need stocking advice from the pro's!

[cyclops23]

alright, this is still in the production phase (i need the go-ahead from the boss, my girlfriend). but i think i might just do it anyway.
i have an empty 125g drilled with a 55 all set up for a sump. my original intent was to go FW. but i was thinking of making it an aggressive FO tank. i got in way over my head with my 55g: SPS, clams, etc. it was too much money and work. am i right in thinking that an aggressive FO tank would be easier and cheaper than a reef? i just got really frustrated with trying to keep my Ca, Mg, and all that stuff in line.

i really like the Niger and Humu Picasso triggers. are those 2 possible for a 125? would they be ok with a clownfish (possibly maroon)? how about a puffer? i like the dogface. i want to find out before i do anything. a couple friends of mine down here are closing their coral farm and i can get a bunch of LR for cheap. i also have 2 36" T-5 2 bulb fixtures already.

NO coral this time. what are some of my other stocking options? what are your personal favorite fish that might work for me?

this is the end of the novel Thanks!

 

[cyclops23]

BTW, i would go bare-bottom and my Ph is fine.

 

[JustinReef]

Dogface would be a good puffer for a 125G. Just stay away from the bigger puffers like Stars and Stripes or Mappa. Niger trigger should be fine too. Im not too sure about the other, I have no experience.

 

[Puffalicious]

i'm setting up a similar setup, is there a reason why you would setup a bare bottom? is that because of the possibility of having high nitrates with a substrate?

 

[cyclops23]

easier to maintain. i had a heck of a time keeping my sand in my old tank clean. plus, it's cheaper, don't have to buy the sand

 

[Puffalicious]

you know what... my friend told me a trick on how to clean it. All you'd have to do is just use your net and run it on the surface of the sand and you will capture the crap that's stuck in the sand, the sand itself would pass through the netting

 

[cyclops23]

would a porcupine puffer be ok in a 125g? would it be ok witha niger trigger and a clownfish?

 

[Puffalicious]

I think i saw someone here that has a porki with a trigger and clownfish... It's really a hit and miss with puffers because some are really nice and some are just monsters.

I had a puffer in a reef setup once and it never bothered any of the corals. But it died because it got stung by my anemone many times.

 

[JustinReef]

My Porc if fine with any fish I put him with but they are hit or miss like puffalicious said. I have had a Porc in the past that I had to give up because it was the nastiest little fish ever! I added two clowns a few months after getting him and as I put them in the tank, the puffer came right to the surface and ate one and eventually ate the other. Most are not like that but its a chance you take. I have never really seen a dogface that is overly aggressive at all. Dogface is a safe choice but porc would most likely be fine too. The trigger should be fine with the porc.

 

[cyclops23]

thanks guys! i think i'll ix-nay the picasso. maybe i'll throw in a tang or something.
i work at a LFS, and we have a dog face and a porc. i like them both. they both eat well, but the porc is really cool. i think i'll go with a Dogface, though. i've learned from past experience that trying something chancy doesn't usually work out so well

 

[JustinReef]

Well if you work there, you may be able to watch him and get an idea of how aggressive he is. With mine, I kept going back to my LFS and watching him. Eventually I decided he seemed very docile and he has turned out to be just that. He did accidentally bite the tip of my anthias tail off at feeding today but he was just going for food, not tail.

 

[cubanheat1]

how about this for a 75-90g fowlr stock list:

1.Juvenile annularis angel
2.purple tang or lolipop tang
3.dogface puffer
4.hawaiian pink- tail trigger
5.auriga butterfly

 

[cubanheat1]

or change out the purple tang for a nice flame angel

 

[Puffalicious]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11372274#post11372274 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by justinpsmith
Well if you work there, you may be able to watch him and get an idea of how aggressive he is. With mine, I kept going back to my LFS and watching him. Eventually I decided he seemed very docile and he has turned out to be just that. He did accidentally bite the tip of my anthias tail off at feeding today but he was just going for food, not tail.

maybe your porky is smart... he wants you to think it's an "accident" maybe it isn't huh?? heheheh

I'm going to get a porky for my tank too btw how can you tell if the porky is aggressive at the LFS if he's alone in a divider? I see some healthy ones and they respond when I go near the glass but I don't have a way to tell if it's aggressive or not