PLEASE check out your intended fish purchases here first!

[SFChef79]

My tank has officially cycled (YAH!!) so I am getting ready for my CUC and wanted to get some fish in QT to be ready to add in 3-4 weeks. Would like to eventually have a full on reef tank, but thats a long way off but want to set myself up for success with my first fish purchase. I have a 55 gallon tank, 20 gallon sump & 15 gallon ATO tank. A Eshopps In-Sump Protein Skimmers PSK-75, a power head and a nice 3 way T5 light system w/ 2 separate T5 light sets & LED, have 50lbs of sand & 50 lbs of rock (all live now )


Took a look at the "beginner fish" and made quick list of what I liked, like I said want to keep in mind growth (read docile and easy on coral for later) just looking for a few to add now!
Dottyback (orchid & bi-color are really pretty)
Segmented Sailfin Blenny
scooter blenny
Blue/Green Reef Chromis
Firecracker Shrimp

My wish list for growth is SPS & LPS Corals, A bubble tip anemone (if I can would like to add a pair of Porcelain Anemone Crabs) , snowflake eel (?), Leopard Wrasse, Mandarin, Watchman Goby, spotted puffer

If theres anything onmy wish list that would eat each other would appreciate to knopw so i can adjust accordingly, but want my first purchases to get along with my wish list. Im really open on my first purchases and I have 4 20 gallon QT's ready to go so would like to get a few guys in there!

Will be swingign by my LFS today and snag 2 or 3turbo snail and a probally 2 or 3 other snails, would I be out of line grabbing a Firecracker shirmp now too? and do thsoe need to be QT'd?

 

[snorvich]

My tank has officially cycled (YAH!!) so I am getting ready for my CUC and wanted to get some fish in QT to be ready to add in 3-4 weeks. Would like to eventually have a full on reef tank, but thats a long way off but want to set myself up for success with my first fish purchase. I have a 55 gallon tank, 20 gallon sump & 15 gallon ATO tank. A Eshopps In-Sump Protein Skimmers PSK-75, a power head and a nice 3 way T5 light system w/ 2 separate T5 light sets & LED, have 50lbs of sand & 50 lbs of rock (all live now )


Took a look at the "beginner fish" and made quick list of what I liked, like I said want to keep in mind growth (read docile and easy on coral for later) just looking for a few to add now!

Dottyback (orchid & bi-color are really pretty) dottybacks are aggressive and will limit tank mates going forward. P. fridmani (orchid) is the least aggressive dottyback but still not peaceful
Segmented Sailfin Blenny
scooter blenny wait until tank is more mature
Blue/Green Reef Chromis chromis have been coming in less than healthy; I advocate avoiding them, especially if new to the hobby
Firecracker Shrimp what is the real name?

My wish list for growth is SPS & LPS Corals, A bubble tip anemone (if I can would like to add a pair of Porcelain Anemone Crabs) , snowflake eel (?) will eat other inhabitants, needs a larger tank , Leopard Wrasse difficult but can be done with a mature tank with peaceful tankmates , Mandarin needs a larger tank and more mature; not consistent with a leopard wrasse , Watchman Goby, spotted puffer very aggressive, not recommended

If theres anything onmy wish list that would eat each other would appreciate to knopw so i can adjust accordingly, but want my first purchases to get along with my wish list. Im really open on my first purchases and I have 4 20 gallon QT's ready to go so would like to get a few guys in there!

Will be swingign by my LFS today and snag 2 or 3turbo snail and a probally 2 or 3 other snails, would I be out of line grabbing a Firecracker shirmp now too? and do thsoe need to be QT'd?

If a firecracker shrimp is a pistol shrimp, I need to know what the real name is

 

[SFChef79]

called my LFS, he said what they call firecracker shrimp is AKA Fire, Blood or Dice shrimp

Would a basslet (Blackcap, Royal Gamma or Tobacco) or Spanish Hogfish be a better choice for my wish list? seems as though my fist choices were all aggressive :O

 

[snorvich]

called my LFS, he said what they call firecracker shrimp is AKA Fire, Blood or Dice shrimp

Creative name. :hmm4: Excellent shrimp, mildly reclusive and not compatible with any puffer.

