Advice for stocking a 225
 

I'm just dumping my fish thoughts down here to try and get an idea of what I want to keep. If anyone thinks there is a more advantageous order to adding these please share. Also if something doesn't jive with something else please let me know.

In no real order (yet):

- kole tang
- royal gramma
- banggai cardinal
- squarespot anthias (group?)
- swallowtail angelfish
- tailspot blenny
- sailfin blenny
- pair black and white clowns
- 4 stripe damsel (I know...)
- purple firefish
- orchid dottyback
- diamond watchman goby

Tank will be mostly SPS. A few LPS, going to try a bubble tip later on, maybe a clam of two.

Thanks.

Personally I would probably add a Mandarin goby. I don't think that pods are going to be any problem for you what with your massive ball of chaeto and live rock.

Similarly, I would probably hesitate on the angelfish, if only because of the chance it will pick at your SPS.

I can't remember the word we use in the aquarium world, but what were you thinking for your centerpiece fish (showpiece fish? I can't remember)?

Actually Swallowtails are known for being quite reef compatible.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...341&pcatid=341

I like you choices. Kole Tangs are great algae eaters. A group of Anthias will look terrific in that tank. The Swallowtail shouldn't be a problem; my Lamarck's is a model citizen, though I have heard deep-water Angels can sometimes become LPS pickers. Personally, I won't keep a damsel anymore; even Chromis can be little shits. I'd also keep an eye on the Dottyback. It may be aggressive towards the Royal Gramma.

My entire concept of life, the universe, and everything has been shaken to its very core. What madness is this? A reef safe angel? Such a thing was thought not to exist.

What else has this hobby been keeping from me?!

Your list does sound great! The square spot Anthia's are beautiful, how many are you thinking of adding? I have noticed mine do not like brite light, maybe they get used to it though.

I've had terrific luck with angels. I have a goldflake angel, a flame angel and a coral beauty and they all do not touch anything. I have 5 clams and a blue sponge. I consider myself very fortunate.

I would be tentative toward a royal gramma and a purple pseudochromis (these are a couple of my favourite fish) because they can tend to get super aggressive. I guess it's a chance you take. The royal grammas aren't much of an open swimmer either and typically hide a lot.

Just my 2 cents and reasons why I didn't introduce some of the same beautiful fish into my tank.

Actually the orchid dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani) is not too bad, better so than the purple dottyback (Pseudochromis porphyreus). They look similar so I think people get them mixed up a lot. But the orchid dottyback really isn't all that bad for aggression, at least IME (and is the prettiest of the dottybacks, IMO). You can keep them in pairs if you have a male and a female but I don't know how to tell them apart. Not a good idea to keep a pair if not a known pairing.

The swallowtail angels are the most reef safe of the angels, pygmy or otherwise. But do better in pairs (there is a fair bit of sexual dimorpohism between the sexes: there is no mistaking who is a boy and who is a girl .. at least in the swallowtail/Genicanthus angels). Nice choice BTW they are really nice angels.

All very nice choices, honestly I don't really see any huge problems with the list. Let's face it, it's probably going to be subject to change anyhow as you go along so it's not something I'd sweat too much at this point.

The Kole actually. If I had my way it'd be either a sohal, naso or both. But I'm going to attempt some self-control here as I feel they get too big/active.

Yeah I read something about their colours fading under bright light and my tank is certainly bright. Maybe I'll have to choose a different anthias. I'm a really big an of the red striped ones as well.

Like Tony said the orchid is less aggressive. I had one of these in my first tank and he was very close to a model citizen. He and my tomato clown would size each other up but nothing ever came of it. I didn't know the gramma could be aggressive tho.

Oh yeah I'm sure things will change. The list will be longer in its final form. Happens to everyone! Don't you have one of those angels Tony? If so just a male or both sexes?

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Does anyone know what the fish is for the basslet area on live aquaria? The two-tone purple fish that doesn't appear in the category itself? I'd choose this over the orchid as it looks BOSS.

