Fish Introduction Schedule (Controversy included!)

Rincon_Reefer · Oct 6, 2020

Hi R2R community!

Currently I am cycling my rocks in a Brute with some Dr. Tims, a little amonia, a heater and powerhead waiting for my tank to show up. I am getting a QT going in the next week or so and day dreaming about fish......

I plan to Quarantine my fish for 30 days before intro (follwed the great how to on this forum).

My tank will be a Reefer 250. 54 gal display 65 total. I plan on making it a mixed reef tank (probably mostly softies, dabble with LPS and SPS).

I put together a fish introduction schedule I am looking to Implement. With all the different opinions out there I am just looking for some feedback. There is one glaringly controversial part I think you will all point out and have opinion on.

Intro Order	Scheduled Intro (Days)	Name	Size (in)	Note
1	30	Black and White Ocellaris Clown	4	Consensus Safe Start
1	30	Wide Bar Mocha Gladiator Ocellaris Clown	4
2	60	Orchid Dottyback	3	Peaceful and cool fish
2	60	Kaudern's cardinal fish	3
2	60	Kaudern's cardinal fish	3
3	90	Coral Beauty Angle	4	Ahhhhh! Procede with caution. Plan to get 2 small, QT and introduce together. Riskiest part of the plan. Delay based on Algae levels
3	90	Lemonpeel Angel	5
4	120	Green Mandarine	3	Waiting for well established, will have a pod source
5	TBD	Longnose Hawkfish	3	This little guy going to be too aggressive?
		Total	32

Rincon_Reefer · Oct 6, 2020

Oh my tank will be a Reefer 250. 54 gal display 65 total

Maritimer · Oct 6, 2020

You may find that's a bit tight for two pygmy angelfish, although if they're introduced small and together, it may work.

~B.

Rincon_Reefer · Oct 7, 2020

Maritimer said:
You may find that's a bit tight for two pygmy angelfish, although if they're introduced small and together, it may work.

~B.

Thanks for the Input!

ScubaEthan · Dec 8, 2020

Ooo I like your little chart. I'm going to steal this idea. Unfortunately, I'm too new to give you much advice on the fish. In my research (also planning my stock list for a Reefer 250), I crossed off dottybacks/pseudochromic because they seemed overall too aggressive, but maybe the orchid one is a good choice? And as you keep going, learning more, and your tank becomes more established, hopefully the two dwarf angels, mandarin, and hawkfish will all work out if they make sense at the time. I'm also hoping to include a dwarf angel and mandarin in the future. Good luck!

ReefBeta · Dec 8, 2020

If your controversy is having two dwarf angels. I did that and it worked out fine in an even smaller tank than yours, for like three years until I broke down the tank to move and sold them all. Some said it won't work because of aggression so it's a luck of draw. It's best if you have a back up plan.

I recently did something similar, introducing a yellow tang and a purple tang in the same tank, the same time, similar size. As many say if you do it the same time it would be fine. But it didn't work out for me and the purple chased and injury the yellow pretty bad. I put him in an acclimation box for like a week but the purple still not back down yet, so I have to put the yellow in the other smaller tank.

Your two dwarf angel could be like my two tangs, fight till one is dead. Or they could be like my two dwarf angels, light chase for a day then peaceful together for years. You won't know for sure.

So hope for the best but prepare for the worse.

Bepis · Dec 8, 2020

Angels are very probably gonna fight. Your stocking list is pretty heavy. And angels can have a knack to snack on lps. I’d change some out, maybe get a wrasse to replace one of the angels. I love the lunate fairy wrasse but look at similar ones.

Rincon_Reefer · Dec 8, 2020

All great input, thanks guys. I did ultimately end up changing my stocking plan. And am going through some learning curve on the QT front. Clowns are doing great. I lost a blue damsel in QT. He never really looked great from the get go and ultimately died in the QT. I had the orchid dotty back in there with him. The dottyback was super chill in QT and never aggressive toward the damsel. He made it into the display tank in good health.....but dissapeared into the rock work in about 15 seconds and was never heard from again. It has been 2 weeks and still no sign...I am hoping he is using the ample hiding places but I am not optomistic. I am afraid he made it out of a small opening in the lid or had a run in with my coral banded shrimp.

I had a midas blenny in QT until today. He was super stressed after transit (got him from live aquaria) but was recovering nicely, had a nice little hiding spot in the pvc set up I had.....and then jumped. Dang that was frustrating. I definitely need a cover for the QT. I also think the airstone is super lound stressing the fish, need to find a solution for that. I also have a PJ cardinal in there. That little guy is doing great.

For algae control down the road I think I am going to skip the dwarf angels and just get one kole tang. Also probably going to get a six line wrass. I have maricultured coral in a different QT and I am watching the critters come off having nightmares about what makes it through the next dip. Maye the wrass will give me a hand.

With the difficulty I am having with QT I am probably skipping the mandarin in leu of a watchman goby. I just don't want to deal with a fussier fish. Plus I am going to pair up the goby with a tiger pistol I have in QT. That little bugger is super cool. He has built a fortress under my frag rack, it is fun to watch. Also no hawk fish, the dude at the LFS talked me out of him, I have an army of crustations doing a bang up job cleaning my tank and the hawk would likely create issues with them so....a trade off.