75 gallon for first tank... Stocking suggestions

[prospervandale]

Hey, I'm 14 and I am getting the saltwater hobby. I'm on a budget so I plan to buy an taken/down setup off craigslist, to limit un-expected expenses, and save money by buying everything second-hand. As far as stocking goes, this is what I want so far

2 Ocellaris Clownfish
1-3 Firefish
1 Tang of somesort... any reccomendations(other than a kole/ or tomini) like a powder brown or yellow tang?
1 Royal Gramma,
What other reccomendations do you guys have? I like lots of colors, and need at least 1 large fish, be it the tang??? Or what else would be cool?
And some other cool fish??? I like shrimp and gobies, butterfly fish, basslets, etc. I'm open to suggestions,
Thanks,

Prosper

 

[gryphon]

I would read everything u can on setup and cycling first. ****based on the size ur gonna have. PATIENCE!! LOL.
Filters, skimmers , water test kits, keep the list of what fish u want, use that to determine what size tank u need. The people on this site are very knowledgeable, but do a lot of reading ...first.. hahhahaha. Have fun

 

[Grimreaperz]

As far as the Tangs go they need A LOT of room to swim....it's recommended they have 6ft or more length....you could keep a Juvinile for a couple years while it grows but keep in mind any tang you get will outgrow that 75g.

With the royal Gramma being a basslet you would probably just want to stick with the one type of Bassalet

Could get a watchman Goby and a shrimp pair...

Ruby red scooter blenny (only after tank has been up a minimum of 8 months)

And you need to think about what type of inverts you want to have for cleaning crew and this will depend on the type of fish you can have...

Also are you planning on doing a FOWLR or Reef Tank with corals?

All of these are deciding factors when planning fish list but you are on the right track.

 

[prospervandale]

I'm doing a reef, with mostly softies (that's why there are no dwarf angels on that list) and I've already read up A lot... there's just A lot of contradicting info...
I want to do some zoas, xenias, hammers, torchs, maybe a Kenya tree, and for sure a few monti's... I'll do a few hermits... how many??? And probably no shrimp, because they greatly limit stocking... with that said, what else should i do??? I like hawkish a lot too and could I do a Fox face in place of the tang?

 

[sneub]

Welcome aboard, you seem very excited, however patients is key. If you throw in corals like Monitor, they you need to start considering nutrients, flow and lighting as montipora's require higher PAR then softies.

 

[prospervandale]

I've heard about PAR but I don't fully understand it... does that mean I should have the monti's at the top?

 

[sneub]

Bulk Reef Supply has many informative videos series on their site called "52 weeks of reefing".

Here is one on lighting;
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video/view/week-18-aquarium-lighting-replicating-the-sun/

There are a total of 4 videos that cover lighting, however start with the link above.

I would recommend to view all 50+ series video on their site.

 

[prospervandale]

That's funny you say that I've been watching all of those videos... they are very informative, I'll look at the lighting ones

 

[prospervandale]

Hey, I've heard that since I'm on well water I can do w/o a r/o unit... is that true???

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

What about a dwarf angel as your larger fish for the tank? They have some great colors and are pretty active. However, some will pick at corals.

 

[prospervandale]

I. Really like the Ebili angel... but they tear up corals

 

[brilovescats]

I. Really like the Ebili angel... but they tear up corals

What would you think of a coral beauty? I have one in my 75 gal tank and it's about the size of the palm of my hand. Leaves my corals alone, is well behaved, and as the name implies, is beautiful.

The other thing I love is that you can now get captive bred coral beauties!

 

[prospervandale]

Ya, I like those too... I heard about the captive breeding, but severe can I get a captivr bred one?

 

[sneub]

Hey, I've heard that since I'm on well water I can do w/o a r/o unit... is that true???

I would not chance it, there is a good chance that you will drop 100's of dollars on live stock, with that in mind, a 150.00 RO/DI unit is a great investment. Also keep in mind that water is your member one concern. I think of it as I am keeping and maintaining a box of water, not livestock.

 

[prospervandale]

Ok, that's probably a good idea

 

[prospervandale]

I think im gonna do a copper band butterflyfish for my show fish... I know they could nip at feather dusters, but I think it's worth the risk... Right?