stocking ideas

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I was wonder what would be some good stocking ideas for a 75 gallon tank. I haven't set it up yet so I can change anything if needed. :) I would like to keep some corals, but I am not sure what kind. The only fish I have decided on is 5 green chromis and a few turbo snails maybe 2 or 3. If you know of any fish I can add or if I can please tell me because I have no idea on stocking ideas... Thanks May

ANSWER: Hello May,

Congrats on trying to plan ahead.  this effort will pay off in the long run.. Also, keep in mind that there are many people and many opinions... so, try to see if you can find the road to least conflict...

to start off, i would suggest staying away from a pair of clowns/perculas.. maybe one, but not a pair.. if they do pair and mate, they will become more territorial...

I would also stya away from moroon clowns/tomato clowns...

I would also stay from fish that jump... they always seem to find a way out and onto the carpets..

I like 'barnacle blennys' as they are very fun to watch and have a good personality...

I also like a little larger fish, but the largest i would keep is about the size of a yellow tang... stay away from the blue/hippo tang.. they are great fish butr do get a bit larger and they also eat a lot and poo a lot...

I also like pj cardinals.  you can keep 3 of them as a kinda a schooling fish too


good luck an dplease keep me posted...

if you want to join / post my new forum at www.thelittleocean.com, yuou can get some more ideas/suggestions




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks I will join your website. :) I have decided on 5 green chromis and 5 dispar anthias. I love the chromis. :) Do you know of like a "center fish" that gets a little bigger then the others? If I can. :) I am also going to going to get 1 or 2 peppermint shrimp. Thanks for the help, May

ANSWER: i love my yellow tang... when i had a larger tank, i also had the blue hippo.. and the two were great freiends... the blue hippo kept on growing and eventually dwarfed the yellow tang.

when i downgraded to my 65 gallon tank, i got rid of most of my larger fish, and now the yellow tang is king...

or maybe he is the queen?

he is, i mean she is a great tank mate and is the perfect size... she wont be growing any bigger, at least she hasnt grown in two years now, so i think she will be perfect fit in my tank


as for the dispars.. i love them too, but the can and will jump, and maybe with that many, they might jump quicker?  at least 1-2 of them

i actually have one left.. hehehe.  and like the paired clowns, i am thinking it best to stick with just one...

they eat well and will take a lot of food from the others, and steal it from corals if you plan  to have any...

and yes, shrimp are a great addition, i woiuld suggest two cleaner shrimp, and a flash light... they are nocturnal and they play, and play, and play, all at tnight, (and clean other  fish)


good luck


bill

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks again for the help I think I may have made up my mind. 5 green chromis, 2 yellow clown gobies, 1-2 skunk shrimp and 5 blue reef chromis. Could I add more fish if so what kind or am I over stocked or perfect. Thanks for the help, May

Answer
you really have good questions, and i wish we could have shared this with some of my memmbers at www.thelittleocean.com as Im kinda having the same conversation with someone else too.. hehehe but thats ok... since i have been a volunteer here, i have answered the same questions over an dover again and again, really, each time, is kinda different anyways...


as for your list.. im not sure if you are planning on going out and pickiing everything up at the same time or not, (I would not suggest getting them all at the same time)

I would prioritize the fish.. first on what you want the most and what is most important to you.

then i would suggest trying to assign a value to the fish respectively based on agressivensess/territorial behavior

the more territorial or aggressive the fish, the later on i would add them.. let them be the newbie...

but from all your fish, you really dont have too many issues related to aggressiveness/territorial...

maybe add your bluegreens first then the gobies and or chromis, then the shrimp

after that, i would really wait a bit... you might fit something in afterwards, but your tastes might change, and or you might see something you never saw before...

and i really still like the barnacle blennys, as they stay in the same place all the time and are easy to show to people, as htey woulnt see them on thier own...

After a year of so, you might want to evaluate your tank andsee if you can find or if you like the mandarin goby... they are pretty and fun to watch, but they are exclusive eaters.. they only eat copepods... so if your tank is not well populated with pods your mandy wont survive..



good luck and let me know how things work out for you


bill