 

[train_ga]

Wish List

Wish List

Im working on the stage planning of my reef tank. I have a 150G (2 x 2 x 5), Sump, P Skimmer, 140 lbs of live rock. Here is my wish list let me know what you all think.

Fishies -

2 Black/White Clownfish (Ocellaris)
1 Purple Firefish
1 Angel, Flame (I know w. caution re coral but have had some luck in past)
1 Cardinal, Pajama
1 Watchman, Goby Yellow
1 Blenny, Red Scooter
1 Red Mandarin (after developed copopods population)
1 Orchid Dottyback
1 Neon Dottyback
1 Jawfish, Blue Dotted

1 Purple Tang
1 Angler (I know tough but wondered if could swing it - maybe a wartskin/striated/sargassum or other suggestions to place nice with coral & crowd??)
1 Angel, Belllus (or any other dwarf or other other angel thoughts I could swing with flame and purple tang)


Inverts -

6 Shrimp, Peppermint
2 Shrimp, Cleaner
2 Turban
6 Cerith
10 Astrea
12 Margarita
20 Mexican Turbo
20 Nassarius
1 Starfish, Brittle
25 Crab, Hermit (Blue, Red, Brown)
Clams (down the road?)
Anemome (rose bulb, bulb, long tentacle, true carpet/ritteri - any thoughts on good fits w/ my clown and other fish selections)?

Coral
Not real sure - open to suggestion for good starters?

Thanks in advance.

GA

 

[snorvich]

Im working on the stage planning of my reef tank. I have a 150G (2 x 2 x 5), Sump, P Skimmer, 140 lbs of live rock. Here is my wish list let me know what you all think.

Fishies -

2 Black/White Clownfish (Ocellaris)
1 Purple Firefish introduce early
1 Angel, Flame (I know w. caution re coral but have had some luck in past) roll of the dice especially with meaty LPS corals
1 Cardinal, Pajama
1 Watchman, Goby Yellow
1 Blenny, Red Scooter
1 Red Mandarin (after developed copopods population)
1 Orchid Dottyback dottybacks, even P. fridmani are aggressive; a neon dottyback is even more so. In a large tank, maybe, in a 150 gallon, definitely not advised
1 Neon Dottyback
1 Jawfish, Blue Dotted does best with cooler temperatures as they are collected in the sea of Cortez. Ideally 73-74 F.

1 Purple Tang must be last, they get ornery and will prevent many other fish being added later
1 Angler (I know tough but wondered if could swing it - maybe a wartskin/striated/sargassum or other suggestions to place nice with coral & crowd??) Anglers eat fish, even attempting ones that are too large for proper consumption. If you want an angler, my advice would be a small species tank with only that one fish
1 Angel, Belllus (or any other dwarf or other other angel thoughts I could swing with flame and purple tang)


Inverts -

6 Shrimp, Peppermint
2 Shrimp, Cleaner
2 Turban
6 Cerith
10 Astrea
12 Margarita
20 Mexican Turbo
20 Nassarius
1 Starfish, Brittle
25 Crab, Hermit (Blue, Red, Brown) will kill your snails for their shells
Clams (down the road?)
Anemome (rose bulb, bulb, long tentacle, true carpet/ritteri - any thoughts on good fits w/ my clown and other fish selections)? carpet anemones eat fish and depending species may or may not host your clownfish.

Coral
Not real sure - open to suggestion for good starters?

Thanks in advance.

GA

[welcome]

 

[aleggett321]

Would you consider either a coral beauty or flame angel to be reef safe? I have almost all softies. Leathers and toadstool. Frogspawn and cabbage. Kenya tree coral. One open brain coral, a couple of zoas and a flowerpot. And one single SPS. Should I chance it?

