Help with fish list please

[Mariette]

125g w softies and LPS. Maybe SPS one day.
This is a 5 footer. Not the usual 6. Lots of live rock, caves.

This list has been redone several times now after receiving advice from you wonderful ppl

Would like 2 Tangs but understand that’s a stretch in a 5 footer. So 1 maybe? What do you think? If 2, 1 yellow tang and 1 other. If 1, no yellow tang.

• Blue dot Jawfish - someone on here commented that they’re cool water but liveaquaria doesn’t seem to think so. Any insight?
• 3 Lyretail Anthias (1 male, 2 females)
• Watchman Goby
• Golden Goby OR Neon Blue Goby
• Yellowtail Damsel
• Royal Gramma - any issues w the Blennies listed below?
• Harptail Blenny
• Green Canary Blenny
• Striped Blenny
• Starry Blenny
• 2 Percula clownfish
• Leopard Wrasse of some sort. Maybe a pair
• Yellow Coris Wrasse
• Exquisite Fairy Wrasse

Thx all

 

[Jesterrace]

Blue Jaw Dotfish actually need temps a bit colder than a standard reef to do well long term and given their cost that's a heck of a gamble (they tend to prefer about 74 degrees if memory serves me correctly vs the standard 77-79 you usually find in a reef tank). I would skip it personally for the reasons of costs and it likely not being able to last long term. That and they can spend a fair bit of time in hiding.

The next 3 on the list should be fine

Yellow Tail Damsel is a bit of a gamble. Some have great luck and others can't wait to get rid of them. They are better than many other Damsels though

Royal Gramma would be great

Not sure on the 4 Blennies co-existing even though the tank is good sized. The first 3 all occupy the same space and I don't know how the Starry Blenny will factor in

Clownfish good

Yellow Wrasse and Exquisite should be great

Now to the Leopard Wrasse. Wrasses do not pair up. In the wild they form harems and in captivity most transition to male. So if you get 2 wrasses of the same species you will generally end up with 2 males that will fight to the death. Like Clownfish Wrasses can be either sex. If the male dies or becomes weak or is perceived as weak the largest female will mimic male behavior until it becomes male, but as mentioned in captivity they generally all transition to male. Second of all, Leopard Wrasses are notoriously poor shippers and picky eaters. You have to literally pick the right fish to have a shot at keeping one long term. Observing one's level of activity at the LFS for a couple of weeks is crucial to determine whether or not it's a hardier specimen. If you get a hardier specimen they really are no more difficult to care for than an easy to moderate to care for fish. Be patient and bide your time to select the right one.

As for the Tangs, you could do 1 Yellow Tang and one of the Bristletooth variety Tangs (ie Kole, Two Spot, Squaretail, Tomini aka Flame Fin or Whitetail Bristletooth if you have the funds and patience to wait for one). It is possible that in this case it could work given the 5 foot length of the tank. That said, I am still wary of the Yellow Tang being in a tank with so many smaller more peaceful fish. Having removed a Yellow Tang from my 90 gallon and seeing first hand the kind of damage that it could do (ie ripping off a chunk of my dwarf angel's lower fin and cutting it up with it's tail scalpel) I am not a fan of them. It's possible the other Tang will help keep it in check or they could team up and terrorize the tank. Personally if it were me I would skip the Tangs all together and just go with a One Spot Foxface. It will give you a similar profile Yellow Fish and it will perform similar algae removal function but be a much better tankmate for the large number of smaller peaceful fish you have. My fish are much happier with the Foxface than the Yellow Tang.

Here is what one looks like just so you know what I am talking about:

 

[ccombs]

I hear sirens in the distance... EVERYONE HIDE, THE TANG POLICE ARE COMING!

Never had a damsel, but I see many people on this forum regret them.

 

[Mariette]

Blue Jaw Dotfish actually need temps a bit colder than a standard reef to do well long term and given their cost that's a heck of a gamble (they tend to prefer about 74 degrees if memory serves me correctly vs the standard 77-79 you usually find in a reef tank). I would skip it personally for the reasons of costs and it likely not being able to last long term. That and they can spend a fair bit of time in hiding.

The next 3 on the list should be fine

Yellow Tail Damsel is a bit of a gamble. Some have great luck and others can't wait to get rid of them. They are better than many other Damsels though

Royal Gramma would be great

Not sure on the 4 Blennies co-existing even though the tank is good sized. The first 3 all occupy the same space and I don't know how the Starry Blenny will factor in

Clownfish good

Yellow Wrasse and Exquisite should be great

Now to the Leopard Wrasse. Wrasses do not pair up. In the wild they form harems and in captivity most transition to male. So if you get 2 wrasses of the same species you will generally end up with 2 males that will fight to the death. Like Clownfish Wrasses can be either sex. If the male dies or becomes weak or is perceived as weak the largest female will mimic male behavior until it becomes male, but as mentioned in captivity they generally all transition to male. Second of all, Leopard Wrasses are notoriously poor shippers and picky eaters. You have to literally pick the right fish to have a shot at keeping one long term. Observing one's level of activity at the LFS for a couple of weeks is crucial to determine whether or not it's a hardier specimen. If you get a hardier specimen they really are no more difficult to care for than an easy to moderate to care for fish. Be patient and bide your time to select the right one.