Just my opinion. Ditch the royal gramma (too aggressive)
Add a powder brown tang (A. japonica) the one with orange on it, and add a mandarin 6 months after start up to give the the critters a chance to get up to speed.
(the kole needs film algae so keep the end of your tank dirty.)
But except for the royal nice choices.
Go slow with the additions. real slow.
Good Luck

My last orchid hunted and ate pods and critters off the rocks...all day. Perhaps that's why he didn't have time to cause much trouble? I'm avoiding the mandarin for this very reason. Does flow affect pod count? I'm going mainly SPS...flow is slower right now but will eventually be cranked high. Watching these little guys crawl around in the fuge it seems that they wouldn't really do too well in the display where the water moves over the rocks pretty quickly. Wouldn't they have little chance t even hang on let alone flourish?

Kole will most likely be my only tang. Unless my wife...yeah my wife...really wants another...or two.

Tony's sailfin is super cool as well but they get HUGE too. I think that too many large fish upset the visual balance...realism in our small tanks.

Thanks for commenting.

I don't think flow will really affect the way 'pods are able to take hold. They manage under all kinds of conditions.

I have a "pair" (but it could just be that they're a male and a female, but not really a "pair", per se. I'm not sure, but they sure don't act like a loving couple. OTOH, they act like most married couples I've known, so maybe they are after all.) Interestingly, the females in Genicanthus tend to be more colourful than the males; although the males get more pronounced swallow-tail effects. I think pairs are the way to go with these guys.

This guy? http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...1+47&pcatid=47

Black cap basslet. Yeah, pretty fish! .. I know nothing of it though.

Yeah you're right:

http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/bas...ackcapbasslet/

Damn forget the orchid or the other gramma. I need this badass. Sounds like a smart addition like the 4-stripe is a smart addition lol. I'm heading towards a cichlid-like tank haha.

More good info here:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...hp/t-3784.html

I like the way your thinking! That's one thing that I hated about my 200 when I had it...way too many big fish. I had 4 big tangs (7" sailfin, 6" hippo, 4" yellow, 5" naso), a large rabbit (6") and a large tusk (6" or so).

At the time I couldn't figure out what I didn't like about it...it wasn't any individual fish but then I saw a 400G (I think, may have been bigger) tank the other day on RC that made me realize what it was.

This tank was very mature, massive sps colonies (which he didn't over do, just let a few colonies grow very large), beautiful open coralscape and I think he estimated over a hundred fish! None over a few inches other than a large school of anthias. All small gobies, blennies, a few clowns, blue eyes cardinals ect. Basically what people call nano fish.

The video of the tank was incredible with all the fish going in and out of the rockwork. Such a natural looking reef!

I think your list is really great.

Having only had a 34G tank now for a while, I have come to realize most of the small fish are nicer to keep than the big guys because they really seem to act quite naturally. Not much if any pacing of the tank or begging for food. They just seem to go about their business and defend their small territories.

Great post and I couldn't agree more. You can't NOT leave a link to that tank/video now :sad:

LOL...I was just looking for it!

I can't remember where it was. I thought RC but now I can't find it anymore. When I said "a few days ago" I really should have said a few weeks ago.

I will keep looking though. It was a pretty cool tank with all the small active fish.

Justin if you don't find it I'll have no choice but to do the work I've been putting off until tonight. I know you're kinder than that!

Search faster Justin. Sheesh! :lol: "This is not the 400g you're looking for.." (Ok that was out of place, but I just hadn't seen enough SW quotes here today..)

I sort of hear what you guys are saying. There are a LOT of fish I've steered myself away from over the years because they just get too danged big.

One of the reason I steered towards a doliatus rabbit was because they are the smallest of the genus. Although now seeing them in the Georgia Aquarium at 14" long (ugh), I see that "smallest" doesn't always mean a lot.

But you see the same principle in FW too, big huge tanks, and then all they have in them is a school of itty bitty tetras. And those are the ones you really tend to think, "wow".

But that's not to say I love my sailfin any less. Yeah I guess he's a big fish but then I've had him for 8 years now.

Tony what I'm getting at is he's way too big. Can I have him?

Hey I missed an offensive comment? WTF? Because I had actually gotten down to work.

