Stocking a 180. Need some help.

[njfish77]

My 180 has been set up now for 2-3 months and is cycled. Ive been waiting to put fish in because Im not sure what I can mix being Ive only kept reefs. I want a nice show fish tank. Id like to keep one show size angel, one-two show sized tangs, a trigger, puffer, some type of wrasse or parrotfish. Can someone please help me make a list of what to get. There is no spending limit, but nothing obserd.

[s.reef]

my list would be, Harlequin Tusk, Clown Trigger, Blueface Angel or Asfur Angel, Golden Puffer, Desjardin Sailfin and a Powder Blue. :)

[beezer06840]

my suggestion is to compile a list of fish YOU like, since you are the one who gets to enjoy it. I think the parameters of what you want is fine, and the real benefit of this forum will be compatibility issues and stocking order suggestions. For example, you want a large angel. If you want a regal angel, it would be one of the first fish in since it is passive, but if you are thinking emperor or queen angel, it would go in towards the end since they are more agressive.

[s.reef]

What beezer said everyone has their own taste. Look around see what stands out to you.

[WuHT]

obviously getting small fish then letting them grow is more "rewarding" to some.. but for showsize fish.. make sure they're adapted to eating aquarium fare (plus it'll be harder to quarantine cuz they're so much larger).


--- IMO show size angels on an average will be larger than show size tangs (there are smaller beauties ..unlike angels)

The way you should approach this is have a list of "must haves" .. ie fish which got you into the hobby.

Then you should next figure out the acceptable aggression level of the fish you want .. (ie if you want clown trigger, sohal tang , king angel, lunar wrasse.. as opposed to blue throat trigger, regal angel,golden butterfly, ) and then stock the remaining fish accordingly .

Then finally you have to decide the entire bioload.. which your list of about 5 fish that can grow big is about right.. but you'll have wiggle room to put in clownfish, dottybacks..damsels just to finish your tank off.

[Kahuna Tuna]

I think you have got some good advice here and I am one of those people who like to buy smaller fish and watch them grow. I also have a 180 and you can see my stock list in my sig. I love angels and am currently keeping two, a majestic and an emp, so far so good as they seem to get along fine. Like beezer said a lot of the stocking order and livestock choices will depend on what you want to have. A 180 isn't really all that big for some of the larger tangs, triggers, and angels so some planning is in order. I really like biotype tanks where all of the fish are actually from the same area, right now I have a Coral Sea/ GBR biotype but some folks like to mix up livestock and thats usually fine too.

I would write down which fish you "must have" and others you might want and make a list or two, this will give you a starting point on when to add fish and in which order. As someone who has kept multiple species of angels over the years I can state that they really need and appreciate a "seasoned" tank that has been up and running for some time. My current angels were added at the 2 and 3-1/2 year marks of my tanks setup but you could probably add one of the hardier angels at the 8-9 month mark.