Another fish stocking question

[stanleo]

Hey guys, help me out here. There are so many options I can't decide.

120 gallon mixed reef currently with softies, SPS and LPS corals. Setup is 9 months old

Fuge and sump with a thriving microfauna population.

2 ReefLED 90s for lighting

I have 1 yellow tang, 1 tiger watchman goby, 1 clown, 1 azure damsel, 1 glass cardinal and 5 pj cardinals.

Long spine black urchin, sand sifting starfish, emerald crabs, hermits and snails.

Water is 2ppm nitrate, .03ppm phos, 1440 mag, 500 calcium, 9 dKH, 8.2pH, 35ppt salinity

I will be getting as my next corals some zoas, monti pora, and maybe a gorgonian.

Oh and I plan to add cleaner shrimp and fire shrimp

Everything is going beyond my expectations so I am ready to go for more challenging inhabitants but I know there will be some on my wish list that I just shouldn't try as far as fish go. but here is my wish list, some more than others. I would like to get them all but I know how that goes. What would you get?

These are the fish I can't get out of my head:
mandarin goby

Blue hippo tang or powder blue tang

fox face

flame angel

Fish I love but I think I could live without
copperband butterfly

snoflake eel (I have a tight lid on the tank)

moorish idol (I know this is a stretch to say the least)

There are others I love and frankly, love all fish so if you have other suggestions please let me know. TIA

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

In my opinion and this is just my own thoughts. A paracanthurus or acanthurus tang would be a mistake. Not to mention the two you have chosen are probably the two that need some of the most swimming room of the two species. Don’t get me wrong they are both beautiful fish but I believe they need much more swimming space than you have available at the moment. A flame is a risk. The number of people that have well behaved flames in a mixed reef compared to those of us that have had to break down a tank just to remove a pygmy we thought we would try because we wanted to be special is astounding lol. The copper band I would put into the same category personally but that’s just me. Eels are cool but remember they are opportunistic predators. If they aren’t getting the nutrition the want(yes WANT not just that they need to sustain themselves) it can mean something may come up missing. And as far as the modish idol I think you probably know why that’s a bad idea lol. As far as recommendations, if it’s another tang you are truly after why not one of the smaller bristle tooth’s? Maybe start looking into the reef safe wrasses? This is all just my two cents from my own experiences and those around me. I know I kinda dashed your hopes a little here and for that I apologize, but these are my thoughts take them or leave them and I hope it helps.

 

[Cory]

The easiest to take care of in your list would be the foxface imo. Powder blue will come with ich most likely. Flame angels are a sensitive species. Regal tang may fight with your yellow tang. Snowflake eel may eat some of your fish one day. Mandarin gobys are a nightmare to feed. Same with copperband butterfly. Good luck.

 

[Jon Fishman]

I would do the Idol if you can find one at a local store that has been eating for a month or more

 

[LesPoissons]

There is a long thread on here recently about how many people have success with flame angels in a reef. The consensus was in general they are fine inhabitants and less likely to damage your corals then your yellow tang. Mine is 0 trouble.
I would not get the hippo tang if I were you. They grow big they grow fast and like space.
I see zero problems with you getting a mandarin goby as long as your tank is well-established and you have a good pod population. I would get a few bottles of pods before you get the goby and supplement here and there, but as long as you have pods and live rock- they are not difficult to keep in my opinion and easier than a copper band. Speaking of, that one will compete for your pods so a good supply will be a must. They are a trickier fish and I would make sure you see one eat at the pet store before purchase.
I think the eel is probably out if you value the fish. You can’t expect it to act completely outside of its nature. Eels eat fish. You’re putting it in a buffet. Even if you keep it well fed, there will likely be a day where at least one of your fish will be gone.

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

@Maya Ybry-Yagy any chance you can find and post that thread here? I’d be very grateful!!!

 

[LesPoissons]

I don’t know where I was reading it, I’m sorry it was a couple weeks ago and I love reading the forums lol. You can start a thread on the fish discussion forum or in the general discussion if you want people to weigh in. Even so, there’s a risk involved based on the specific fish. I’m not saying a flame is guaranteed to leave everything alone but many people have good experiences and if it’s a fish you love, you may decide it’s worth the risk.

 

[stanleo]

In my opinion and this is just my own thoughts. A paracanthurus or acanthurus tang would be a mistake. Not to mention the two you have chosen are probably the two that need some of the most swimming room of the two species. Don’t get me wrong they are both beautiful fish but I believe they need much more swimming space than you have available at the moment. A flame is a risk. The number of people that have well behaved flames in a mixed reef compared to those of us that have had to break down a tank just to remove a pygmy we thought we would try because we wanted to be special is astounding lol. The copper band I would put into the same category personally but that’s just me. Eels are cool but remember they are opportunistic predators. If they aren’t getting the nutrition the want(yes WANT not just that they need to sustain themselves) it can mean something may come up missing. And as far as the modish idol I think you probably know why that’s a bad idea lol. As far as recommendations, if it’s another tang you are truly after why not one of the smaller bristle tooth’s? Maybe start looking into the reef safe wrasses? This is all just my two cents from my own experiences and those around me. I know I kinda dashed your hopes a little here and for that I apologize, but these are my thoughts take them or leave them and I hope it helps.

