Opinion on my stocking list

[steveo9043]

I created a spreadsheet on excel to make sure all the parameters can be met and they are all identical then added the full adult size to make sure I dont over stock.

Tank = 72G bow front, starting with a FOWLR tank and maybe adding coral in the future.

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/steveo9043/FishList.png

I really want a tang to go with the clown fish but my tank isn't large enough according to liveaquaria.

I also want to add 2 of these clean up crews

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=420+2791+1368&pcatid=1368

What do ya'll think?

[All6Fish]

So what Im getting is your total fish count will be 18 ?

[steveo9043]

So what Im getting is your total fish count will be 18 ?

yea... too many? I was going by the 1in of fish per gallon method.

[All6Fish]

Well that all depends on what type your getting but I always air on the safe side, use like a 2inch rule. Also water changes? what do you plan on doing?I do 20% faithfully every weekend. Id rather have 10 happy and thriveing fish then 20 that are stressed.....IMO

[All6Fish]

Youll also need to test all parameters.......Ca. KH. Mg. NO3 NO4

[Zappo]

Unless you're measuring out additives, ignore any "per-gallon" rules that you've read. As for the fish, yeah, you've probably gone way overboard. Assuming the wrasses and clowns are mated pairs that won't kill each other, the main difficulty that you're going to have is keeping the water clean enough for the fish to live in. The more you add, the more often you have to do water changes. With 18 fish in a 72 gallon tank, you're probably going to be doing several water changes per week. It's certainly possible if you're willing to put in the work, but you might want to start smaller.

[All6Fish]

+1 with Zappo

[reeferstace]

The 1" per gallon method is basically nonsense in reef keeping.

-Your tank is not large for tangs.
- Those chromis will winnow down to one as the most dominant kills the others off.
- Six-line wrasses are bullies and preclude the addition of many other fish.
- A butterfly that reaches 8" is not a good candidate for your tank.
-All your choices are mid-upper level swimmers. Have you considered any fish that spend most of their time at or near the substrate?

Good luck with your tank!

[steveo9043]

Thanks for all the input.

These are all idea's and will most likely change as I go. If I even wanted to go all 18 fish it would take at least a solid year to get them all so I will learn more as I go. (the tank isn't even setup or started to cycle yet)

as for the wrasses and the clowns I wanting mated pairs. Maybe I will go single on those and drop the butterfly fish.

Thanks again for replies its making me think a little harder about this.

I was a wide variety of colors.

[steveo9043]

The 1" per gallon method is basically nonsense in reef keeping.

-Your tank is not large for tangs.
- Those chromis will winnow down to one as the most dominant kills the others off.
- Six-line wrasses are bullies and preclude the addition of many other fish.
- A butterfly that reaches 8" is not a good candidate for your tank.
-All your choices are mid-upper level swimmers. Have you considered any fish that spend most of their time at or near the substrate?

Good luck with your tank!

Quote from liveaquaria "Native to reefs ranging from mid-depth to shallow lagoons of the Indo-Pacific and South Pacific, wild specimens prefer to school in large shoals amongst branching corals like Acropora. In the home aquarium, the Blue Green Reef Chromis does best in similar environments and will actively swim at all levels of the aquarium water column. In fact, small schools of the Blue Green Reef Chromis add a dazzling and dramatic shimmer of beauty to almost any well-established reef system. "

That right there tells me to purchase the chromis in a school.

Butterfly is out

As for the bottom I had the CUC picked out for that. Can you suggest something for the bottom?

[Zappo]

Quote from liveaquaria "Native to reefs ranging from mid-depth to shallow lagoons of the Indo-Pacific and South Pacific, wild specimens prefer to school in large shoals amongst branching corals like Acropora. In the home aquarium, the Blue Green Reef Chromis does best in similar environments and will actively swim at all levels of the aquarium water column. In fact, small schools of the Blue Green Reef Chromis add a dazzling and dramatic shimmer of beauty to almost any well-established reef system. "

That right there tells me to purchase the chromis in a school.

What that doesn't mention is that fish form schools for defensive reasons. Without predators, they stop doing it and start picking on each other. I've known lots of people who started their tank with a group of chromises (myself included). I don't know anyone who still had them 2 years later.

[steveo9043]

also I do have a refugium for added water volume and will be working on a sump in the future.

Don't know how much that plays into it.

[steveo9043]

What that doesn't mention is that fish form schools for defensive reasons. Without predators, they stop doing it and start picking on each other. I've known lots of people who started their tank with a group of chromises (myself included). I don't know anyone who still had them 2 years later.

Glad I am on a forum! Thanks for the info! So ONLY get one?

Can you suggest some schooling fish that I would be able to get? I like the idea of having one or two small schools with a few other Individual out going personality fish.

