180 Gallon Mixed Reef Tank Stock List

Tophers_reef · May 1, 2020

1st : Banned Cardinals (4)
2nd: Mocha Ocellaris Clown fish (2)
3rd: Midas Blenny Golden, Royal Gramma,Fire fish
4th: Foxface, Shrimp Goby (yellow watchman), Cleaner Wrasse
5th: Longnose hawk fish, Flame hawk Fish
6th: Coral Beauty, Ruby Read Dragonet
7th: Ornate leopard wrasse, Earmuff wrasse, Naoko wrasse, Red Head Solon wrasse
8th: Fat head Anthias
9th: Pyramid butterfly (3)
10th: Be kind Tang Police!! Yellow tang, Purple tang, Blue Tang, Powder Blue Tang (All the tangs will juveniles and be quarantined in adjacent tanks so they can get use to seeing one another, and they will be placed into the Display tank at night time)
11th: Blue Throated Trigger, Green mandarin goby

Please feel free to make suggestions as to introduction order!!
1. Can I add in a Naso Tang, or am I tanged out?
2. Thoughts on a larger angel being added, something from the family Genicanthus as they are the most reef safe.
3. When is the best time to add a clean-up crew? I'm thinking, Banded Trochus Snails, Super Tongan Nassarius Snails, Blue tuxedo urchin, cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp for the goby.

dwest · May 1, 2020

Tophers_reef said:
1st : Banned Cardinals (4)
2nd: Mocha Ocellaris Clown fish (2)
3rd: Midas Blenny Golden, Royal Gramma,Fire fish
4th: Foxface, Shrimp Goby (yellow watchman), Cleaner Wrasse
5th: Longnose hawk fish, Flame hawk Fish
6th: Coral Beauty, Ruby Read Dragonet
7th: Ornate leopard wrasse, Earmuff wrasse, Naoko wrasse, Red Head Solon wrasse
8th: Fat head Anthias
9th: Pyramid butterfly (3)
10th: Be kind Tang Police!! Yellow tang, Purple tang, Blue Tang, Powder Blue Tang (All the tangs will juveniles and be quarantined in adjacent tanks so they can get use to seeing one another, and they will be placed into the Display tank at night time)
11th: Blue Throated Trigger, Green mandarin goby

Please feel free to make suggestions as to introduction order!!
1. Can I add in a Naso Tang, or am I tanged out?
2. Thoughts on a larger angel being added, something from the family Genicanthus as they are the most reef safe.
3. When is the best time to add a clean-up crew? I'm thinking, Banded Trochus Snails, Super Tongan Nassarius Snails, Blue tuxedo urchin, cleaner shrimp, pistol shrimp for the goby.

I have a 180. I wish I didn’t put a pacific blue tang in it. They get real big, real fast and appear to want more swimming room than my tank provides. I had a friend with a Naso in a 180 and I think it was too big for the tank as well. My yellows and purple do great in the 180.

Be sure to read up about wrasses.

All About Reef Safe Wrasses in Aquaria

Introduction My name is Hunter and I am a wrasse addict. Admitting such is the first step to buying another wrasse, I think. Wrasses are not only my passion, but my niche in this hobby since 2010. My tank is full of them, and unfortunately...

www.reef2reef.com

Dragon52 · May 1, 2020

I have a 185 & I think your going to overload the tank with your list. I have 2 tangs in my tank, Hippo & Chevron, both about 5". I also have 5 wrasse, 1 Blue throat Trigger, 2 PJ cardinals, 1 YH Jawfish, 1 Red Dot Clownfish & 3 Dwarf Angels. The tangs need to have plenty of room for grazing & a 180 wont be big enough for the number of tangs you want so there will most likely be fights.

Zionas · May 14, 2020

1. Bangaii Cardinals (4)- Bangaiis tend to be more aggressive towards fellow Bangaiis and are shorter lived than Pajama Cardinals, I suggest replacing them with PJ Cardinals.

2. Mocha Ocellaris Clownfish (2)- Good choice. Not a fan of any designer Clownfish but it’s your call. Having more than a pair of Clowns rarely works out unless you’re really experienced.

3. Midas Blenny (1), Royal Gramma (1), Fire Fish (1) - They’re all peaceful, adding them together shouldn’t be a problem.

4. Foxface (I suggest a One-Spot because it’s the smallest) (1), Yellow Watchman Goby + shrimp, Cleaner Wrasse- Foxface is a good choice for most tanks. YWG and shrimp I am not sure how well they’d work with a Hawkfish, but making sure they’re established before you add a Hawkfish increases your chances of success. The Cleaner Wrasse is a very delicate, hard to feed fish. If you want a wrasse that can sort of do a cleaning job, maybe a Yellow Wrasse or another Wrasse or the genus Halichoeres will work better.

