Critique my Starting Fish please

[Trommell]

Getting ready to get some fish for my newly cycled tank, 60" x 26" x 24", roughly 175g total water volume w/ sump. Think about getting
2x black storm clownfish
2x banggai cardinals
2x orchid dottyback

Is this too many to start with?

 

[Lavey29]

Getting ready to get some fish for my newly cycled tank, 60" x 26" x 24", roughly 175g total water volume w/ sump. Think about getting
2x black storm clownfish
2x banggai cardinals
2x orchid dottyback

Is this too many to start with?

Tank is large so it's probably ok but I still wonder if 2 orchids will get along ok. I have an indigo dotty back which is a beautiful blue and when I tried to add an orchid things did not go well but my system is only 80g but lots of rock caves.

 

[Jedi1199]

Getting ready to get some fish for my newly cycled tank, 60" x 26" x 24", roughly 175g total water volume w/ sump. Think about getting
2x black storm clownfish
2x banggai cardinals
2x orchid dottyback

Is this too many to start with?

Kind of a loaded question here actually. Depends on how you cycled your tank. I'm assuming you used bottled bacteria? I would say that 6 fish are ok provided you get them small. If these are all adults, you will really be pushing the envelope.

I am not entirely sure I would go with 2 dottybacks. I have one magenta dottyback in my 55g and it is a model citizen. I have read that they can become aggressive as they get larger, but have no firsthand experience to validate that claim.

If you are really worried, I would say: Go slow... add the clowns, give them a couple weeks then add the cardinals, couple weeks, then more.. Slow is almost always better in this hobby.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Hi and welcome. Consider some anthias like bimacs or lyre tail, bristlettoth tang to go along w list. And I’d just add one fridmani.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Hi and welcome. Consider some anthias like bimacs or lyre tail, bristlettoth tang to go along w list. And I’d just add one fridmani.

Also some good wrasse species that are colorful and are utility for example a Melanarus

 

[dwest]

I agree with the others. 2 clowns are great, and likely the cardinals too (but I’ve never had them). I would do 1 dottyback. Then I would likely add one bristletooth type tang (tomini, etc) and a yellow or purple tang for algae control.

Slower is almost always better. And I am a huge proponent of quarantine.

Good luck.

 

[Trommell]

Thanks for the input. Was also considering a Dusky wrasse but was trying to pick fish that wouldn't eat crustaceans/shrimp until I was certain I wasn't going to keep them. A yellow tang is definitely on the list for later just wasn't sure on the starting group. Should mention will be a reef tank focusing on sps predominantly.

Tank was cycled with Dr. Tim's one and only and dosing ammonia. Tests have 2ppm ammonia clearing in 24 hours and nitrites clear with 48.

 

[Jedi1199]

Thanks for the input. Was also considering a Dusky wrasse but was trying to pick fish that wouldn't eat crustaceans/shrimp until I was certain I wasn't going to keep them. A yellow tang is definitely on the list for later just wasn't sure on the starting group. Should mention will be a reef tank focusing on sps predominantly.

Tank was cycled with Dr. Tim's one and only and dosing ammonia. Tests have 2ppm ammonia clearing in 24 hours and nitrites clear with 48.

With that said, I would start light. Go with the 2 clowns first, make sure your system can handle the bio load, and then add fish a couple at a time allowing the bio capacity to increase as you bio load does.

 

[nereefpat]

Tests have 2ppm ammonia clearing in 24 hours and nitrites clear with 48.

You should be able to add all of them, as far as being safe goes.

For the dottys, orchids can pair and spawn if added small at the same time, supposedly. I haven't tried it.
From the following article: "All dottybacks are hermaphrodites (Debelius & Baensch, 1994). Since each fish can adopt either male or female sexual organs, adding two like species into a tank together will result in a pair, provided they don't kill each other first. "http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcs3/index.php

 

[BanjoBandito]

Getting ready to get some fish for my newly cycled tank, 60" x 26" x 24", roughly 175g total water volume w/ sump. Think about getting
2x black storm clownfish
2x banggai cardinals
2x orchid dottyback

Is this too many to start with?

2 dottybacks?!!?! Seems insane. Lol.

 

[BanjoBandito]

I have a dottyback, and I know the orchids are supposed to be better but they can go murder mode fast

 

[Trommell]

Ordered
2x Black Storm Clowns
2x Banggai Cardinals
1x Orchid Dottyback

They are all awaiting in quarantine, hoping to get them in the DT in a couple weeks. I am considering these fish to add and welcome your critiques and possible order to add the remaining fish.

7x Blue Green Chromis (Do chromis have to be added all at once in order to school?)
1x Aiptasia Eating Filefish
1x Blue/Green Mandarin

(Not 100% locked in on tang types yet)
1x Gem Tang
1x Blue Hippo Tang
1x Two Spot Bristletooth Tang

Look forward to reading your comments. Thanks

 

[BanjoBandito]

Hippos are ich magnets so just make sure to QT him and everything else. The bristletooth and gem tang would give you two solid algae eaters. Add them together. Add them last. Chromis sometimes don't school so add them all together and probably get like 5. The file fish will probably eat corals. They just do. Sometimes not, most of the time yes. Mandarin, get a captive bred. They cost more but it'll eat pellets and all sorts of stuff, not just pods and live a long life.

 

[Trommell]

Hippos are ich magnets so just make sure to QT him and everything else. The bristletooth and gem tang would give you two solid algae eaters. Add them together. Add them last. Chromis sometimes don't school so add them all together and probably get like 5. The file fish will probably eat corals. They just do. Sometimes not, most of the time yes. Mandarin, get a captive bred. They cost more but it'll eat pellets and all sorts of stuff, not just pods and live a long life.

Thanks, that is unfortunate about the filefish my wife really liked that one lol.

QT and Captive bred are definitely top priorities.

 

[i cant think]

Personally I dislike CB mandarins as they still have a chance to go off of all food and go back to a life of pod eating only. I personally wouldn’t risk wasting money for a mandarin that may wind up back on the wild diet anyway.
As for the chromis, if you add a group of damsels as well then I find they tend to shoal a bit better as schooling/shoaling is a technique only used when there is a threat or aggression. Also once they don’t die off (It’s a big thing these guys like to do) you should have a pretty good shoal of chromosomes but it’ll be a hard time to get to that point.

 

[Trommell]

I have a copepod and phytoplankton culture started in preparation for a mandarin.

I had considered this being the full stock list am I underestimating the potential capacity?

 

[Andreas' Reef]

Getting ready to get some fish for my newly cycled tank, 60" x 26" x 24", roughly 175g total water volume w/ sump. Think about getting
2x black storm clownfish
2x banggai cardinals
2x orchid dottyback

Is this too many to start with?

IDK about the orchids. usually it is best to keep one unless they are a mated pair. Banggai's are great.

 

[Trommell]

How's the feelings on a yellow tang rather than the gem tang?

 

[Andreas' Reef]

How's the feelings on a yellow tang rather than the gem tang?

The yellow tang will definetly be easier.

 

[Trommell]

IDK about the orchids. usually it is best to keep one unless they are a mated pair. Banggai's are great.

Yeah, I conceded and only ordered 1 orchid.