Stocking New 150 Gallon Fish Tank

[Ryan S]

This is also listed in my current tank build, but I thought I'd get more feedback in the general forum. My goal is a heavy fish bioload, full of personality and colors, and a nice mix of species; but I also want a peaceful tank with no aggression issues if possible.

 

This list is NOT everything I want to put into the tank at once. I need to narrow it down. Everything on the list, based on my research, is reef safe, peaceful, and would make for a good reef fish. With that said, I've never had many of these fish before, including the anthias, the wrasses, and several of the tangs. Feedback I'm seeking is "I have had X fish before, and highly recommend it" or "I've had X fish before and don't recommend it". Or, "of the 3 anthias schools listed, I would recommend X. Or X and Y, but not Z". or "I'd only get 1 of the wrasses; or 3 of the wrasses" or "I'd recommend tangs A, B, and C, but not the others" etc etc. Ideally from those of you who have had the fish below, or tried the combinations below (either successfully or not).

 

Thank you for your advice, comments, and help!!

 

2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp

2 Fire Shrimp

2 Peppermint Shrimp

 

1 Male Disbar Anthias

4 Female Disbar Anthias

1 Male Bartlett Anthias

4 Female Bartlett Anthias

1 Male Lyretail Anthias

4 Female Lyretail Anthias

 

5 Spotted Cardinalfish

5 Benggai Cardinal

 

2 Ocellaris Clownfish

 

1 Bellus Angelfish, Female

 

1 Midas Blenny

1 Sailfin Blenny

 

1 Yellow Watchman Goby

1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp

 

1 Blue Hippo Tang

1 Desjardini Sailfin Tang

1 Yellow Tang

1 Powder Blue Tang

1 Naso Tang

1 Yellow Eye Kole Tang

 

1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse

1 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse

1 Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse

1 Longfin Fairy Wrasse

1 Pink Margin Fairy Wrasse

[zygote2k]

Looks like to something to shoot for over the course of several years.

If you haven't already added rock, I'd suggest you culture a sand bed for a month, then add fresh liverock for 2 months, then start adding fish that will maintain the sand bed and rock. If you can do this fish free for 3 months, your fish tank will rock.

[Chad]

RE anthias: I like lyretail/bartletts combinations, they go well. Lyretails are generally pugnacious toward other anthias and get a little larger. Bartlett's are a bit tougher than most of the other closely related anthias, which means they can hold their own against the lyretails. Number-wise, 5 is probably good for the lyretails in your tank (though I would probably add 8). The thing about anthias is they don't take new arrivals well, so if you lose any during shipping or acclimation stresses, you are pretty much stuck with that number... if you go with 8 and end up with 8, great, but I suspect you will end up closer to 5. On the Bartetts, they are a bit smaller for anthias, so I think you would be fine going for a few more (like targeting 8-10 and buying 13-15).

 

Banggai Cardinals... you will only end up with 2. Buy a pair to start else you will end up with a pair and they will kill off the others.

 

Midas blennies are awesome.

 

Tangs, I would probably skip the ones that get really large (i.e., not zebrasoma or ctenocheatus sp.), koles can be feisty little buggers, add it after others.

 

Other than that, think about adding groups of the other stuff... both the watchman gobies and wrasses have really neat group dynamics. If you add 3-5 (or more in some cases) of each species, you will be rewarded with some really interesting behavior.

[SunWyrm]

Instead of a powder blue I went with a brown, they're much nicer towards other fish and tangs.

 

Flasher wrasse tend to hide more when housed with faster fish (like tangs), introduce them first and they should be bolder.

[Fishie]

I too went with the brown...but that was cause I found it more attractive...not to say the blue isn't...its just as gorgeous...for some reason the brown drew me in more..

If I had gotten a naso ..then I wud have gone with the blue...but some folks advised against nasos

 

Rob,

 

Care to explain why delaying the addition of fish for few months would help...are u just waiting for the tank parameters to settle or for a source for them to feed off from the rock...isn't that something that will develop with time anyways as it matures.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Fishie

[Fishie]

Also before my brown came along my kole was a terror...now he is super social...weird how they change

My kole even beat up my maroon go figure..

[RubberFrog]

Rob,

 

Care to explain why delaying the addition of fish for few months would help...are u just waiting for the tank parameters to settle or for a source for them to feed off from the rock...isn't that something that will develop with time anyways as it matures.