 

[snorvich]

Would you consider either a coral beauty or flame angel to be reef safe? I have almost all softies. Leathers and toadstool. Frogspawn and cabbage. Kenya tree coral. One open brain coral, a couple of zoas and a flowerpot. And one single SPS. Should I chance it?

April, the open brain coral, zoanthids, and "flowerpot" (whether it be goniopora or alveopora) would be at risk, probably in that order.

 

[aleggett321]

Wow! That was fast, thanks! The three at risk are actually some of my least favorite residents. May put them up for adoption and try the fish. Thanks again, April

 

[train_ga]

Thx Steve, really appreciate it. I will definitely drop the angler and dotties.

Any apprehension with the Bellus, Flame & Purple Tang together if introduced in your reccomended order?

 

[snorvich]

Thx Steve, really appreciate it. I will definitely drop the angler and dotties.

Any apprehension with the Bellus, Flame & Purple Tang together if introduced in your reccomended order?

No. The purple tang can be territorial once established. The bellus angel would be territorial to any other Genicanthus angel even the opposite sex. By the way, female Bellus angels are less sensitive to shipping.

 

[chelseabrook]

I have a 36 gal bow, live rock, live sand, hob filter.
Right now i have:
1 zebra damsel
1 yellow tail damsel
1 domino damsel

Just got them today, was told nothing about them being aggressive towards eachother, but they havent paid any attention to each other yet.

I plan to get:
1 powder blue tang
2 clowns (possibly different kinds, if they can still breed... can they?)
1 mandarin
1 fire angel

 

[cherubfish pair]

I've had a 29 gallon set up for about a year-and-a-half. I should have it swapped out with my 50 gallon by the end of February. Everything in the upgrade will be the same except the actual tank. The sump holds 25 gallons so this gives me 75 gallons total. I have ample liverock and will be adding more. I use an RO skimmer rated at 125 gallons, run GFO and GAC, looking to get my hob fuge back online, and hope to get a pellet reactor going soon. I do frequent water changes as well.

The fish I have:

sixline wrasse
fireball angel
ocellaris clown
royal gramma

I feed heavy and they're model citizens as far as getting along although a blue/green chromis disappeared recently so who knows.

I also have zoas, mushroom corals, an emerald crab, and a peppermint shrimp. I plan to get an assortment of hard corals as well.

I'm not asking you to choose from the list below but I'm going to get only two from it. Would any two of them work?

ORA spotted mandarin (much better suited for aquarium life than their wild cousins.)
long-nose hawkfish
flame hawkfish (I'd like to add a splash of red.)
banggai cardinalfish
-or-
copperband butterflyfish (would this get too big and how reefsafe are they?)

 

[cherubfish pair]

I have a 36 gal bow, live rock, live sand, hob filter.
Right now i have:
1 zebra damsel
1 yellow tail damsel
1 domino damsel

Just got them today, was told nothing about them being aggressive towards eachother, but they havent paid any attention to each other yet.

I plan to get:
1 powder blue tang
2 clowns (possibly different kinds, if they can still breed... can they?)
1 mandarin
1 fire angel

Definitely no tang. You're looking at a six-foot-long tank for a fish that big. Also the mandarin requires a special diet.

 

[chelseabrook]

thanks, i know about the mandarin diet, he wont be added until later once i have a good food source est for him.

how quick do the tangs grow, eventually we will be upgrading. could we start with a small/baby tang and grow our tank with him?

Are there smaller types of tangs or other fish that look very similar? i like his powder blue color with the yellow

 

[snorvich]

I have a 36 gal bow, live rock, live sand, hob filter.
Right now i have:
1 zebra damsel
1 yellow tail damsel
1 domino damsel

Those fish, in that sized tank will likely preclude adding other fish. Your LFS sold you a "bill of goods" as that was bad advice .

Just got them today, was told nothing about them being aggressive towards eachother, but they havent paid any attention to each other yet.

