Reef & Vertebrate Safe Tank - Stocking Questions - Help Appreciated

[r0cksteady]

Hi Everyone,

Very new to reef tanking and have just purchase most of the hardware required, now just doing research into fish/inverterbrate/coral compatibility.

Please help me by letting me know if anything I have listed will either attack/eat fish/inverterbrates or coral. I am looking for a peaceful community tank just like my current fresh water aquarium.

Here is a list I have compiled of likes having done some basic research. Now obviously its a tad "over populated" it you take me as wanting all of these in the one tank, but thats where I need your help to get it down to a nice, realistic and unique list.

Please comment on any aspect of this list but also help me in ammending it rather than point out how much of a n00b I am.

Cheers

TANK DETAILS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

4ft Tank (120 Gallons)

80 Kg of Live Rock

40 Kg of Coral Sand Substrate

Lighting - SunSun 2 x 250W Metal Halide Reflector 20K + 2 x 54W T5HO + Moonlight 7 LED

Protein Skimmer - Reef Octopus BH300

Heater - 300 Watt Jager Eheim

Filter - Aqua Pro CFD-2600 2400lph Canister filter with Coral Sand

Power Heads - 4 x Hydor Koralia

PLEASE POST SUGGESTED STOCKING LIST USING WHAT I HAVE LISTED BELOW.

Thanks again and any suggestions are appreciated. Feel free even to just tell me the big NO'S as in this fish doesnt go well with reef or vertebrate. I have spent a heap of time making the list and checking compatibility but I may have missed something and experience says a lot more than some of the books I have read do.


FISH

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)

DAMSELFISH
1 x Allen's Damselfish (Pomacentrus alleni)
1 x Blue Damsel/Blue Devil (Abudefduf cyaneus, Chrysiptera cyanea)
1 x Blue Reef Chromis (Blue Reef Chromis) - non agressive

DRAGONETS
1 x Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus)
1 x Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus)

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Bluespotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti)
1 x Catalina Goby (Lythrypnus dalli)
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Purple Tilefish (Hoplolatilus purpureus)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)

Blennies
1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Dusky Blenny (Astrosalarias fuscus)
1 x Lawnmower BLenny
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Redspotted Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos)
1 x Horned Blenny (Parablennius sp)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
1 x Smith's Fang Blenny (Meiacanthus smithii)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)

Sugeonfish (Tangs)
1 x Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
1 x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)

CARDINALFISH
1 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

RABBITFISH AND FOXFACE
1 x Foxface Rabbitfish (Lo vulpinus, Siganus vulpinus)

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Chevron Tang)
1 x Pacific Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
1 x Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)
1 x Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

WRASSE
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp)
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Exquisite Fairy Wrasse)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Filamented Flasher Wrasse)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellowstreaked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus)

Comet (Calloplesops altivelis)
Yellowhead Jawfish (Needs 4" of substrate)


INVERTERBRATES

EELS
1 x Golden Dwarf Moray Eel
1 x Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus)
1 x Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi)

STAR FISH
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

SHRIMP
2 x Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
2 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
2 x Spotted Anemone Shrimp
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Caribbean Boxing Shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp)

SEA-URCHIN
1 x Long-spined Sea Urchin (Diadema antillarum)
1 x Royal Urchin (Mespilia globulus)
1 x Slate pencil urchin (Heterocentrotus spp)

Crabs
1 x Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
1 x Sally Lightfoot Crab (Percnon planissimum)
1 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
1 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)

LOBSTER
1 x Hawaiian Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis)
1 x Debelius' Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus debelius)

SCALLOPS & OYSTERS
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)
1 x Paguriste scadenati

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

SEA URCHINS
1 x Globe Urchin (Mespilia globulus)
1 x Pincushion Urchin (Pseudoboletia maculata)

CLAMS
2 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
2 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)


CORALS

HARD CORALS
1 x Artichoke/Button Coral (Scolymia sp)
1 x Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp)
1 x Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia sp)
1 x Green Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp)
1 x Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata)
1 x Cat's Paw/Club Finger Coral (Stylophora sp)
1 x Daisy/Flowerpot Coral (Alveopora sp)
1 X Elegance Coral (Cataphyllia sp)
1 x Lobophyllia Brain Coral (Lobophyllia sp.)
1 x Plate/Disk Coral (Fungia sp)

MUSHROOM CORALS
1 x Ricordea Mushroom Coral (Ricordea yuma)

SOFT CORALS

1 x Feather Duster (Sabellastarte sp)
1 x Acalycigorgia Sea Fan (Acalycigorgia sp)
1 x Clove/Glove Poly (Clavularia sp)
1 x Pulse Coral (Xenia sp)
1 x Green Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia sp)

ANEMONES (Need to be 12" apart)
1 x Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
1 x Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla sp)
1 x Long Tentacle/Corkscrew Anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis)
1 x Ritteri/Magnificent Anemone
1 x Rock Flower Anemone

FAN WORMS \ FEATHER DUSTERS (ANNELIDS)
1 x Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus sp)
1 x Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea)
1 x Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp)
1 x Hard Tubeworm (Protula bispiralis)

MACROALGAE
1 X Sea Grape (Sea Grape)

One question I do have is how far apart do corals etc need to be from one another. I know the aggressive ones need to be separated but what about the non-aggressive. If you had an open cheque should you make it close to a blanket of corals so to speak or only a sparse collection.

