Fish Stocking List for new tank

[nycfishy]

how much of a PITA are things like attaching nori to clips, coral feeding, powerhead maintenance etc with a lid on the tank?
are the toplids lids a better value than the ones from artful acrylic (which while very nice are $$$$)

 

[Jesterrace]

My lids are hinged so for me, it's literally zero hassle factor. If you can find them, I would definitely recommend it as it will make things easier for you overall.

 

[408Dartfish]

I have a flasher wrasse and he’s jumped out twice and got saved luckily both times. Lid a must. I have a Redsea tank with the build your own lid, it’s not to bad for maintenance and feeding to take off everyday. Good list of fish on your list, orchid dottyback one of my favorites. Dustin

 

[nycfishy]

My lids are hinged so for me, it's literally zero hassle factor. If you can find them, I would definitely recommend it as it will make things easier for you overall.

where did you get your lid from? I have not seen a hinged lid for a 5' tank.

 

[nycfishy]

I have a flasher wrasse and he’s jumped out twice and got saved luckily both times. Lid a must. I have a Redsea tank with the build your own lid, it’s not to bad for maintenance and feeding to take off everyday. Good list of fish on your list, orchid dottyback one of my favorites. Dustin

thanks.
Do you literally have to take the entire lid off to do feed or do any tank work?

 

[Jesterrace]

where did you get your lid from? I have not seen a hinged lid for a 5' tank.

I ordered it through my LFS and it should be mentioned that mine are glass tops and for a 4 foot tank.

 

[nycfishy]

I ordered it through my LFS and it should be mentioned that mine are glass tops and for a 4 foot tank.

Nice, would love to see a pic if you had one? Curious how it attached.
I like the idea of a solid top to keep humidity and salt creep down, but I guess the downside might be gas exchange?

 

[408Dartfish]

thanks.
Do you literally have to take the entire lid off to do feed or do any tank work?

Yes I do. I could feed through the mesh but the mysis get stuck to it.

 

[Jesterrace]

Nice, would love to see a pic if you had one? Curious how it attached.
I like the idea of a solid top to keep humidity and salt creep down, but I guess the downside might be gas exchange?

The gas exchange is a downside, although IMHO not too bad if you have a sump. They also do require a semi-regular cleaning schedule as salt build up can happen quickly. My tank is rimmed so it rests in the rimmed partitions. They have handles that attach and then the back 1/4 of the top is actually plastic that can be trimmed to size and so it fits around things like powerhead cords, tank heater cords, etc. The other thing I like about them is that when it comes time to work on or adjust things in the back of the tank (ie powerheads, etc.) I just open up the front of the lid all the way and with the front part now out of the way, I slide the whole thing forward and this generally gives me enough space to work on the back of the tank. This makes it so I don't have to completely remove the lid to do basic tasks.

 

[nycfishy]

Nori should be fine. And you will love your Yellow Eyed Kole Tang!

thanks.
Looking forward to it but as last fish going on I figure it's at least 6 months away.

 

[Lateral72]

As always this forum is an amazing source of info. Big thank you to @Jesterrace
then back to new fish
Copperband butterfish (from LFS only)
Orchid Dottyback
Green Mandarin (once pods built up in fugre)
Scribbled Angelfish
Kole eye Tang

How'd you go from dwarf angel to Scribbled? Scribbled angels get big, and even a small one at 3-4" is going to be oversized for a 5' 108g tank. A 2" Scribbled would outgrow your tank in months, not years.

Stick to an actual dwarf angel (Centropyge sp.) and you'll be fine.

 

[nycfishy]

How'd you go from dwarf angel to Scribbled? Scribbled angels get big, and even a small one at 3-4" is going to be oversized for a 5' 108g tank. A 2" Scribbled would outgrow your tank in months, not years.

Stick to an actual dwarf angel (Centropyge sp.) and you'll be fine.

Had not realized how fast they grow. Went to this after my wife saw one on a LFS.
What if I switch it out with a potters angel?
Looking for something cool and less aggressive and coral nippy than a flame might be.

 

[Alex V.]

I will skip the Orchid Dottyback, and definitively a lid for mots fish specially wrasses.

 

[nycfishy]

I will skip the Orchid Dottyback, and definitively a lid for mots fish specially wrasses.

why skip the dottyback? who do you think it would mess with?

 

[Alex V.]

Dottybacks aggressive and highly territorial.

who do you think it would mess with? it will vary according to combo of species, aquascape of the tank etc., but in any case it will will start attacking everything. I like my tanks to be peaceful and observe natural behaviors of fish and invertebrates. just my 2 cents.

 

[408Dartfish]

My orchid dottyback (captive) is peaceful hiding in the caves. Was one of my first fish. My most aggressive fish is a linespot flasher wrasse. Potters angels are pretty cool maybe check out a bellus angel.

 

[Jesterrace]

Had not realized how fast they grow. Went to this after my wife saw one on a LFS.
What if I switch it out with a potters angel?
Looking for something cool and less aggressive and coral nippy than a flame might be.

Potter's would be lovely. Just keep an eye on it for corals (as you would have to with just about any angelfish outside the Genicanthus variety). A Bellus Angel would be a gorgeous and unique choice and is one of the few angels that generally behaves itself with corals. It's pushing it a bit with your tank for space but it could work. If you do stick to the dwarf the Potter's or Coral Beauty would be my top two choices as they tend to be two of the better behaved Dwarf Angels overall.

 

[JRAD]

you need the lid for all fish

I agree! Almost any fish can jump at any time. Nothing worse than finding a dried up pet. It is also bad when they jump behind the tank and there is no way to get to them without tearing down the tank. I love the look of an open rimless tank but will never have one.

 

[Lateral72]

Had not realized how fast they grow. Went to this after my wife saw one on a LFS.
What if I switch it out with a potters angel?
Looking for something cool and less aggressive and coral nippy than a flame might be.

Potters is definitely a much better choice than the Flame or Scrib. The Scrib is a definite coral nipper/eater.

There's a couple Genicanthus sp. that you could probably squeeze in, like G. watanabei, G. bellus or G. melanospilos. Out of those I personally would recommend the Watanabei as they're the smallest and best (IMO) looking. But they do all like to swim a lot.

 

[nycfishy]

My orchid dottyback (captive) is peaceful hiding in the caves. Was one of my first fish. My most aggressive fish is a linespot flasher wrasse. Potters angels are pretty cool maybe check out a bellus angel.

I had a orchid dottyback that I lost when she somehow got into back chamber or my AIO that was pretty peaceful as well