DeanoL
Community Member
Hi everyone,
Just after some stocking advice for my take. I have a 60g waterbox 90.3 tank. 3 foot long. Tank is about 14 months old but I am going through a re-stocking. Due to my own fault, most of the fish died and I was then battling algae for ages.
(Before going away for work for a week I was doing maintenance to clean everything. I forgot to turn the pumps back on so by the time I got back from my work trip everything had died - I am assuming they froze because it was the middle of our winter and the heaters are down in the sump). I have since made sure I always use maintenance or feed mode on the RedSea equipment I have.
Sump is roughly 20g and I have a RedSea Reefmat 500 and Red Sea Skimmer.
I change about 15 % of water weekly.
Current Stock:
1 Yellow wrasse - Halichoeres chrysus (survivor from the freezing temps)
1 Striped Fang Blenny - Meiacanthus Grammistes
1 chocolate/bullet goby - Amblygobius phalaena
1 pajama cardinal - Sphaeramia nematoptera
1 blue/green chromis - Chromis viridis
1 barrier reef chromis - Chromis nitida
1 yellowfin flasher wrasse - Paracheilinus flavianalis
1 gold nugget wrasse - Xenojulis margaritacea
1 coral banded shrimp (also survived the freezing temps)
Pair porcelain crabs
2-3? Peppermint shrimp (but haven't really seen them for a while).
Snails: Mainly trochus and nassarius, with a couple strombus, couple turbo and couple cerith and 1 gold ring cowrie
Have also bought a number of bottles of copepods to get that population established and recently also put a bottle of rotifers in the tank.
All inhabitants get along very well at the moment. Gold Nugget is a bit shy and the pajama just stays stationary in one spot but I'm pretty certain that's just what they do.
Test water weekly. Ammonia and Nitrite 0, Nitrate roughly 5 each week.
Phosphate is a little high (0.2) and am using PhosGuard to bring that down.
Corals: softies and LPS. Have just started measuring calcium, alkalinity and magnesium and using supplements to get those to the correct levels.
Not looking to add any more fish until I have those levels all sorted but want to start planning what (or if) other stock I could add.
Fish I was considering:
I know I can't get all of these and could maybe only add a handful, but would love to hear your opinions and advice. What would you add in my situation and in what order?
Thanks!
Just after some stocking advice for my take. I have a 60g waterbox 90.3 tank. 3 foot long. Tank is about 14 months old but I am going through a re-stocking. Due to my own fault, most of the fish died and I was then battling algae for ages.
(Before going away for work for a week I was doing maintenance to clean everything. I forgot to turn the pumps back on so by the time I got back from my work trip everything had died - I am assuming they froze because it was the middle of our winter and the heaters are down in the sump). I have since made sure I always use maintenance or feed mode on the RedSea equipment I have.
Sump is roughly 20g and I have a RedSea Reefmat 500 and Red Sea Skimmer.
I change about 15 % of water weekly.
Current Stock:
1 Yellow wrasse - Halichoeres chrysus (survivor from the freezing temps)
1 Striped Fang Blenny - Meiacanthus Grammistes
1 chocolate/bullet goby - Amblygobius phalaena
1 pajama cardinal - Sphaeramia nematoptera
1 blue/green chromis - Chromis viridis
1 barrier reef chromis - Chromis nitida
1 yellowfin flasher wrasse - Paracheilinus flavianalis
1 gold nugget wrasse - Xenojulis margaritacea
Xenojulis margaritacea
~~~~~~~~~1 coral banded shrimp (also survived the freezing temps)
Pair porcelain crabs
2-3? Peppermint shrimp (but haven't really seen them for a while).
Snails: Mainly trochus and nassarius, with a couple strombus, couple turbo and couple cerith and 1 gold ring cowrie
Have also bought a number of bottles of copepods to get that population established and recently also put a bottle of rotifers in the tank.
All inhabitants get along very well at the moment. Gold Nugget is a bit shy and the pajama just stays stationary in one spot but I'm pretty certain that's just what they do.
Test water weekly. Ammonia and Nitrite 0, Nitrate roughly 5 each week.
Phosphate is a little high (0.2) and am using PhosGuard to bring that down.
Corals: softies and LPS. Have just started measuring calcium, alkalinity and magnesium and using supplements to get those to the correct levels.
Not looking to add any more fish until I have those levels all sorted but want to start planning what (or if) other stock I could add.
Fish I was considering:
- Pair of clownfish (feel like a reef tank *should* have clowns and I had them last time but to be honest, not fussed either way - they really just stuck to one part of the tank). Just thought they would give the orange colour to the tank.
- Rainford's Goby (Court Jester)
- 2-3 more individual cardinals/chromis that may swim mid-top in the tank, eg: yellow striped cardinalfish, vanderbilt's chromis, half half chromis, bangaii cardinal
- Love to add maybe 2 more wrasse if I can: Lubbocks fairy wrasse, Possum or Pink Streak (hard to get around here though), exquisite wrasse, melanurus, another flasher
- Mandarin Dragonet - hence all the pods I've been buying for the tank
- Orchid or Neon dottyback (would add this last due to aggression).
- Dwarf Angelfish (I know they are reef safe with caution). Main ones I can get in my area are Coral Beauty or Flame (which is super expensive).
I know I can't get all of these and could maybe only add a handful, but would love to hear your opinions and advice. What would you add in my situation and in what order?
Thanks!
