Fish stocking help

[maysorum]

Hello. I've been doing a ton reading about different fish species, but I still feel a bit overwhelmed. Any fish suggestions and/or stocking order advice would be very helpful. My tank is 90 gallons and has been running with 110lbs of live rock for about 7 weeks with stable parameters. I am NOT planning to add any fish for at least another 2+ months, but would like to start planning. Also, I'm interested in a moderately peaceful and completely reef safe community of fish.

I like some tangs (Acanthurus japonicus, Ctenochaetus strigosus, and Acanthurus pyroferus), although I'm not sure they are appropriate for the tank size. A group of smaller-sized anthias would be super pretty, but my tank may be too small as well. Any opinions? I also like blennies, gobies, wrasses, and dragonettes (eventually). Also, any group of fish (aside from chromis) that will shoal would be extra sweet.

I greatly appreciate your help and advice!

 

[Taqpol]

In my opinion you can add two of the Ctenochaetus tangs to a 90 gallon, or 1 Acanthurus/Zebrasoma with maybe a second ctenochaetus. As far as stocking I would add the Cteno first, followed by the bigger tang. The strigosus (Kole tang) have somewhat of a reputation for being a bit feisty so if you wanted a tomini tang or other Cteno I would add that one first. Definitely add any Acanthurus last.

I think all anthias get pretty big, but that shouldn't be a problem for your tank. I think you could have 1 male and 3-4 females pretty easily, but at that point your mid to upper water column might become crowded and you would want to concentrate on the bottom dwelling blennies/gobies. If someone tells you that anthias get too big remember that chromis actually get quite big as well.

 

[maysorum]

Thanks for your input Taqpol. Anyone else?

 

[maysorum]

I've been looking at Nemanthias carberryi, anyone have any experience with these? They seem to be on the smaller side, so they might be a good option?

 

[maysorum]

I've narrowed it down to some fish that interest me and they are as follows:

- Mimic Eibli Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus / tristis)
- Yellow-Eye Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)
- Bartlett's Anthias (Pseudanthias bartlettorum)
- Flasher or Fairy Wrasse
- Tailspot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura or bicolor)
- Prawn Goby with Shrimp
- Greenbanded Goby (Elacatinus multifasciatum)

I'd like to keep just one Tang species since the Anthias occupy the same area of the water column.

As far as the Anthias goes it seems like Bartletts is the best species in terms of hardiness. I definitely want to keep a harem, how many would you recommend if I were to keep them with either of the above mentioned Tangs? I find Pseudanthias dispar and Nemanthias carberryi lovely as well, do you know anything about these guys? I would only keep one species of Anthias as I know it's not generally good to mix.

I'm also interested in Flasher Wrasses and thought it might be interesting to keep a single one or a small harem. I haven't settled on a species, do you have a recommendation? Flasher Wrasses occupy the lower portion of the water column so they might compliment the Anthias well? Also, if the Wrasse/Anthias combo works well should I forget about the addition of a Tang?

I'm also interested in Ecsenius stigmatura or Ecsenius bicolor. I've read that the Ecsenius Blennies can be a bit naughty, is that true? Or would some kind of sand sifting Prawn and Goby pair be a better choice than the Ecsenius? Or could I keep both without a problem?

Lastly, I really like Elacatinus multifasciatum (I have a few in my nano tank) and was wondering if I could keep them with much larger fish without having any problems?

Any compatibility issues, stocking order advice, or selection recommendations would be very helpful too!

 

[leebca]

Read through this post first: Fish Stocking Limit – for FO and FOWLR

Stocking isn't just bio-load and load capacity of the system, it's also about the space needs of the fish. Tangs for instance travel up to 25 miles a day in the wild. They need a tank no less than 6 feet long, after they get over 3" in length -- which shouldn't take long if fed properly.

With the exception of those on your list, all seems well, although I'm unclear about the size of the aquarium you may be talking about.

 

[maysorum]

Read through this post first: Fish Stocking Limit – for FO and FOWLR

Stocking isn't just bio-load and load capacity of the system, it's also about the space needs of the fish. Tangs for instance travel up to 25 miles a day in the wild. They need a tank no less than 6 feet long, after they get over 3" in length -- which shouldn't take long if fed properly.

With the exception of those on your list, all seems well, although I'm unclear about the size of the aquarium you may be talking about.

Hi Lee - I was hoping you would chime in. I mentioned in my original post that my tank was 90 gallons and is not overstuffed with rock. I'm aware of overstocking/requirements for each of the fish mentioned and think my tank meets the requirements (based on my research), if not please let me know.

As adults, the Tangs that I have chosen are much smaller in size than the average lot. That said, I was hoping to get some advice on which fish compliment each other, and more importantly, which ones might make a thriving and peaceful community tank. The aforementioned list is not a stocking list rather it's a few fish I'm interested in and seem to live in different areas of the water column. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.