Shrimp, crab, and invert friendly fish for my STOCK list.

[ROMN8R]

I have a 175g on the way! 5 foot long 30 tall.

Aquascape will be tall with tons of nooks and crannies but not a lot of sand contact points.

I am beginning my stock list but that's not what this post is about. I would like to know what fish to absolutely avoid if I plan to have a few crustaceans and inverts. And also if there are any cool livestock besides fish that should live in my 175g that I'm building from scratch.

This is not a stock list in order or the final but I do know I want to have :

2x clowns
5-10 tangs
1-2 dwarf angles
later mandarin goby
flame or nice hawkfish
engineer goby or some other smaller goby that lives under the rock
trigger???
one butterfly???
emperor angel???

two cleaner shrimp
one or two fire shrimp or similar
a few emerald crabs or similar
some sort of decorative clam
snails and hermits

if anyone could give me some suggestions of different crabs or other livestock besides fish that would be great! I love the diversity in things to watch in the tank and so do my kids.

 

[Jay Hemdal]

I have a 175g on the way! 5 foot long 30 tall.

Aquascape will be tall with tons of nooks and crannies but not a lot of sand contact points.

I am beginning my stock list but that's not what this post is about. I would like to know what fish to absolutely avoid if I plan to have a few crustaceans and inverts. And also if there are any cool livestock besides fish that should live in my 175g that I'm building from scratch.

This is not a stock list in order or the final but I do know I want to have :

2x clowns
5-10 tangs
1-2 dwarf angles
later mandarin goby
flame or nice hawkfish
engineer goby or some other smaller goby that lives under the rock
trigger???
one butterfly???
emperor angel???

two cleaner shrimp
one or two fire shrimp or similar
a few emerald crabs or similar
some sort of decorative clam
snails and hermits

if anyone could give me some suggestions of different crabs or other livestock besides fish that would be great! I love the diversity in things to watch in the tank and so do my kids.

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

Just off the cuff, I would skip the engineer goby - they get huge and undermine the rockwork with their digging.
Are you going to have corals? If so, triggers, angels and butterfly fish need to be chosen with care, or skipped altogether. Pyramid butterflies and Genicanthus angels are often good choices.

I don't think that tank is large enough for 5-10 tangs, species dependent of course.

Royal gramma or a purple/yellow dottyback would be hardy and add some color.

I would be remiss if I didn't add that proper quarantine is important!

Current Quarantine Protocol

2023 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com

Jay

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

I have a 175g on the way! 5 foot long 30 tall.

Aquascape will be tall with tons of nooks and crannies but not a lot of sand contact points.

I am beginning my stock list but that's not what this post is about. I would like to know what fish to absolutely avoid if I plan to have a few crustaceans and inverts. And also if there are any cool livestock besides fish that should live in my 175g that I'm building from scratch.

This is not a stock list in order or the final but I do know I want to have :

2x clowns
5-10 tangs
1-2 dwarf angles
later mandarin goby
flame or nice hawkfish
engineer goby or some other smaller goby that lives under the rock
trigger???
one butterfly???
emperor angel???

two cleaner shrimp
one or two fire shrimp or similar
a few emerald crabs or similar
some sort of decorative clam
snails and hermits

if anyone could give me some suggestions of different crabs or other livestock besides fish that would be great! I love the diversity in things to watch in the tank and so do my kids.

A lot of fish had been reported to nip at clam mantles, which can put both the clam and fish at risk of significant bodily trauma(clam snaps are no joke). Wrasses are a big one I’ve heard of, plus tangs, angels and blennies. All these animals have their own temperaments but I’d say to just watch out for the clam.

Triggers can become bullies in addition to being generally not reef - safe, but there are a few nice species(Xanthicthys spp.) that both look good and work well with other fish. My LFS recommended me the sargassum, but those are expensive as all hell.
they’ll still probably eat inverts though.

 

[littlefoxx]

I have a 175g on the way! 5 foot long 30 tall.

Aquascape will be tall with tons of nooks and crannies but not a lot of sand contact points.

I am beginning my stock list but that's not what this post is about. I would like to know what fish to absolutely avoid if I plan to have a few crustaceans and inverts. And also if there are any cool livestock besides fish that should live in my 175g that I'm building from scratch.

This is not a stock list in order or the final but I do know I want to have :

2x clowns
5-10 tangs
1-2 dwarf angles
later mandarin goby
flame or nice hawkfish
engineer goby or some other smaller goby that lives under the rock
trigger???
one butterfly???
emperor angel???

two cleaner shrimp
one or two fire shrimp or similar
a few emerald crabs or similar
some sort of decorative clam
snails and hermits

if anyone could give me some suggestions of different crabs or other livestock besides fish that would be great! I love the diversity in things to watch in the tank and so do my kids.