Don't worry, you didn't say anything I didn't already know in my research but I was looking for maybe more recent hands on accounts of these fish to make a better decision. My husband kinda messed up my original plans by putting that yellow tang in while I was at work five months ago. I was going to wait til the tank was a year old and add a yellow (they are his favorite) and one of the more colorful tangs together with the flame angel AFTER I stocked the mandarin and fox face. They were going to be the last fish I put in there. I still want this fish but having the yellow already established complicates things. I am getting a wrasse, I just have to pick which one, there are so many. Those bristle tooths sound interesting, thank you I will keep my eye out. I added the idol to the list cause its the dream fish and I have been reading more and more encouraging success stories so I put it on the list as a "throw it on the wall and see if it sticks" kind of thing. That one is more a fantasy than a reality wish.lol

There is a long thread on here recently about how many people have success with flame angels in a reef. The consensus was in general they are fine inhabitants and less likely to damage your corals then your yellow tang. Mine is 0 trouble.
I would not get the hippo tang if I were you. They grow big they grow fast and like space.
I see zero problems with you getting a mandarin goby as long as your tank is well-established and you have a good pod population. I would get a few bottles of pods before you get the goby and supplement here and there, but as long as you have pods and live rock- they are not difficult to keep in my opinion and easier than a copper band. Speaking of, that one will compete for your pods so a good supply will be a must. They are a trickier fish and I would make sure you see one eat at the pet store before purchase.
I think the eel is probably out if you value the fish. You can’t expect it to act completely outside of its nature. Eels eat fish. You’re putting it in a buffet. Even if you keep it well fed, there will likely be a day where at least one of your fish will be gone.

Is it wrong that I would be ok if the snowflake eel took the occasional cardinal or damsel? I would be devastated however if it took a mandarin. The copperband is just something I put on the list because my LFS always has some and they are gorgeous and I have read some positive experiences lately but if they will compete with the mandarin then its out.

I realize that all of the fish I listed have their own challenges and a fair amount of risk involved so I am trying to determine which ones are worth the risks and which ones I should just say no. And this is helping thanks, keep the info coming.

 

[stanleo]

The easiest to take care of in your list would be the foxface imo. Powder blue will come with ich most likely. Flame angels are a sensitive species. Regal tang may fight with your yellow tang. Snowflake eel may eat some of your fish one day. Mandarin gobys are a nightmare to feed. Same with copperband butterfly. Good luck.

Yeah I was going to add the hippo or powder blue together with the yellow last after I was done with all the other fish I want to lesson the chance for aggression but my husband screwed that up by getting a yellow while I was at work five months ago. It's his favorite and his approach to fish keeping is through fish in water and hope for the best. Drives me crazy!!! I did read something about powder blues being prone to ich and to really inspect any specimen closely over several days to ensure you get a healthy one. Do you think it's too much of a risk?

 

[Cory]

Yeah I was going to add the hippo or powder blue together with the yellow last after I was done with all the other fish I want to lesson the chance for aggression but my husband screwed that up by getting a yellow while I was at work five months ago. It's his favorite and his approach to fish keeping is through fish in water and hope for the best. Drives me crazy!!! I did read something about powder blues being prone to ich and to really inspect any specimen closely over several days to ensure you get a healthy one. Do you think it's too much of a risk?

Well if you get 3 regal tangs, i think youll be safe. If you got the powder blue youll risk it but my philosophy is feed the fish a lot so their immune system can handle diseases. And diseases imo appear mostly when water chemistry is off or drifts far too fast. But if your scared id quarantine it and make sure it eats a lot in tbe store. That said, if your looking for blue and peacful a shoal of green chromis are good but some people say they die off slowly.

 

[stanleo]

I think this is what I'm going to do. My next fish will be a fairy wrasse and the fox face and in two months or so once I'm comfortable with the pod population, get the mandarin. Will also get three or five green chromis for movement. Then I will get the flame angel and take a shot, or get the coral beauty and pick a wrasse that is mostly red for the color. I will wait till the yellow tang dies (hopefully not for a long time) to get more tangs. More tangs now just seems too much of a risk. I will not get the eel and definitely not the idol. Still on the fence about the copperband but ultimately probably not. I MIGHT look into the bristle tooths more but time till tell. Thanks for the help.

Oh and then build a time machine, go back about a year and tell myself to save more money and get the 6 foot long 300 gallon tank.

 

[I’ma tempermental coral]

The six foot deep dimension 300 is and absolutely amazing tank to watch!!! That said!!! If you are short like me(only 5’2) you will most likely need to swim in it to get anything from the back of the tank(or the front of if you are wall mounting). My husband is 6’5 and even he had issues reaching everything the couple of times we had some issues. Lol. But like I said, AMAZING tank to have!!!