Need some advice on my 180 fish stocking?

[Bxr126]

Hi all. Sorry if this is an over worked subject but I need specific help.

I am in the middle of upgrading from a 120 to a 180 and here is what I have for fish.
2 clownfish
5 cardinal fish
2 blennies
1 royal gramma
1 male golden Rhomboid wrasse
1 female golden rhomboid wrasse
1 flame angel
1 yellow tang
1 fox face
2 springer damsels

I thought I was done but then I came up on an opportunity to get a blotched Anthias. I haven't don't it yet and that's why I am here. Bio load is not my concern. Aggression is. Right now, everybody is good but not all are full sized. Your thoughts?

 

[Zionas]

I don’t know how long others have kept Blotched Anthias and it seems like they’re fairly easy in most instances to get feeding and getting them to live, they’re a deepwater species, found in relatively shallow depths compared to most other Odontanthias which are found below 350 feet.

I did read about a guy’s experiences (the owner of Marine Collectors) who says that when kept at typical reef temperatures in the high 70s-low 80s they do well for 5-6 years then start going downhill when I believe they, unlike many other Anthias, can live for over a decade.

If it were left to me, I’d ideally want to keep a Borbonius and similar deepwater species in a dedicated, lower temperature and not too heavily stocked deepwater setup.

Again, there could be those who have kept this species for a long time in normal reef temperatures and I just haven’t heard about it.

From what I’ve gathered of people’s experiences with them, they’re good community fish for the most part and not too bad, with the occasional pushy specimen but generally they seem fine maybe with the exception of behavior towards very small and slender fish.

I saw a pic posted on a Taiwanese forum where one guy’s Blotchy ate I think was a small Goby, not like a Yellow Watchman but more like a Trimma or Cleaner Goby (barely over 1”) and the smaller fish’s body was partially ingested by the Blotchy.

Not sure if it happens in every case but some species of wrasses including Fairies have instances where the female becomes a male. @i cant think keeps two Lubbock’s Fairy Wrasses (2 different regional variants) and I assume they’re both male by now but they seem to get along fine.

Your current list looks good IMO. I’d be tempted to get 1 or 2 more Flame Angels to create a pair or harem.

I really like Angels and in a 180 I’d totally add a medium-sized (not the very large ones) Angel such as a Majestic, Regal, Gold Flake, Blue Line (whenever Poma Labs is offering them again), these are my favorites at least. The Genicanthus genus also works and IMO a pair would look great.

Cardinalfish are seen as a “schooling fish” by many but they’re misunderstood. Even if you manage to maintain a school of them, for the most part they only spawn in pairs and once they pair up you’ll lose some of that grouping behavior. I’ve seen reports of “social” species reduce themselves down to one or a pair over time, and since they don’t change sex, getting a pair is luck of the draw.

You could add more Wrasses, lots of options for a 180. Depending on how much you like shrimp and inverts, heck I’d be tempted to get a CB Harlequin Tusk from Biota (bred by Bali Aquarich) in a 180.

Not the easiest fish but a Copperband Butterfly. @OrionN

Pyramid Butterflies are another choice. I heard they’re fairly easy to feed for a Butterfly and a number of people keep them successfully.

If you like Tangs, any of the Bristletooths (with maybe the exception of the Chevron- not too sure about the adult size), some of the smaller Acanthurus would work. No Naso. Maybe a Blue Tang.

By the time you get to a 180, you have a decent amount of choices for medium-large (but not very large) fish.

Still I’d not stock too many fish on the larger side, as it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing, more bioload as well.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Hi all. Sorry if this is an over worked subject but I need specific help.

I am in the middle of upgrading from a 120 to a 180 and here is what I have for fish.
2 clownfish
5 cardinal fish
2 blennies
1 royal gramma
1 male golden Rhomboid wrasse
1 female golden rhomboid wrasse
1 flame angel
1 yellow tang
1 fox face
2 springer damsels

I thought I was done but then I came up on an opportunity to get a blotched Anthias. I haven't don't it yet and that's why I am here. Bio load is not my concern. Aggression is. Right now, everybody is good but not all are full sized. Your thoughts?

I wouldn't hesitate to keep a blotchy anthias with this mix.

 

[Bxr126]

Really great input. I really appreciate it. The copperband has always been on my wish list but I am not the greatest at keeping my POD population up there.

 

[i cant think]

Not sure if it happens in every case but some species of wrasses including Fairies have instances where the female becomes a male. @i cant think keeps two Lubbock’s Fairy Wrasses (2 different regional variants) and I assume they’re both male by now but they seem to get along fine.

I unfortunately lost both Lubbock’s about a year ago but they were both males and actually passed around the same time (only a week or so apart) so I think they were the same age.
They got along aside from some minor bickering (in signs of displaying).

Now I’ve got 2 more wrasse “pairs” - A new pair of Meleagris Leopards (2 females I picked up today) and a Rubricaudalis pair. The males definitely suppress the females with transitioning however long term it may not work out as eventually the existing male will become weak and the female will take advantage. These are now in a 5’ 180G tank, instead of my old 4’ 100G tank that had my two Lubbock’s.

 

[Zionas]

Ahh didn’t catch that. Did you lose them to old age and how long did you have them for? Good luck I hope your new pairs do well.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi all. Sorry if this is an over worked subject but I need specific help.

I am in the middle of upgrading from a 120 to a 180 and here is what I have for fish.
2 clownfish
5 cardinal fish
2 blennies
1 royal gramma
1 male golden Rhomboid wrasse
1 female golden rhomboid wrasse
1 flame angel
1 yellow tang
1 fox face
2 springer damsels

I thought I was done but then I came up on an opportunity to get a blotched Anthias. I haven't don't it yet and that's why I am here. Bio load is not my concern. Aggression is. Right now, everybody is good but not all are full sized. Your thoughts?

Bioload I think youre completely fine to add one!

 

[i cant think]

Ahh didn’t catch that. Did you lose them to old age and how long did you have them for? Good luck I hope your new pairs do well.

I had them for 3-4 years when they passed but I bought both as younger males so I believe I lost them to old age.

 

[Zionas]

That sounds about right. I’d say their total age was probably 5-6 years old, unfortunately the downside to many of the Cirrhilabrus and Paracehilinius is that they aren’t the longest lived and Wrasses on a whole with the exception of a few genera seem to not have the longest lifespans. And also considering how we get many Fairies and Flashers as males, I’d guess on average they’re 1.5-2 years old when we get them.

I wonder if you’ve seen a true Lanceolatus for sale? Not the smaller cf Lanceolatus (Pintail) but the true Lanceolatus from Japan that gets pretty big like 6-7”.

 

[i cant think]

That sounds about right. I’d say their total age was probably 5-6 years old, unfortunately the downside to many of the Cirrhilabrus and Paracehilinius is that they aren’t the longest lived and Wrasses on a whole with the exception of a few genera seem to not have the longest lifespans. And also considering how we get many Fairies and Flashers as males, I’d guess on average they’re 1.5-2 years old when we get them.

I wonder if you’ve seen a true Lanceolatus for sale? Not the smaller cf Lanceolatus (Pintail) but the true Lanceolatus from Japan that gets pretty big like 6-7”.

Ive only ever seen them available in other countries like Japan, I don’t think they’ve ever made it as far over as the UK and US.

 

[Zionas]

I think one made it to Singapore years ago but that’s it if I remember correctly.