Stock List Quandry

[BHF]

Okay, starting up a 90 gallon system in the not too distant future. Looking at a reef setup. I'm figuring about 90-100lbs of LR and a similar amount of LS. I'm hitting the home stretch in aquiring my equipment/drygood supply, so I'm starting to think about the fish. I assembled a "realistic dreamlist" as it were, and emailed it to two friends who have been in the hobby for a while.

Here is the problem: One said the list looked solid, and that I might be able to add a bit more, the other said it was too many fish. :eek2:

So here it is, what is YOUR opinion:

(in roughly the order I would add them into the tank)

3-5 green chromis
2 percula clowns
1 citron goby
1 longnose hawkfish
1 flame angel OR 1 yellow tang
1 longfin fairy, mystery, or carpenter wrasse
1 mandarin

[whiteshark]

I wouldn't add any more fish than what you have on the list. I think that about maxes out your bioload. Remember, the yellow tang is and eating, and pooping machine. It, in addition to other fish may give you a problem when it come to dealing with trates and phates.

Personally, I would go with a dwarf angel of any kind over the yellow tang and eliminate the chromis (they may do a good job of eliminating themselves).

[sir_dudeguy]

imo thats not too many fish at all. most are small fish, such as the manderin, goby (i think), and percs...the chromis will get about 3-4 inches, and same w/the flame angel...the longnose hawkfish are pretty small too...imo, you could probably keep both flame angel and yellow tang, unless they have an issue w/fighting, which i dont know if they do or not..

you are correct in putting the manderin last, as it needs a very established tank to survive...it will mostly only eat pods i believe.

but i think you could prolly add a couple more smaller fish...like watchman gobies or something...90's are a good size to start with...but you will eventually get a bigger one lol.

hth
mike

[BHF]

LMAO! If I didn't know better, I would swear you two were my buddies!

To be honest though, if I were to knock anything off the list, it would be the tang/angel slot. Not really married to either of them. Just thought that either would add a nice bit of dramatic color (and seem to be a good fit with the rest of the fish I had picked out).

[whiteshark]

:D

I have just started to keep some SPS and am paranoid about nutrients and keeping them at 0. Also, I am just a bigger fan of corals than fish.

The reason I say to eliminate the chromis is that many people have a problem keeping them from killing eachother, even if added in an odd number.

I guess you could add a couple more SMALL fish, but you may have to increase your water change frequency or volume.

[BHF]

I've just been informed by my fiancee that the angel/tang slot is non-negotiable if I want any...erm..."quality time"...in the near future. As I'm looking at fish to be the center piece, with the coral as more of an accent, I think it's still doable.

Now, here is a newbie question that I think I know the answer too, but I'd rather look stupid now than have a bunch of dead fish later: when considering bio load, I can pretty much factor out the cleaning crew (snails, shrimp. nudibranches, etc), correct?

[whiteshark]

Generally, the clean up crew is a given, so the bioload is taking them into consideration. Still, they don't contribute a whole lot of waste to the system (except for those darn mexican turbo snails).

[BHF]

Figured as much, but I didn't think there was any harm in asking. Anyone else want to chime in (though I realize it's getting a bit late for most of us).

One fish that I've warmed too, and that I didn't put on the list, is the six line. I've read that it's a big pod eater and I'm a bit worried that it might push the mandarin for food. As I like the mandarin more, it made the cut. Am I over thinking, or can the two thrive together?

And have I missed any bright, colorfull, relatively easy to care for fish that I might put in that tang/angel spot?

[whiteshark]

Check out some dwarf angels. As for the sixline, I would avoid it and keep the mandarin. Mandarins will only eat pods (usually) and it should be, IMO, the only pod eating fish in the tank. They do best when they have the pods to themselves ;).

[BHF]

Okay, the sixline is off the table. While helping me with my research, my better half has gotten interested in the hobby and is considering a nano. Maybe it will end up in there. As for the other dwarf angels, the bicolor angel caught my eye, but 6ish inches is a little bigger than what I'm looking for.

[sir_dudeguy]

i really warmed to the sixline as well when i got mine...they're now one of my FAVORITE fish, and i'll have them in other tanks in the future...

yeah, you usually shouldnt keep 2 pod eating fish together...however my sixline sure loves freeze dried plankton and mysis shrimp :) sure he pics at the rocks all day, but he'd do fine on just plankton and mysis and the like imo.

but then again, every fish is different...maybe if you were to get a sixline w/this plan, it WOULDNT eat the plankton or stuff like it...maybe it would only want pods...just depends on the fish i spose..