Confused on stocking

[ahud]

Hi guys,

I am planning my very first saltwater tank. I have a 65gallon 36x18x24 pre drilled tank and I am just waiting to get all my equipment together. I will be running a 20 gallon sump also.

I am confused on stocking, I have been reading about various fish and if the requirements are 70 gallons, but the fish is 10" there is no way I can keep one right?

With my tank only being 3' long am I limited to choosing fish around 5-6" and smaller?

Hope you guys can give me some guidance on stocking,

ahud

[2006]

I wouldn't keep anything much larger than 3" in a 3' tank. Having said that many of the larger species can also be harder to keep. Tangs, angels and butterflies. Because this is your first saltwater tank it is probably better to stick with the easier smaller fish for at least the first year. Clowns, basslets, pseudochromis and maybe a pygmy angel when you get some salt behind your ears.

[ahud]

So stay around 3"?

Bummer, I should have went with a larger tank :(

[NexDog]

Still lots of awesome fish that you can keep that aren't massive Angels and Tangs. Adding to 2006's suggestions you have Wrasses, Anthias, Gobies, Hawkfish, Blennies and Cardinals. Most are easy to keep and in a few years you can just upgrade. :)

[rssjsb]

Agree with all advice above, and wanted to commend you for researching before you add fish to your tank.

A lot of online fish stores (even ones I like very much) offer advice on tank size that simply boggles the mind. Asking here is a good move. Wetwebmedia.com is also a good resource.

Do you have any particular types of fish you're interested in? What do you like? Are you looking for a lot of color? Movement? Interesting behavior?

[ahud]

As far as particular fish I did like some of the larger wrasse and the butterfly fish.

I guess its best to use common sense when selecting fish instead of going by a website.

I have no idea what I am really going for yet. Like I said I am still in the planning stages of my tank. I will probably just go with the smaller species that have already been listed for me and stay with 3" fish.

Do any of you have recommendations for how many fish/shrimp I can add? I have read everything from 6 to 15.

[small alien]

Do watch that "I'm going to upgrade soon" approach to stocking. Sometimes plans don't pan out. Stock the tank you have is what I have learned.

[perrl]

I've always liked flasher wrasses. I have a McCosker's with tons of personality and always out and about.

[snorvich]

I've always liked flasher wrasses. I have a McCosker's with tons of personality and always out and about.

Yes, they are nice. BUT, they WILL jump so you need a fully covered tank or mesh netting that is 1/4 inch or smaller.

[ahud]

Any other small interesting looking fish you guys like?

[jedheuer]

yellow coris wrasse is cool and small. rainfords or hector goby is good but wait untill the tank is a bit more mature with some algae growing, they need this to graze on. yellow watchman goby are cool. check out gobies as many are small and interesting looking, but check compatibility if you decide to get more than one, most will fight each other in that small a tank. Bluespotted jaw fish is a very cool fish though expensive, expecially to begin with. I would stay away from anthias, they are sensitive and need more room than you have.

[ahud]

How about how many fish and shrimp? Ball park estimate ofcourse.

[dixiedog]

How about how many fish and shrimp? Ball park estimate ofcourse.


That's a very difficult question to answer, and the answers you get are likely to be all over the map.

But based on a 65 w/20 gallon sump, and all fish 3" or less, I would say as many as 12-13 fish would be doable in the long run, with the right skimmer, and the fish added gradually over six months or so.

[ahud]

NWB-reef octopus 150 for the skimmer. Is that a good one for my setup?

[jedheuer]

NWB-reef octopus 150 for the skimmer. Is that a good one for my setup?

Yes, that would be good for your setup. In fact a little bit big but as far as skimmers go you want to have something that is a little oversized as insurance in case a fish dies behind a rock or you over feed or add one more fish than you should, etc.

How about how many fish and shrimp? Ball park estimate ofcourse.

I would say go slow. Research a couple of specific fish and add them to the tank. See how much you need to feed them and what kind of algae problem all that food generates. See how compatible they are. Then see what you might want to add that will jive with what you already got. Observe their behavior and feeding habits. See if you are getting nuisance algae from the added phosphates. Learn to manage those phosphates before adding more. Go slow and research is the name of the game. You will be glad you did. Never buy something on impulse and don't listen to LFS employees. They don't always know everything about what they are selling. Get a little pocket guide to marine fish and inverts and take it with you to the store. As far as shrimp go they don't really impact your bioload but they do present other problems such as stealing food from corals and many are not reef safe. Research specific shrimp also.

[dixiedog]

NWB-reef octopus 150 for the skimmer. Is that a good one for my setup?


I definitely wouldn't call it oversized; I'd call it the bare minimum - but I admit I'm a freak about skimmers. I believe a skimmer rated for double your total volume is a bare minimum, with triple being better. Especially if you want a lot of fish.

I would say go slow. Research a couple of specific fish and add them to the tank. See how much you need to feed them and what kind of algae problem all that food generates. See how compatible they are. Then see what you might want to add that will jive with what you already got. Observe their behavior and feeding habits. See if you are getting nuisance algae from the added phosphates. Learn to manage those phosphates before adding more. Go slow and research is the name of the game. You will be glad you did. Never buy something on impulse and don't listen to LFS employees. They don't always know everything about what they are selling. Get a little pocket guide to marine fish and inverts and take it with you to the store. As far as shrimp go they don't really impact your bioload but they do present other problems such as stealing food from corals and many are not reef safe. Research specific shrimp also.

