Stocking options

[llogan0218]

Hi Everyone
First time reef keeper here!
I have no experience with saltwater tanks, so any recommendations or advice would be amazing.

I recently purchased my first reef tank. It is an 115 gallon custom tank in which I will be doing a softy reef with tons of live rock. I have made a list of stocking options and have done a ton of research about the compatibility of these critters with each other and the corals. It says online that all of these fish should be compatible. I just wanted to ask the professionals if this stocking list seemed too much or if it would work out in the size and conditions of the tank?
The stocking list:
1 Longnose Hawkfish (my favorite fish, I know it can be tough to take care of, and could possibly harm the corals, but I am really hoping to keep this fish on my list)
2 fire fish
2 mocha storm clown fish
1 Royal Gramma
5-7 Reef Chromis
3-5 peaceful Anthias (hopefully princess if I have the money)
1 bicolor blenny
1 White tail bristletooth tang
1 Tuxedo urchin
2-3 Blue legged hermit crabs

Possibly: A mandarin fish (in the distant future)

Thank you all so much for reading and for your time!!

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi Everyone
First time reef keeper here!
I have no experience with saltwater tanks, so any recommendations or advice would be amazing.

I recently purchased my first reef tank. It is an 115 gallon custom tank in which I will be doing a softy reef with tons of live rock. I have made a list of stocking options and have done a ton of research about the compatibility of these critters with each other and the corals. It says online that all of these fish should be compatible. I just wanted to ask the professionals if this stocking list seemed too much or if it would work out in the size and conditions of the tank?
The stocking list:
1 Longnose Hawkfish (my favorite fish, I know it can be tough to take care of, and could possibly harm the corals, but I am really hoping to keep this fish on my list)
2 fire fish
2 mocha storm clown fish
1 Royal Gramma
5-7 Reef Chromis
3-5 peaceful Anthias (hopefully princess if I have the money)
1 bicolor blenny
1 White tail bristletooth tang
1 Tuxedo urchin
2-3 Blue legged hermit crabs

Possibly: A mandarin fish (in the distant future)

Thank you all so much for reading and for your time!!

Looks good to me! Only things I suggest are going with 5 anthias, Ive got a school of lyertails, one male 4 females. The more females the happier they will be. Firefish might be difficult. I have 2 in my 70 gallon (got two tanks) but I lucked out having a male and female! You get two males it wont be good. They are hard to sex but theres some info out there! And with a 115 gallon tank youre going to need a lot more hermits than just 3 to keep the sand clean! Ive got maybe 30 in my 125, all different kinds. Snails are good to add too! And the mandarin is a beautiful fish! Ive got one in each tank. My tank was 6 months old when I added one and I dose copods for him every day to keep him nice and fat! Wait a while for an urchin, they need lots of algae or they will starve. Tried 3 urchins, never was able to keep them past a week. Not sure what the trick is! And that tang is a good choice! Make sure to have a lid, hawks jump. As for the bicolor blenny, I love mine, he made a home in my wave maker. He is super goofy. Best of luck with the startup!

 

[llogan0218]

Looks good to me! Only things I suggest are going with 5 anthias, Ive got a school of lyertails, one male 4 females. The more females the happier they will be. Firefish might be difficult. I have 2 in my 70 gallon (got two tanks) but I lucked out having a male and female! You get two males it wont be good. They are hard to sex but theres some info out there! And with a 115 gallon tank youre going to need a lot more hermits than just 3 to keep the sand clean! Ive got maybe 30 in my 125, all different kinds. Snails are good to add too! And the mandarin is a beautiful fish! Ive got one in each tank. My tank was 6 months old when I added one and I dose copods for him every day to keep him nice and fat! Wait a while for an urchin, they need lots of algae or they will starve. Tried 3 urchins, never was able to keep them past a week. Not sure what the trick is! And that tang is a good choice! Make sure to have a lid, hawks jump. As for the bicolor blenny, I love mine, he made a home in my wave maker. He is super goofy. Best of luck with the startup!

Thank you so so much!! I’ve been posting everywhere for weeks and haven’t gotten any replies but this reply was all that I needed! Thank you so much for your help!!

 

[littlefoxx]

Thank you so so much!! I’ve been posting everywhere for weeks and haven’t gotten any replies but this reply was all that I needed! Thank you so much for your help!!

No problem! I always check unanswered threads! Just be aware with the hawk they are reported to eat shrimp. Very cool fish, Ive never had one cause I really like my shrimp friends!

 

[littlefoxx]

No problem! I always check unanswered threads! Just be aware with the hawk they are reported to eat shrimp. Very cool fish, Ive never had one cause I really like my shrimp friends!

