150 gallon stock list approval?

[Tylerdg]

72 x 18 x 28 150 gallon reef aquarium
(Planning stages and I know I need to add some stuff after the tank matures further) Wondering if this is an appropriate level of stocking, not overstocked or understocked, and if this stock list looks ok? thanks

6 Bartless Anthias
1 Kole tang
1 Yellow tang
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
2 Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 Blue Linckia Starfish
1 Red Serpent Starfish

[Tylerdg]

Or any suggestions on additions?

[Starlit_]

Thumbs Up

[Nick_P]

From the reading I have done, Bartlets are less than an ideal Anthias due to the propensity for all females to turn male. It seems that the Lyretail variant would be a wiser choice.

I have no first hand experience but I have read multiple accounts of every female turning male and causing aggression issues. I am also unsure of the time required for the morph to occur just that on a long enough timeline they all change to male.

I would omit the kole tang and go for a tomini tang then add a Midas Bleeny to play with your Anthias.

[brett559]

I'd get a few more. A wrasse or two, and a dwarf angel would be my choice.

[Badiskm1]

I've had Lyertail anthias and purple queen anthias, four in total and now only one remains, 99% sure that this is due to poor nourishment, i would skip the anthias.
I have a peppermint candycane wrasse that is really hardy, eats everything and anything (pellets, flakes, frozen food cubes and my snowflake eels food: krill, clam, squid and shrimp!) I would recommend this wrasse, it is long and slender and is stripped red and white, IMO body shape looks like a mini barracuda

[Tylerdg]

Oh did not know that about the bartlets... I could switch to lyretails I'm not stuck on bartletts.. What wrasses and dwarf angel would you add? A lot of people talk about problems with wrasses that I've seen, anyone have experience to share about them?

[reeferstace]

I personally would add some fairy or flasher wrasses, a yellow "coris" wrasse, some PJ cardinals, a watchman goby/shrimp pair, and a jawfish. :D

I would forego the linkia. Most of them waste away in captivity.

[Tylerdg]

I personally would add some fairy or flasher wrasses, a yellow "coris" wrasse, some PJ cardinals, a watchman goby/shrimp pair, and a jawfish. :D

I would forego the linkia. Most of them waste away in captivity.

Do you know of any other starfish with color that would do well?

[m3lacoste]

I agree, I would add some wrasses. I have a leopard wrasse in my tank but plan to add more. After seeing my friend Dan's tank at Shipwreck Cove with his array of wrasses, I was hooked. Their colors and lively tank activity can't be beat.

[Dmorty217]

Do you know of any other starfish with color that would do well?

Red knobby stars do well and will eat asternia stars if you have those in the tank along with scavenge to food

[Tylerdg]

Red knobby stars do well and will eat asternia stars if you have those in the tank along with scavenge to food

The only problem with those would be they aren't reef safe are they?

[Tylerdg]

I agree, I would add some wrasses. I have a leopard wrasse in my tank but plan to add more. After seeing my friend Dan's tank at Shipwreck Cove with his array of wrasses, I was hooked. Their colors and lively tank activity can't be beat.

Oh cool, I'm going to have to look at some wrasses to add in.. Hopefully good color schemes and pairings. And probably a goby / shrimp pair if it doesn't overcrowd the tank

[reeferstace]

Most Fromia sea stars are considered "reef safe".

[Nick_P]

Oh cool, I'm going to have to look at some wrasses to add in.. Hopefully good color schemes and pairings. And probably a goby / shrimp pair if it doesn't overcrowd the tank

I would not worry about parring the wrasse. For instance if you go for a flasher variant get two or more males of different type. The males will flash and keep their color as if a female is present. I personally like Lubbocks fairy, Mcosker flasher, eight line flasher, Orange Back fairy, Red head solon fairy, leopard, and melanurus. Your shrimp will be in danger with some wrasse so Id choose carefully or omit the shrimp. However, wrasse interact with their environment well swimming in and out of the rock work and corals, the coloration is nice, and the flashers put on a nice display.