 

[chuppy]

that is a huge list o.o

Im curious to hear from others as well

 

[zotzer]

That is one extensive list! Here's what I see on first glance:
Catalina Goby is a coldwater fish, so unless you plan to keep your tank at around 74 degrees, cross him off.

The Jeweled Rockskipper and the Lawnmower Blenny are the same fish.

I don't keep things with claws in my tank, so I can't speak to those inverts. Just snails and some peppermint shrimp here.

Good luck with the new set-up!
Tracy

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Re: Reef & Vertebrate Safe Tank - Stocking Questions - Help Appreciated

I'll quote and add comments to avoid re-typing the whole list:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10892818#post10892818 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by r0cksteady

4ft Tank (120 Gallons)

80 Kg of Live Rock

40 Kg of Coral Sand Substrate

Lighting - SunSun 2 x 250W Metal Halide Reflector 20K + 2 x 54W T5HO + Moonlight 7 LED

Protein Skimmer - Reef Octopus BH300

Heater - 300 Watt Jager Eheim

Filter - Aqua Pro CFD-2600 2400lph Canister filter with Coral Sand

Power Heads - 4 x Hydor Koralia

Equipment list looks great. Personally, I would ditch the canister filter or only run it when you need it. If you want to run it all the time, put chemical media in it, such as carbon or phosban. Running mechanical or biological media fulltime isn't currently in vogue, since the detritus trapped in mechanical or biological media just breaks down into nitrate and other nutrients over time. The current practice is to just REMOVE the detritus and nutrient load from the tank, through skimming or other methods. I'm not familiar with the skimmer you mentioned, is it hang on or in sump? Most people doing a tank as large as yours would use a sump.

PLEASE POST SUGGESTED STOCKING LIST USING WHAT I HAVE LISTED BELOW.

Thanks again and any suggestions are appreciated. Feel free even to just tell me the big NO'S as in this fish doesnt go well with reef or vertebrate. I have spent a heap of time making the list and checking compatibility but I may have missed something and experience says a lot more than some of the books I have read do.

I hope you hadn't intended to keep everything on the list you have below! It's a nice list of fish, but far too many for your tank size. So I guess my first comment would be to select the fish you want most from each group below, instead of trying to stock everything you've listed. Roughly, I'd say your stock list might be appropriate for a tank two or three times what you're planning, so try to cut the overall number down by that ratio.

I'll add comments below each group as appropriate. I am by no means a fish compatibility expert, so hopefully others can chime in here too.

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)

Two clowns are fine in a tank that size, but any time you're mixing clowns, your best bet will be getting two juveniles of the same species. Ocellaris and B&W Ocellaris are of course just different color variations of the same species, so you should be OK here - again though, aim for two very small fish to ensure you get juvies!

DAMSELFISH
1 x Allen's Damselfish (Pomacentrus alleni)
1 x Blue Damsel/Blue Devil (Abudefduf cyaneus, Chrysiptera cyanea)
1 x Blue Reef Chromis (Blue Reef Chromis) - non agressive

Skip these alltogether. In ANY size tank, damsels will become aggressive and dominating. The one exception might be the chromis, so if you must have a damsel, get one of those. Blue Devils earned their name for a good reason! Besides being mean, damsels are incredibly hard to catch if you decide you ever want to remove them, so better to just start without them.

DRAGONETS
1 x Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus)
1 x Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus)

Many people will probably tell you not to put two dragonets in the same tank, but IMHO you're on the border for being big enough to pull that off. Just make sure you have a very well established tank before adding them, and don't add anything else that will systematically hunt your 'pod population the way dragonets will. Take your time looking for your dragonets and try to get examples that are eating frozen or other prepared foods in the fish store, rather than just blindly buying the first one you see.

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Bluespotted Jawfish (Opistognathus rosenblatti)
1 x Catalina Goby (Lythrypnus dalli)
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Purple Tilefish (Hoplolatilus purpureus)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)

The jawfish will demand deep and varied sediment to dig in, so you might want to forget him unless you are going to provide a lot more sand than you mentioned above - I wouldn't personally keep them in anything less than 6" of sand, which is a pretty massive amount. I would almost consider them a species-tank candidate, instead of putting them in a typical mixed reef tank.

Catalina gobies are very attractive, but require pretty cool temperatures to live very long in captivity. Again, more appropriate for a species tank instead of a typical mixed reef.

Blennies
1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Dusky Blenny (Astrosalarias fuscus)
1 x Lawnmower BLenny
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Redspotted Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos)
1 x Horned Blenny (Parablennius sp)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
1 x Smith's Fang Blenny (Meiacanthus smithii)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)

I don't see any specific problems here, but then I've never heard of one or two of these blennies before. Again though, seems like a lot of fish - I'd just pick one or two as your favorites.

Sugeonfish (Tangs)
1 x Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
1 x Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)

These should be OK in a tank this size. Though, yellows and purples are pretty closely related, so it might be the case that they'll fight. You might be better off picking one of these two. If you must have two, pick another small tang that isn't quite so closely related.

CARDINALFISH
1 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

I don't think I'd ever put a cardinal in a tank all alone! They're one of the few species of fish that interact really well socially in our tanks. Get a few of them - you might even end up with a pair that decides to mate, which is pretty spectacular.

RABBITFISH AND FOXFACE
1 x Foxface Rabbitfish (Lo vulpinus, Siganus vulpinus)

Be aware that rabbitfish are venomous. Getting pricked by their spines is like getting a really bad bee sting. Also, they will compete for food with the tang(s) - so if you do decide to get two tangs, I'd skip the rabbitfish.

