Help me stock my 150 gallon..

[Bthomas]

I havnt started the cycle yet (but hopefully soon) so i have some time to plan this out..
Here's my list so far:
Yellow tang
Kole tang
2 clowns
Group of anthias, thinking dispar or ignitus or a mixture of the 2, maybe 5-7 of them?
Goby/pistal pair, thinking randalls or diamond (can i have both each with theyre own pistol)
Clown goby
Neon goby (can i have that many gobies?)
Royal gramma (Would love to have a dottyback but i hear theyre pretty aggressive so will go with the royal gramma instead)

Tank is a 6 ft 150 gallon and will be a mixed reef. I do not plan on having a quarantine tank (I know bad idea but i dont really have room for one)
Im also pretty new to all this so i dont want anything too hard to care for..

How does this list look so far and what could i add to it?
I feel like I need 1 or 2 more larger fish since its a larger tank but i dont know what

Also what order would you suggest adding these fish?

 

[Big G]

No QT? Are you able to visually observe the fish you want for several days or weeks? Will you be able to watch them feed? Velvet is rampant in the aquarium industry these days. Suppliers are low dosing fish with copper to keep the fish losses down and keep their appearance acceptable to buyers. The problem is those fish, once released into a tank without copper or other meds, are suddenly dying without warning in many cases as the disease comes roaring back attacking the gills where it is unseen. The losses have and are staggering. And discouraging. I just recently lost a whole qt tank of fish. The disease killed them rapidly, one by one without much in the way of symptoms until it was too late. Very tough to watch.

 

[Bthomas]

No QT? Are you able to visually observe the fish you want for several days or weeks? Will you be able to watch them feed? Velvet is rampant in the aquarium industry these days. Suppliers are low dosing fish with copper to keep the fish losses down and keep their appearance acceptable to buyers. The problem is those fish, once released into a tank without copper or other meds, are suddenly dying without warning in many cases as the disease comes roaring back attacking the gills where it is unseen. The losses have and are staggering. And discouraging. I just recently lost a whole qt tank of fish. The disease killed them rapidly, one by one without much in the way of symptoms until it was too late. Very tough to watch.

I dont want this thread to be a debate on qt vs no qt. But i guess my issue (on top of the fact that i have no room for one) is that it seems to me like a quarantine tank would be less safe for the fish then the dt.. maybe it's just me not fully understanding how to set one up but it seems like there would be ammonia spikes as soon as u throw a fish in one.

 

[Zack K]

My $.02.

Setting up a QT is not very difficult, even if it was a 10g from petco with a HOB filter and ammonia badge. Most of the time you would “seed” a sponge and throw in the HOB to control what little waste the fish produces. l would hate to see you have a full tank and add a little goby and see everything die. @Humblefish can help with anymore questions regarding disease and QT.

As for the stocking of the tank. A dwarf angle would look nice. Maybe a flame, coral beauty, or red stripe would compliment well. What are you looking to have, Reef or Fish Only? Trigger fish make a nice big fish and are hardy. They also eat shrimp, crabs and snails. Maybe a few wrasse would look nice as well. @eatbreakfast can answer any questions on stocking and temperament.

IMO l would like to see some butterflies in their. l like butterflyfish, but with each specimen you take a chance at coral munching.

 

[Bthomas]

My $.02.

Setting up a QT is not very difficult, even if it was a 10g from petco with a HOB filter and ammonia badge. Most of the time you would “seed” a sponge and throw in the HOB to control what little waste the fish produces. l would hate to see you have a full tank and add a little goby and see everything die. @Humblefish can help with anymore questions regarding disease and QT.

As for the stocking of the tank. A dwarf angle would look nice. Maybe a flame, coral beauty, or red stripe would compliment well. What are you looking to have, Reef or Fish Only? Trigger fish make a nice big fish and are hardy. They also eat shrimp, crabs and snails. Maybe a few wrasse would look nice as well. @eatbreakfast can answer any questions on stocking and temperament.

IMO l would like to see some butterflies in their. l like butterflyfish, but with each specimen you take a chance at coral munching.

