Reef fish stocking - 155g

[phenom5]

Hey all. My new 155g is up, and running...finally. I am kicking off the cycle tomorrow with LR, and I am starting to think about fish.

When it comes to corals, I am pretty comfortable. I know corals. But fish...I need some help. In the past my tanks have been pretty light on fish, but with a bigger tank, I want an interesting, diverse fish pop.

The tank is 72x24x21. Minimal rock scape, with SPS focus. Crabs, shrimp, snails, etc for clean up crew.

I will have a clownfish pair. Probably false percs. I had a "17ish" year old tomato/ cinnamon pair in my last tank. Great fish...mean as hell. Need clowns per the wife, but I am looking for something that won't attack my hand anytime I do anything in the tank.

6-Line wrasse is a must. IMO/ IME they are great fish. They tend to snack on coral pests, and are good fish. Would love to add additional wrasses, if they will co-exist.

Tank will need at least one tang, two if it will work in this size tank.

I love anthias, my wife and I both work "banker-ish" hours. Can't feed them "several" times a day.

Would like to add a royal gramma, since that was the very first SW fish I kept some 10+ years ago.

Other than that, I am open to suggestions, and advice. Numbers of fish, order to add them, general fish keeping advice...I am interested in it all.

Thanks in advance!

 

[formsix]

Hmm, maybe a blenny? A starry blenny, or another that will perch on rocks might be a good compliment to all of the swimming fish you have planned. Well, the gramma probably won't swim much, but all the others will.

I love my "common" ocellaris clowns -- they're bold, cute, and have fun personalities.

I think there are some anthias that are fine being fed twice a day, but you should check. I have a carberryi anthias QT now and I feed her before I leave in the morning, as soon as I get home, and then an early bedtime snack -- its seems to be working out, and I'm sure she'd be fine if she skipped a meal occasionally. I'm going to try out an auto feeder at some point if I can get her to eat pellets -- that's always an option too.

 

[phenom5]

Thanks for the suggestions formsix.

I was considering a goby/shrimp pair or jawfish...maybe along with a blenny.

I prefer the "common" clowns to some of the "designer" clowns.

 

[Stevenliu9]

Just one caveat about blenny is they are hit or miss when it comes to nipping coral/clams. I had one that nipped my clam- something to consider if you ever want clams in your tank.
I would recommend an angel in the genicanthus family like watanabe or bells, they are not aggressive and I have had multiple of them never had one harm corals/inverts. I also recommend a rabbitfish of some sort, perhaps a magnificent fox face? My foxface helps me keep nuisance algae in check, you'll never worry about hair algae if you have them.

 

[Betta132]

Definitely go with a pistol/goby. Maybe try a watchman goby and a tiger pistol, they're larger and more likely to be seen. You could keep two pairs in there, if you want. Either they'll all end up in a group, or you'll get two pairs, or maybe the pistols will pair and the gobies will stay in separate sections of the tunnel, or the gobies could end up together and one pistol will be alone.

 

[phenom5]

Interesting Steven. I would love an angel. Are they really reef safe?

Definitely want to do something along those lines Betta.
Will Fiji pink sand work for a giby/shrimp or jawfish?

 

[o2manyfish]

Bellus Angels are extremely reef safe - both to corals and to fish. The Anthias are something to consider. But make your life easier, look up the SuperFeeder. It's a reliable automatic feeder, you can mix all types of different foods in the hopper, and put in on a timer to feed as many times a day as you like. I have been keeping Dispar, Carberryi and Evansi with the feeder with no issues for the last couple of years.

Assesors are also a great fish to add to the tank - Not an open water swimmer, but inverted swimmers in caves.

And don't knock damsels as an option - There are lots of colorful damsels that are good for picking up extra food, or some hunt coral pests that stay little and stay to themselves.

Dave B

 

[eatbreakfast]

If you want other wrasses in the future avoid the 6line, they do not tolerate other wrasses once they are established. Other wrasses that help in pest control are species in the Genus Halichoeres. Good common species are melanurus, chrysus, and biocellatus.

Fairy wrasses and leopard wrasses are also nice.

Zebra bar gobies are out in the water column similarly to anthias, but have a completely different body shape.

 

[phenom5]

Bellus Angels are extremely reef safe - both to corals and to fish. The Anthias are something to consider. But make your life easier, look up the SuperFeeder. It's a reliable automatic feeder, you can mix all types of different foods in the hopper, and put in on a timer to feed as many times a day as you like. I have been keeping Dispar, Carberryi and Evansi with the feeder with no issues for the last couple of years.

