New Tank Stocking Questions!

flfish · Feb 9, 2021

Hi all,
This is my first post ever on here as I'm working towards my first reef tank! Since I've got a decent space and some money saved I've been eyeing the waterbox reef 130.4 system since it is absolutely the biggest I can fit in my space. Total volume is 130 gal, but the actual display tank is 96.3 gal, 48x24x22" so I've been hoping to be able to house the following:
- Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
- Firefish
- Neon goby
- Royal Gramma
- Yellow Wrasse
- Melanarus Wrasse
- Red Head Solon Wrasse
- Resplendent Anthias (hopefully a group of 1 male 3 female)
- Flame Angel
- Purple Tang
I've got plenty of experience in freshwater but this will be my first reef. I've been researching for the past few months and am hoping to make these work, my biggest questions would be is the tank simply overstocked, and the biggest question is the purple tang especially considering it is a family favorite. I've been seeing so many different takes on purple tangs that I just wanted to ask for any people with experience with them to lend some advice. It's my family's favorite fish I've shown them, but if necessary I would consider substituting it for a Kole tang or something else similar. Any advice would be appreciated!

Dbichler · Feb 9, 2021

Looks fine to me the anthias will be hardest. Make sure to add purple tang last and make it a smaller one no bigger than 3 inches. A bigger one would most likely bully all of the fish on that list. Adding it last and small will increase your odds a little.

Biokabe · Feb 9, 2021

So long as you can manage the bioload, I see no major red flags with your list. There are a couple things that I would say about your list, though.

First, the yellow wrasse and the melanarus are in the same genus (Halichoeres), and sometimes wrasses in the same genus will squabble with each other. That's not true for all wrasses, though, so I would just research them to be sure.

Like the previous poster said, the anthias will be an issue - not in terms of fighting or aggression, but just in terms of keeping them alive. Anthias are fairly demanding in their feeding requirements, so make sure that you either have an auto-feeder or that someone in your household can drop small amounts of food into the tank at regular intervals.

Dwarf angels are always a bit of a risk in a reef tank, so I might see about replacing the flame angel with something else - maybe a flame hawkfish. Angels (except for geniacanthus angels) are corallivores in the wild, and they sometimes bring that habit with them into the tank, even with plentiful food available. They're gorgeous fish and I can't fault you if you decide to roll the dice with one, but be aware that they do sometimes decide that fleshy corals are delicious.

Finally - you can probably get away with a purple tang, but some variety of bristletooth tang would likely be happier in your tank (and be a lot cheaper). Purple tangs are currently running between $250 and $400 each, but a nice bristletooth (like a tomini) is a little more affordable and would be a bit happier in your size tank. If you want to go fancier, a whitetail bristletooth can also be stunning.

flfish · Feb 9, 2021

Biokabe said:
So long as you can manage the bioload, I see no major red flags with your list. There are a couple things that I would say about your list, though.

First, the yellow wrasse and the melanarus are in the same genus (Halichoeres), and sometimes wrasses in the same genus will squabble with each other. That's not true for all wrasses, though, so I would just research them to be sure.

Like the previous poster said, the anthias will be an issue - not in terms of fighting or aggression, but just in terms of keeping them alive. Anthias are fairly demanding in their feeding requirements, so make sure that you either have an auto-feeder or that someone in your household can drop small amounts of food into the tank at regular intervals.

Dwarf angels are always a bit of a risk in a reef tank, so I might see about replacing the flame angel with something else - maybe a flame hawkfish. Angels (except for geniacanthus angels) are corallivores in the wild, and they sometimes bring that habit with them into the tank, even with plentiful food available. They're gorgeous fish and I can't fault you if you decide to roll the dice with one, but be aware that they do sometimes decide that fleshy corals are delicious.

Finally - you can probably get away with a purple tang, but some variety of bristletooth tang would likely be happier in your tank (and be a lot cheaper). Purple tangs are currently running between $250 and $400 each, but a nice bristletooth (like a tomini) is a little more affordable and would be a bit happier in your size tank. If you want to go fancier, a whitetail bristletooth can also be stunning.

I've been doing some research and thought that Halichoeres got along well together which is great because they're some of my favorites

I was definitely planning on having an auto feeder dispensing 2-3 times a day while at work, and then in the evenings when I'm home to give them some higher quality frozen foods. Does this seem sufficient or should I save the anthias for a later tank?

Thank you for the input on the tangs, the white tail and blue eye bristletooths look quite nice so I will see how strongly attached she is to the purple

Biokabe · Feb 9, 2021

That should be fine for your anthias, but make sure to observe them and make sure they're eating the pellets. Anthias can be tricky to get established. And when figuring out your filtration, make sure that you're taking the amount of food you'll be putting into the tank into account. Autofeeders tend to waste significantly more food than when you're adding food manually, so be prepared to include a robust population of scavengers - and plan to have some in your sump to catch what goes down your overflow.

I can't deny the appeal of the purple tang... gorgeous fish.