5. Long Nose Hawkfish (1), Flame Hawkfish (1) - I’ve heard of these two kept together before, and your tank should be large enough to accommodate both as long as you give each of them enough rocks and hiding spaces. However, not sure how TWO Hawkfish would get along with your Yellow Watchman Goby. If I were you, if I really wanted that YWG I’d just play it safe and choose between the Long Nose or the Flame.

6. Coral Beauty Angel (1), Ruby Red Dragonet (1)- Both are good choices for a reef tank, with the Coral Beauty being among the most reef safe of dwarf angels. The Ruby Red Dragonet needs a more established population of pods, so I’d probably wait at least 6 months before adding one, one year would be better. The Coral Beauty is an algae grazer so giving the tank around 6 months would also be best.

7. Ornate Leopard Wrasse (1), Earmuff Wrasse (1), Naoko Wrasse (1), Red Solon Wrasse (1)- They’re all fairly peaceful so I don’t foresee any issues (could be wrong though). The Leopard Wrasse is by far the most challenging among these to keep so be sure to remember that.

8. Fat Head Anthias (1)- Good. Just remember to feed 4 times a day.

9. Pyramid Butterfly (3)- Good. They’re among the most reef safe (actually, the only reef safe) of butterflies.

10. I would suggest no more than three Tangs for your tank, two if you want to be safe. No, I highly suggest that you do not consider a Naso. They need at least an 8’ tank, 10’ better.

If I were you, I’d get a Powder Blue (ticking time bomb because of ich, be careful. Make sure you have top notch quarantine procedures) and a Zebrasoma, preferably the Yellow.

11. I would not recommend a Trigger, not even a Blue Throat. If you want to add a Green Mandarin, add it along with the Red Ruby Dragonet.

Here’s what I would do if I were you:

x3 Pajama Cardinals (3.5”x3=10.5”)

x2 Ocellaris Clownfish (3”x2=6”)

x1 Midas Blenny (6”)

x1 Royal Gramma (3”)

x1 Firefish (3”)

x1 One-Spot Foxface (8”)

x1 Yellow Watchman Goby (4”) + Shrimp

x1 Yellow / Melanurus / Christmas / Red Lined / Adorned Wrasse (all are 4-5”)

x1 Long Nose (5.5”) / Flame Hawkfish (4”)

x1 Coral Beauty Angelfish (4”)

x1 Red Ruby Dragonet (3”)

x1 Green Mandarin Goby (3”)

x1 Ornate Leopard Wrasse (5”)

x1 Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse (4”)

x1 Earmuff Wrasse (9”)

x1 Red Solon Fairy Wrasse (5”)

x1 Fat Head Anthias (5”)

x3 Pyramid Butterflyfish (7”x3=21”)

x1 Yellow Tang (8”) / Purple Tang (10”)

x1 Yellow Eye Kole / Tomini / another Bristletooth Tang (6-7”)

For a total of 25 fish.

Feel free to critique my suggestions.

Tophers_reef · May 14, 2020

Zionas said:
1. Bangaii Cardinals (4)- Bangaiis tend to be more aggressive towards fellow Bangaiis and are shorter lived than Pajama Cardinals, I suggest replacing them with PJ Cardinals.

2. Mocha Ocellaris Clownfish (2)- Good choice. Not a fan of any designer Clownfish but it’s your call. Having more than a pair of Clowns rarely works out unless you’re really experienced.

3. Midas Blenny (1), Royal Gramma (1), Fire Fish (1) - They’re all peaceful, adding them together shouldn’t be a problem.

4. Foxface (I suggest a One-Spot because it’s the smallest) (1), Yellow Watchman Goby + shrimp, Cleaner Wrasse- Foxface is a good choice for most tanks. YWG and shrimp I am not sure how well they’d work with a Hawkfish, but making sure they’re established before you add a Hawkfish increases your chances of success. The Cleaner Wrasse is a very delicate, hard to feed fish. If you want a wrasse that can sort of do a cleaning job, maybe a Yellow Wrasse or another Wrasse or the genus Halichoeres will work better.

5. Long Nose Hawkfish (1), Flame Hawkfish (1) - I’ve heard of these two kept together before, and your tank should be large enough to accommodate both as long as you give each of them enough rocks and hiding spaces. However, not sure how TWO Hawkfish would get along with your Yellow Watchman Goby. If I were you, if I really wanted that YWG I’d just play it safe and choose between the Long Nose or the Flame.