[Tylerdg]

I would not worry about parring the wrasse. For instance if you go for a flasher variant get two or more males of different type. The males will flash and keep their color as if a female is present. I personally like Lubbocks fairy, Mcosker flasher, eight line flasher, Orange Back fairy, Red head solon fairy, leopard, and melanurus. Your shrimp will be in danger with some wrasse so Id choose carefully or omit the shrimp. However, wrasse interact with their environment well swimming in and out of the rock work and corals, the coloration is nice, and the flashers put on a nice display.

So you just get any dif type of flasher wrasses but make sure they are all male? I may have to change a tang species or something, trying to vary in color as much as I can.. I'm going to have to reevaluate if this is the case on some of the fish in the tank

[Tylerdg]

For example.. An exquisite fairy wrasse, an orange back fairy wrasse, and a carpenters fairy wrasse all male?

[Nick_P]

I have a Mcosker who flashes my lubbocks, so it doesn't necessarily have to be two flashers. Id read up on multiple wrasse as aggression issues may surface so its key to add wrasse at same time and or use acclimation boxes. I have found having a decent number of wrasse to help spread the aggression so that no single fish gets picked on until death. There are some threads on keeping multiple wrasse that you should explore. I also think once you have a tank full or anthias, wrasse, and tangs you will not find the clown interesting anymore.


Yes to your example. Just remember some wrasse are more agro than others so a little reading will help you choose which species to get.

[Tylerdg]

I just went on liveaquaria and looked at color variations that would look nice in the aquarium haha. Also they were dif sizes, they should probably be the same size right? One was 5, one was 4, and one 3 1/2

[Tylerdg]

Updated stock list so far ( still need to research more when I get home)
4 lyretails anthias
2 occellaris clowns
1 yellow head jawfish
1 male orange-back fairy wrasse
1 male mccoskers flasher wrasse
1 male carpenters flasher wrasse
1 kole tang
1 yellow tang
1 Yasha goby / pistol shrimp
1 tile sea star
1 red serpent star
2 cleaner shrimp

Is this overstocked? 150g reef 72x18x28

[brett559]

I have male McCoskers, Carpenters and Orange back. No aggression - they flash each other, but no nips or fighting. Awesome fish.

For the dwarf angel, I like flame angels, lemonpeels and Potters. They can go after corals, but I've kept flames and coral beauties without incident.

[Tylerdg]

I have male McCoskers, Carpenters and Orange back. No aggression - they flash each other, but no nips or fighting. Awesome fish.

For the dwarf angel, I like flame angels, lemonpeels and Potters. They can go after corals, but I've kept flames and coral beauties without incident.

That's great to hear! I really like the colors on each, it's a relief to see there's a chance for success. Did you add them in all at the same time?

[SoloChromis]

First of all, 2 tangs in a 6 foot tank is just a ticking time bomb and there's already WAY too many fish in there as it is...
Just joking :D List looks good, if not a bit modest. I'd definitely look into some of the basslets (chalk, royal gramma, assessors etc.), some of the more benign dottybacks (orchid, Springer's, and Sankey's), cleaner (neon, sharknose, goldline) gobies, a dwarf angel, cardinals (avoid the flames and five lines), a midas blenny (would look cool swimming with the lyretails), Halichoeres wrasses, and Chrysiptera damsels. I prefer small fish my self, but to each his/her own. P.S. get yourself a good cover on your tank for the wrasses and jawfish. Good luck :beer:

[Tylerdg]

First of all, 2 tangs in a 6 foot tank is just a ticking time bomb and there's already WAY too many fish in there as it is...
Just joking :D List looks good, if not a bit modest. I'd definitely look into some of the basslets (chalk, royal gramma, assessors etc.), some of the more benign dottybacks (orchid, Springer's, and Sankey's), cleaner (neon, sharknose, goldline) gobies, a dwarf angel, cardinals (avoid the flames and five lines), a midas blenny (would look cool swimming with the lyretails), Halichoeres wrasses, and Chrysiptera damsels. I prefer small fish my self, but to each his/her own. P.S. get yourself a good cover on your tank for the wrasses and jawfish. Good luck :beer:

Ah nice to see, will the jawfish be ok with the smaller goby? (Yasha), And how many more fish do you think I could add roughly?

