Start with your favorite fish.....design the stocking around that fish. Go

[Allentown]

Although I've largely invested in lighting, circulation and reactors for a reef.....if I'm really honest with myself the schedule of a consultant who is only home weekends barely lends itself to keeping a tank....much less a reef.

Still my favorite monet pit....hobby...

To that end I'd like you to pretend you are me...and your new build is my signature. .

Pick your one MUST have fish and then design your entire stocking list (including things like clean up crew and what you might put in the fuge) for the best set up.

Someone do the above with an Emperor Angle also please.

I won't be doing sharks or eels but if that's how you were going to answer...please proceed.

[Bent]

1: Hawaiian dragon eels.
Nothing else.

Or

2: Zebra mantis shrimp
Nothing else.

[ichthyogeek]

I like this thread, probably because I have a ton of these ideas floating around :D. Are we limited to FOWLR and Aggressives? or can we delve into reef-ish fish that can survive sans reef?

Red Sea Regal Angelfish tank (Pygoplites diacanthus)
x1 Pygoplites diacanthus
x1 Zebrasoma veliferum OR Z. xanthurum (I like veliferum for the contrast personally) [these combat hair algae]
x1 Ctenochaeuts striatus [this combats shorter algaes]
x1 Ecsenius midas
x8 Zoramia leptacantha OR x5 Ptereleotris zebra [your obligate schooling fish]
x1 Forcipiger flavissimus OR Chaetodon auriga [Every tank greater than 100 gallons needs a butterfly, yes?]
x1 Valencienna puellaris [sifts your sand for you]
x1 Pseudocheilinus hexataenia [something to dwell around the rocks]
x2 Pseudochromis fridmani [If you ever get bored, these guys are good for breeding :) ]

If this seems too much for you, I guess you could knock off the butterfly, sandsifter goby, Midas blenny, and/or sixline wrasse....

CUC: Umm..the fish are pretty much your cleanup crew. The tangs eat the algae, the goby sifts the sand for tiny particles. I guess a few snails would work (Turbos and Nassarius).

Sump: You already have equipment in there. If anything, I'd add a refugium with either Chaetomorpha or Caulerpa prolifera (it rarely goes sexual. I'd also add in pineapple sponges and set up a small automated doser to add some sodium silicate to aid the sponges growth. The sponges grow best on solid surfaces, so some live rock in the sump would be appreciated. The Caulerpa needs a small bed of substrate to thrive, I like the looks of Miracle Mud (never tried it, but it looks promising). The macroalgae provides a supplement for the tangs. The sponges a supplement for the angelfish. Copepods to feed everything else on occasion.

Tank: I've never seen a 225 before, but a stable live rock structure would do, as long as you left places for the larger fish to hide at night. DO NOT under any circumstances allow for small holes to be made in the structure, only big ones. Otherwise it'll be impossible to get the smaller fish out of the tank. Or if you do, put them in an isolated area so the fish can feel safe, but you can easily take care of them. Pukani rock seems like a good candidate, as long as you have a little bit of time to carve larger holes in it.

As for the emperor angelfish...I'll work on that one!

[ichthyogeek]

This tank's a bit more reef-friendly, but I don't think the fish'll mind just live rock.

Hawai'ian Island Emperor Angelfish tank (Pomacanthus imperator)
x1 Pomacanthus imperator
x1 Ctenochaetus strigosus (this is the one the scrubs your rocks free from algae)
x1 Zebrasoma flavescens (this is the one that nips hair algae in the bud) (and besides, what's a Hawai'ian themed tank without the "lau ‘ī -pala" ?)
x3 Cirrhilabrus jordani (a male and his 2 females)
x1 Genicanthus personatus (it's a planktivorous angelfish)
x1 Chaetodon millaris
x1 Cirrhitops fasciatus
x1 Coris gaimard (NEEDS FINE SAND)

If you can, try to manage one of these angelfish as well
Centropyge loricula
Paracentropyge boylei ;)

When I snorkelled in Hawai'i a few weeks back, there were a ton of Porites corals. And yellow tangs. But mostly porites. So if you want to incorporate some of those into the tank, that would be really swell. I don't recommend adding an undulate trigger though (although there were a bajillion of them). Nor a snowflake eel unless you get rid of the trio of fairy/flasher wrasse and the hawkfish. (and yes, I saw all or most of these fish when snorkelling)

CUC: Calcinus laevimanus. Native to the Hawaiian islands. Get a lot to stir the sandbed and pick up leftovers. Maybe a scarlet cleaner shrimp to show cleaning behaviors.

Sump: Basically the same, since you're looking at a similar layout to the other tank. Maybe add a colony of opae'ula, but do research on these guys first.

Oddly, I couldn't find many endemic, or endemic-ish fish that would work in your tank.

Disclaimer: I'm still relatively new at this (yes, 4 years is new to me). So some people might consider my setups overstocked. So take my stocking suggestions with a grain of salt.

[andregarcia_73]

Disclaimer: I overstock the hell out of everything but i do a 50 gal wc on my 240 gal every week.

Stock list:
1. Orange Tail emperor
2. Queen angel or majestic angel but only 1 more angel
3. Purple tang
4. Yellow tang added same time as purple
5. Blue regal tang (yellow Belly)
6. Naso tang
7. Pair of clownfish or school of clowns 5 or more added at the same time
8. 5 chromis (if school of clowns is added diareguard this)
9. 1 trigger of choice like a Clown or blueline
10. Australian harlequin tusk

Clean up crew would consist of
XL hermits, a shamefaced crab, a large conch, a horseshoe crab, and a couple of Sand aifting gobies.

Sump would def need a fuge with tons of different macroalgeas. A reef octopus Diablo skimmer, an emperor aquatics UV, filtersocks, a fluidized bed filter (these are old school but it works for me), and pond matrix instead of bioballs.

Tank would be 240 gals plus. I would do a 300 if its attainable.

Also since you're not always around to take care of your aquarium get an apex and customize and automate your setup. Get the autofeeder and in case you work late it feeda for you. Get the leak detectors and if you have a leak somewhere it will notify you. Program your lights and shut pumps on and off whenever as well as check tour tank parameters in the go. Ie. Wife says fish is acting wierd but youre away look at your parameters and see if there is something off or set notifications.

Hope this helps.
And as far as the coral why not just get a coral insert made. I just had kne made and ita amazing and surprisingly affordable.

[Allentown]

Thanks everyone.

This tank has lighting set up for a reef. Circulation is 1x Wp40qd and one Grye 150x.

Skimmer will be Aquamaxx Cones C0-3. Yes, there will be a refugium and an apex with leak detection. The stand is waterproofed and has an emergency sunk pump as weel.

Reactors are: Smr-1 for carbon and standard MR-1 for gfo (both by next reef)

Aquascaping at the moment includes a double arch and a deep lagoon. I'll attach an image.

Still haven't decided if I'm going with a trio of tangs (powder blue, Hippo and either a sohal or naso) and doing a reef or just going fowrl.

Tank dimensions are actually 72x27.5x27.5

[nuxx]

Already did...

Wanted a big long tank for multiple tangs:
- Have: Black, YB Blue, Chevron, Yellow
- Want: Achilles (Maybe also a hybrid), Zebra and Gem

Now I'm starting to want a Clarion and Bandit Angel as well...

At least they'll save our lives by eating all the evil toxic Zoas...