I'm not Rob, but I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn once... giving your rockwork/sandbed a few months to mature will help establish your bacteria without putting the stress on the fish.

[zygote2k]

I too went with the brown...but that was cause I found it more attractive...not to say the blue isn't...its just as gorgeous...for some reason the brown drew me in more..

If I had gotten a naso ..then I wud have gone with the blue...but some folks advised against nasos

 

Rob,

 

Care to explain why delaying the addition of fish for few months would help...are u just waiting for the tank parameters to settle or for a source for them to feed off from the rock...isn't that something that will develop with time anyways as it matures.

The longer you can go with out fish, the more the live rock will grow and seed the tank with tons of micro-organisms and give the plankton time to grow and mature. I've had jellyfish, stony corals, and fish come from within the rock, but wouldn't have seen any of that stuff if there was a resident fish population to consume it all.

 

Add your base layer of sand, then seed with fresh live sand like marine scene sells, then order yourself about 100# of the best 'deco rock' that you can find and cure it in the tank with the lights and skimmer running. wait 90 days, then add fish.

[surf&turf]

I have Lyretail Anthias and like Chad said you need to add all at once, although I did manage to add a large female to the group I have.

 

Again like group said, add the Kole last, I have one that is a terror, but I just added a slightly smaller Chocolate that is doing great so far.

[Ryan S]

Okay. Narrowed the list down based on comments and advice received so far. I want to add the fish in 2 (or 3?) groups. I narrowed down the anthias to the bartletts because I can't afford 2 schools of anthias. At least not for now. I have a few new questions too:

 

1. After seeing Fishie buy/sell a Powder Blue, then Yellow Tang, then Powder Brown in the last week (our tanks are almost identical) - as much as I LOVE Powder Blues, I am tempted to skip all 3 entirely. I don't want any aggressive fish in the tank. So of the 4 tang left in group 2; assuming the yellow tang and PBT are both out, can I get a Blue Hippo (1" small one); or the desjardini sailfin? Either or both? Or will they be as aggressive as the yellow tang, PBT, etc?

 

2. I wanted more than 1 goby, but all the sites online say not to mix them. I wanted 2 Orangespot Diamond Gobies because they move all around the tank and sift sand, which would be fun to watch, and it said online they love to work in pairs. However, 1 person recommended against a sandsifting goby because they made too much of a mess in the sand (which I definitely wouldn't want), and a few others said mixing the orangespot diamond gobies with the yellow watchman goby in the tank would be a bad idea. Any further thoughts/advice on this issue?

 

3. How would you add the fish below to the tank by groups? Would you leave it as the 2 groups below? Make a third group? I want to add them in the correct order so the wrasses are bold, the potential bullies go in last, etc.

 

Name Quantity

 

Group 1:

Cleaner Skunk Shrimp 2

Fire Shrimp 2

Peppermint Shrimp 2

Male Bartlett Anthias 1

Female Bartlett Anthias 3 or 5

Spotted Cardinalfish 2

Benggai Cardinalfish 2

Ocellaris Clownfish 2

Yellow Watchman Goby 1

Tiger Pistol Shrimp 1

McCosker's Flasher Wrasse 1

Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse 1

Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse 1

Longfin Fairy Wrasse 1

Pink Margin Fairy Wrasse 1

 

Group 2:

Midas Blenny 1

Sailfin Blenny 1

Blue Hippo Tang 1

Powder Blue Tang 1

Desjardini Sailfin Tang 1

Yellow Tang 1

[Coral Hind]

If you plan to have corals i would not recommend the blennies. They can take bites off of corals.

[SunWyrm]

The flasher wrasse- don't keep 2 males, the 2 you've picked are very similar and may fight. Keep 1 carpenter male and some mccosker females (they tend to be prettier females than carpenter) or vice versa. Add females first then a male. Fairy wrasse tend to be peaceful to other fairy/flasher males, and I had 2 flasher males be good buddies until I added my third. Then the dominant fought and killed the newcomer, then attacked his former buddy for sticking up for the new one. They also each became buddies with a damsel afterwards. Fish are weird.

 

My 2 cents is to keep one or keep a harem with a bunch of females - though I'm wondering with your other tank mates (anthias and tangs) if you're going to see these guys that often. (I have no experience with the fairies, only 3 mccosker/carpenter mix males)

They are hard enough to get to eat by themselves with how shy they can be. It's a big tank so you may be ok, personality is everything, and I wish you the best.

