EBR December 29, 2015 Share December 29, 2015 Hey Everyone -- I've got a 125g, and will admit to very marginal luck keeping fish over the years, my last attempt at a varied population being over five years ago. The fish I do have are from that last round of restocking, and include two tomato clowns, and a pair of damsels, that's it. After a big sell-off of corals last year, and some significant re-scaping, I'm finally getting ready to add some more color to the tank. And so, I'm trying to figure out compatibility, and thought ask your advice. While the system and corals are really pretty solid, I still consider myself a novice with fish. There are quite a few I've considered and have ruled out already, due to either size limits, or compatibility with like-species, that sort of thing. So, taking the fish-novice route... Current Fish: - 2 tomato clowns - 2 azure damsels - 20+ RBTAs (yeah, need to sell of just a few ;-) Current Corals: - elephant ear - candy canes - hammers/frog spawn - various soft/leathers - planning for a center-piece toadstool to replace the one that I lost early this year Fish I'm considering and would like your thoughts about. To be honest, I'm really just looking to get some more color: - bangai cardinals (cuz they're fun) - blue chromis - flame angel - either a yellow tang or a yellow angel - perhaps a kole tang? What do you think? Would these work with what I currently have? I don't think I have the capacity for all of them, but they're all under consideration. Any other suggestions that would make good tank-mates for what I have now, that won't chomp down the LPS I have, too? Thanks! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08can-am December 29, 2015 Share December 29, 2015 What about a scopas tang Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDRDATA December 29, 2015 Share December 29, 2015 I love Kole tangs, and would personally take one over a Yellow any day. With the Banggais or Blue Reef Chromis, are you looking at a small school or just an individual? If you have a sandbed, you might want to include one of the reef-safe wrasses like a melanarus, leopard, etc and maybe a shrimp goby such as a Randall's or (pick your color/pattern) Watchman. Another candidate might be an individual (or small school of) striped fang blenny and/or a single individual Midas blenny or a less-aggressive dottyback (orchid, springeri, ORA hybrid). Ultimately it's what kind of "look" you want and who gets along with whom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBR December 31, 2015 Author Share December 31, 2015 Yeah, Koles are cool -- I had one many years ago, and he always seemed to get along. Based on what I've read, I was counting on a pair of Banggais, and a small school of Chromis -- would six be too many? It's only a 125, and knowing that I have some livestock already and am looking for a variety, I don't want to overdo it. And would the Banggais and Chromis get along? Any issues with either and LPS? Thanks, and Happy New Year! Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LCDRDATA January 1, 2016 Share January 1, 2016 (edited) Yeah, Koles are cool -- I had one many years ago, and he always seemed to get along. Based on what I've read, I was counting on a pair of Banggais, and a small school of Chromis -- would six be too many? It's only a 125, and knowing that I have some livestock already and am looking for a variety, I don't want to overdo it. And would the Banggais and Chromis get along? Any issues with either and LPS? Thanks, and Happy New Year! Matt : I've got a pair of Banggai and a pair of regular false percs in my 75 DT, along with several other fish. The Banggai occasionally get a bit ornery with my leopard wrasse, but are generally well-behaved. I've got a number of LPS in my tank and have never had any issue with them. Beyond that, with what you're describing the most likely aggression scenario I see could be between the Azure Damsels and the Reef Chromis, but IMO there should be plenty of room in a 125 for them to sort things out. I have heard that as a rule of thumb your schools should start with an odd number of fish (in your case, then, either five or seven Reef Chromis), and it makes intuitive sense, but I can't point to an "authoritative" source for that. Just FYI, for years I'd wondered why a "Kole" ("coal") tang was spelled with a K. Turns out that it's the Hawaiian name for that particular fish ("KOE-lay"). When I was there a few years ago I saw several of them picking the algae off of a green sea turtle. Edited January 1, 2016 by LCDRDATA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBR January 1, 2016 Author Share January 1, 2016 Many thanks for the sanity check -- it all makes sense. And nice shot of the turtle -- now THAT would take a big tank! Happy New Year. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now