potential stocking of 75 gallon tank

aandfsoccr04

Active member
I have not bought anything and am still doing the research in order to figure out my plan.
Here is a list of things I have compiled that I need so far.

75 gallon tank
sump under tank
75 lbs live sand
100-150 lbs combination of live rock and dead rock
48 Inch 6 or 8?x54W Sunlight Supply Tek Elite Light High Output Fluorescent Lighting Fixture
no idea about what brand of protein skimmer or size yet (open to suggestions as I know it is one of the most important things I will buy, will talk to local reef club in 2 weeks to get their input)
75 GPD RO/DI 5 Stage Standard System
2 two koralia powerheads. but they have the new ones that are Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead that come in 550 750 1050 and 1400 gph as well as the old ones which are Hydor Koralia 3 Circulation Pump/Powerhead UL 850 gph and Hydor USA Koralia Pump 4 UL 1200 GPH 12W


Fish:
six line wrasse
blue green chromis
clown fish with maybe a host anemone but have heard maybe a bad idea because they can move around and kill corals.
psychedelic mandarinfish
purple filefish goby
pajama cardinal
are tangs possible with this set up or too small of a tank? any other attractive fish you all would recommend to go with this set up?
flame angelfish or lemonpeel angelfish?

Clean up crew:
40 Dwarf Blue Leg Reef Hermits
35 Scarlet Reef Hermits
40 Astrea Algae Grazers snails
4 Emerald Crabs
1 or 2 brittle stars
2 peppermint shrimp?
3 tiger tail sea mop cucumbers

Corals:
soft corals (mushroom, leather, and zoanthids)
Kenyan tree coral
Pulsing xenia
Polyps
Maybe some LPS?

Let me know what you think I could use as I am still open to suggestions since I am taking it slow and figuring out a plan before I jump in.
 
that looks like a well thought out system. I'd encourage you to research all the livestock choices as much as possible.

Your powerheads: Flow is very important in reef tanks, if you haven't considered the Vortech MP40 ES i'd give that serious look. One may be suitable for a tank your size. If you remove the big and obnoxious looking Koralia's from the inside of you tank and replace them with the much smaller footprint of the Vortech you will gain addition viewing angles/room/landscape. By the time you get into mulitple powerheads and a wavemaer, a single Vortech starts to become very attractive.

For your lighting go as robust as possible, 8 bulbs x 54W will let you keep a wide variety of corals. Check out the T5 Q&A thread under the lighting section.

Budget 2-3 hundo for your proteien skimmer and buy the very best you can fit/afford. www.bulkreefsupply.com has a good selection of solid offerings.

I didn't see Carbon or GFO for use in reactors in your setup. Look those up and consider running at least carbon, preferably GFO as well right from the start of cycling your rock. Biopellets may be something you find interesting as well for their nitrate reducing ability.

Plan out at ATO system and have that set to go before livestock goes in.
 
Fish:
six line wrasse
blue green chromis
clown fish with maybe a host anemone but have heard maybe a bad idea because they can move around and kill corals.
psychedelic mandarinfish
purple filefish goby
pajama cardinal
are tangs possible with this set up or too small of a tank? any other attractive fish you all would recommend to go with this set up?
flame angelfish or lemonpeel angelfish?

Clean up crew:
40 Dwarf Blue Leg Reef Hermits
35 Scarlet Reef Hermits
40 Astrea Algae Grazers snails
4 Emerald Crabs
1 or 2 brittle stars
2 peppermint shrimp?
3 tiger tail sea mop cucumbers

Corals:
soft corals (mushroom, leather, and zoanthids)
Kenyan tree coral
Pulsing xenia
Polyps
Maybe some LPS?

Let me know what you think I could use as I am still open to suggestions since I am taking it slow and figuring out a plan before I jump in.

