Stocking a 55 FO

[shluffer]

I have a 55 FO that I have set up to take some fish out of my 120. I would like to know if this would be overstocked:

1: 2 inch green spotted puffer (he has been in saltwater for about a year)
1: 5 inch red corris wrass
2: 1.5 inch misbar clowns
1: large hermit crab (from what I have read he can get to 10 inches but is still smaller than that)

I'm not sure about the wrass. I'm concerned that the hermit crab may get him while he is sleeping under the sand.

Current substrate is sand. I have some rocks in the tank, but they are not very pourus.

The reason for this is that I would like to add a clean up crew to my 120. The GSP eats snails and the wrass will eat small inverts. The Hermit crab ate a tang so he got pulled from the big tank. I have a pair of clowns in the big tank (I bought a frag and taking these two guys for free was a condition of the purchase).

All input is appreciated.

[nox99]

clowns should be fine, but the puffer is a fresh/brackish water fish and grows to about 7". Wrasse grows to be 16" and will need an aquarium of about 100 gallons+. Do you have plans for an upgrade? or moving it back to the 120? I am suprised the puffer is ok with full strangth seawater.

the hermit will be fine, as long as you don't mind it eating any snails/ inverts you will add to your tank. Could possibly eat your clowns if it does get to be 10" like you said. Actually...is very probable it will eat them.

[shluffer]

I don't have any upgrade plans. This is a way to house fish that I already have and don't want to prt with. When the wrass gets to big, it will have to be moved back to my larger tank or given away.

I previously had 2 gsp's in the tank. I lost the other one when I had a power outage. As adults these guys live in full salt.

My clowns tend to stay near the top of the tank. They do swim to the bottom, but don't seem to stay there. If the crab gets to one of them, they will become food.

I don't plan on adding any inverts.

My concern about the wrass is that the crab may get him while he is hiding under the sand (sleeping?). Other than that, he moves to fast for the crab.

[nox99]

that may be a problem...the wrasse and hermit. sounds like you got it under control though! :thumbsup:

[shluffer]

I'm not sure I would say its under control. More like I'm too scared to put them in the same tank. I haven't resolved this yet. I"m still hoping a solution will come to me. If not someone may need to go. I'm just not sure who.

[nox99]

So if your 120 has much larger fish, you could add the hermit to that-this is pretty temporary though, the hermit will grow...

[chimmike]

IMO the wrasse is too big for a 55 already. The hermit wouldn't get him unless he was dying, though.

[shluffer]

The hermit was pulled from the larger tank when he ate a tang. He isn't going back. If I can't figure anything out, he may take up residence in the sump.