I plan to get:
1 powder blue tang requires a much larger tank
2 clowns (possibly different kinds, if they can still breed... can they?) breeding requires the same species; however your damsels will likely not allow them
1 mandarin requires a much larger and much more mature tank
1 fire angel will be unlikely to coexist with the damsels

 

[snorvich]

I've had a 29 gallon set up for about a year-and-a-half. I should have it swapped out with my 50 gallon by the end of February. Everything in the upgrade will be the same except the actual tank. The sump holds 25 gallons so this gives me 75 gallons total. I have ample liverock and will be adding more. I use an RO skimmer rated at 125 gallons, run GFO and GAC, looking to get my hob fuge back online, and hope to get a pellet reactor going soon. I do frequent water changes as well.

first of all this thread is answered only by Reef Central Staff so I would ask that you only ask questions not answer those of other members like you did for the preceding poster

The fish I have:

sixline wrasse will limit other tank mates due to aggression
fireball angel
ocellaris clown
royal gramma

I feed heavy and they're model citizens as far as getting along although a blue/green chromis disappeared recently so who knows. blue green chromis have been coming in unhealthy so if it were relatively new that may be the issue rather than the sixline wrasse.

I also have zoas, mushroom corals, an emerald crab, and a peppermint shrimp. I plan to get an assortment of hard corals as well.

I'm not asking you to choose from the list below but I'm going to get only two from it. Would any two of them work?

ORA spotted mandarin (much better suited for aquarium life than their wild cousins.) Ora mandarins are not necessarily more suitable to aquarium life; there have been mixed reviews of their survival rate
long-nose hawkfish both hawkfish are excellent but are not shrimp safe
flame hawkfish (I'd like to add a splash of red.)
banggai cardinalfish tank raised are fine
-or-
copperband butterflyfish (would this get too big and how reefsafe are they?) copperband butterflies are excellent fish IF they eat and IF they have peaceful tank mates. But about half never eat. Also, they are a roll of the dice with meaty lps corals and some other corals. Odds are about 50/50 with corals. They will also be large with regard to a 50 gallon tank

 

[snorvich]

thanks, i know about the mandarin diet, he wont be added until later once i have a good food source est for him.

It is not as simple as food source. It is a function of metabolism, self sustaining food source, and tank mates

how quick do the tangs grow, eventually we will be upgrading.

Since upgrades happen on average less than 10% of the time for a variety of reasons, we recommend that you buy fish for the tank you have

could we start with a small/baby tang and grow our tank with him?

Actually, no, again for many reasons. But since this is not a discussion thread, if you wish to understand those issues, please post questions in Reef Fish. You will get a variety of opinions there from people with all levels of experience.

Again, not that simple. It is perceived territory, self sustaining algae source, and aggression towards others. Reef Central has recommended tank sizes for tangs which can be found here.

Are there smaller types of tangs or other fish that look very similar? i like his powder blue color with the yellow

Looks are nice, behavior is another matter completely and tank mate interactions are important as you will find out. Chelsea, this is not a discussion thread unlike others on reef central. It is answered only by Reef Central Staff.

 

[train_ga]

Steve - was asking a couple buddies and wondered if adding a handful of blennies to my tank given their quirky and awesome personality would be an issue? Would 3 be too many in my 150 gallon (midas, scooter & starry) with the other fishies we talked about yesterday- minus the dotties/angler?

Thx again for all your feedback.

 

[snorvich]

Steve - was asking a couple buddies and wondered if adding a handful of blennies to my tank given their quirky and awesome personality would be an issue? Would 3 be too many in my 150 gallon (midas, scooter & starry) with the other fishies we talked about yesterday- minus the dotties/angler?

Thx again for all your feedback.

Blennies do not like each other with the exception of barnacle blennies which tend to be colonial living in large barnacles. Scooter blennies are not blennies, they are dragonets. However, unless a male plus female pair, only one of these will work.