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Chevron Tang)
1 x Pacific Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
1 x Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)
1 x Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

Wait! We already covered tangs. Before the tang police jump in, I'll just comment that your tank is only big enough for the smallest of tangs, and even in that case, probably only one of them. Look at this thread for some good info on picking tangs:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=739380

WRASSE
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp)
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Exquisite Fairy Wrasse)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Filamented Flasher Wrasse)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellowstreaked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus)

I am by no means a wrasse expert. I'll let someone else comment here.

Comet (Calloplesops altivelis)
Yellowhead Jawfish (Needs 4" of substrate)

Covered above.

INVERTERBRATES

EELS
1 x Golden Dwarf Moray Eel
1 x Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus)
1 x Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi)

Borderline reef safe. They'll eat your smaller fish if not very well fed, and I'm not sure how three will interact in a tank of your size.

STAR FISH
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

Skip the fancy stars unless you want to dedicate yourself to researching and caring for them. In general, very poor success rates.

SHRIMP
2 x Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
2 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
2 x Spotted Anemone Shrimp
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Caribbean Boxing Shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp)

Some definite compatibility problems here. The pistols and coral banded shrimp will likely hunt the others down. IMHO you'd be better off picking two or three of the less-aggressive species here.

SEA-URCHIN
1 x Long-spined Sea Urchin (Diadema antillarum)
1 x Royal Urchin (Mespilia globulus)
1 x Slate pencil urchin (Heterocentrotus spp)

Skip the urchins alltogether unless you hate coralline on your rockwork and don't mind re-decorating weekly. They'll strip your tank clean of coralline (the desirable purple and pink encrusting algae that grows on live rock) and will knock over frags and smaller coral colonies.

Crabs
1 x Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
1 x Sally Lightfoot Crab (Percnon planissimum)
1 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
1 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)

Skip the larger hermits, as they'll slowly hunt down anything smaller than them. If you like the smaller ones, get at least a handful of them. They're pretty small - and only having one in a tank your size would mean that you'd probably never see the fellow!

LOBSTER
1 x Hawaiian Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis)
1 x Debelius' Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus debelius)

I don't know anything about lobsters in reef tanks, except that I'd imagine that they would function like some of the larger, more aggressive crabs.

SCALLOPS & OYSTERS
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)
1 x Paguriste scadenati

IMHO skip these alltogether. Dismal long-term success rates in home aquariums, though some claim success with certain target feeding mechanisms, there isn't a widely accepted practice to keeping them alive.

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

Should be fine.

SEA URCHINS
1 x Globe Urchin (Mespilia globulus)
1 x Pincushion Urchin (Pseudoboletia maculata)

See above!

CLAMS
2 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
2 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)

That's a LOT of clams for a tank this size! You have the equipment to sustain clams, but this many would mean very little room for anything else once they were all fullsize. I'd try to get down to half this number.

CORALS

HARD CORALS
1 x Artichoke/Button Coral (Scolymia sp)
1 x Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp)
1 x Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia sp)
1 x Green Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp)
1 x Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata)
1 x Cat's Paw/Club Finger Coral (Stylophora sp)
1 x Daisy/Flowerpot Coral (Alveopora sp)
1 X Elegance Coral (Cataphyllia sp)
1 x Lobophyllia Brain Coral (Lobophyllia sp.)
1 x Plate/Disk Coral (Fungia sp)

MUSHROOM CORALS
1 x Ricordea Mushroom Coral (Ricordea yuma)

SOFT CORALS

1 x Feather Duster (Sabellastarte sp)
1 x Acalycigorgia Sea Fan (Acalycigorgia sp)
1 x Clove/Glove Poly (Clavularia sp)
1 x Pulse Coral (Xenia sp)
1 x Green Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia sp)

Overall nothing major wrong with this list - you have the equipment to support any of these. You'll just have to pick carefully as you add corals to make sure each is getting placed in an appropriate spot in your tank and getting added at an appropriate time.

Consider skipping the elegance coral. They suffer from a relatively unknown condition where they often die rapidly in captivity.

Also, you put a feather duster under the softies - technically, it's a worm, not a coral - but it'll fit in your tank anyways.

Keep the softies you listed isolated on their own bits of rockwork - they are all very fast growing and aggressive species that will take over your tank in no time unless you keep them well isolated.

ANEMONES (Need to be 12" apart)
1 x Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor)
1 x Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla sp)
1 x Long Tentacle/Corkscrew Anemone (Macrodactyla doreensis)
1 x Ritteri/Magnificent Anemone
1 x Rock Flower Anemone

This is a pretty hefty list of anemones for this tank, especially considering your heavy load of corals and clams - again, space is an issue. Plus, while corals and clams are stationary, anemones can (and definitely WILL) move around the tank, stinging and killing other livestock as they go. Personally, I'd pick just one anemone from your list to keep in the tank - probably the bubbletip or long tentacle. They seem to be the easiest to keep in mixed reef tanks.

If you want your clowns to host in the anemone you pick, consider that carefully. Research in the clown and anemone forum for ideas.

FAN WORMS \ FEATHER DUSTERS (ANNELIDS)
1 x Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus sp)
1 x Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea)
1 x Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp)
1 x Hard Tubeworm (Protula bispiralis)

Should all be OK.

MACROALGAE
1 X Sea Grape (Sea Grape)

Do you have a scientific name for this? If it's grape caulerpa, skip it - it is highly invasive and will take over your display in no time. At any rate, you've included several powerful herbivores in your stock list above, so you might find that they eat whatever macro algae you put in the tank.

