Stocking advise for 75 gallon
- Thread starter mongerman
- Start date
Sounds like a good list to me, and a very nice tank, too.
Your hermits may or may not make it with the eel and puffer. However, I have a pretty big hermit that has been fine in my tank since last summer with a dogface puffer, 2 eels (including a large zebra moray) pinktail trigger and more recently, Australian harlequin tusk.
I'd make sure the smaller fish are fairly assertive and big enough not to be swallowed by the snowflake. IME snowflakes don't usually bother fish, but you run some risk with smaller, passive ones.
If your "smaller" fish top out at around 4-6 inches, I wouldn't add more than 2-3, and probably just one dwarf angel. (You could maybe try a coral beauty and a flame angel, but there would be a risk they would not get along.) Would you also consider a hawkfish? There are several appropriate sized species that are colorful and they all have interesting behavior. Other good additions might be a big blenny or a medium sized wrasse.
I don't know your taste in puffers, one that gets a good size for your tank is the green spotted puffer. I think your tank may be on the small side for an adult dogface, which is the smallest I can think of after tobies. GSPs are sold as brackish fish (and are pretty inexpensive) but do fine in salt, if gradually acclimated over time. IMO, they need to be in full salt by the time they are adults. I think they get six inches when full grown, but resemble the Arothron puffers more than the tobies do. You might be able to keep more than one GSP or toby in your tank.
Your hermits may or may not make it with the eel and puffer. However, I have a pretty big hermit that has been fine in my tank since last summer with a dogface puffer, 2 eels (including a large zebra moray) pinktail trigger and more recently, Australian harlequin tusk.
I'd make sure the smaller fish are fairly assertive and big enough not to be swallowed by the snowflake. IME snowflakes don't usually bother fish, but you run some risk with smaller, passive ones.
If your "smaller" fish top out at around 4-6 inches, I wouldn't add more than 2-3, and probably just one dwarf angel. (You could maybe try a coral beauty and a flame angel, but there would be a risk they would not get along.) Would you also consider a hawkfish? There are several appropriate sized species that are colorful and they all have interesting behavior. Other good additions might be a big blenny or a medium sized wrasse.
I don't know your taste in puffers, one that gets a good size for your tank is the green spotted puffer. I think your tank may be on the small side for an adult dogface, which is the smallest I can think of after tobies. GSPs are sold as brackish fish (and are pretty inexpensive) but do fine in salt, if gradually acclimated over time. IMO, they need to be in full salt by the time they are adults. I think they get six inches when full grown, but resemble the Arothron puffers more than the tobies do. You might be able to keep more than one GSP or toby in your tank.
JustinReef
New member
Having about 11 years experience keeping Green Spotted Puffers, I would say a 75G is really pushing it for more than one. Great for a single one but they are generally much more aggressive than true saltwater puffers. They are born in brackish waters and spend most of their young lives there until venturing out to the ocean as adults. Not all GSP's migrate to the ocean but it seems like if food is not abundant in the estuaries they are in, they will go to the ocean. My brother is a Marine Biologist who ended up specializing in Brackish water fishes, so I have been lucky enough to get some great info from him. Actually I think he has told me that he has yet to actually see a GSP in all his studies in the ocean.
Anyways, I had some very bad experiences keeping more than one in a tank and it was a 110G brackish community. The big one killed the smaller one in about a week. They were bought at the same time. I ended up having the bigger one for almost 5 years I think before he died last year
He got sucked into my overflow. I still have not forgiven myself.
Anyways, WAAAAAAY off topic but a GSP would be a great puffer for you. Only thing is they do need to be close to adult to be in marine tanks. I have often seen people trying them in saltwater before they are old enough and they tend to not be as healthy. I would wait until its about 4". And gradually bring it up to full salt from whatever it is sold to you in...most likely freshwater unfortunately.
Here was mine years ago. I don't know if I have a full grown pic of him on my computer...This was him when he was first introduced to full marine. They loose their color as they grow older unfortunately. They start a very bright green and yellowish color but fade a lot to a more brownish green...
Anyways, I had some very bad experiences keeping more than one in a tank and it was a 110G brackish community. The big one killed the smaller one in about a week. They were bought at the same time. I ended up having the bigger one for almost 5 years I think before he died last year
He got sucked into my overflow. I still have not forgiven myself. Anyways, WAAAAAAY off topic but a GSP would be a great puffer for you. Only thing is they do need to be close to adult to be in marine tanks. I have often seen people trying them in saltwater before they are old enough and they tend to not be as healthy. I would wait until its about 4". And gradually bring it up to full salt from whatever it is sold to you in...most likely freshwater unfortunately.
Here was mine years ago. I don't know if I have a full grown pic of him on my computer...This was him when he was first introduced to full marine. They loose their color as they grow older unfortunately. They start a very bright green and yellowish color but fade a lot to a more brownish green...
JustinReef
New member
Ok...sorry that got very long and is a little of topic.
I'm not really a puffer fan, so I'm not going to get one.
My planned stock list is
1. Dwarf Zebra Lionfish or Antennata Lionfish
2. Snowflake Eel
3. Coral Beauty
4. A few damsels/clowns to add movement to the tank.
I know I can probably accomadate more fishes, but I like to keep maintanence low and have more space for my fishes as well
My planned stock list is
1. Dwarf Zebra Lionfish or Antennata Lionfish
2. Snowflake Eel
3. Coral Beauty
4. A few damsels/clowns to add movement to the tank.
I know I can probably accomadate more fishes, but I like to keep maintanence low and have more space for my fishes as well
JustinReef
New member
Sounds like a great list. You should have no problems that I can see with that list. You could even keep another species of Dwarf lion as well as a Zebra if you wanted.
Just make sure the tank is really sealed with no way out for that Snowflake!
Just make sure the tank is really sealed with no way out for that Snowflake!
After a few months, my current residents are
1 x Snowflake Eel
1 x Fuzzy zebra lionfish
1 x Bicolor Angel
2 x Azure Damsel
1 x Mandarin
CUC of hermits
There WAS a osc clown and a firegoby as well, which my gf insisted on getting despite warnings that a lion would very probably eat them...oh well.
The tank is running with a RDSB and refugium with chaeto, which I harvest weekly. Nitrates are around 5-7, rest of the parameters are fine
Right now, I'm looking to add
1 x flame angel
1 x tomato clown
1 x Antennata
Would this work? I would like to work around the antennata, since I want my tank to be a aggressive one. More suggestions on med sized fish that can live with the fuzzy and antennata would be greatly appreciated. TIA
1 x Snowflake Eel
1 x Fuzzy zebra lionfish
1 x Bicolor Angel
2 x Azure Damsel
1 x Mandarin
CUC of hermits
There WAS a osc clown and a firegoby as well, which my gf insisted on getting despite warnings that a lion would very probably eat them...oh well.
The tank is running with a RDSB and refugium with chaeto, which I harvest weekly. Nitrates are around 5-7, rest of the parameters are fine
Right now, I'm looking to add
1 x flame angel
1 x tomato clown
1 x Antennata
Would this work? I would like to work around the antennata, since I want my tank to be a aggressive one. More suggestions on med sized fish that can live with the fuzzy and antennata would be greatly appreciated. TIA
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