[reeferstace]

Glad I am on a forum! Thanks for the info! So ONLY get one?

Can you suggest some schooling fish that I would be able to get? I like the idea of having one or two small schools with a few other Individual out going personality fish.

I would only get one chromis for the reason I already stated. I have a 300 gallon tank and it only houses one. :)

Most home aquaria do not come near the size that would be needed to actually get schooling/shoaling behavior in fish.

As far as fish on the substrate I was thinking along the lines of watchman goby or other shrimp gobies. Perhaps even a jawfish if your sandbed is deep enough.

[steveo9043]

ok so maybe a tiger watchman gobie or a black cap jawfish. They wont bug my CUC right?

I plan on having a 3in sandbed.

[reeferstace]

ok so maybe a tiger watchman gobie or a black cap jawfish. They wont bug my CUC right?

I plan on having a 3in sandbed.

I have both a watchman and a dusky jawfish. They do bother my CUC in that each will pick up snails in their mouths and spit them out further away from their burrows. :lol: This, of course, only happens if the snails get too close to the burrow opening and causes no harm to the snail other than hurt feelings. :D

[Zappo]

I have both a watchman and a dusky jawfish. They do bother my CUC in that each will pick up snails in their mouths and spit them out further away from their burrows. :lol: This, of course, only happens if the snails get too close to the burrow opening and causes no harm to the snail other than hurt feelings. :D

This is one of the most entertaining things you can watch in a reef tank. Lots of fun for everyone (except the snail/crab of course). :celeb1:

[steveo9043]

LOL! well then! Sounds entertaining to me! I love watching the 3 ghost shrimp in my brother in laws freshwater more then the fish.

As for the clown fish. I have read that clown fish decide what sex they are going to be and that putting two together will cause one to be female and one to be male. Also if you put a single clown fish in an aquarium that it will almost always become female and aggressive.

Fact? Fiction? Opinion?

[steveo9043]

UPDATED LIST:

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/steveo9043/FishList-1.png

[steveo9043]

I made a collage of the fishes! I think they look good

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/steveo9043/FISHIES.png

[Zappo]

LOL! well then! Sounds entertaining to me! I love watching the 3 ghost shrimp in my brother in laws freshwater more then the fish.

As for the clown fish. I have read that clown fish decide what sex they are going to be and that putting two together will cause one to be female and one to be male. Also if you put a single clown fish in an aquarium that it will almost always become female and aggressive.

Fact? Fiction? Opinion?

Fact. As for the updated fish list, it still seems like a lot of fish, but they're pretty small so you're probably ok. They're all fairly peaceful fish, so they should get along well. You might want to add the clowns last, though. They're aggressive towards new arrivals IME.

[steveo9043]

Fact. As for the updated fish list, it still seems like a lot of fish, but they're pretty small so you're probably ok. They're all fairly peaceful fish, so they should get along well. You might want to add the clowns last, though. They're aggressive towards new arrivals IME.

Thanks for all the help. The clowns I know really like anemone and I will need to upgrade my lighting before I think about that. So that will be at a later day. I want to make sure I have everything 100% down for anemone and corals before I add them.

I will probably go with the spotted cardinals first

[steveo9043]

my "short" term goal is to have at least 2 fish in the tank by Christmas.

[steveo9043]

well went out yesterday and bought a few lbs of live sand... need to pick up about 60 more lbs of regular sand.

I also picked up 45lbs of rock.

my favorite rock so far
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/steveo9043/Rock.jpg

also... WHAT IS THIS?
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/steveo9043/Idontknow.jpg
it fits perfectly inside the inlet side of my refugium

[steveo9043]

is it really a protein skimmer? I found some images on google and its ontop of the inlet and when the water comes in it bubbles and then catches like a mechanical protein skimmer?

[brchapm]

I think your new fish list looks good, but I am partial to gobies! The cardinals are ok, (I have a couple), but would probably switch to some Bangaii if it were up to me. Another cool addition would be a dwarf golden moray. Reef safe and cool to watch!

[steveo9043]

well I got my tank up! Its in the corner and about 18in from the tv. It's angled and I am going to put fake plants or something behind it. I used 60 lbs of argonite and 20 lbs of live sand. Refugium is not hooked up yet. Have the circulator in there to help get things moving. Going to bring a sample of water to the LFS tomorrow and have them test it and probably picking up 30-40 lbs of live FIJI rock. I only have 48 lbs of rock in there now and 80 lbs of sand.

http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/oo4/steveo9043/photo-5.jpg

as for that piece. It is a protein skimmer. You can see it in this picture.

http://www.saltwatertogo.com/images/detailed/0/product_detailed_image_29967_197.jpg