[Tylerdg]

Ah nice to see, will the jawfish be ok with the smaller goby? (Yasha), And how many more fish do you think I could add roughly?

Ah I'm assuming so because the neons are even smaller! lol

[brett559]

I bought the Carpenters and McCoskers from Live Aquaria's Divers Den and added them at the same time (same order). The Carpenters was MUCH larger than the McC's. I was worried at first that they'd fight, but they haven't. They've been in probably 6 weeks or so. If anything, the smaller McC's is the more assertive fish. The orange back was added probably 3 months beforehand. I acquired the orangeback from my LFS and it was already fully grown or close to it.

These are great fish, but if you don't need/want to keep shrimp, the halichoeres wrasses are my favorite. My melanarus was my favorite fish I've kept, but I had to sell him because I needed to keep peppermint shrimp to combat some aiptasia. So as cool as flashers and fairies are, if you can, get some halichoeres wrasses:
http://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.com/search?p=Q&lbc=liveaquaria&uid=860415135&ts=custom&w=Halichoeres&af=cat1:marinefish&isort=score&method=and&ts=results

[Tylerdg]

I bought the Carpenters and McCoskers from Live Aquaria's Divers Den and added them at the same time (same order). The Carpenters was MUCH larger than the McC's. I was worried at first that they'd fight, but they haven't. They've been in probably 6 weeks or so. If anything, the smaller McC's is the more assertive fish. The orange back was added probably 3 months beforehand. I acquired the orangeback from my LFS and it was already fully grown or close to it.

These are great fish, but if you don't need/want to keep shrimp, the halichoeres wrasses are my favorite. My melanarus was my favorite fish I've kept, but I had to sell him because I needed to keep peppermint shrimp to combat some aiptasia. So as cool as flashers and fairies are, if you can, get some halichoeres wrasses:
http://aquarium-fish.liveaquaria.com/search?p=Q&lbc=liveaquaria&uid=860415135&ts=custom&w=Halichoeres&af=cat1:marinefish&isort=score&method=and&ts=results

Yeah I was looking at them, they look fantastic!! but was told that anthias would use the cleaner shrimp, making for nice amusement xD, I guess minds always change and can always keep it in mind though :)

[brett559]

You can see the two flasher wrasses in my avatar - the McC is the smaller one on the right.

[ca1ore]

Not sure that Lyretails are any less aggressive than bartletts. You will end up with multiple males with the latter, though if it happens most will be sub-males and be ok for the most part. Lyretails are also aggressive and often pick off the lowest member of the group leaving you eventually with one. You need to be prepared to feed them 3 times a day.

[uncleL]

That's a good list of fish! I have three Tangs in my 90G Hippo, Scopas and Yellow....they play well. I would add a lawnmower Blenny! Oh I have 13 fish in my 90G I like to grow my own meaning I buy them small. It's been up for 2 yrs and I'll move the larger fish to my 150.

(1) Royal Gramma
(6) Ocellaris Clown
(1) Lawnmower Blenny
(6) Hermit Crabs
(4) Turbo Snails
(17)Astrea Snail
(1) Foxface Tang
(1) Yellow Tang
(1) Coral Beauty
(1) Scopas Tang
(1) Hippo Tang

[uncleL]

I would a about 4 chromis........

[Tylerdg]

This tank was drilled wrong :/ so getting bigger tank and bigger fish in other thread xD