One question I do have is how far apart do corals etc need to be from one another. I know the aggressive ones need to be separated but what about the non-aggressive. If you had an open cheque should you make it close to a blanket of corals so to speak or only a sparse collection.

This is a loaded question - aggressive (stinging) corals certainly need to have space around them. Generaly, LPS (large poylp) corals fall in to this category most often. Things like a bubble coral can extend stinging tentacles 6 or 8 inches long at night to do battle, so they need plenty of room. Smaller-polyped stony corals generally don't have this ability, so they can be allowed to grow nearly to the point of touching.

Take a look at some photos from tank of the month winners (look on the home page of RC) to get some ideas of how densly corals can be stocked. Keep in mind that corals grow over time, so you have to allow room for growth.

edit - boy are my fingers tired! :lol:

 

[JoeMomma]

This is a very good thread. R0cksteady basically saved me having to post the same question about stocking. I am very interested to see what fish you eventually decide to go with!

 

[kawicivic]

just a few points.... blennies and gobies typically dont get along well with with other blennies or gobies... so i would stick to one blenny and one goby that you like the best out of those two groups. I think you could get away with a lawnmower and a midas blenny because they have two different body shapes.

Also you dont have any snails listed and should have a couple different varieties. I would recommend cerith, astrea, and nassarius (sorry if i butchered spelling).

You listed 1 chromis. Chromis would be a better candidate for a small shoal/school.

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10893282#post10893282 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kawicivic
just a few points.... blennies and gobies typically dont get along well with with other blennies or gobies... so i would stick to one blenny and one goby that you like the best out of those two groups. I think you could get away with a lawnmower and a midas blenny because they have two different body shapes.

Also you dont have any snails listed and should have a couple different varieties. I would recommend cerith, astrea, and nassarius (sorry if i butchered spelling).

You listed 1 chromis. Chromis would be a better candidate for a small shoal/school.

Agreed on the note about blennies/gobies - unless there are known examples of compatability, keeping fish that are too alike in coloration and habits can be a problem. This extends to any category of fish, of course. The advantage in the arena of blennies and gobies is that they are typically small fish with very small territories, so in a correctly aquascaped 120g tank, everyone can get their own little spot.

Definitely add some snails for cleanup duties, too!

And do some reading on here about chromis before trying a school of them. There's been a lot of debate in the last year or two about their long-term survivability in groups - many people have seen that over the years, the group will continually pick on the weakest fish to the point of death - this tends to continue until you only have one left. Other people, of course, have had no problems at all. IMHO, if people want a school of fish in a tank, there are probably more appropriate choices - some of the cardinals work very well in schools and are often ignored in this hobby.

 

[r0cksteady]

THE UPDATED AND RESEARCHED LIST!

THE UPDATED AND RESEARCHED LIST!

Now in answer to some of the questions:

Its a hang on skimmer only because the cabinet im using isnt large enough for a sump underneath and the main reason is im having a hard trouble convincing the wife that this will look great when she is an interior designer by trade and has never used an aquarium as a feature

Sorry if you mis-understood me, what this post was intended for (even though you still achieved what I was asking) picture having a Shopping Cart in an aquatic supermarket with only the list below available. Now obviously only a limited ammount will fit but you want a good range of everything. What would you put in the shopping cart?

Eel wise I would love to have just one, can someone recommend the best looking and most reef\invertebrate safe one if they are at all.

Shrimp wise what fish are classed as small that I have listed as an example for my understanding. Clownfish? Anything smaller than 2 inches, 3 inches? Can you tell me the Shrimp to steer clear of?

Crab wise can you tell me the ones to get rid off, im taking everything your saying to the T and am brutally reducing my list which is exactly what I needed.

Clam wise how many do you think I could safely have? I dont mind having to pay extra attention to the tank if it means I can have a little bit of everything.

Corals - Which ones are the elegant ones to avoid? What seems beautifull to me may be standard basic coral to you.

Microalgae - The Sea Grape is "Botryocladia sp" is that safe and is it herbivore safe?

Blennies & Gobbies - Im getting some mixed advice here is my tank large enough to have a few different types if I have 80kg (177lbs) of live rock to hide in?

Can you give me a suggested ammount if the list is currently too many?

Tangs - Ive had a read of the suggested threads, do you feel having 3 (one being a peacefully species) is too many still? Or should I get rid of the yellow tang as well?

FYI - I dont think im looking for a schooling type tank more of a peaceful variety tank if theres such a thing. This is really a learning tank more me as Im

in the process of renovating my place to include a 450'ish Gallon built-in reef tank. I would like a good 6-12 months hard experience before attempting it and also need the time to budget for it.

For the benefit of theres I will repost my updated stocking list as I have put some work in refining the list with the suggestions and also a little bit more research.

FYI Im using the website http://www.peteducation.com which other than these forums Ive found the be the best source of information as far as a AQUARIUM

ENCYCLOPEDIA with pics etc goes. Really good for beginners and advanced a like. The only way ive been able to get my wife to give a side ways glance of interest because of how easy it is to browse the photos etc.

Thank-you again for all your time and effort I hope I can contribute to the community in such a way as you all are after getting a few years of experience under my belt.

