Rebel
Premium Member
I will be as brief as I can:
I set-up a large reef aquarium in the library of my high school over 10 years ago. It has gone through some trials over the years, but recently (over the past 6 months) I have upgraded much of the equipment and restocked it. I am looking for one last fish (maybe two) to add.
The tank is a 225 (6-foot) with a 30 gallon equipment sump and another 45 gallon LR sump with chaeto. It has a rather open rockwork with a few good hiding places in the corners and under a large arch. It is a total mixed reef, with lots of sps frags, zoas, leathers, LPS, etc. It also houses a large haddoni carpet anemone. Current inhabitants include:
3-4" yellow eye kole tang
2-3" coral beauty pygmy angelfish
2" flame hawkfish
two sm TR Ocellaris clowns (hosting the haddoni)
<maybe> a sm royal gramma (he disappeared in the rockwork two months ago--made one appearance two weeks after he disappeared, with popeye, but haven't seen him for 6 weeks or so--even when really, really trying.
I know I am not exactly near my stocking limit, but I don't want to push things. It is not like an aquarium in my home where I see it every day for hours and notice micro changes, etc. There is only one classroom in the building farther from the library than mine, and I am waaaay busy teaching upper-level classes. I typically get to it for half of one period and a student or two help out, but they are, obviously, just learning. It is on its own for the weekends, and currently, during the summer, the principal is feeding it until I get an autofeeder (again) while I stop by once a week or whenever I am out and near it. So I keep the stocking levels relatively low to avoid problems that would create more labor.
So . . . the deal is, I want a fish that is interesting--something the students will be attracted to and something I haven't kept already in 12 years and 4 different tanks. Something that will not jump (the tank has no lid and the way it is set up a lid would be problematic to create). Something that is not too sensitive or too high maintenance. Something that eats the home-made gruel I feed, or at least store bought cubes. Something that is free swimming to create more movement. Oh, and something colorful.
I thought about a small naso tang, mainly because I think they're beautiful and I haven't kept one, but I fear its adult size (should I?) What else might look good in there?
Cheers in advance.
I set-up a large reef aquarium in the library of my high school over 10 years ago. It has gone through some trials over the years, but recently (over the past 6 months) I have upgraded much of the equipment and restocked it. I am looking for one last fish (maybe two) to add.
The tank is a 225 (6-foot) with a 30 gallon equipment sump and another 45 gallon LR sump with chaeto. It has a rather open rockwork with a few good hiding places in the corners and under a large arch. It is a total mixed reef, with lots of sps frags, zoas, leathers, LPS, etc. It also houses a large haddoni carpet anemone. Current inhabitants include:
3-4" yellow eye kole tang
2-3" coral beauty pygmy angelfish
2" flame hawkfish
two sm TR Ocellaris clowns (hosting the haddoni)
<maybe> a sm royal gramma (he disappeared in the rockwork two months ago--made one appearance two weeks after he disappeared, with popeye, but haven't seen him for 6 weeks or so--even when really, really trying.
I know I am not exactly near my stocking limit, but I don't want to push things. It is not like an aquarium in my home where I see it every day for hours and notice micro changes, etc. There is only one classroom in the building farther from the library than mine, and I am waaaay busy teaching upper-level classes. I typically get to it for half of one period and a student or two help out, but they are, obviously, just learning. It is on its own for the weekends, and currently, during the summer, the principal is feeding it until I get an autofeeder (again) while I stop by once a week or whenever I am out and near it. So I keep the stocking levels relatively low to avoid problems that would create more labor.
So . . . the deal is, I want a fish that is interesting--something the students will be attracted to and something I haven't kept already in 12 years and 4 different tanks. Something that will not jump (the tank has no lid and the way it is set up a lid would be problematic to create). Something that is not too sensitive or too high maintenance. Something that eats the home-made gruel I feed, or at least store bought cubes. Something that is free swimming to create more movement. Oh, and something colorful.
I thought about a small naso tang, mainly because I think they're beautiful and I haven't kept one, but I fear its adult size (should I?) What else might look good in there?
Cheers in advance.
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