Hey I'm suppose to be getting some work done tonight too! :lol:

Im not saying I don't like the big fish (love them) but I do think most large tanks could look a million times better with say one sailfin and then a huge school of cardinals or something like that. But that's only if your really trying to make the tank a "work of art" or applying principles of design to an aquarium. Most people don't care for that approach or its not practical for them. Never was for me, I wanted every big fish I could find lol.

Until now, I never designed or thought of my tank the same way I do my work which is all design--I do design for illustration, graphics, interior design and animation. Had never really thought of applying all I have learned over the years to the aquarium.

Just starting to think about these things ;)

Part of the problem is most fish get big. It must take a lot of discipline to steer away from a lot of things, especially when (and it's probably supply/demand for the most part that is to blame for this) when on any given day it's easier to walk into any LFS and buy a butterfly instead of a ... say a blue eyed cardinal or something. The ratio has to be easily 10 to 1.

Anyhow sorry I guess I don't have a lot more useful to add other than I think it's very interesting points you guys bring up. You guys are the experts at the "making things look good" department, I can't compete at that level. :p

Your right. I have had a hard time getting all the fish I am looking for my 34G. And the choices are quite limited. I think (but I am just assuming here) that there are many more small fish species in the ocean than large ones but a majority of species regularly available are larger (over 3"). As you said supply and demand :)

Then the nicer of small guys can get pricey!

Keep in mind I'm in the talking phase of stocking my tank =)

It could be just that. TALK haha.

Had I gone 8 feet like I should have, I'd likely be talking about bigger fish.

In the end I'll walk into an LFS...a big fish is going to bat a sexy eye at me and I'll take him or her home just like everyone else.

You might change your mind if I can find that darn link...

Isn't there a site that showcases all kind of tanks in video tours? It may have been that site. I really just can't find it!

You sure it was 400g? I want to get to sleep tonight too and I sure as hell can't find it. :lol:

Tighten the vice!! More pressure to find that link! :twised:

Brett, if you can find a Black Cap Basslet, get one. They're awesome. I've wanted one for some time for the 90g. Pretty hard to find though.
As for the big fish vs. little fish, I agree with you guys. Smaller fish in pairs or groups are much more indicitive of the natural reef. I think that was the major reason I got another tank: one tank for SPS and small fishes and one tank for the larger cool fish. My second tank was supposed to be a FOWLR but I couldn't help myself and added some corals. :redface:

No I am not sure at all. I just know it was big. I think it was 300 and something. I am also sure it was a European tank. I just don't have time to look for it tonight.

I got to bed a little before 2. Couldn't find anything. Maybe to narrow it down: which forums do you frequent? I just registered at 3reef last night and took a glance through a few pages but didn't find it. Let's do some detective work and narrow it down. :D

This one? http://reefvideos.com/

Although I don't know if they have European tanks on that site. I thought it was mostly a buncha guys from Toronto for the most part.

Yeah that was the site but I don't think it was on there.

Pretty sure it was somewhere on RC. I don't really check out any sites other than here or RC. It was a link that went to another site though I think.

Don't know.

Ditch the swallow tails and do a nice harem of centropyges :D

Their shape lacks the BEAUTY the swallowtails possess =) Plus the 'tails seem safer?

Yeah, but the bidies lack the beauty of say a Potters or a Multicolour.

Genicanthus are probably more reef safe, but pretty much all the angels have been kept in SPS reef tanks.

Strangely I'm not too keen on either of those fish. I seem to not be impressed with quite a few fish that many drool over. The swallowtails (both male and female) are some of my all-time favs and have this simple elegance and great shape I love.

Paracentropyge multifasciatus?

Although, yes, the swallowtails are nice - G. bellus is definitely my favourite of them.

Yeah that one is pretty nice too.

I can't sit still thinking of these things!

http://www.themarinecenter.com/media...8522EB954N.jpg

http://www.themarinecenter.com/media...47A934F56N.jpg

My vote is for a Flame Hawk. Super cool and they think they are batman.

I miss my flame hawk a LOT. That is an awesome little fish! Great description of their personality btw. :lol:

Man the colours of that female blackspot are exquisite. Genicanthus FTW! :)