32.5 Tank Stocking Opinion

[Bear Claw]

I have a 32.5-gallon reef tank. I currently have two mocha occelarius clownfish, a firefish goby, a CUC, and corals. I'm looking for a totally reef-safe fish that would fit in my size tank, isn't very aggressive, won't hurt inverts, and is fairly beginner friendly, hardy, and easy to feed. I'm looking for your guys' experiences with the fish and opinions with my stocking guide.

Fish:
- 1 Royal Gramma
- 1 goby pistol shrimp pair
- 1 longnose hawkfish (will put in last)
- 2 Bangai Cardinalfish (possibly)

Alternative Fish (if the other ones don't work):
- 1 Orchid Dottyback
- Clown Goby
- Flame Hawkfish

Inverts:
- 1 cleaner, fire, or coral-banded shrimp
- Hermits
- Possibly a peppermint shrimp or Berghia nudibranchs (For aptasia)
- Turbo, Astrea, Trochus Snails
- 3 Nassarius Snails
- 3 conchs
- If needed, Banded Serpent Star
- Anemone for clowns

 

[Andreas' Reef]

most would work well. i would avoid any hawkfish because in my experience they will go for any invert. They do not discriminate. A royal gramma or orchid dottyback would work well. I have an orchid dottyback, I just love the pinkish purple hue it has. Mine's not very aggressive but fish don't read books so you can't reall know, it depends on the individual fish . YWG would do well, it will come out even more with a pistol. Mine hid all the time but when I got a pistol shrimp it comes out all the time. All the fish listed are very hardy. Althou maybe the bangais wouldn't do well since theyre slow moving and clowns can get aggressive. May i also suggest a springer's damselfish? anyways, Have fun! it's a long journey

side note: I would cap it at 6 fish for a 32 gal.

 

[Bear Claw]

most would work well. i would avoid any hawkfish because in my experience they will go for any invert. They do not discriminate. A royal gramma or orchid dottyback would work well. I have an orchid dottyback, I just love the pinkish purple hue it has. Mine's not very aggressive but fish don't read books so you can't reall know, it depends on the individual fish . YWG would do well, it will come out even more with a pistol. Mine hid all the time but when I got a pistol shrimp it comes out all the time. All the fish listed are very hardy. Althou maybe the bangais wouldn't do well since theyre slow moving and clowns can get aggressive. May i also suggest a springer's damselfish? anyways, Have fun! it's a long journey

side note: I would cap it at 6 fish for a 32 gal.

Thanks!

 

[Bear Claw]

most would work well. i would avoid any hawkfish because in my experience they will go for any invert. They do not discriminate. A royal gramma or orchid dottyback would work well. I have an orchid dottyback, I just love the pinkish purple hue it has. Mine's not very aggressive but fish don't read books so you can't reall know, it depends on the individual fish . YWG would do well, it will come out even more with a pistol. Mine hid all the time but when I got a pistol shrimp it comes out all the time. All the fish listed are very hardy. Althou maybe the bangais wouldn't do well since theyre slow moving and clowns can get aggressive. May i also suggest a springer's damselfish? anyways, Have fun! it's a long journey

side note: I would cap it at 6 fish for a 32 gal.

Will the YWG and pistol shrimp need to be target fed? Would a Cleaner Shrimp, Fire shrimp, or Coral-Banded Shrimp need a special kind of food? I've had 2 cleaner shrimp in the past and both have died of unknown causes, so I a bit cautious about getting them. Would a springer's damsel do well in my tank and eat well? And, what about the Clown Goby? Thanks for the help!

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Will the YWG and pistol shrimp need to be target fed? Would a Cleaner Shrimp, Fire shrimp, or Coral-Banded Shrimp need a special kind of food? I've had 2 cleaner shrimp in the past and both have died of unknown causes, so I a bit cautious about getting them. Would a springer's damsel do well in my tank and eat well? And, what about the Clown Goby? Thanks for the help!

For the ywg and pistol shrimp it really depends on their comfort level in your tank, or their size. my shrimp and goby are both fully grown. When I feed, goby swims all around the tank to get food while the shrimp stays near the burrow snatching food that floats by. But to start I would target feed since you'd get them small and timid. As for the shrimps, I've had cleaner shrimps in my time and they go for any food that your fish eat. They are known scavengers as well as parasite eaters. My current cleaner shrimp was a big help in knocking out flukes in my tank. Although since they are invertabrates they are intolerant to medium to large fluctuations in water chemistry and temperature, so that may be the case for your previous shrimps. A springer's damsel would do great in a 32.5 gallon. They eat just about everything with much gusto. They are extremley hardy and have been known to fight off things like ich on their own. Although they may get bullied by your clownfish for the first little while so use an acclimation box when introducing. Personally I don't think a clown goby would work based on the fish you have and the fish you're looking to add. They are a bit too timid. I'm glad I could help!

 

[Uncle99]

Gramma, colourful, resilient non picky eater, but somewhat shy.
The long nose will take out any shrimp.

 

[Bear Claw]

For the ywg and pistol shrimp it really depends on their comfort level in your tank, or their size. my shrimp and goby are both fully grown. When I feed, goby swims all around the tank to get food while the shrimp stays near the burrow snatching food that floats by. But to start I would target feed since you'd get them small and timid. As for the shrimps, I've had cleaner shrimps in my time and they go for any food that your fish eat. They are known scavengers as well as parasite eaters. My current cleaner shrimp was a big help in knocking out flukes in my tank. Although since they are invertabrates they are intolerant to medium to large fluctuations in water chemistry and temperature, so that may be the case for your previous shrimps. A springer's damsel would do great in a 32.5 gallon. They eat just about everything with much gusto. They are extremley hardy and have been known to fight off things like ich on their own. Although they may get bullied by your clownfish for the first little while so use an acclimation box when introducing. Personally I don't think a clown goby would work based on the fish you have and the fish you're looking to add. They are a bit too timid. I'm glad I could help!

Thank you for all the help! Would I need to use an acclimation box if my clowns aren't aggressive or territorial at all? And, if so, what kind of acclimation box would be good for my tank?

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Thank you for all the help! Would I need to use an acclimation box if my clowns aren't aggressive or territorial at all? And, if so, what kind of acclimation box would be good for my tank?

Were the clowns and firefish added simulatneously?

 

[Bear Claw]

Were the clowns and firefish added simulatneously?

No, the clowns were added about a year and a half before the firefish

 

[Andreas' Reef]

No, the clowns were added about a year and a half before the firefish

How are they with the fire fish?

 

[Bear Claw]

How are they with the fire fish?

Totally chill. They even swim together in like a little group

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Totally chill. They even swim together in like a little group

then they should be fine with for the most part. I would still use an acclimation box when adding new things. Especially when you add something related to aclownfish like a springeri damselfish.