Thanks for the response
A question about the hang on back filters on quarantine tanks.. the ones I have looked at have carbom built in to the filter media cartridge. Is this what your referring to as far as putting it in the sump to be seeded? I wouldn't want to use carbon on the quarantine correct. Or do u just buy a seperate sponge to shove in there in place of the media cartridge they come with?
I may be able to manage a 10 gallon, is this big enough for tangs? I would love a powder blue but i know i won't try one of those without a quarantine.

I am gonna have a mixed reef so would like to stay away from anything that may nip but i do love the flame angels and may attempt one of those.

What about stocking order? Is there anything on my list i should add first or last?

 

[Big G]

Here's a great link to how to setup a quarantine. Hope this helps. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-quarantine.189815/#post-2177961

 

[Zack K]

Thanks for the response
A question about the hang on back filters on quarantine tanks.. the ones I have looked at have carbom built in to the filter media cartridge. Is this what your referring to as far as putting it in the sump to be seeded? I wouldn't want to use carbon on the quarantine correct. Or do u just buy a seperate sponge to shove in there in place of the media cartridge they come with?
I may be able to manage a 10 gallon, is this big enough for tangs? I would love a powder blue but i know i won't try one of those without a quarantine.

I am gonna have a mixed reef so would like to stay away from anything that may nip but i do love the flame angels and may attempt one of those.

What about stocking order? Is there anything on my list i should add first or last?

Yes. Just a plain simple sponge that you throw in the sump and let it float around for a few weeks. You do not want to run Carbon on your QT unless changing meds. Even then. 100% water change is better.

Tangs will survive the 1 month they will be in the 10g. They may not be happy at first and should not be long term but for the treatment time they will be fine.

As for stocking order.
-2 Clowns and gramma in first. The clowns are fairly peaceful depending on the species, and the gramma will need alone time to settle in and find a spot he/she likes.

- next would be the gobies. l would add them simultaneously
- Clown goby will be a rock perch
- Neon goby(s) l found do better
in pairs
- Diamond Goby will not pair with
a shrimp. He is a sandsifter
whereas...
- Randals goby is a watchman
and_Will_ pair with the shrimp.
Next l would add both (or all 3) tangs together last to minimize territory disputes

- Zack, who knows nothing about anthias

 

[JonPhillips]

No QT? Are you able to visually observe the fish you want for several days or weeks? Will you be able to watch them feed? Velvet is rampant in the aquarium industry these days. Suppliers are low dosing fish with copper to keep the fish losses down and keep their appearance acceptable to buyers. The problem is those fish, once released into a tank without copper or other meds, are suddenly dying without warning in many cases as the disease comes roaring back attacking the gills where it is unseen. The losses have and are staggering. And discouraging. I just recently lost a whole qt tank of fish. The disease killed them rapidly, one by one without much in the way of symptoms until it was too late. Very tough to watch.

What does a fish look like when it’s dying of velvet?

 

[Zack K]

What does a fish look like when it’s dying of velvet?

Humblefish wrote a great article here:
Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum)

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php...reads/Velvet-(Amyloodinium-ocellatum).217570/

Big and main discussion.

 

[Bthomas]

Yes. Just a plain simple sponge that you throw in the sump and let it float around for a few weeks. You do not want to run Carbon on your QT unless changing meds. Even then. 100% water change is better.

Tangs will survive the 1 month they will be in the 10g. They may not be happy at first and should not be long term but for the treatment time they will be fine.

As for stocking order.
-2 Clowns and gramma in first. The clowns are fairly peaceful depending on the species, and the gramma will need alone time to settle in and find a spot he/she likes.

- next would be the gobies. l would add them simultaneously
- Clown goby will be a rock perch
- Neon goby(s) l found do better
in pairs
- Diamond Goby will not pair with
a shrimp. He is a sandsifter
whereas...
- Randals goby is a watchman
and_Will_ pair with the shrimp.
Next l would add both (or all 3) tangs together last to minimize territory disputes

- Zack, who knows nothing about anthias

Thanks
So if im adding 3 tangs together and only have a 10 gallon quarantine they would all be ok quarantined in a 10 gallon together?

 

[Ashish Patel]

Don't listen to all the noise just use proper judgement. Your stock list looks good no risky fish! If your not gonna QT be very diligent in buying fish that have been QT by the vendor.

LFS = QT is a must 90% of the time. Of course there are exceptions.
Liveaquaria = Only trust this place for fish.. They QT their fish before putting them up for sale. I've been buying healthy fish from them from 10 years and been buying saltwater fish for 20 years and seen the difference. I still have 2 tangs that are 10 years old from Liveaquaria.

