Order to buy fish in

[firewill65]

Hello all...just getting my 180 (76long 18 wide 30 tall) up and running, after a few months to become established I would like to start with fish. Can you please tell me what the best order to buy the fish below...or if there are any conflicts or reason not to get the fish below. What is the best amount of time wait between purchases? They will be in a qt tank for 6 weeks once purchased. Thanks

2- Ocellaris Clownfish
1- powder blue tang
7- blue reef chromis or anthias (i know they will turn into 3) Also, can I even add 7 small fish at one time to a tank?
1- royal gamma
1- 6 line wrasse
1- mandarin (depending on my pod population, fyi, I will have a fuge)
10-orange lined cardinalfish

[Dr Colliebreath]

Here is a start (really, the end) Power blue last, 6 line wrasse second to last.

[Patriot54]

I feel like the gramma and the 6 line will fight, even thought it is a big tank. But add the powder blue last and add the wrasse (if you get him) second to last. Also, I think you will be overstocked with 23 fish. My order though:
1. 7 chromis or anthias
2. 2 clowns
3. royal gramma
4. mandarin (I would most likely add him before the gramma, but since you plan for him to eat pods, you'll want your pod population to get up there first) You could always get the ORA mandarins that eat frozen though, and skip the whole pod thing.
5. powder blue

[firewill65]

Thank you for your help

[firewill65]

quick question...can I add 7 fish at one time? will that be too much bio load for a tank with no fish in it?

[MrTuskfish]

quick question...can I add 7 fish at one time? will that be too much bio load for a tank with no fish in it?

Very iffy, especially a new tank. If fish are small, I think it could be done, though. Our friendly bacteria multiplies incredibly fast when there is enough food for them. I assume you're going to QT and that many fish in a QT could be a problem.

[falconut]

I have both a Royal Gramma and a 6-Line and there's no issues. The Royal Gramma was my third fish, so it was well established. They do hide some in the beginning, so add the Gramma near the beginning.

If you're going with anthias, I'd probably add them near the beginning to get them established. As far as 7, I'm not sure. That's a decent amount of fish to add at one time, but adding them at separate times could also be a problem too. Is the QT large enough for 7 anthias? That might be the real factor.

I'd also say to add the PBT last too, with the 6-line second to last.

[firewill65]

thanks again...I never thought about the size of my qt tank. I was probably going to use a 10 or 20 gallon. Keep in mind I plan on buying small fish and let them grow into the display tank...I figure that will help with bio-load as well.

[Patriot54]

quick question...can I add 7 fish at one time? will that be too much bio load for a tank with no fish in it?

If they are small, you should be ok. Like others have said, is your qt big enough. That's ultimately the deciding factor. If it were me, I'd go with about 3 of 5 anthias instead of 7.

[Monkeyfish]

I'd purchase a 29 or 30 gallon tank for the QT(I have a 29). Use a sponge filter that has been seeded or running for at least a month. 7 anthias in a small tank will be trouble as they generally need to be fed multiple times per day. If the QT tank is new and not conditioned you're going to run into issues with the water quality.

[gweston]

I'd think 3-5 anthias are a good choice rather than 7 chromis. I am thinking to get a group of them myself this summer. Of course, anthias cost more than chromis! So if on a budget, then chromis are just fine. Cheap and nice looking reef fish.

6-lines are little devils. Yeah I have one. Its a love/hate kinda thing. When it behaves, it is fine. When a 'new fish' enters its territory, it will get p'd off real quick.. and it won't matter if the new fish is bigger, or small and docile. I equate them to a berzerk but cute(?) 'Chihuahua' dog. If it does behave and is introduced towards the end.. then it could be ok. Mine cleans up flatworms and pods by the ton. A small mirror on the tank helps if there are aggression problems.

Now this is where the Mandarin issue comes up. Mandarins are very slow, and need lots of pods to survive. 6-line wrasses are fast and snack on pods all day. They will compete for pods, and the 6-line will unfortunately win. It may work... if the mandarin eats frozen. You'll probably need to feed and stuff the 6-line, then (patiently) direct feed the mandarin. The mandarin will be healthier in the long run if it can hunt for pods throughout the day though. In nature they peck for pods all day long.

[firewill65]

I think I will lean torwards the 3-5 anthias when the time comes...now I need to decide with kind! You may have turned me away from the 6 line...I don't like fish with attitudes, as I want a tank to be somewhat peaceful. Maybe somewhere down the line the mandarin...but I'm a long way away from that. Thanks again for your help. I'll post pics of my tank when it's up and running!

[firewill65]

Update...just placed my order for 5 Carberryi anthias. That will bring me up to 2 clowns and 5 anthias. Any suggestions after these?

[Monkeyfish]

Copperband butterfly
yellowhead jawfish
Royal Gramma
Banggai/Kaudern's cardinal
Check out the fairy and flasher wrasses, though be careful as some can be aggressive

If you don't plan on adding a lot of corals you might also consider filefish. I like them because they're generally peaceful and kinda funny looking :)

[albano]

skip the PB tang, and the 6 line... both will end up being too aggresive.

[Birdee]

Now this is where the Mandarin issue comes up. Mandarins are very slow, and need lots of pods to survive. 6-line wrasses are fast and snack on pods all day. They will compete for pods, and the 6-line will unfortunately win. It may work... if the mandarin eats frozen. You'll probably need to feed and stuff the 6-line, then (patiently) direct feed the mandarin. The mandarin will be healthier in the long run if it can hunt for pods throughout the day though. In nature they peck for pods all day long.

I have a Six-line and a m/f pair of Scooters... the Six-line does hunt all day, and the Scooters peck all day as well. The Scooters were a recent addition. So far the Scooters, which arrived VERY skinny, have fattened up nicely; I'm adding a fuge for pod production to make sure their health is maintained. They are juveniles only about 1.5 inches at this time, and I know their appetites will grow as they do.

This is in a very mature 65 gal hex that isn't anywhere near sterile or pristine, but not over run with algae at all either. I feel that with a pod dedicated fuge(not a small "fuge" that is just a ball of chaeto and nothing else... which is really just an algae scrubber), and time for the tank to mature, that a mandarin or even a pair, will do fine for you.

These Scooters were a surprise for me... even though they are pretty plain I adore them. If they live and do well for 2-3 years I'll consider my set up very successful and add a pair of Mandarins.
Or, of course, you can get the ORA Mandarins that are raised on non live foods that are easier to manage. But I still wouldn't add one to a young tank because I think that you'd have to feed them very often, and they are shy/slow about eating so competition is and issue. They'll just do better with the constant supply of foods available in a mature system that is built to suit their needs. The fact that the ORA's eat frozen and prepared foods is just a bonus so you know they are getting a sufficient diet IMO.