Stocking Suggestions

[Jill & Brian]

We have gotten to the point in our tank where we have a core group of fish that we know we want, and a list of possible additions that we are not sure of. Here is what we currently have.

General - Mixed reef tank, 72G with 80+lbs of LR and 80 lbs of LS, plan to keep a varied mix of corals. Currently have a bunch of Xenia, two zoo colonies, a couple of small m.digita frags (one orange and two purple), and 2 small acro frags.

We have about 2 dozen small hermits, and 1.5 dozen astrea snails. We also have 1 porcelain crab, 1 large emerald crab, and a common cleaner shrimp.

Current Fish -
2 clownfish (not sure if they are false or true percs)
1 Yellow Tang
1 Bangai Cardnal

Must have fish -
1 Coral beauty Angel (Waiting until last for this guy)


Potential other inhabitants (thinking 2-3 of the below list depending on the fish size, and agressiveness towards other picks) -
neon goby (like that he is a cleaner fish)
Shrimp goby (I like the randall's and the wheeler's, these seem cool)
Lawnmower blenny (like the sand sifting aspect)
Brazilian Gramma
Blue Assessor (i just like the gramma and the assessor )

I would appreciate any recounts of experiences with the above fish. A couple of them I am going to need to see in person to decide on, but I would like to know if some are more active or fun than others.

Thanks!
Brian

 

[Chris A.]

"Lawnmower blenny (like the sand sifting aspect)"

They are not sand sifters,they are algae eaters.

 

[smcnally]

Yep. Mine is very rarely in the sand. He's always on the rocks or glass. Today however, he decided to chill on my Derasa's mantle. Didn't seem to bother the clam. He got off before I could snap a pic.

 

[BigCrowd42]

I have a sand sifting goby can't remember exact speices, orange spots 2.5"L he does a great job of taking care of my 125g tank.I also have shrimp and he doesn't bother them.

 

[~Flighty~]

I think the cardinals look the best in pairs or groups.
I love my neon goby and would like another.
I had a shrimp goby pair and they can make a mess. The shrimp will cover corals with sand, but they are pretty cool to watch if they pick an area that you can see.

 

[NateHanson]

If you get a small pistol shrimp with your goby the disruptions won't be so bad (candy cane pistol shrimp).

The neon gobies are very very small so you could easily get a few of those without a problem.

I'd get yourself another cleaner shrimp because they seem to clean better in pairs, plus they'll make baby shrimp for your fish to eat every couple weeks.

Sounds like the sand-sifting goby Chris is describing might be a Diamond Goby. I've been told that sand-sifting gobies and stars are not good in our small tanks because they clean beneficial critters out of the live sand, and may even clean our sand to the point of running out of food if they don't take prepared. Lawn Mower Blenny on the other hand is a great maintenance fish. If you want something to clean the sand get a fighting conch. Busiest worker in my tank, LMB is a close second.

I'd say you could use a few dozen more snails and crabs, maybe another emerald, to fill out your cleaner crew. Couple dozen nassarius, definitely a conch for the sand.

Do you want to keep clams? Might not go too well with your Coral Beauty. But you never know until you try.

 

[Jill & Brian]

Thanks for all of the responses so far. I read back in my marine fishes on the lawnmower blenny, and I guess i must of confused it with someone else . I will look into the fighting conch.

I was thinking about more than one neon goby since they are really small, and seem like neat little fish. I was also thinking about another cleaner shrimp. We only had 2 clownfish when we got the first one, so 2 seemed like a lot.

I am not sure about clams. we have 4 x 96 w PC lights, so I dont have enough penetration to put one down on the sand. I do have a nice flat rock half way up in the tank that I could keep a lower light clam, but my lights do limit my choices. I think at this point I am more interested in the fish than the clam

Thanks again!!
-Brian

 

[SherryQ]

Hi Brian,
I would not get a second emerald crab - I had to remove mine because the begain to pick at the corals. I think mine was eating my elegance coral. So, just be careful with crabs.
Neon gobies are cool and they are so tiny I don't think they really contribute much to the fish load. Plus they are super cool to watch clean other fish.
The grammas are pretty fish. I currently have a black cap basslet (gramma melacara). They are tough little fish. I have never seen the Brazilian gramma for sale.
Blennies and Gobies are a great addition. They are so fun to watch. I have a red sea mimic blenny and it is so cute when he snuggles down into his shell with just his head popping out.
Good luck - it is a difficult decision!

 

[Jill & Brian]

Where can I see a bunch of fish??

Thanks again for all of the input

Can someone recommend a store that has a lot of livestock that I can look at. I think I need to get a visual on some of these fish before I make a decision to buy. I have gotten all of my livestock from Sea Creatures in N. Providence, and although John's stock has all been healthy with no problems, he doesn't keep a lot of livestock in his display. Most of his stock goes in and out within 1 day.

Thanks,
Brian

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

tropic isle aquarium in framingham has the largest selection of fish that i have seen

 

[NateHanson]

Coral Reef Aquarium (somewhere outside Providence, in MA) usually has a very nice selection of fish in stock, including some big displays. It's pretty close to you too.

 

[SherryQ]

There is a store in Revere that carries alot of fish - Creatures, Creatures, Creatures (I think) - anyway - alot of tanks of fish.

I get most of my fish up at Aqua Addicts in Salem - The fish move real quick there.

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

all 3 of those stores, aqua addicts, coral reef aquarium, and sea creatures are all good stores with nice fish selection.

 

[Jill & Brian]

Thanks guys,

I think I will be taking the family on a road trip this weekend to check out a couple of stores.

 

[NateHanson]

The name of the store in Revere is Sea Creatures. They do tend to have a very large number of fish. Sometimes not so many of the rare reef-friendly kinds you find on a good day at a store like AA and CRA though.

Nate