REVIEWED LIST:

FISH

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)

DAMSELFISH
1 x Blue Reef Chromis (Blue Reef Chromis) - non agressive

DRAGONETS
1 x Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus)
1 x Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus)

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Purple Tilefish (Hoplolatilus purpureus)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)

Blennies
1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Dusky Blenny (Astrosalarias fuscus)
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper \ Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Redspotted Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos)
1 x Horned Blenny (Parablennius sp)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
1 x Smith's Fang Blenny (Meiacanthus smithii)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)

CARDINALFISH
2 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Chevron Tang)
1 x Pacific Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)

WRASSE
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp)
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Exquisite Fairy Wrasse)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Filamented Flasher Wrasse)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellowstreaked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus)


INVERTERBRATES

EELS
1 x Golden Dwarf Moray Eel
1 x Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus)
1 x Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi)

STAR FISH
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

SHRIMP
2 x Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
2 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
2 x Spotted Anemone Shrimp
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Caribbean Boxing Shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp)

Crabs
1 x Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
1 x Sally Lightfoot Crab (Percnon planissimum)
1 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
1 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)

LOBSTER
1 x Hawaiian Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis)
1 x Debelius' Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus debelius)

SCALLOPS & OYSTERS
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)
1 x Paguriste scadenati

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

CLAMS
2 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
2 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)

SNAILS
4 x Bumble Bee Snail (Pusiostoma sp)
4 x Mexican Red Foot Snail (Norrisia norrisii)
4 x Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp)


CORALS

HARD CORALS
1 x Artichoke/Button Coral (Scolymia sp)
1 x Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp)
1 x Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia sp)
1 x Green Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp)
1 x Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata)
1 x Cat's Paw/Club Finger Coral (Stylophora sp)
1 x Daisy/Flowerpot Coral (Alveopora sp)
1 X Elegance Coral (Cataphyllia sp)
1 x Lobophyllia Brain Coral (Lobophyllia sp.)
1 x Plate/Disk Coral (Fungia sp)

MUSHROOM CORALS
1 x Ricordea Mushroom Coral (Ricordea yuma)

SOFT CORALS

1 x Acalycigorgia Sea Fan (Acalycigorgia sp)
1 x Clove/Glove Poly (Clavularia sp)
1 x Pulse Coral (Xenia sp)
1 x Green Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia sp)

ANEMONES (Need to be 12" apart)
1 x Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla sp)
1 x Ritteri/Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica)

FAN WORMS \ FEATHER DUSTERS (ANNELIDS)
1 x Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus sp)
1 x Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea)
1 x Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp)
1 x Hard Tubeworm (Protula bispiralis)
1 x Feather Duster (Sabellastarte sp)

MACROALGAE
1 X Sea Grape (Botryocladia sp)

Please feel free to cull whatever you see fit and let me know if theres anything I dont realise will eat or harm the other. Thanks

 

[DrBegalke]

 

[r0cksteady]

Sorry DrBegalke but was that supposed to mean something?

 

[petoonia]

Clowns look good, chromis looks good, the dragonettes I would only add after the tank has been established a long time. Here is some good reading material on them...

http://reefcentral.com/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=3


The gobies look good, I would suggest picking two or three blennies. The lawnmower, and two others be sure no to get them with similar coloration.

The cardinals look good.

If you are serious about keeping alot of fish you might want to add only 1 maybe 2 tangs. These guys are poop machines, since you want to keep corals these guys might cause you problems with nitrates.

If you are determined to keep an eel. I would only have one, they will eat smaller fish, and possibly invertebrates as well. They are also messy eaters, which again could give you nitrate problems. I would also suggest skipping any smaller fish. Anything that would be small enough to fit in the full grown eels mouth.

With the shrimp the coral banded are going to be aggresive towards other shrimp. You would probably be better off with a few scarlet cleaner shrimp they are more active, and not aggresive.

 

[petoonia]

The porcelain crabs are great. I would be careful with the hermits. I would try to get dwarf hermits as they stay much smaller, and can do less damage. As far as the others crabs some people have had bad experiences with them, especially once they grow large enough to do real damage.


I would skip the lobsters, as they do sometimes eat fish. In the long run they cant be trusted.

You can attempt the scallops but most people don't have long term success with them.

I dont have too much experience with some of the corals listed.

Absolutely skip the magnificent anemone, they are very hard to keep. They need alot of flow. (Which some of your corals will not like) and very intense light. They also grow to be extremely large, and would more than likely kill off many corals.These are one of the most difficult anemones to keep. Even some of the most experienced reefkeepers have trouble with these anemones. If you really want one of these consider trying it in your future tank, once you have some more experience.

The carpet anemone has also been known to eat alot of fish. In some cases even the clowns trying to host them. I would definitely research this one alot more to be sure you want it in your tank.


The cucumber should be fine. The only problem I have with lettuce sea slug is they tend to get sucked up in just about any type of power head, or filtration, and chopped into little bits.

You are going to need alot more snails than that. I would get about 15 nassarius, and an assortment of cerith, astrea, turbo, nerite, and banded trochus snails. I would have at least 30 or 40 snails total.

 

[r0cksteady]

Thanks

Thanks

Thats great feedback thanks. Ive removed everything you said off the list.

Im having a really hard time with the ANEMONES. I would like two different types in hopes that both the Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) and the Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var) both enjoy them.

Which ones can you recommend?

Also with the eels how do I know if they are going to eat small fish or inverterbrates. Can you give me an example on my list of what they may eat?

The Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus) grows to 10 inches and the Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi) grows to 14 inches.

With my reviewed list of fish attached, is my tank still overpopulated?

