120 Gallon Stock Ideas

[Kris39]

I'm stuck between a saltwater predator and community tank, give me your ideas of what you would do and stock it with.

 

[callen.haines]

Salt or fresh?

 

[Cstar_BC]

What are you more drawn to - one big statement fish . Or a lot of movement ?

 

[Kris39]

Salt or fresh?

salt sorry should've said that

 

[callen.haines]

Wait never mind it is salt my bad

 

[callen.haines]

salt sorry should've said that

Saltwater aquarium fish forum, my fault

 

[Kris39]

What are you more drawn to - one big statement fish . Or a lot of movement ?

Im like right in between it lol. wish I could have both

 

[Cstar_BC]

Im like right in between it lol. wish I could have both

Reef or FOWLR ?

 

[RKSREEF]

community!

 

[Kris39]

Reef or FOWLR ?

To start, FOWLR. But once I establish everything maybe a year down the road I might get a couple corals.

 

[Kris39]

community!

What fish would you recommend?

 

[Cstar_BC]

Community : (reef safe with caution * )

statement fish: 1 of ...
harlequin tusk*
Sargassum Triggerfish*
Flame angel*
Purple tang

schooling fish :
anthias
Chromis
Damsels

 

[Mikeltee]

I much prefer a friendly tank! You can run a vast array of coral and fish. If I had a second tank I would run a predator setup. The predator tanks require much more maintenance as you cant have a clean up crew and usually have to hand feed them a couple times a day.

 

[Kris39]

Community : (reef safe with caution * )

statement fish: 1 of ...
harlequin tusk*
Sargassum Triggerfish*
Flame angel*
Purple tang

schooling fish :
anthias
Chromis
Damsels

Thank you, I appreciate it

 

[Kris39]

I much prefer a friendly tank! You can run a vast array of coral and fish. If I had a second tank I would run a predator setup. The predator tanks require much more maintenance as you cant have a clean up crew and usually have to hand feed them a couple times a day.

I always thought the opposite. Everyone said you get away with a lot more with a predator tank, as a community tank is very set in stone and not a lot lot room for error. That’s good to know

 

[Cstar_BC]

I much prefer a friendly tank! You can run a vast array of coral and fish. If I had a second tank I would run a predator setup. The predator tanks require much more maintenance as you cant have a clean up crew and usually have to hand feed them a couple times a day.

i think that depends on the predator as well.

lionfish and eels don’t really go after snails

 

[Mikeltee]

I always thought the opposite. Everyone said you get away with a lot more with a predator tank, as a community tank is very set in stone and not a lot lot room for error. That’s good to know

I've never ran a pred tank and never researched it but have 11 years on my mixed reef. The key is balance. I only run a skimmer and Kalk stirrer. I spend a total of 45min a month in maintenance and change about 10gal of water.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Bannerfish are nice.

 

[Zionas]

A predator tank, hmm. I cannot advise on you that, unfortunately.

However, for a community tank, I could recommend a Marine Betta and a pair of Ocellaris Clowns (these are going to be my staples), a couple of Pajama Cardinalfish (keep them in odd numbers 3, 5, 7 etc.), pretty much all basslets will do (Royal Gramma, Blackcap Basslet, Swissguard Basslet, Swales Basslet, Yellow Assessor, Randall’s / McNeill’s Assessor), some of the more peaceful Hawkfish (Falco, Longnose, Flame-just be careful about putting shrimp or snails), dwarf angels (Coral Beauty, Flame, one of the pygmy angels-African Flameback, Cherub, Brazilian Flameback, Fisher’s etc.), a bunch of gobies and blennies (my favorite is the Yellow Watchman or some other kind of Watchman Goby from the same genus Cryptocentrus), some of the more peaceful damsels of the Chrysiptera genus than can be kept in small groups (Azure, Yellowtail, Talbot’s, Springer’s, Rolland’s).

Not sure about Tangs but maybe a Tomini or Kole Eye Bristletooth or even a Yellow Tang would work?

 

[Kris39]

I've never ran a pred tank and never researched it but have 11 years on my mixed reef. The key is balance. I only run a skimmer and Kalk stirrer. I spend a total of 45min a month in maintenance and change about 10gal of water.

How many gallons is your tank?