 

And +1 for powder brown looks, didn't mean to make it seem like I chose them on personality alone. They're gorgeous.

[Der ABT]

IMO for tangs its hit or miss, go to BRK and they will tell you that sohal is a terror...ive seen other tanks where a gigantic sohal is the most sumbissive fish...all depends on the fish.

in general yes i think the guidelines are right...Powder blues and browns can be punks...but they are very nice looking fish.

 

agree with the anthias posts....i started with three and have ended up with 2...im on my second male and lost a charity case female as well...first male decided to fight everything including all the females and a powerhead...broke its jaw (and the females) and was CAPUT....second male chases any and everything but the pair seem to be doing well when i put it a new set of clowns he was angry and first and calmed down....tangs kinda come and investigate but havent given any problems (have a mimic and a atlantic blue)

 

Id be careful on the shrimp...then can be a PIA to get out if you dont like them or they start nipping at something they are not supposed to

 

your looking at 32 fish....shesh youve come a long way from the 40g you planned at first not to mention trying to keep a budget...yeh i know thats how this hobby goes. seems like alot of fish to me but im not the best at planning fish additions.

[Ryan S]

It has come a long way, but I don't think the final list will be 32. If I remove the blennies, the shrimp, and the tangs, it gets much smaller. Plus, multiple people have now commented on how aggressive the male anthias will be... I wanted anthias because they are beautiful and can school, but I also thought they were peaceful. If the male anthias is going to be aggressive towards his own kind of other fish in the tank, then I may axe them too. But... this is what I am left with then:

 

Name Quantity

 

Spotted Cardinalfish 2

Benggai Cardinalfish 2

 

Ocellaris Clownfish 2

 

Yellow Watchman Goby 1

Tiger Pistol Shrimp 1

 

McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (Female) 3

Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse (Male) 1

 

That's it?

[Der ABT]

while mine is agressive towards new comers (and ever so often my big female clown who ive seen put him in place) i would still want him in the next tank, really great looking fish and VERY active...i would just add more females for my tank

 

so dont nix him based on that....they are seriously cool fish but if the the male does not stay dominant one of the females will take over and change into a male....so you could always just buy a bunch of females and wait for one to turn male/be dominant.

 

and for tangs pick the ones you like,some will fight and be fine after they get over the initial fight, others may be fine then fight later, thats half the fun.... dont post them for fear of the tang police or just ignore the tang police and floor it (you can always outrun the web)..... andyou can always take a fish out if needs be (just catch them at night)

[Coral Hind]

I would still add the tangs you listed but I would not get the hippo. The last one I had tore apart several LPS and I have read of others seeing the same thing.

[Chad]

When it comes down to it, there isn't a perfect fish list and there will always be gambles. And in the end something isn't going to turn out like you want it to anyway because one individual didn't do what you expect. It can make a person go crazy.

 

The best you can do is understand the risks, weigh the benefits, and take a shot. I would choose a species or two that you really want, put them as your priority, then add other stuff that fits.

 

For example on the diamond gobies: They tend to do well in pairs and show interesting pair behavior, however, getting a pair can be challenging. They tend to challenge anything that occupies the same territory (i.e., bottom dwellers), however, usually this amounts to wide mouth "yelling" vice any real aggression. They constantly, all day long, pick up mouth fulls of substrate and "chew" through it, sometimes dropping it on your corals, however, they do a good job of keeping the substrate clean and coral placement can minimize sand on corals somewhat.

[Ryan S]

You guys are driving me crazy! First I shouldn't get anything on the list, now it's okay to get them all! *yanks hair out* lol

 

(I had an initial plan to just "get them all", and add them in the correct order (aggressive last, anthias first sort of thing) - but then I saw what Fishie has been going through. He got the powder brown, powder blue, yellow tang, etc; and 1 by 1 has been listing them for sale as none have worked out. I wanted to avoid "buying them all" and then "reselling them all", you know?)

 

PS: Camel Shrimp are not reef safe I found online. Have any of you had peppermint, cleaner, or fire shrimp eat zoas or other corals?

 

PSS: The cardinals have to be M+F pairs, not just pairs. When I go to a LFS, they have like 10 cardinals in a tank, how can I tell which are M & F?

Edited February 28, 2012 by Ryan S

[Coral Hind]

I have had peppermints pick on zoas, palys, and BTAs.

[Chad]

It's what we do.