What are the dimensions of your tank? 5 foot?

 

[llogan0218]

No problem! I always check unanswered threads! Just be aware with the hawk they are reported to eat shrimp. Very cool fish, Ive never had one cause I really like my shrimp friends!

As long as they don’t eat my crabs i’ll be happy! I’ve never been a big fan of keeping shrimp, I tried with my freshwater tanks but never was a fan. Maybe I will have to try saltwater shrimp someday.

 

[littlefoxx]

As long as they don’t eat my crabs i’ll be happy! I’ve never been a big fan of keeping shrimp, I tried with my freshwater tanks but never was a fan. Maybe I will have to try saltwater shrimp someday.

Yeah I didnt care for freshwater shrimp either. But saltwater ones have personalities! And it should leave crabs alone from what Ive read about them.

 

[llogan0218]

What are the dimensions of your tank? 5 foot?

I don’t remember exactly as it’s not at my house right now. From what I remember it’s just a bit over 5 feet wide. Like 64 inches or something. It’s a very weird size but I actually got it for free from somebody in my neighborhood who had it custom made for them and it didn’t fit in their house correctly. I’m just currently waiting to move into a new place before I set it up. Gonna be about a month from now.

 

[littlefoxx]

I don’t remember exactly as it’s not at my house right now. From what I remember it’s just a bit over 5 feet wide. Like 64 inches or something. It’s a very weird size but I actually got it for free from somebody in my neighborhood who had it custom made for them and it didn’t fit in their house correctly. I’m just currently waiting to move into a new place before I set it up. Gonna be about a month from now.

Ah cool! You could probably do another of the smaller/medium tangs too if there was another you liked! Dwarf angels are super cool too as well as clownfish. I have a pair in both my tanks cause they are one of my favorites! Just some other fish to think about too, but just remember chromis can get big over time! And they might kill eachother with the numbers, its kind of a crapshoot with them. I have a school of 3 green chromis in my tank thar are all super close and like eachother but I tried 3 gold/black chromis and one of them killed the other two so now theres only one of them. Damsels for you! Just so youre prepared and not like what on earth are they doing

 

[llogan0218]

Ah cool! You could probably do another of the smaller/medium tangs too if there was another you liked! Dwarf angels are super cool too as well as clownfish. I have a pair in both my tanks cause they are one of my favorites! Just some other fish to think about too, but just remember chromis can get big over time! And they might kill eachother with the numbers, its kind of a crapshoot with them. I have a school of 3 green chromis in my tank thar are all super close and like eachother but I tried 3 gold/black chromis and one of them killed the other two so now theres only one of them. Damsels for you! Just so youre prepared and not like what on earth are they doing

For sure! The biggest worry that I had was the amount of fish in the tank. I thought that the fish I had listed was too much. I think that if I introduce each fish at the right size, and right time, that everything will work out fine. I know all damsels can be hard to care for due to their unpredictability, but hopefully everything works out just fine. I can’t wait for my mocha storm clowns as well! They look super cool and the fish shop by me sells pairs for 180 which seems extremely reasonable. It’s super cool how different species interact with eachother so well. From what i’ve seen, chromis and anthias will often (or sometimes) school together which will be beautiful if i can get reefs and princess and have pink and green fish swirling around together. It’s been like a hyper focus for the last 3-4 months and I can’t wait to get it going soon! My final question is sort of unrelated to stock but, my new place is on the second story of a condo. I talked to the people that own the condo and they said that my tank would be fine weight wise, but I wouldn’t want to add much more than that in the area. That unfortunately leaves a sump out of the question meaning I would likely have to use a canister and protein skimmer combo. Based on your experience with your 125, do you think that would work if I just put extra work into cleaning it?

 

[Hallowhead]

Looks good to me! Only things I suggest are going with 5 anthias, Ive got a school of lyertails, one male 4 females. The more females the happier they will be. Firefish might be difficult. I have 2 in my 70 gallon (got two tanks) but I lucked out having a male and female! You get two males it wont be good. They are hard to sex but theres some info out there! And with a 115 gallon tank youre going to need a lot more hermits than just 3 to keep the sand clean! Ive got maybe 30 in my 125, all different kinds. Snails are good to add too! And the mandarin is a beautiful fish! Ive got one in each tank. My tank was 6 months old when I added one and I dose copods for him every day to keep him nice and fat! Wait a while for an urchin, they need lots of algae or they will starve. Tried 3 urchins, never was able to keep them past a week. Not sure what the trick is! And that tang is a good choice! Make sure to have a lid, hawks jump. As for the bicolor blenny, I love mine, he made a home in my wave maker. He is super goofy. Best of luck with the startup!