Assesors are also a great fish to add to the tank - Not an open water swimmer, but inverted swimmers in caves.

And don't knock damsels as an option - There are lots of colorful damsels that are good for picking up extra food, or some hunt coral pests that stay little and stay to themselves.

Dave B

Thanks Dave! I hadn't considered Angels until the suggestion from Stevenliu9.

I will have to look into the feeder you suggested. I have an open outlet on a controller...hmm. I was talking to one of the LFS guys, he suggested the same.

If you want other wrasses in the future avoid the 6line, they do not tolerate other wrasses once they are established. Other wrasses that help in pest control are species in the Genus Halichoeres. Good common species are melanurus, chrysus, and biocellatus.

Fairy wrasses and leopard wrasses are also nice.

Zebra bar gobies are out in the water column similarly to anthias, but have a completely different body shape.

Interesting. Does Genus Halichoeres play well with others?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Halichoeres usually are non aggressive toward other fish. On a fish by fish basis there are exceptions, but if they do behave aggresively it would be towards another fish in the Genus, but they are usally fine.

 

[MondoBongo]

i'm going to be upgrading to the same size tank some time next summer.

i currently have a yellow tang, and i am *considering* getting a sailfin, but that remains TBD at this point.

i think maybe that and a copper banded butterfly as far as large fish go, but i actually wanted to stock some much smaller fisher. a group of tiny gobies, chalk basslets, and other little guys to add life to the rocks.

i currently also have two clowns, a lawnmower blenny, mandarin, and carpenter's flasher wrasse.

 

[phenom5]

Tentatively, here's where I am at with fish.

-Watanabe Angle
-Orangeshoulder or Lieutenant Tang
-3-4 Ignitas or Carberryi Anthias
-Pair of Clowns - likely percs or false percs or phantom
-Royal Gramma or Gold Assessor Basslet

Other fish I am considering
-Small group of blue/green or black & white chromis
-Pearly jawfish
-Yellow or Blue or Kole tang


I am curious on how that looks bioload-wise.
I am also curious if your guys think I am good with 2 tangs.
Will a group of chromis survive, or will it dwindle down to a single survivor (I feel like I've read that)?

 

[SecretiveFish]

The Orangeshoulder or Lieutenant Tang will get too big for your tank as will the blue hippo tang, but there are lots of other tangs that would be happy in your tank: powder brown, white cheek, yellow tang, scopas tang, powder blue, mimic lemon peel, etc. IME, you can have two tangs as long as they are added at the same time (quarantined together?), but experiences do vary.

As for the group of Chromis, my group of chromis went from 5 to 1. This experience seems much more common than the chromis getting along.

I really like Kole tangs, very attractive and active. I also really like hawkfish, but if you are planning on shrimp this may not be a good idea. Have you looked at Midas Blennies? They are very fun fish and do not pick at corals.

FWIW my 150 is finally going to be restocked (ICK outbreak because genius here was not quarantining fish) with a pink spotted goby, marine betta, flame hawkfish, indigo hamlet, snowflake clownfish pair, scarlet pinstripe wrasse, mimic lemonpeel tang, bristletooth tomini tang, and white cheek tang. Those fish are going to be so happy to be out of quarantine!!! This is my final stocking list; I am not planning on adding any more fish.

ETA: bioload wise, if you skipped the chromis and went with the Kole tang and another tank appropriate sized tang, I think you would be just fine bioload wise. Others are successful heavily stocking a tank, but every time I do that something dies... so I tend towards moderate to light stocking levels.

 

[phenom5]

The Orangeshoulder or Lieutenant Tang will get too big for your tank as will the blue hippo tang, but there are lots of other tangs that would be happy in your tank: powder brown, white cheek, yellow tang, scopas tang, powder blue, mimic lemon peel, etc. IME, you can have two tangs as long as they are added at the same time (quarantined together?), but experiences do vary.

Looks like I need to rethink the tang. Admittedly I just looked on Live Aquaria and saw 180g minimum tank size so I assumed my 72x24 footprint would work.

As for the group of Chromis, my group of chromis went from 5 to 1. This experience seems much more common than the chromis getting along.

That sounds consistent with what I've read.

ETA: bioload wise, if you skipped the chromis and went with the Kole tang and another tank appropriate sized tang, I think you would be just fine bioload wise. Others are successful heavily stocking a tank, but every time I do that something dies... so I tend towards moderate to light stocking levels.

I've always leaned towards the light stocking myself. I don't want to have a heavily stocked tank per se, but my last tank was very lightly stocked with fish, and this time around I think I want a little bigger fish pop.