If you buy fish from multiple sources you risk adding velvet. I added all my fish in 3 months and now won't add anything unless I QT them. Not worth putting my current fish at risk!

 

[Zack K]

Thanks
So if im adding 3 tangs together and only have a 10 gallon quarantine they would all be ok quarantined in a 10 gallon together?

In that scenario it would be tricky. Some say yes others say no. 2 tanks would be better (power blue alone) then add them to the DT together.

 

[Bthomas]

Don't listen to all the noise just use proper judgement. Your stock list looks good no risky fish! If your not gonna QT be very diligent in buying fish that have been QT by the vendor.

LFS = QT is a must 90% of the time. Of course there are exceptions.
Liveaquaria = Only trust this place for fish.. They QT their fish before putting them up for sale. I've been buying healthy fish from them from 10 years and been buying saltwater fish for 20 years and seen the difference. I still have 2 tangs that are 10 years old from Liveaquaria.

If you buy fish from multiple sources you risk adding velvet. I added all my fish in 3 months and now won't add anything unless I QT them. Not worth putting my current fish at risk!

Thanks for the input. I think i may try going without quarantine and just set one up if i decide to try more disease prone fish (powder blue for example)

 

[MSB123]

A 20 gallon long would also work as a QT, they are cheap, and you could probably have 3 tangs in there at once, if they are 3" tangs

 

[Bthomas]

Would it be possible to add the yellow and kole tang and then add the powder blue down the road if i decide to set up a quarantine?

 

[Bug235]

I havnt started the cycle yet (but hopefully soon) so i have some time to plan this out..
Here's my list so far:
Yellow tang
Kole tang
2 clowns
Group of anthias, thinking dispar or ignitus or a mixture of the 2, maybe 5-7 of them?
Goby/pistal pair, thinking randalls or diamond (can i have both each with theyre own pistol)
Clown goby
Neon goby (can i have that many gobies?)
Royal gramma (Would love to have a dottyback but i hear theyre pretty aggressive so will go with the royal gramma instead)

Tank is a 6 ft 150 gallon and will be a mixed reef. I do not plan on having a quarantine tank (I know bad idea but i dont really have room for one)
Im also pretty new to all this so i dont want anything too hard to care for..

How does this list look so far and what could i add to it?
I feel like I need 1 or 2 more larger fish since its a larger tank but i dont know what

Also what order would you suggest adding these fish?

I have a 150 5x2x2 mixed Reef for over three years, No Qt, no problems just watch fish good before purchase and from a LFS you develop a relationship with. I’m not a yellow tang fan so I would go with small blonde Naso or purple tang , I love diamond goby great sand worker, love neon goby cleans everyone including my big wrasses when the slow down enough, anthiases ?sp need to be fed three times a day I started with 7 3 years ago down to two and I feed my tank 3 times a day! If you get clowns get them last because they are mean SOBs and if you add smaller reef fish after they will attack them, I added pair dart fish and one of my clowns grabbed one like an orca grabbing a seal taking it down til I beat the clown with a stick, true story both still alive but live on complete opposite sides of tank, I love wrasses And they are active, I have an assessor and royal grama but these guys hide a lot in rocks, here are my favorite

 

[Ashish Patel]

IMO As much as you may love a certain fish like a power blue I would strongly advice against adding them. These fish tend to be consumed faster by ich, Ich given the chance to takeover is dangerous. These disease prone fish just feed virus so (butterfly fish are notorious for this).

Your fish list is fine as is perhaps add another hardy tang.

 

[Bthomas]

IMO As much as you may love a certain fish like a power blue I would strongly advice against adding them. These fish tend to be consumed faster by ich, Ich given the chance to takeover is dangerous. These disease prone fish just feed virus so (butterfly fish are notorious for this).

Your fish list is fine as is perhaps add another hardy tang.

What would be another hardy tang that would go with a yellow and kole?

 

[Ashish Patel]

This was my fish tank about 8 months ago 6 weeks into settingup.... I like the combination of colors and the fish have been very hardy. I did add some chromis and wrasses for my final batch of fish!

 

[Ashish Patel]

What would be another hardy tang that would go with a yellow and kole?

Probably the blue tang!