Fish:
six line wrasse--- can pick on other wrasses and other fish

blue green chromis--nice in a school or group of three

clown fish with maybe a host anemone but have heard maybe a bad idea because they can move around and kill corals.
an anemone should not be added for at least 3 to 6 months until the tank has stabilized or matured

psychedelic mandarinfish
these eat live copopods so unless you have a refugium set up to produce its food it will gradually starve

purple filefish goby---good fish but not with a six line wrasse---they will intimidate it and it will probably hid all the time as a result

pajama cardinal---a good fish for your tank--but again put about 3 or so of them in

are tangs possible with this set up or too small of a tank?
a yellow tang possibly

any other attractive fish you all would recommend to go with this set up?
flame angelfish or lemonpeel angelfish?

coral beauty angel would be a better choice, Flame angels are delicate and lemonpeels will probably eat corals like zoas and polyps

Clean up crew:
40 Dwarf Blue Leg Reef Hermits
35 Scarlet Reef Hermits
40 Astrea Algae Grazers snails
4 Emerald Crabs
1 or 2 brittle stars
2 peppermint shrimp?
3 tiger tail sea mop cucumbers

Far too many hermits especially with a new tank--food will be limited I would suggest 20 in total
Similarily start out with 10 snails
I would suggest a pair of cleaner shrimp as they eat parasites off of fish
 
so would you say start with just those and then slowly build up to what I have listed as I continue to add coral and livestock into my tank?
 
you could do a tang in a 75g. a yellow tang or kole tang would be your best options for a 4 foot tank.

with a 6 or 8 bulb lighting system you would have many options in terms of corals. you wouldnt have to worry about sticking with just easy soft corals. just always research and ask questions before you buy if you dont know about something
 
I have a 4ft 70g tank and have a similar list as you have goin. I have 2 Koralia 1400's and they give great flow. As a caution I had a lemonpeel and she did great with some of my coral but then I added some zoa's and she tore into them. I got rid of her after she quickly consumed over $60 of them. Some high dollar food fo sho. For a skimmer I have this...http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-octopus-6-pinwheel-in-sump-skimmer.html. I am currently in the process of adding my sump so I have not yet run this skimmer but I hope for good results.
 
thanks for the replies. I was looking at the reef octopus skimmers as well as the ASM g series of protein skimmers as well. I don't know which one to get. I do want to get a nice one though. I am also looking at the vortech powerheads as well vs korlias

ahh so many tough decisions. since everyone has different ideas and many different things have worked well for many different people. keep the input coming.
 
40 Dwarf Blue Leg Reef Hermits
35 Scarlet Reef Hermits
40 Astrea Algae Grazers snails
4 Emerald Crabs
1 or 2 brittle stars
2 peppermint shrimp?
3 tiger tail sea mop cucumbers

im using currently

20 Dwarf Blue Leg Reef Hermits
1 Scarlet Reef Hermits
20 Astrea Algae Grazers snails
2 Emerald Crabs
1 brittle stars
2 turbo snails
1 short spine urchin

With just these i have no algae, of course im pre-fish
 
thanks for the replies. I was looking at the reef octopus skimmers as well as the ASM g series of protein skimmers as well. I don't know which one to get. I do want to get a nice one though. I am also looking at the vortech powerheads as well vs korlias

ahh so many tough decisions. since everyone has different ideas and many different things have worked well for many different people. keep the input coming.

i have a reef dynamics INS-80 skimmer. rated a little higher(gallonage wise). i would recomend it if you are going to stock on the heavy side like i did or are going to run a heavy coral tank
 
I have a 90 gallon that I just started, I also have the octo skimmer 150 and love it so far, for flow I have 2-1400 evo koralias and a 750 evo, which gives me almost 40x turnover rate never can have to much flow but I wouldn't get more than 3 powerheads or else it will start to look cluttered
 
IMO mp40s are too much, I would go with two mp20s and put them on opposit sides, should give you a very nice wave look! Vortech power heads are really nice because they have battery backups on them for when the power goes out, will save your tank! Secondly make sure you are using quality salt, I would go with a synthetic blend, more consistency. Lastly like someone said earlier make sure you set up an auto top off system, it will save you many headaches.
 
That number of animals in your cuc crew is at least 10x too many. In my opinion good husbandry is allowing your worms and pods to live without predation and let them be the cuc. Their populations will wax and wane with your bioload. I would never put any crab in my tank. There is no such thing as an herbivorous crab. They eat everything and in general prefer meat.

Any substrate feeding wrasse, like a 6-line will eat too many pods. It's very risky putting one in with a mandarin because they eat the mandarin's food and are known to kill them. They may get along fine for a year and the next thing you know the wrasse is viciously murdering your mandy. Or he may just pick his eyes off. Not worth risking imo.

