Stocking a 150, need advice.

[Hal1]

I've got a brand new, empty 150xh (48x24x30h) sitting in my family room. My goal is to have a fish in it by Thanksgiving. I'm going to start with FOWLR (about 50-100 lbs to start), a 4 inch DSB, and a protein skimmer (probably an Aqua C EV-150).

I'm thinking about having the following fish, added roughly in the order presented below:

2 false percula clowns (added first)
1-2 bangaii cardinals (freaky)
foxface (for algae control plus they're neat)
orchid dottyback (cool purple color)
firefish (love the dorsal fin)
6 green chromis (schoolers, plus green color)
six line wrasse (quantity of 1; I hear they have cool behaviour )
longnose butterfly (neat body shape)
pearlscale butterfly (this is the fish that got me started on saltwater)
flame angel (adds some red to the tank)
hippo tang (adds some blue)
yellow tang ('cause everyone else has one

)
naso tang (wow, what colors)
niger trigger (I love the way they swim; added last)

In addition, I'm looking at:
possible cucumber
possible tuxedo urchin
possible conch

plus pod/detrivore kits (added early on after cycling)

Before you flame me, do you think my tank can handle this many fish? If not, which would you delete, and why? I'd probably lose the yellow tang, 1 bangaii, and the firefish first, after that, maybe 1 of the clowns. I'd really like to keep enough chromis to have a school.

Do you see any compatibility problems?

 

[Anonymous]

No flames here, just an opinion.

Skim the deadline, there's no need to rush. If you use high quality cured rock and a lot of live sand your tank should be cycled long before Thanksgiving.

That's definately too many fish since most of them on your list get pretty big.

A pair of Percs is a good choice for your first fish

Do a lot of research on each fish BEFORE you buy it and add them slowly.

The longnose can be finicky. Make sure the rock has matured and has dusters and bugs.

The Pearlscale is a very difficult fish. Ask around and see if anyone has had one for more than a couple of years and ask them about their setup.

 

[Gatortailale1]

Should only take you 2-3 weeks max for rock to cure, less if you buy cured rock. While curing rock, arrange how you might like it to look. You always will want to change looks of first arrangement and cure arrange is good practice. I prefer to go lb for gallon of rock to aid in filtration. Make a 4+ inch sand bed layered with course to fine bottom to top. Once sand and rock in place, 3-5 days later you can add herms and snails. Then another 3-5 you should be able to add your first fish.

As for the sixline, they need established reef to support their diet so best to wait a few months for them.

You may have a few to many "big sized fish" but check some books and with LFS to be safe.

4 what its worth.

 

[Hal1]

^^

 

[danmhippo]

The equipment sounds good, almost exactly the same as my 150G....EV150, DSB. I added refugium sump for added nitrate removing capacity.

I concur with the above posts about your fish selection. Most butterfly are finicky eaters. You may have difficulty keeping them in the long run. If you want niger, skip the urchin and cucumber. Foxface eat like pigs and can get quite big. Banggai does not move alot, but just hovering, so maybe you want to dump that too. Firefish will be too docile for the other fish choices. Best to leave them alone. Hippos and yellows may need to go in right after the cycle is completed. You may not see the dotty back often if he doesn't feel comfortable that so many of bigger meaner fishes cruising around.

And lastly, I personaly feels the tank looks better with just one or two main attraction. Meaning, if your main attraction is the niger, you do not want to have a bunch of other shape and sizes running around to distract the grace and beauty of the niger. Likewise, if your main attraction is the green damsels, you shouldn't have so many other colors of pink, gray, purple, yellow in the background. Keep the color theme simple is what I feel looks great for a tank.

By the way, if you want schooling fish, skip the damsels, go with a small group of juvenile hippo tang. I have 5 that schools together and the sight is awsome.

 

[AlexS!]

i have a 150 and my stocking plan is similar:
2 firefish
2 bartlett's anthias
2 percula clowns
2 bangaii cardinals
mandarin goby
yellow tang (already in)
and maybe a few more tangs

 

[naesco]

Hal I think you are looking at far too many fish for your tank.

Add no more than one fish a month (except for the chromis) and treat with garlic extract as a preventive measure against ich. You than avoid two of the major problems; putting too many in too soon and ich.

Damnhippo I would be inclined to recommend that a tang go in last because if he gets a particularly agressive one it will chase the hell out of every fish he adds if it is in there first. Any comment?