FISH

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)

DAMSELFISH
1 x Blue Reef Chromis (Blue Reef Chromis) - non agressive

DRAGONETS (Add later after tank is established)
1 x Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus)
1 x Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus)

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Purple Tilefish (Hoplolatilus purpureus)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)

Blennies
1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper \ Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)

CARDINALFISH
2 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Chevron Tang)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)

WRASSE
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp)
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Exquisite Fairy Wrasse)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Filamented Flasher Wrasse)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellowstreaked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus)


INVERTERBRATES

EELS
1 x Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus)
1 x Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi)

STAR FISH
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

SHRIMP
2 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
2 x Spotted Anemone Shrimp
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Caribbean Boxing Shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp)

Crabs
1 x Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
1 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
1 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)

SCALLOPS & OYSTERS
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)
1 x Paguriste scadenati

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

CLAMS
1 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
1 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)

SNAILS
15 x Bumble Bee Snail (Pusiostoma sp)
15 x Mexican Red Foot Snail (Norrisia norrisii)
20 x Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp)


CORALS

HARD CORALS
1 x Artichoke/Button Coral (Scolymia sp)
1 x Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp)
1 x Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia sp)
1 x Green Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp)
1 x Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata)
1 x Cat's Paw/Club Finger Coral (Stylophora sp)
1 x Daisy/Flowerpot Coral (Alveopora sp)
1 X Elegance Coral (Cataphyllia sp)
1 x Lobophyllia Brain Coral (Lobophyllia sp.)
1 x Plate/Disk Coral (Fungia sp)

MUSHROOM CORALS
1 x Ricordea Mushroom Coral (Ricordea yuma)

SOFT CORALS

1 x Acalycigorgia Sea Fan (Acalycigorgia sp)
1 x Clove/Glove Poly (Clavularia sp)
1 x Pulse Coral (Xenia sp)
1 x Green Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia sp)

ANEMONES (Need to be 12" apart)
1 x Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla sp)* NEED HELP CHOOSING A SAFER CHOICE
1 x Ritteri/Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica)* NEED HELP CHOOSING A SAFER CHOICE

FAN WORMS \ FEATHER DUSTERS (ANNELIDS)
1 x Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus sp)
1 x Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea)
1 x Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp)
1 x Hard Tubeworm (Protula bispiralis)
1 x Feather Duster (Sabellastarte sp)

MACROALGAE
1 X Sea Grape (Botryocladia sp)

 

[connpatd]

Subscribing

 

[petoonia]

Re: Thanks

Re: Thanks

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10900318#post10900318 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by r0cksteady
FISH

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)


DAMSELFISH
1 x Blue Reef Chromis (Blue Reef Chromis) - non agressive

DRAGONETS (Add later after tank is established)
1 x Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus)
1 x Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus)

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Purple Tilefish (Hoplolatilus purpureus)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus)

All the above fish should be fine. A Black Cap Basslet might be a nice alternative to the Purple Tilefish. They have similar coloration.

Blennies
1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper \ Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)


I could see some aggresion issues with the Bi color, and Midas blenny. I would pick just one from the Ecsenius group. The Midas blenny would be my pick they are a great fish!!!


CARDINALFISH
2 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Chevron Tang)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)

The tangs, and cardinals should be fine.

WRASSE
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp)
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Exquisite Fairy Wrasse)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Filamented Flasher Wrasse)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellowstreaked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus)

Wrasses Im not too sure about I would post this list in te Reef Fish forum. They are quite a few people on ere who the Wrasses really well.


INVERTERBRATES

EELS
1 x Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus)
1 x Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi)

The eels both are a difficult species to keep. I would wait until you have a larger tank, and more experience in the hobby. Peteduacation has the Filamented Sand Eel listed as difficult to care for, and for the Hass garden eel expert only. I would skip these as well.

You might have better luck with the Snowflake eel, but I would get advice from someone that has kept one in a reef tank with the fish you are hoping to have.

STAR FISH
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

These I would only add to your tank after it has been up and running for along time. No one knows what eaxactly they eat. So many do not survive long in an aquarium.


SHRIMP
2 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
2 x Spotted Anemone Shrimp
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Caribbean Boxing Shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
2 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp)

The anemone shrimps might compete with your clowns for time in the anemones. I would only add 1 or 2 at the most.

Peppermints, Blood shrimp, and the White striped cleaners are all great adiitions.

The caribean boxing shrimp is a different type of coral banded I would skip these, they will kill any of their own kind unless they are a true mated pair. There is a good chance they will fight with the other shrimp in the tank as well.

Pistol shrimp I would just do one of. I would also try to get one that is already paired up with a watchman goby.


Crabs
1 x Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
1 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
1 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)

There are regular porcelain crabs I think they are called purple porcelain crabs. They wont live in an anmeone, and they are a great addition to the tank. You could add 3 or 4 of them. They are filter feeders, and they stay pretty small.

The other crabs should be fine. I would keep an eye on the hermits. I personally like the dwarf blue leg hermits, dwarf zebra hermits, and scarlet hermits. They are a bit more colorful, and I think a little less aggresive. Be sure to add empty shells of differnt types, and sizes for your hermits to move into as they grow.


SCALLOPS & OYSTERS
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)
1 x Paguriste scadenati

Scallops probably wont survive long term. I would to add them after teh tank has been established for awhile.

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

These both should be fine.

CLAMS
1 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa)
1 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)


The crocea is fine, after the tank has been up and running along time.


The other three can get really big, especially the Derasa. I would pick only one of the other two. Or maybe just get 2 or 3 Croceas.