 

I haven't had issues with peppermint shrimp (more than removing food from coral polyp mouths - and sometimes damaging the polyp in the process), and I usually have a bunch in my tank. I think I have 12 or so (maybe more) in my tank now, plus a couple of cleaner shrimp. I have heard of problems with them eating corals, but I have not observed it in a few dozen tanks and as many years of keeping them. IMO, a safe bet with more benefits than risks.

[Jan]

+1

 

If you plan to have corals i would not recommend the blennies. They can take bites off of corals.

[Jan]

I have in my 156 RR mixed reef

1 large yellow tang

1 large hippo tang

1 large sailfin tang

1 medium yellow eye kole tang

1 juvenile carribean blue

1 juvinile brown tang

1 Large Melenarous wrasse

1 small 6 line wrasse

1 large red spot goby and his tiger pistol shrimp

1 large 14" engineer goby

1 black sailfin blenny (I think this fish chased my midas out)

1 male and 3 female larytail anthias

1 female swallowtail angel

1 yellow breasted regal angel

5 medium size blue chromis

2 black and white clown fish

1 medium size cleaner wrasse

1 yellow canary blenny that hides in the rocks in the back

1 tiny yellow clown goby that hosts in my sps (it's killing the center of my efflo, but it's a cute fish)

2 large cleaner shrimp

1 large scarlet shrimp

3 peppermint shrimp that only come out at night

1 large elephant slug that only comes out at night

1 large porcelaine crab that hosts in my anemones (I have 3 anemones; RBTA, red with green BT and neon green with purple tips)

Everyone gets along just fine.

 

I'm waiting for 1 female bellus angel and 1 male swallowtail angel.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Jan

[Jan]

I forgot to list my 1 reef safe banner fish

 

I have in my 156 RR mixed reef

1 large yellow tang

1 large hippo tang

1 large sailfin tang

1 medium yellow eye kole tang

1 juvenile carribean blue

1 juvinile brown tang

1 Large Melenarous wrasse

1 small 6 line wrasse

1 large red spot goby and his tiger pistol shrimp

1 large 14" engineer goby

1 black sailfin blenny (I think this fish chased my midas out)

1 male and 3 female larytail anthias

1 female swallowtail angel

1 yellow breasted regal angel

5 medium size blue chromis

2 black and white clown fish

1 medium size cleaner wrasse

1 yellow canary blenny that hides in the rocks in the back

1 tiny yellow clown goby that hosts in my sps (it's killing the center of my efflo, but it's a cute fish)

2 large cleaner shrimp

1 large scarlet shrimp

3 peppermint shrimp that only come out at night

1 large elephant slug that only comes out at night

1 large porcelaine crab that hosts in my anemones (I have 3 anemones; RBTA, red with green BT and neon green with purple tips)

Everyone gets along just fine.

 

I'm waiting for 1 female bellus angel and 1 male swallowtail angel.

[Ryan S]

Okay. Updated the list a bit. How would a tank with the fish below look?

 

2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp

2 Fire Shrimp

 

1 Male Bartlett Anthias

5 Female Bartlett Anthias

1 Male Lyretail Anthias

5 Female Lyretail Anthias

 

1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Male, Tank Bred

1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Female, Tank Bred

 

1 Swallowtail Angelfish, Male

1 Swallowtail Angelfish, Female

 

1 Midas Blenny

 

1 Diamond Watchman Goby

1 Yellow Watchman Goby

1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp

 

1 Blue Hippo Tang, Small

1 Desjardini Sailfin Tang, Small

1 Yellow Tang, Small

1 Powder Blue Tang, Small

 

1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Male

2 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Female

Edited February 28, 2012 by Ryan S

[Jan]

Colorful and full of life!

 

Okay. Updated the list a bit. How would a tank with the fish below look?

 

2 Cleaner Skunk Shrimp

2 Fire Shrimp

 

1 Male Bartlett Anthias

5 Female Bartlett Anthias

1 Male Lyretail Anthias

5 Female Lyretail Anthias

 

1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Male, Tank Bred

1 Ocellaris Clownfish, Female, Tank Bred

 

1 Swallowtail Angelfish, Male

1 Swallowtail Angelfish, Female

 

1 Midas Blenny

 

1 Diamond Watchman Goby

1 Yellow Watchman Goby

1 Tiger Pistol Shrimp

 

1 Blue Hippo Tang, Small

1 Desjardini Sailfin Tang, Small

1 Yellow Tang, Small

1 Powder Blue Tang, Small

 

1 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Male

2 McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, Female