Later down the road if you get a mandarin. You might consider getting a target mandarin as they are a little smaller. Your tank is not ready for one for 6+ mo and as mentioned you need a place where pods can live and multiply in numbers large enough to feed the mandarin without being depleted.

Angels shouldn't be added until your tank is well established. Most angels are hardy and not delicate. I'm not sure what Capn up there is talking about. Angel hardiness in my experience has more to do with where and how they were collected. By that definition, Carribbean angels C argi's are very hardy. The lemon peel gets much to big for your tank and yellow angels are the least trustworthy with corals. Although one might be fine with the corals on your list. Most Centropyges will leave those alone. Most yellow angels can't resist brain type corals (or similar looking ones). The lemon peel may turn into a big bully in your tank.

Personally I can't stand to see a clownfish without a host. They look like they need something to do. I have also never had a problem with a wandering BTA. If you research before you buy, you can circumvent some of the problems you read about. BTA"s really only have a few requirements. IF you are planning for your tank to be packed full of corals, then you indeed will not want an anemone, at least not a BTA. In that case you also do not want an angel. Angels are grazing animals and need plenty of rock surface on which to do so. A tank covered with corals is not appropriate.

HTH :)
 
If I shouldn't do angels or mandarins what fish should I do? I want like a list of a number of cool looking fish that would fit really well in my tank. I like the look of the foxface rabbitfish but from reading I don't think they would be a good idea for my tank either. Possibly apink anthia? If you could just shoot me a list of a bunch of fish that you think would be good with my setup I would really appreciate it. I am going to attend the local reef club meet this weekend and get some feedback as well from them.

I am not going to go with the vortech as they are super expensive. I think I am going to go with 2 hydor Koralia 1050gphs or maybe 1 1050gph and 1400 gph
 
Two evo 750s w a return pump will give you 25 to 30 times turnover rate. Plenty to start out with and exactly what I use for my 75. I use the evos with a Mag5 return.
 
If I shouldn't do angels or mandarins what fish should I do? I want like a list of a number of cool looking fish that would fit really well in my tank. I like the look of the foxface rabbitfish but from reading I don't think they would be a good idea for my tank either. Possibly apink anthia? If you could just shoot me a list of a bunch of fish that you think would be good with my setup I would really appreciate it. I am going to attend the local reef club meet this weekend and get some feedback as well from them.

I am not going to go with the vortech as they are super expensive. I think I am going to go with 2 hydor Koralia 1050gphs or maybe 1 1050gph and 1400 gph
Why are you saying you shouldn't do the angels? Anthias is singular, btw.
From your list:
six line wrasse
blue green chromis
clown fish with maybe a host anemone but have heard maybe a bad idea because they can move around and kill corals.
psychedelic mandarinfish
purple filefish goby
pajama cardinal
are tangs possible with this set up or too small of a tank? any other attractive fish you all would recommend to go with this set up?
flame angelfish or lemonpeel angelfish?

This is how I would do it:
2 Azure damsels (C hemycyanea)
Ocellaris clown pair with a BTA (asuming you have the lighting)
Purple firefish
A smaller sized combtooth blenny (like a bicolor or tailspot blenny)
1 flame angel or a Centropyge argi pair (I can help you with pairing)
A pair of red banded high fin gobies with commensal shrimp
1 target mandarin
Some type fairy wrasse or fairy wrasse pair (pelagic feeder)

You know of course that you wouldn't add all of these fish at once. The angels and the damsel would added last to let the gentler fish get comfy in the tank. The gobies and firefish would be good first additions along with the clowns. I'd add the mandarin as the very last. I'd spread it out over a 8 mo to a year.

None of those fish on my list are a problem with pods or a mandarin. But the 6-line (substrate feeder) and cardinal are. 6-lines are cool fish, but I don't understand the popularity of cardinals. They are crepuscular or nocturnal feeders and just hang in one spot all day (sleeping?).
 
It just seems like from a lot of the things I read that angels have been known to pick at corals from time to time. I wish everyone in this hobby didn't have such different opinions on everything. That would make it so much easier for people like me who are just starting out haha
 
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