Quick help with fish list, please...

[Brandon M]

I am just beginning and am still doing a lot of research for my new hobby. I am currently in the cycle phase of my tank and am trying to figure out what fish I would like to add to my tank when it's ready...

Can you guys please let me know if these will be ok in my 72g bow tank...like I said I am still in the process of researching everything, so be nice

2 x Ocellaris Clownfish - Tank-Bred http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=755
1 x Yellow Longnose Butterflyfish http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=350
1 x Copperband Butterflyfish http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=212
1 x Heniochus Black & White Butterflyfish http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=242
1 x Spotted Mandarin http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=554
1 x Blue Tang http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=330

Thank you very much for the help, this site is now my new home

 

[zemuron114]

long noses get big. I've seen them atleast 7". The Blue tang will already get to big for the tank. So i would pick one or the other.
I would do,
blue tang (small as possible - around 3 inches would be perfect)
mandarin (after 6-10 months for pods to grow and populate)
2 clowns
and only one of those butterflies (i like the copperband)
then you have room for a few small fish like gobies or blennies you might want.

just a thought

 

[ACBlinky]

I'd skip the blue tang all together. If you really want to keep a tang, go for a smaller one like a convict, yellow, or chevron but even those will eventually be too large IMHO. I recently saw a full grown yellow, it was the size of a small dinner plate and an inch and a half thick through the middle, it looked terribly cramped in a 60gL tank at the LFS. If it's the colour you're after, there are other vibrant blue and yellow fish you could get - I chose a south seas damsel to get that splash of 'bluer than blue' in my 65g tank.

Unless you can find one that's eating frozen and you're willing to buy bottled 'pods, I'd also skip the mandarin. I agree that you'd want to wait quite a while before trying one - wait until your tank is absolutely crawling with 'pods.

Some butterflies get big, I agree that choosing one of those three is best. Make sure it's eating well, CBBs are notoriously picky eaters.

The clowns are a great idea, and I'd say in a 72g you could choose any type. If you're keeping them with a butterfly you might want to go with a more laid back species like ocellaris or percs and stay away from maroons or tomatos, JMO (butterflies seem to like calmer tankmates from what I've seen).

Gobies are loads of fun too. A symbiotic shrimp/goby pair will give you loads of entertainment and keep the sand stirred up, clown gobies are tiny splashes of colour with bold little attitudes that perch all over the tank, and sleepers will stir the sand up and move it around. (Sleepers can be tough to feed though, I have to bury volumes of frozen foods under the sand for my pair).

Something else you might consider is a dwarf angel; amazing colour and lots of personality in a small package (some are downright teeny). None are guaranteed reef safe, but then again neither are butterflies...

 

[Brandon M]

Thank you very much for the help guys

 

[AngelReefer]

tang will get too big

 

[TAZ316]

I have a 80g bow front and used to have:
1 Sohal tang
1 blue regal tang
1 harlequin tusk
1 redsea sail fin
1 zebra eel
and a real big clown trigger.
I agree with the others and I would skip on the manderin I tried to raise one and once the pods were gone it stopped eating.