Looking for advice on stocking my new/growing tank

[maurice-io]

I'm very new to saltwater and to reefs, so I would appreciate any advice regarding my tentative plan to add livestock to my tank.
As of now, it has cycled 3 weeks ago, and has 1 clownfish and 2 firefish (who barely come out from their hiding spot, but I assume that's normal behavior for them).

Tank: 55 Gal display (Red-Sea-Reefer 250)
Current specs: (API tests... :/)
- Salinity 1.023
- pH: 8.0--8.3 (goes up and down within that range)
- Ammonia 0
- Nitrate 5ppm
(Not currently testing anything else)

Based on my high-level reading and looking at things, I am considering some new additions, and would appreciate some advice around:
A) When is too early / when is appropriate to also add corals? I understand that I'll have to test/control the nutrients, but the question is in relation to adding more fish v/s starting to add corals
B) What about timing for adding invertebrates (Shrimps, crabs, snails) -- same questions as above
C) List of additional fish -- here's what I have in mind. Would appreciate advice on the order of introducing them:
- Blue-green chromis (4-6?)
- Lyretail Anthia (3-4?)
- Leopard Wrasse (3?)
- Maybe a couple single fish -- flame angel for example, etc - but I am guessing these can be decided later.

Thanks for any advice I can get!

Maurice

 

[PSU4ME]

How about a little more about the setup? Total water volume, equipment, amount of LR etc. That all helps us understand tank capacity for bioload (fish). And spoiler alert, you’ll be disappointed with the limited number of fish you can support.

 

[maurice-io]

Good point! Here's some more info:
Total volume 65Gal (55 display + 10 sump)
Live rock ~ 80lb
Live sand 20lb
Biofilter media (marine pure spheres) 1 gal
Other filtration: Sock + Carbon

Also planning to add an in-tank 2.5gal refugium at some point

Here's an image:

 

[maurice-io]

80GPH pump,
Tank dimensions: 36"L x 20"H x 21"W

 

[shrimpchips]

What’s your skimmer or anticipated water change routine? Chromis and anthias do best if fed multiple times a day, so in a smaller total water volume water quality can suffer without adequate control. Stocking wise, an odd number of chromis (5-7, if you can get a school to survive without killing each other), 4 anthias and one leopard wrasse plus maybe 1-2 other smaller fish would probably do fine in a 3’ tank. If you don’t already have one set up, get a quarantine tank.

 

[kgstei]

I would hold off on adding a leopard rash or anthias as they can be very challenging fish and not will suited for a beginner with a newly established tank. Before I started adding more fish I would start introducing a clean up crew, a variety of snails to eat algae and detritis. Follow that with a few corals. Take things gradual as every time you add a living item to your tank you're also increasing waste and the bacteria in your tank then has to grow and expand to handle the increased load. As far as when you get to your next fish I like chromis as they're active, colorful and swim out in the open. Best of luck and welcome to the hobby. It's great.

 

[maurice-io]

Thank you both for your advice! I don't currently have a skimmer, but I guess that's just a matter of time. I plan to add fish very slowly (maybe one new set every month or so), and I appreciate the advice. I will definitely start by adding a few snails and a clean-up crew, and then maybe a coral or two to learn about how to work with coral before the tank is too full.

I didn't know about chromis being an odd number v/s even making a difference, happy to learn that!

 

[Skmaiden]

I'd say you're ok to start adding more fish, corals, and inverts now.

However....
- don't add too much at once, trickle your stocking in over time as to avoid shock to your system
- start with hardy fish, inverts and coral first. Your likely ok to add soft corals now, but you're likely best to hold off on SPS for a bit longer.
- Inverts and CUC often need algae to sustain them. Start with a few and add more over time as needed. Going from 0 to 100 will wipe out your algae and their food source quick then lead to CUC dieoff

 

[DylanCameron]

Before you start adding corals, a few tips:

-invest in higher quality test kits, pretty much anything besides API (many members here use salifert/redsea, or Hanna if you prefer a digital readout. Same goes for Ca/Mg). You’ll save more in the long run by making sure your tank is ready to sustain corals, rather than wasting money and wondering why all your corals are dying!

-raise your salinity. I aim to keep my tank at 35ppt (1.0264sg), but anywhere between 33-35ppt is fine for corals. We can keep fish at lower salinities because they’re not actively absorbing minerals in the water, but corals will benefit from higher salinity.

What are you using to test salinity currently? It’s best to use a high quality refractometer or digital checker, and you want to calibrate OFTEN! Refractometers are so sensitive that’s it’s recommended you calibrate it with EVERY use, which is why I prefer Hanna for salinity

 

[maurice-io]

Before you start adding corals, a few tips:

-invest in higher quality test kits, pretty much anything besides API (many members here use salifert/redsea, or Hanna if you prefer a digital readout. Same goes for Ca/Mg). You’ll save more in the long run by making sure your tank is ready to sustain corals, rather than wasting money and wondering why all your corals are dying!

-raise your salinity. I aim to keep my tank at 35ppt (1.0264sg), but anywhere between 33-35ppt is fine for corals. We can keep fish at lower salinities because they’re not actively absorbing minerals in the water, but corals will benefit from higher salinity.

What are you using to test salinity currently? It’s best to use a high quality refractometer or digital checker, and you want to calibrate OFTEN! Refractometers are so sensitive that’s it’s recommended you calibrate it with EVERY use, which is why I prefer Hanna for salinity

Thanks. I'm using a refractometer that I've calibrated a couple times in 1 month. I'll continue to calibrate and I'm also receiving a set of salifert tests today. Will definitely use those to get the right chemical balance before adding any corals. Thanks for the helpful advice!

 

[maurice-io]

I'd say you're ok to start adding more fish, corals, and inverts now.

However....
- don't add too much at once, trickle your stocking in over time as to avoid shock to your system
- start with hardy fish, inverts and coral first. Your likely ok to add soft corals now, but you're likely best to hold off on SPS for a bit longer.
- Inverts and CUC often need algae to sustain them. Start with a few and add more over time as needed. Going from 0 to 100 will wipe out your algae and their food source quick then lead to CUC dieoff

Thanks! I added 2 shrimp on Thursday, and the algae is growing on all the rocks now, so I'm going to get a couple of snails to see how they do with that (and i reduced the light intensity just a bit since i think it was too high)
Thanks for the advice, very helpful!