6. Coral Beauty Angel (1), Ruby Red Dragonet (1)- Both are good choices for a reef tank, with the Coral Beauty being among the most reef safe of dwarf angels. The Ruby Red Dragonet needs a more established population of pods, so I’d probably wait at least 6 months before adding one, one year would be better. The Coral Beauty is an algae grazer so giving the tank around 6 months would also be best.

7. Ornate Leopard Wrasse (1), Earmuff Wrasse (1), Naoko Wrasse (1), Red Solon Wrasse (1)- They’re all fairly peaceful so I don’t foresee any issues (could be wrong though). The Leopard Wrasse is by far the most challenging among these to keep so be sure to remember that.

8. Fat Head Anthias (1)- Good. Just remember to feed 4 times a day.

9. Pyramid Butterfly (3)- Good. They’re among the most reef safe (actually, the only reef safe) of butterflies.

10. I would suggest no more than three Tangs for your tank, two if you want to be safe. No, I highly suggest that you do not consider a Naso. They need at least an 8’ tank, 10’ better.

If I were you, I’d get a Powder Blue (ticking time bomb because of ich, be careful. Make sure you have top notch quarantine procedures) and a Zebrasoma, preferably the Yellow.

11. I would not recommend a Trigger, not even a Blue Throat. If you want to add a Green Mandarin, add it along with the Red Ruby Dragonet.

Here’s what I would do if I were you:

x3 Pajama Cardinals (3.5”x3=10.5”)

x2 Ocellaris Clownfish (3”x2=6”)

x1 Midas Blenny (6”)

x1 Royal Gramma (3”)

x1 Firefish (3”)

x1 One-Spot Foxface (8”)

x1 Yellow Watchman Goby (4”) + Shrimp

x1 Yellow / Melanurus / Christmas / Red Lined / Adorned Wrasse (all are 4-5”)

x1 Long Nose (5.5”) / Flame Hawkfish (4”)

x1 Coral Beauty Angelfish (4”)

x1 Red Ruby Dragonet (3”)

x1 Green Mandarin Goby (3”)

x1 Ornate Leopard Wrasse (5”)

x1 Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse (4”)

x1 Earmuff Wrasse (9”)

x1 Red Solon Fairy Wrasse (5”)

x1 Fat Head Anthias (5”)

x3 Pyramid Butterflyfish (7”x3=21”)

x1 Yellow Tang (8”) / Purple Tang (10”)

x1 Yellow Eye Kole / Tomini / another Bristletooth Tang (6-7”)

For a total of 25 fish.

Feel free to critique my suggestions.

Thank you so much for your response!!! I truly appreciate it! Lots of things to think about!!

Zionas · May 14, 2020

Yiu’re Welcome!

jaxteller007 · May 14, 2020

We moved from a 75 to a 6' 180 this year. Tank has been up and running since Jan with fish added in late Feb I think. Right now we have
1 Banggani cardinal (we had 3 but 2 didn't survive the move. Didn't know they don't do well in groups though)
1 green chromi (only one that survive the move, have 5 more on order though).. side note this guy hangs out with our clowns all day, every day until it's time to go to bed. Can't believe our mean female clown let's him.
1 pair of black & white Ocellaris clown's.. we got these 2 as tiny little juveniles
1 male Melanurus Wrasse
1 sleeper golden head goby (love this guy.. he doesn't care what I'm doing in the tank, he just does his thing)
1 yellow watchman goby paired with a pistol shrimp. We've had the shrimp since the 75 gallon tank, his original watchman didn't survive the move but the new one bonded with him pretty quickly.
1 marine betta
1 magnificent foxface
Non fish wise we have 1 branching Duncan coral and a large number of snails, some hermits and a couple emerald crabs

We just added this week 3 small yellow tangs after taking a bully sailfin tang out.. the smallest yellow died unfortunately but he was in rough shape when we got him.. looks like he got picked on before making it to us. The other two have each established a home on either side of the tank, are super active and already eating at algae on the walls. We've seen them swim around each other multiple times and not give each other a second look. They did go through QT together.

Our future stocking list is
1 Lt Tang - on order
5 blue/green chromis - on order
1 bi-color blenny - on order
The wife really wants a scooter blenny or dragonet once we have a good pod population established
I'd like a coral beauty angel and/or another smaller angel
Another yellow tang if we have to add one if the two start not liking each other
Possibly 1 or 2 pieces of an easy to care for, hardy coral.

We have a pretty large skimmer with a waste collector added, a bio pellet reactor and have been replacing the substrate in our sump fuge with miracle mud. We are plumbed for an algae reactor as well but haven't installed one yet.