Trigger, hawk fish will eat shrimps, and some butteflies may eat them off this list, the rest are good. And I have an engineer goby, love her. If you want one make sure your rocks are secure so when they tunnel they dont collapse! This is my girl Squirt, shes one of my favorite fish. Had her when she was a centimeter big, shes about 10 inches now! Very fun fish

 

[littlefoxx]

I have a 175g on the way! 5 foot long 30 tall.

Aquascape will be tall with tons of nooks and crannies but not a lot of sand contact points.

I am beginning my stock list but that's not what this post is about. I would like to know what fish to absolutely avoid if I plan to have a few crustaceans and inverts. And also if there are any cool livestock besides fish that should live in my 175g that I'm building from scratch.

This is not a stock list in order or the final but I do know I want to have :

2x clowns
5-10 tangs
1-2 dwarf angles
later mandarin goby
flame or nice hawkfish
engineer goby or some other smaller goby that lives under the rock
trigger???
one butterfly???
emperor angel???

two cleaner shrimp
one or two fire shrimp or similar
a few emerald crabs or similar
some sort of decorative clam
snails and hermits

if anyone could give me some suggestions of different crabs or other livestock besides fish that would be great! I love the diversity in things to watch in the tank and so do my kids.

Would not go above 4 tangs, make sure they are medium sized. They are aggressive with other tangs so be careful what tangs you do get. Some are worse than others, but 5-10 is way too many

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Would not go above 4 tangs, make sure they are medium sized. They are aggressive with other tangs so be careful what tangs you do get. Some are worse than others, but 5-10 is way too many

Some Zebrasomas and convict tangs will school, but you may have to get a **** ton of them. Nevertheless having lots of different tang species isn't a great idea.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

A banana fish(Pentapodus caninus) would be cool if you can manage to keep other things from attacking it. They're pretty fast and quite sizeable in adulthood.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

Trigger, hawk fish will eat shrimps, and some butteflies may eat them off this list, the rest are good. And I have an engineer goby, love her. If you want one make sure your rocks are secure so when they tunnel they dont collapse! This is my girl Squirt, shes one of my favorite fish. Had her when she was a centimeter big, shes about 10 inches now! Very fun fish

both LFS and local public aquarium has them over a foot long... I'm planning to get one! They're awesome.

 

[littlefoxx]

both LFS and local public aquarium has them over a foot long... I'm planning to get one! They're awesome.

They are! Get a bad rap in my opinion. Shes never done anything destructive in my tank, had her a year

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

They are! Get a bad rap in my opinion. Shes never done anything destructive in my tank, had her a year

got all my rocks and frags glued down... if it's horseshoe - proof, it's engie proof.

 

[ROMN8R]

I’ve had an engineer goby and I do plan on my rocks being solid as well as set directly on the tank bottom before adding sand. Mine was tiny when I got him and he grew to about a foot or so long.

Also I’m surprised about y’all saying 4 or less tang. I guess this is the tang police?

I may be overestimating saying 10 tangs but I know I could handle 5 introducing in the right order and size as well as planning on the type.

I’ve housed successfully 5 tangs in the past. Sail fin, kole, naso, powder blue, and blue hippo.
Not necessarily added in that order.

I’m more wondering which type of fish to avoid for the shrimp and a clam.

As far as hawk fish. Even a flame hawk fish is a bad idea? When I had one before he seemed very non aggressive.

 

[Alpha_and_Gec]

I’ve had an engineer goby and I do plan on my rocks being solid as well as set directly on the tank bottom before adding sand. Mine was tiny when I got him and he grew to about a foot or so long.

Also I’m surprised about y’all saying 4 or less tang. I guess this is the tang police?

I may be overestimating saying 10 tangs but I know I could handle 5 introducing in the right order and size as well as planning on the type.

I’ve housed successfully 5 tangs in the past. Sail fin, kole, naso, powder blue, and blue hippo.
Not necessarily added in that order.

I’m more wondering which type of fish to avoid for the shrimp and a clam.

As far as hawk fish. Even a flame hawk fish is a bad idea? When I had one before he seemed very non aggressive.

Hawks eat anything they can swallow whole, flame hawks are just a lot smaller than arc - eyes and longnoses. As far as I know things screwing with clams is a hit or miss. There was someone who got a clownfish out of all things decapitated by a clam, but wrasses and blennies generally seem to be blamed more. I'd worry about the hawkfish plopping its butt right in its siphon and sitting there too.