How do you manage to feed anthias multiple times a day?

 

[littlefoxx]

For sure! The biggest worry that I had was the amount of fish in the tank. I thought that the fish I had listed was too much. I think that if I introduce each fish at the right size, and right time, that everything will work out fine. I know all damsels can be hard to care for due to their unpredictability, but hopefully everything works out just fine. I can’t wait for my mocha storm clowns as well! They look super cool and the fish shop by me sells pairs for 180 which seems extremely reasonable. It’s super cool how different species interact with eachother so well. From what i’ve seen, chromis and anthias will often (or sometimes) school together which will be beautiful if i can get reefs and princess and have pink and green fish swirling around together. It’s been like a hyper focus for the last 3-4 months and I can’t wait to get it going soon! My final question is sort of unrelated to stock but, my new place is on the second story of a condo. I talked to the people that own the condo and they said that my tank would be fine weight wise, but I wouldn’t want to add much more than that in the area. That unfortunately leaves a sump out of the question meaning I would likely have to use a canister and protein skimmer combo. Based on your experience with your 125, do you think that would work if I just put extra work into cleaning it?

No not really. Honestly the sump wont make a difference weight wise. Just make sure its near a load bering wall (exterior wall). Mine is on my second floor of my house with a 40 gallon sump and 125 gallon display, no issues. I would 100% say you would need a sump for a big tank, makes it easier to maintain and gives good flow. Protein skimmer is really great too to make sure the water quality is good for them.

 

[littlefoxx]

How do you manage to feed anthias multiple times a day?

I feed 3 meals of frozen food and “snacks” during the day! I use artic pods for the snacks, they go nuts for them and so do my other fish! I just feed them around my schedule and they are doing very well! I also feed everyone in the tank a mix of foods every meal with algae, sponge for my angels, PE mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, plankton and krill, squid, and blood worms once or twice a week. I also will do snacks of pellets if Im out of the artic pods, which I am currently! Ive had my male and the females about a month and already see growth in the male!

 

[Hallowhead]

I feed 3 meals of frozen food and “snacks” during the day! I use artic pods for the snacks, they go nuts for them and so do my other fish! I just feed them around my schedule and they are doing very well! I also feed everyone in the tank a mix of foods every meal with algae, sponge for my angels, PE mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, plankton and krill, squid, and blood worms once or twice a week. I also will do snacks of pellets if Im out of the artic pods, which I am currently! Ive had my male and the females about a month and already see growth in the male!

I wish I could feed during the day, my job just doesn't allow it.

 

[littlefoxx]

I feed 3 meals of frozen food and “snacks” during the day! I use artic pods for the snacks, they go nuts for them and so do my other fish! I just feed them around my schedule and they are doing very well! I also feed everyone in the tank a mix of foods every meal with algae, sponge for my angels, PE mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, plankton and krill, squid, and blood worms once or twice a week. I also will do snacks of pellets if Im out of the artic pods, which I am currently! Ive had my male and the females about a month and already see growth in the male!

There are periods where they go 8 hours a day without food (work day). I feed them their big meal in the morning and before I leave the pods or pellets, then when I get home their big meal and then two snacks (pods/pellets) before bed, an hour apart.

 

[littlefoxx]

I wish I could feed during the day, my job just doesn't allow it.

Yeah mine doesnt either, just made another post about how I work that out! I work 2pm to 10pm or longer as Im a first responder.

 

[Hallowhead]

There are periods where they go 8 hours a day without food (work day). I feed them their big meal in the morning and before I leave the pods or pellets, then when I get home their big meal and then two snacks (pods/pellets) before bed, an hour apart.

What time do your lights turn on ?
And what time do you turn them off ?

 

[littlefoxx]

What time do your lights turn on ?
And what time do you turn them off ?

My lights usually come on about 10am its a staggered sunrise, and 11am between my two tanks and go off at midnight. Then I have a moon cycle and thats when I feed my last snack!

 

[littlefoxx]

My lights usually come on about 10am its a staggered sunrise, and 11am between my two tanks and go off at midnight. Then I have a moon cycle and thats when I feed my last snack!

My anthias also pick at the rockwork for pods, which I dose everyday on top of the pods I use as their snack since I have a mandarin dragonet

 

[Hallowhead]

My anthias also pick at the rockwork for pods, which I dose everyday on top of the pods I use as their snack since I have a mandarin dragonet

Ah they feed with the moonlight lights ?