SNAILS
15 x Bumble Bee Snail (Pusiostoma sp)
15 x Mexican Red Foot Snail (Norrisia norrisii)
20 x Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp)

I would only do about 5 bumble bee snails, and 10 Red footed snails. I would add more variety with the snails. They do a better job that way. I would add some astreas, turbos, and my favirite banded trochus to the list as well.

CORALS

HARD CORALS
1 x Artichoke/Button Coral (Scolymia sp)
1 x Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp)
1 x Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia sp)
1 x Green Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp)
1 x Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata)
1 x Cat's Paw/Club Finger Coral (Stylophora sp)
1 x Daisy/Flowerpot Coral (Alveopora sp)
1 X Elegance Coral (Cataphyllia sp)
1 x Lobophyllia Brain Coral (Lobophyllia sp.)
1 x Plate/Disk Coral (Fungia sp)

Im not too experienced with alot of tehse I would post them in the SPS Forum. You will get better feedback there.



MUSHROOM CORALS
1 x Ricordea Mushroom Coral (Ricordea yuma)

Mushrooms should be fine. You will probably wind up adding more. They come in so many colors.


SOFT CORALS

1 x Acalycigorgia Sea Fan (Acalycigorgia sp)
1 x Clove/Glove Poly (Clavularia sp)
1 x Pulse Coral (Xenia sp)
1 x Green Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia sp)


I would also post this list in the LPS forum to get better feedback. Xenia is a great beginners coral, but the only problem with it is that it grows like a weed. It will attach itself to just about anything so I would keep it away from any rock you dont want it to grow on.

ANEMONES (Need to be 12" apart)
1 x Carpet Anemone (Stichodactyla sp)* NEED HELP CHOOSING A SAFER CHOICE
1 x Ritteri/Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica)* NEED HELP CHOOSING A SAFER CHOICE


Anemones Iwould either get a bubble tip or a long tentacle anemone. Or you could just have 2 or 3 Bubble tips they come in a wide variety of colors. Heres some good reading on anemones: (This is also a good site for researching anything to do with Reef tanks)

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/cnidaria/anthozoa/anemones.htm


FAN WORMS \ FEATHER DUSTERS (ANNELIDS)
1 x Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus sp)
1 x Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea)
1 x Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp)
1 x Hard Tubeworm (Protula bispiralis)
1 x Feather Duster (Sabellastarte sp)

These should be fine.


MACROALGAE
1 X Sea Grape (Botryocladia sp)

Not sure about this check out the algae forum to get some more info on keeping it in a reef tank.

I hope I was somewhat helpful!!! The only other thing is I would expect not to be able to find every single thing on your list so I would be open to some alternatives when it comes time to stock the tank. Just dont buy anything until you have done research on it. Good luck!!!

 

[JoeMomma]

Have you considered a male blue throat trigger? Those things are pretty cool and reef safe! Its definitely on my fish list!

 

[scotmc]

IMO your thinking is all over the place. I would take one tank at a time. Is it a 120 or a 150? Do not make a common mistake of adding eveything at once and rushing the process. You headed for failure. Your tring to create a look that takes years, not months. I would get a very good understanding of reefkeeping before you start to fill it with live stock. I wish this hobby gave us instant gratification, it just dosen't work that way. Start slow.

 

[r0cksteady]

Update

Update

Thanks guys for all the feedback. Ive now posted in each specialist section but will update the list here as the main compiler as theres a few subscribers. Also I will start and post photos of progress in a few weeks once I get started.

Also Ive decided to go to a bigger tank as I am going to have a sump now and have a little bit more money to spend. Heres the last updated list unless others come up with more suggestions.

Thanks scotmc for your opinion. I am looking at doing one tank at the moment (Reef\Vertebrate\Fish SAFE) with the intentions of in 12 months moving it to a 450ish Gallon tank. Thanks again though.

Tank Details:

5ft (5ft x 2ft x 3ft) = 224 US Gallons (187 UK Gallons) or 850 Litres

100 Kg of Live Rock

60 Kg of Coral Sand Substrate

Lighting - SunSun 2 x 250W Metal Halide Reflector 20K + 2 x 54W T5HO + Moonlight 7 LED

Protein Skimmer - Undecided

Heater - 300 Watt Jager Eheim

Filter - Sump with pump.

Power Heads - 4 x Hydor Koralia


FISH

CLOWNFISH
1 x Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris)
1 x Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris var)

DAMSELFISH
1 x Blue Reef Chromis (Blue Reef Chromis) - non agressive

DRAGONETS (Add later after tank is established)
1 x Green Mandarinfish (Pterosynchiropus splendidus, Synchiropus splendidus)
1 x Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus picturatus)

GOBIES, DARTFISH AND JAWFISH
1 x Green Clown Goby (Gobiodon atrangulatus)
1 x Neon Goby (Elacatinus oceanops)
1 x Purple Tilefish (Hoplolatilus purpureus) OR Black Cap Basslet (Gramma melacara)
1 x Yellow Watchman Goby (Cryptocentrus cinctus) - MUST BE PURCHASED WITH PISTOL SHRIMP ALREADY PAIRED

Blennies
1 x Jewelled Rockskipper \ Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)
1 x Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) OR 1 x Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor)
1 x Tube Blenny (Acanthemblemaria)

CARDINALFISH
2 x Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)

TANGS AND SURGEONFISH
1 x Chevron Tang (Chevron Tang)
1 x Tomini Bristletooth Tang (Ctenochaetus tominiensis)

TRIGGERS
1 x Bluechin Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)

