Restocking after the Crash

[BonesCJ]

My 72 popped a seam and I lost about half of my current fish (Chromis, royal gramma, mandarin) and my wife and I are trying to figure out what fish to replace them with. We are going to a Oceanic tech 90 (48L*18D*25T).

Here is a list of the survivors
1 Yellow tang
1 Perc Clown
1 Green Clown Goby
1 Rainfords Goby
1 Engineer goby

The whole new system will be apx 130 gallons with a octo nw-150 protein skimmer and I do 10-15 gallon changes every two weeks. The new layout will be lagoon style with curving rock walls on the sides and open areas in the middle. We really want some fish that swim out in the open, here is a list of our possible choices, please feel free to comment and suggest. Realize that not ALL of the possibles will be going in there :-D

2-3 Firefish
1 Mandarin or Scooter Dragonett
1 Leopard wrasse
1(or more) Fairy Wrasse
2 Pyjama Cardinals
more Clown gobies (I kinda want one of every color :-D)
3 Lyretail Anthias (1male 2female)
1-3 Chalk Basslets

So there we go, I am hoping to add anywhere from 3-7 new fish depending on their size and bioload. We are trying to avoid chromis as while they are cool dither fish we have had poor success in terms of a pair not killing off all the others.

 

[flashyleopard]

IMO, leopard wrasses are one of the nicest fish you can have.They look and do great in trios, depending on species and will always be visible.Flasher wrasses could be used as dither or schooling fish as a group of 3-5 will occupy the mid and upper water colums and provid elots of color and little bioload, but they do jump.Firefish did fine for me as a trio in a 46gallon bow front, but most reports state that will kill one another and it is best to keep them singly or in pairs.They are also known for jumping, though in my open-topped system, they never did.Don't foget about the active and gorgous swallowtailed angels.They will occupy all water levels and be very visible.They need plenty of swimming room and some like cooler water, but not all.They are a little higher in terms of bioload, then some of the smaller fish, but well worth it for what they add to the tank.You might consider other dwarf angels as well, instead of the swallowtails, and one would work well the the school of flasher wrasses for effect.I like baggaiis,better than pajamas,but that's just my taste.The anthias are nice,but considerably more difficult.IMO,if you do the leopard or leopard, a mandarin would be over competed with for food, so don't mix them.

 

[Moonstream]

I would get the firefish for sure, I loe my trio. others have told me that they tend to form mated pairs when in groups, and so be prepared to remove the 'odd man out' if this happens.

also, I would choose either the leopard wrasse or the mandy/ scooter dragonet, because pods make up a large portion of the diet of both.

fairy wrasses (as well as flasher wrasses) would both be good choices, though both feed off of pods, so might compete with the mandy/ scooter dragonet.

I would by-pass the cardinals, they tend to just stay in one place and IMO dont do much

I would get more clown gobies for sure, they are so cute and funny.

anthias would be doable, I believe, but I have heard that they tend to do better in groups of 5+, which might be too many for your tank.

I know little/ nothing about the chalk basslets, so can reallt comment, all I will say is that I have been looking into getting a few myself, so if you do keep them, let me know how they are! I haev heard they are very reclusive...

if it were me, I would probably do a leopard wrasse, the firefish, 1-2 fairy wrasses, 1-2 flasher wrasses, more clown gobies, and maybe 1 male lyretail anthias.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Re: Restocking after the Crash

1 Mandarin or Scooter Dragonett
1 Leopard wrasse
1(or more) Fairy Wrasse

The above 3 will compete for food sources, unless you can assure that they're eating prepared foods well I'd limit yourself to just one of the above.


2 Pyjama Cardinals

Should be fine, but a mated pair might be best.

more Clown gobies (I kinda want one of every color :-D)

Be careful with SPS if you have any intentions of keeping them...

3 Lyretail Anthias (1male 2female)

Personally, I think Anthias should be in larger aquariums, but they might be fine. I also think larger groups are best and you don't have the space.

1-3 Chalk Basslets

Not sure how these are with conspecifics in a home aquarium, do a little research before getting more than 1.

2-3 Firefish

I'd suggest sticking with 1 unless you're lucky enough to find a mated pair. It's amazing how quickly they can turn on one another and how relentless they are once they do.