon, as noted in the stocking order.

OP, I'm not too certain about all of the fish' aggression levels, but firefish in my experience, are very, very shy. When my dad would walk by the tank, his footsteps would often cause my firefish to dart into the nearest hole. When I left for a program that summer, the fish mysteriously disappeared. I have cause to believe it wasted away due to shyness. Such large and aggressive fish might not be the best fish for your firefish.

Powder blue's are very susceptible to ick, and from what I understand, are hard to keep, even in a large 180 gallon. Are you up to handling such a fish? I agree with Genera about the PB. However, rather than a purple tang, why not try a large bristletooth tang? None of the fish you listed are good at scraping rocks for algae, and a fish like the Kole tang would pair wonderfully with the yellow tang to keep the tank's surfaces clean of most algae.

 

[ichthyogeek]

My thoughts on your stocking order:

1st:
All the butterflyfish (Red Sea Eritrean, Pakistan, Copperband)
2nd:
Puffers and Tuskfish (Harlequin Tusk, Saddle Valentini, and Blue Spotted Puffer)
3rd:
The Dwarf angelfish (Flame and Coral Beaty angelfish)
4th:
The tangs (Yellow and undecided other tang). If you plan on getting one of the rabbitfish, now would be the time to add it as well (Note* depending on the mouth of the rabbitfish, the rabbit will have about the same ecological niche as one of the tangs, so there may be some fighting here)
5th:
The large angels (Regal and Blue Girdled)
6th:
The mean ones (Niger trigger and pinkface wrasse)

Just to satisfy my curiousity, are you new to fishkeeping? I'm not new, and I'm not old, but this tank seems...slightly overstocked possibly to me. You have fish that occupy the same ecological niche (the butterflyfish for example), which will cause some fighting due to territorial needs. Other fish are too aggressive/predatory to keep with others (the firefish and the triggerfish). I'd have to sleep on this, but something seems...off about your tank in regards to the future fish population.

 

[Edward Menard]

I count a total of 19 fish...to me that seems like a very large bio load. in my 150 I kept a maximum of 14 and even though 10 were chromis I found the bio load at the max I could handle.

I don't know your personal experience level but you may need to check into your list a bit more and possibly reduce it. Factors such as how long established is your tank and what timeframe do you plan to use in adding fish can also have an impact in my opinion.

I would love to see a picture of your current tank with a second photo showing your sump)

 

[GoBigGuy]

Thank you all for your feedback!

Here is a little of my background. About a year and a half ago I got back into the hobby after about 15 years. Started with a 90 gallon reef and upgraded last November to a 180 gallon reef.

Life has become crazy with work and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon so going to switch from reef to fish only.

After your feedback I realized it was time to cut down, (guess I got excited going fish only), and have cut down and modified the list to the following:

Copy Paste Error, See New List Below

Does this list look better? If so let's figure out the stocking plan

 

[ichthyogeek]

Better, but there might be a few problem fish in there...

Thank you all for your feedback!

Yellow Belly Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)
Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus) Look into this one's care requirements. From what I understand, they are not exactly hardy, and are really quite delicate
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
Blue Girdled Angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus)
Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) Look into the "Do not keep a mandarin if..." sticky in the New to Reefkeeping subforum, and decide if you can take care of the fish
Red Sea Eritrean Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus)
Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)
Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
Diamond Watchman Goby (Valenciennea puellaris) - Already Have
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) - Already Have
Blue Throat Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)
Pinkface Wrasse (Thalassoma quinquevittatum)
Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster solandri)
Blue Damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea) - Already Have

Does this list look better? If so let's figure out the stocking plan

I don't think you can keep the mandarin. The trigger will try to take a bite out of it. The Diamond watchman goby will also hog all of the pods in the tank, which will slowly starve the mandarin to death.

I can't tell you too much about the angelfish and butterflyfish since I've never kept them, nor have I read too much about them, but somebody is sure to chime in.

What happened to your firefish? They were in your original post, and now they're gone...?

 

[GoBigGuy]

Better, but there might be a few problem fish in there...



I don't think you can keep the mandarin. The trigger will try to take a bite out of it. The Diamond watchman goby will also hog all of the pods in the tank, which will slowly starve the mandarin to death.

I can't tell you too much about the angelfish and butterflyfish since I've never kept them, nor have I read too much about them, but somebody is sure to chime in.

What happened to your firefish? They were in your original post, and now they're gone...?

My buddy is going to take the firefish

Sorry, the Morish was a copy paste error, that's the fish my wife likes but figure I can switch it with a Heniochus Black & White Butterflyfish

I'l remove the Green Mandarin, wife isn't going to be happy that is being cut lol

 

[GoBigGuy]

Here is the correct list:

Yellow Belly Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)
Heniochus Black & White Butterflyfish (Heniochus acuminata)
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
Blue Girdled Angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus)
Red Sea Eritrean Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus)
Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)
Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
Diamond Watchman Goby (Valenciennea puellaris)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Blue Throat Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)
Pinkface Wrasse (Thalassoma quinquevittatum)
Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster solandri)
Blue Damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea)

Hopefully this list looks a little better.

 

[GoBigGuy]

Well CRAP! the wife really wants a Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus), think it's too much to add him?
If I am pushing my limit I think I'll have to switch out the Heniochus B&W with the Blue Tang

 

[Genera]

However, rather than a purple tang, why not try a large bristletooth tang? None of the fish you listed are good at scraping rocks for algae, and a fish like the Kole tang would pair wonderfully with the yellow tang to keep the tank's surfaces clean of most algae.

That's what I was thinking! I love Ctenochaetus Binotatus, which grow to 8.6in.

 

[humaguy]

Here is the correct list:

Yellow Belly Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus)
Heniochus Black & White Butterflyfish (Heniochus acuminata)
Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
Blue Girdled Angelfish (Pomacanthus navarchus)
Red Sea Eritrean Butterflyfish (Chaetodon paucifasciatus)
Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)
Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
Diamond Watchman Goby (Valenciennea puellaris)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)
Blue Throat Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)
Pinkface Wrasse (Thalassoma quinquevittatum)
Blue Spotted Puffer (Canthigaster solandri)
Blue Damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea)

Hopefully this list looks a little better.

If possible, wait and get a red sea regal...in case you have not seen this terrific side-by-side from la...


would consider ditching the yellow tang (they can be real pitas) for a lemon peel, the bt trig for, lol, any other trig, and the blue damsel.

Good luck,

Ted