WRASSE
2 x Banded Possum Wrasse (Wetmorella sp)
1 x Exquisite Fairy Wrasse (Exquisite Fairy Wrasse)
2 x Filamented Flasher Wrasse (Filamented Flasher Wrasse)
1 x Five Bar Wrasse (Psuedochellinus mysterii)
1 x Yellowstreaked Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus)


INVERTERBRATES

EELS
1 x Filamented Sand Eel (Trichonotus setigerus)
1 x Hass's Garden Eel (Taenioconger hassi)

STAR FISH (Add later)
1 x Blue Starfish (Linckia laevigata)
1 x Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp)

SHRIMP
1 x Pedersons Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes pedersoni)
2 x Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
1 x Spotted Anemone Shrimp
2 x Hinge-beak Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes spp)
2 x Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
4 x Indo-Pacific White-Striped Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
1 x Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus sp) - MUST BE PURCHASED WITH WATCHMAN GOBY ALREADY PAIRED

Crabs (MUST ADD EMPTY SHELLS FOR THEIR GROWTH)
4 x Purple Porcelain Crabs OR Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai)
1 x Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus)
1 x Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
1 x Left-handed Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
4 x Red Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)
4 x Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab (Coenobiata species)
4 x Scarlet Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)

SCALLOPS & OYSTERS - (Add later after tank is established)
2 x Electric Flame Scallop (Lima sp)
2 x Flame Scallop (Lima scabra)
1 x Paguriste scadenati

SEA CUCUMBERS
1 x Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber (Sand Sifting Sea Cucumber)

SEA SLUGS & NUDIBRANCHS
1 x Lettuce Sea Slug (Tridachia crispata)

CLAMS (Add later after tank is established)
2 x Crocea Clam (Tridacna crocea)
1 x Maxima Clam (Tridacna maxima)
1 x Squamosa Clam (Tridacna squamosa)

SNAILS
5 x Bumble Bee Snail (Pusiostoma sp)
10 x Mexican Red Foot Snail (Norrisia norrisii)
20 x Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp)
5 x Banded Trochus Snail (Trochus sp)
5 x Astraea Snail (Astraea tecta)
5 x Turbo Snail (Turbo sp)

CORALS

HARD CORALS
1 x Artichoke/Button Coral (Scolymia sp)
1 x Bird's Nest Coral (Seriatopora sp)
1 x Brain Coral (Trachyphyllia sp)
1 x Green Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sp)
1 x Candy Cane Coral (Caulastrea furcata)
1 x Cat's Paw/Club Finger Coral (Stylophora sp)
1 x Daisy/Flowerpot Coral (Alveopora sp)
1 X Elegance Coral (Cataphyllia sp)
1 x Lobophyllia Brain Coral (Lobophyllia sp.)
1 x Plate/Disk Coral (Fungia sp)

MUSHROOM CORALS
3 x Ricordea Mushroom Coral (Ricordea yuma) - Different colours

SOFT CORALS

1 x Acalycigorgia Sea Fan (Acalycigorgia sp)
1 x Clove/Glove Poly (Clavularia sp)
1 x Green Star Polyp (Pachyclavularia sp)

ANEMONES (Need to be 12" apart)
2 x Bubble Tip Anemone (Entacmaea quadricolor) - Different Colours

FAN WORMS \ FEATHER DUSTERS (ANNELIDS)
1 x Christmas Tree Worm (Spirobranchus sp)
1 x Cluster Duster (Bispira brunnea)
1 x Dwarf Colored Feather Duster (Bispira sp)
1 x Hard Tubeworm (Protula bispiralis)
1 x Feather Duster (Sabellastarte sp)

MACROALGAE
1 X Sea Grape (Botryocladia sp)

Thanks again for taking the time to read such a huge post.

 

[bmrescort]

IF you plan on keeping upward of 10-15 fish in this tank you had better have 1 heck of a skimmer as your nitrate level will never be low enough to keep coral healthy. The bio-load will be incredible. Also you need to keep in mind that the ideal amount of live rock for your tank of 225 gallons would be 300 + pounds. 80 pounds of sand will not cover the bottom of your tank more than 1/2 an inch or so. I put 120 pounds of sand in my 125 and it gave me about an inch or 2 depth. I would go with a 5oo watt heater also and make sure that you get one that has a controller with it. Plan on adding more powerheads right away for more controlled flow. One thing you will want to add to your budget is a tank controller. I have a reefkeeper 2 that I like alot. THis in my opinion is a must for anything bigger than a 29 gallon tank.
I took 8 months from start to finish to gather all of my equipment for my 125 gallon reef. Just be patient and things will go smoothly for you.

 

[H2OLUVSME]

Jerry, his figures are in kg, so that means like 225 pounds of LR and 130 or so of sand.

I think you really need to rethink the shrimp & crab area. If you get a CBS its going to eliminate most of the other shrimps. Also, eels are know invert predators. They will end up getting most of the inverts that stray too close as well as your small bottom/rock dwelling fish. If you eliminate the eels from your list, you are still going to have problems with the shrimp and crabs.

The porcelain crabs are very passive and will not come out much if you've got any more aggressive inverts than them.

The right pistol shrimp would do well with the watchman goby, but they would be directly competing for space with an eel, which would mean a sure meal for most eels (I'm not familiar with the ones listed though). I've purchased several tiger pistols and had them pair with a pink spot and two yellow watchmen without purchasing them together. They are going to cover any ground dwelling corals, and will most likely steal any ground dwelling frags (even small colonies) to construct their subterranean home.