Tank Update & Tentative Stocking Plan

[SFMAquariums]

Well it was a long process with plenty of setbacks but I finally got my 225 gallon tank & the accompanying sum/plumbing/equipment all setup! Big thanks to everybody on here that helped me out with a number of questions I had along the way (Griss, Wvned & others). I've attached a couple photographs of how everything is looking currently in case anybody is interested (excuse the blued-out image, still figuring out how to adjust the LEDs to take pictures).

Next on the to-do list is waiting for the water to cycle, aquascaping & then starting to add some actual critters!

I have therefore started to put together a tentative stocking list & was just curious if anybody had any thoughts or feedback. I know now that one of the books I have been using is a little dated. I also suspect that stocking can be quite complicated with various environmental/feeding requirements & species interactions, so if anybody has some more recent information or personal experience to share, please let me know!

I was first planning to add some of the following invertebrate species:
-Hermit crabs (Clibinarius tricolor, Paguristes cadenanti)
-Snails (Astraea sp, Turbo sp.)
-Cleaning shrimp (Stenopus hispidus, Lysmata amboiensis)
-Sea Urchins (Tripneustes gratilla, Mespilia globulus)
-Brittle Stars (Ophiocoma sp.)

I was also considering a sea cucumber as the book I was reading stated that they can be helpful for cleaning purposes but after doing more research it seems like a risk I'm not really willing to take as a beginner.

I was then planning to add some of the following photo-synthetic invertebrates:
-Disc Anemones (Rhodactis, Actinodiscus, discosoma sp)
-Sea Mats (Zoanthus/Parazoanthus/Palythoa sp)
-Leather Corals (Sacrophyton sp, Lobophytum sp, Sinularia sp, Lemnalia sp)
-Pulse Corals (Xenia sp, Cespitularia sp, Anthelia sp)
-Stoloniferans (Briaereum Sp)
-Non-Host Anemone (Rock Flower, Condylactis sp.)
-LPS Corals - have been looking at plate coral, slipper coral, flowerpot coral, open brain coral, button coral, elegant coral, chalice coral & bubble coral (Heliofungia actiniformis, herpolitha, trachyphyllia geoffreyi, cynarina, lobophyllia, catalaphyllia jardinieri, euphyllia spp., turbinaria, Plerogyra/Physogyra)
I also love the look of the LPS Goniopora but I read that it is not very beginner friendly.

Finally, before adding fish I was then looking to add a host-anemone (likely Entacmaea quadricolor as I read this is the easiest host-anemone to keep happy in captivity) & some additional crustaceans, such as:
-Anemone Crab (Petrolisthes Sp.)
-White Spot Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis)
-Pom Pom Crab (Lybia Sp.)
-Blood Red Fire Shrimp (Lysmata Sp.)
-Decorator Crab (Camposcia Sp.)
-Giant Clam (Various Sp.)

Haven't gotten around to the exact plan for fish yet but would be looking to get a pair of compatible clowns to pair with the host-anemone (likely, Maroon Clownfish), some Bangaii Cardinalfish (captive bred) & some schooling fish (anthias, fair basslets) but thats about as far with planning as I have gotten to this point. Any suggestions would be awesome.

 

[Reefing102]

Looking good!

For the blue pics, you either want to increase white light or if you don’t want to mess with spectrum, you’ll want an orange filter of some type. Many use a kit like this

Amazon.com: Saricho Coral Lens Set, Smartphone Reef Lens Kits, 1 Dust Case, 2 Clips, 8 Lenses: Yellow, Orange, Gradual Yellow Orange Pink, Star6, CPL, Macro : Cell Phones & Accessories

Amazon.com: Saricho Coral Lens Set, Smartphone Reef Lens Kits, 1 Dust Case, 2 Clips, 8 Lenses: Yellow, Orange, Gradual Yellow Orange Pink, Star6, CPL, Macro : Cell Phones & Accessories

a.co

With that said, the vast majority of what you listed are easy to keep if not, some even call invasive due to growth rate (many type of mushrooms, Xenia, anthelia, etc). So you should be fine there.

With the LPS be sure to watch for sweeper tentacles as they can sting other corals.

My only thing with brittle stars is watch out for the green ones. They get big and are known to be fish eaters.

I’d recommend adding the anemone after the tank has been established for a bit. While the BTA (e. Quadricolor) is beginner friendly, they’re still sensitive creatures.

Also, nothing against them but the pompom crab, anemone crab, and anemone shrimp in my experience are generally very small, and while they likely would do fine in the tank, you may not see them very often.

Your fish list looks like a good start. You could also consider fairy wrasses, maybe a tang or two, or a dwarf or large angel (these may nip or eat inverts though). Just some thoughts.

 

[griss]

Looking good!

For the blue pics, you either want to increase white light or if you don’t want to mess with spectrum, you’ll want an orange filter of some type. Many use a kit like this

Amazon.com: Saricho Coral Lens Set, Smartphone Reef Lens Kits, 1 Dust Case, 2 Clips, 8 Lenses: Yellow, Orange, Gradual Yellow Orange Pink, Star6, CPL, Macro : Cell Phones & Accessories

Amazon.com: Saricho Coral Lens Set, Smartphone Reef Lens Kits, 1 Dust Case, 2 Clips, 8 Lenses: Yellow, Orange, Gradual Yellow Orange Pink, Star6, CPL, Macro : Cell Phones & Accessories

a.co

With that said, the vast majority of what you listed are easy to keep if not, some even call invasive due to growth rate (many type of mushrooms, Xenia, anthelia, etc). So you should be fine there.

With the LPS be sure to watch for sweeper tentacles as they can sting other corals.

My only thing with brittle stars is watch out for the green ones. They get big and are known to be fish eaters.

I’d recommend adding the anemone after the tank has been established for a bit. While the BTA (e. Quadricolor) is beginner friendly, they’re still sensitive creatures.

Also, nothing against them but the pompom crab, anemone crab, and anemone shrimp in my experience are generally very small, and while they likely would do fine in the tank, you may not see them very often.

Your fish list looks like a good start. You could also consider fairy wrasses, maybe a tang or two, or a dwarf or large angel (these may nip or eat inverts though). Just some thoughts.

Completely agree with everything said above. The only thing I have to add is, given the right conditions, BTAs will asexually reproduce like crazy. Check out @Anemone post here.