 

[spdntckt]

Sort of an off-the-topic question.. but what is the appeal of a FOWLR tank? I mean, wont all that rock look - well- strange with no coral for the fish to swim in and out of? I would almost be inclined to think an empty tank with a wet/dry might look better... just a thought..

When I look at my tank, yes, the fish are cool.. but i spend a lot more time watching the clams move around (when they do), the different shrimps and crabs, and the coral swaying in the currents...

 

[danmhippo]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by naesco:
<STRONG>I would be inclined to recommend that a tang go in last because if he gets a particularly agressive one it will chase the hell out of every fish he adds if it is in there first. Any comment?</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Nice to see you post Naesco. Is it me or you do not post as much as before?

Back to your question, Look at his list of fishes. Butterfly, trigger, damsel, foxface and angels, non of these fish will be intimidated by the tangs. If he has listed purple tang or powder blue, I would suggest otherwise. Yello and hippo normally do not, IMO, pose big threat to other fish. By introducing them first, will reduce the chance these beautifle fish becoming a ich magnet when they do not have to be.

Oh, by the way, I forgot to add in my first post that the naso tang should be dropped from the wishlist as well. The tank will not be big enough nor roomy enough to house a naso properly.

 

[Hal1]

Hmmm...I sense a common theme: Too Many Fish!

Spdntckt: The idea behind a FOWLR is that this is my first salt tank, and I wanted to start slowly. I'm thinking that I will eventually convert to a full blown reef setup, but only after I get experience with fish only.

With this in mind, here's my revised fish list:

2 false percula clowns (added first)
foxface
orchid dottyback
6 green chromis
sixline wrasse
flame angel
hippo tang
yellow tang
naso tang (maybe, else I need a substitute)
niger trigger

Here's my reasons why: the fish group into 3 color sets:
1. Main color family: Blue: chromis (well green/blue really), orchid (purple), hippo, Niger (ok, really dark blue), naso (has blue highlights), and sixline
2. Accent color #1 :Orange/Red: perc's, flame angel
3. Accent color #2 :Yellow: foxface, yellow tang (plus hippo has yellow highlights)

This would seem to satisfy danmhippo's suggestion of getting more thematic. Plus, if I absolutely have to have a butterfly, the longnose is yellow.

Otherwise, my revised list should have the added benefit of being "reef-safe", with the possible exception of the flame, which seems to be hit or miss. Thus, I could start adding corals and make my conversion.

Gatortail: since I'll only be adding 1 fish a month (except for the perc's and the chromis), I expect it'll be a while before the wrasse gets in; the tank should have some time to mature.

Danmhippo: I know I would be pushing it size wise for the naso. Scott Michael's book says minimum tank size is 135 for an adult. If you discount my gallonage because its an XH, I've still got the footprint of a 120. That's pretty close to the minimum of 135. Worse case, I get a juvenile naso and exchange him when he grows (I'd get this agreed to upfront by LFS).

If you still vote me down on the naso, what would you suggest in its place? (keep in mind my attempted color groupings above) A Kole tang? Another angel?

If you think the orchid dotty would be too timid, should I change to a bicolor?

Finally, what difference would it have made if I had included a powder blue or purple tang? Your post implies it would make a difference, but I couldn't figure out where you were going.

Thanks all, your input is a big help!

 

[danmhippo]

I really don't think you will stick closely with this preset stocking list. As time progress, you will eventually pick another fish, depending on availability and how the LFS persuaded you.

Just to answer your question. If I were you, I wouldn't pick naso, but would pick a powder blue, also a beauty. But, again, I still think you have aquite a few fishes in the tank then I would like to have. But again, its up to you. By the way, if you have the whole tank just for the naso, 150G would certainly be adequate. However, we must take into consideration that there are rocks, walls, other fishes and their territory boundries, actual usable space for the naso to swim is greatly reduces. Getting a juvenile maybe a good idea, but make sure your LFS would let you do it. Usually, by the 6th months into SW fish keeping, you should've make a great friend with your LFS (= spend quite a lot of $$$ in his store), they would let you return anything.

Purple and powder blue are both more aggressive than the average tangs. If they are going into your tank, they would have to go in last. Yellow and hippo are generally less aggressive than the purple.

HTH

 

[clwnphish]

This is what i have found i usually pick a few fish that i really want that would look good together. Then the others i usually pick out the ones that catch my eye becuase of there personality or other things like cool coloring, it depends on when and what the lfs has too, you may be saying this now but in the future you may end up with totaly different livestock list, I know its hard to choose, but thats the most fun part.
LAter
Clwn