Totally agree. The only thing I would add is, try to plan your stocking list well in advance, so you can add the more aggressive (or potentially aggressive) fish last.

[hdean]

i have a 65 gal reef and have asked the same question before i keep 2 clowns a chromis a koran angel who is very small and a diamond goby to turn my sand. since none of my fish are very big i feel like if i ever find a fish i HAVE to have i know ill have the room for it plus over crowding a tank doesnt do you or the fish any good

[reefWW96]

its ok ahud, you will find that some of the most impresive and colorful fish are the smaller ones. just make sure the fish are compatible

[ahud]

Here is my stocklist I have come up with:

Clown fish(probably occy)
Yellowtail damsel x3
springeri dotty back
hi fin goby
yellow head jawfish
kaudern's cardinal
tail spot blenny
Clown Tang (Just kidding!)
yellow stripe cling fish
curios worm fish
banded possum wrasse
filimited flasher wrasse

Pistol shrimp
skunk shrimp
hermits
snails

I am sure there are problems with my list, but thats why I am posting.

thanks

[Moonstream]

Clown fish(probably occy)- IME, clowns look better and are more fun to watch when kept in pairs, but singles are fine as well

Yellowtail damsel x3- by far one of the more passive damsels. I just added a pair to my 29g. fun little fish to watch, and certaintly very eye catching

springeri dotty back- another beautiful fish. however, Ive heard they dont mix well with wrasse, which would make sense because they are shaped similarly and have the same basic body shape. otherwise a very nice fish

hi fin goby- nice little gobies. however, I'd be worried about the aggression of the jawfish, as they inhabit the same basic area of the tank

yellow head jawfish- good fish, but see above

kaudern's cardinal- just added one to my 29BC. they're pretty fish, but dont expect them to do much swimming. they tend to just hover in one low-flow area most of the time

tail spot blenny- an adorable fish, but blennies and jawfish tend to have a problem with eachother, or so Ive heard. id be tentative about adding one to a tank with a jawfish, but thats just me

Clown Tang (Just kidding!)- why kid, they'd do fine in such a large tank! (this is sarcasm here, for those who dont recognize it)

yellow stripe cling fish- they rarely do well in captivity because of their diet (urchin feet) and extremely tentative nature

curios worm fish- these too rarely adjust to captivity

banded possum wrasse- notoriously shy fish that send a lot of time hiding. in a tank with other wrasses and fish like damsels that swim fast and can get aggressive, I'd skip a fish this shy

filimited flasher wrasse- very pretty, a good choice, thought hey are very apt jumpers that can and will go carpet surfing regurlarly

If it were my tank, I'd stock it with something more along the lines of
pair of clowns (occys or percs would be my top choices, maybe a designer one, love my pair of B&Ws')
trio of yellow-tailed damsels
pair of hi fin gobies
tailspot blenny
kaudern's cardinal
springerri's dottyback (I just like their swimming paterns, between rocks, more than the wrasse's tendancy to swim along the glass from side-to-side)

I'd also add to that list:
purple firefish
Flame angel (could substitue with a coral beauty, african flameback or cherub angel, or even a rusty angel)
maybe a green clown goby

[ahud]

Wow! Thank you so much moon. I am glad you went into such detail.

About the jawfish and the goby, my tank is 36x18x24, so would the species not have plenty of room? Once the goby pairs off with the pistol shrimp I thought they would stick close to the burrow.

I also want to keep a couple of soft corals like Zoas and frogspawn. Do you see any problems with my stocking there?

Wrasses are not one of my favorite fish so I could do without him.

I am looking for an "oddBall" fish like the curious worm. Since you said they do not adjust well, do you have any recommendations to replace him?

Finally do you see any problems with the number of fish? I will be doing weekly water changes. I have been keeping Tanganyika Cichlids for a year and "water change sunday" has become a habit.

Thanks and thanks again for your help.

[travis32]

Another overlooked hardy *larger sized* fish that is reef safe and would do fine in a 65g is the marine betta. However, if you want shrimp, the betta is a hardy fish but it's primary food source is frozen or live shrimp.. It may eat them.. ;)

My stocking list on my 55g so far is:
1 Marine betta
1 Royal grama
1 Lawnmower blenny
(tank is 3 months old now, waiting about a month before next purchase).

Future stocking list
2 Ocilarious (sp?) or percula clowns
POSSILBY (Undecided on this) A flame angel or Coral beauty (after the tank is 6 months old or more.)
A larger Goby or a Midas Blenny.
If I had some good netting on my tank to keep fish in I'd consider a pair of purple firefish also.

I also want to significantly expand my coral populations. There's a great Large Flower leather coral that I'd love to have. It's $80.00 at the pet store, and it must be about 6" to 8" in diameter. It'd be a perfect center piece.

Then some other miscellenous soft and LPS corals.

[jedheuer]

About the jawfish and the goby, my tank is 36x18x24, so would the species not have plenty of room? Once the goby pairs off with the pistol shrimp I thought they would stick close to the burrow.



I think you would probably be alright as long as you offer many hiding places for both to burrow. My jawfish and YWG hangout within the same square foot as each other most the time and they dont fight.

[hdean]

great detail that helped me alot as well thanks!