As for the Tangs, you could do 1 Yellow Tang and one of the Bristletooth variety Tangs (ie Kole, Two Spot, Squaretail, Tomini aka Flame Fin or Whitetail Bristletooth if you have the funds and patience to wait for one). It is possible that in this case it could work given the 5 foot length of the tank. That said, I am still wary of the Yellow Tang being in a tank with so many smaller more peaceful fish. Having removed a Yellow Tang from my 90 gallon and seeing first hand the kind of damage that it could do (ie ripping off a chunk of my dwarf angel's lower fin and cutting it up with it's tail scalpel) I am not a fan of them. It's possible the other Tang will help keep it in check or they could team up and terrorize the tank. Personally if it were me I would skip the Tangs all together and just go with a One Spot Foxface. It will give you a similar profile Yellow Fish and it will perform similar algae removal function but be a much better tankmate for the large number of smaller peaceful fish you have. My fish are much happier with the Foxface than the Yellow Tang.

Here is what one looks like just so you know what I am talking about:

Blue Dot Jawfish - cut. Thank you

Yellowtail Damsel - he’s 1 of my remaining 2 fish (and watchman goby) after the tank crash and he’s been a model citizen. I’ve read horror stories about them though. Guess I just got lucky

Blennies - 3 of the 4 are of the
Meiacanthus family which, according to me research, is the exception to the rule when it comes to Blennies (ie can be mixed). My concern was more with if the starry blenny could be housed w the other 3.

Leopard Wrasse - liveaquaria suggests 3 do better than 1. Ppl on here say 1 is fine. I think I’ll go w 1. Thx I’ve done a ton of research about them and have learned quite a lot regarding shipping, feeding, and possible sensitivity to certain meds. If I get one, I’ve got a solid plan to give it the best chance of survival

Tangs - I think I’ll go with a Squaretail Bristletooth but will do further research first. It’s going to be a mixed reef and I believe the foxface is a gamble. You’ve got a beautiful one though. And your tank looks great!!!

You seem very knowledgeable. I appreciate your input - thank you. Any suggestions for a small schooling fish?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Blue Dot Jawfish - cut. Thank you

Yellowtail Damsel - he’s 1 of my remaining 2 fish (and watchman goby) after the tank crash and he’s been a model citizen. I’ve read horror stories about them though. Guess I just got lucky

Blennies - 3 of the 4 are of the
Meiacanthus family which, according to me research, is the exception to the rule when it comes to Blennies (ie can be mixed). My concern was more with if the starry blenny could be housed w the other 3.

Leopard Wrasse - liveaquaria suggests 3 do better than 1. Ppl on here say 1 is fine. I think I’ll go w 1. Thx I’ve done a ton of research about them and have learned quite a lot regarding shipping, feeding, and possible sensitivity to certain meds. If I get one, I’ve got a solid plan to give it the best chance of survival

Tangs - I think I’ll go with a Squaretail Bristletooth but will do further research first. It’s going to be a mixed reef and I believe the foxface is a gamble. You’ve got a beautiful one though. And your tank looks great!!!

You seem very knowledgeable. I appreciate your input - thank you. Any suggestions for a small schooling fish?

This version is better than the first post. @Jesterrace covered the concerns well.

 

[Mariette]

This version is better than the first post. @Jesterrace covered the concerns well.

The insight from fellow R2R’ers has been invaluable

 

[Jesterrace]

Blue Dot Jawfish - cut. Thank you

Yellowtail Damsel - he’s 1 of my remaining 2 fish (and watchman goby) after the tank crash and he’s been a model citizen. I’ve read horror stories about them though. Guess I just got lucky

Blennies - 3 of the 4 are of the
Meiacanthus family which, according to me research, is the exception to the rule when it comes to Blennies (ie can be mixed). My concern was more with if the starry blenny could be housed w the other 3.

Leopard Wrasse - liveaquaria suggests 3 do better than 1. Ppl on here say 1 is fine. I think I’ll go w 1. Thx I’ve done a ton of research about them and have learned quite a lot regarding shipping, feeding, and possible sensitivity to certain meds. If I get one, I’ve got a solid plan to give it the best chance of survival

Tangs - I think I’ll go with a Squaretail Bristletooth but will do further research first. It’s going to be a mixed reef and I believe the foxface is a gamble. You’ve got a beautiful one though. And your tank looks great!!!

You seem very knowledgeable. I appreciate your input - thank you. Any suggestions for a small schooling fish?

Foxface are reef safe as long as they aren't underfed and even then they only go for one or two types of coral (acropora being one I believe). There are also examples of Tangs going after corals as well so don't believe that they are 100% safe either. Tons of reefers keep Foxfaces in their tanks with zero issues.

 

[Mariette]

Foxface are reef safe as long as they aren't underfed and even then they only go for one or two types of coral (acropora being one I believe). There are also examples of Tangs going after corals as well so don't believe that they are 100% safe either. Tons of reefers keep Foxfaces in their tanks with zero issues.

I shouldn’t be surprised by this but I am lol. Thx! May I ask how often you feed your foxface?

 

[Mariette]

Foxface are reef safe as long as they aren't underfed and even then they only go for one or two types of coral (acropora being one I believe). There are also examples of Tangs going after corals as well so don't believe that they are 100% safe either. Tons of reefers keep Foxfaces in their tanks with zero issues.

I’m seeing that the FOXface would need a 125g aquarium. I should point out that my 125 is actually 5 feet long as opposed to the usual 6. Would that be ok for a FOXface you think? Bristletooth Tang I believe is ok in a 70.

 

[Jesterrace]

The One Spot stays a bit smaller than the others and could definitely work in that tank particularly if you got a smaller one and let it grow up there. LA is a bit off (I say 75 gallons minimum) but they say 70 gallons minimum for the One Spot:

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+2704&pcatid=2704

As mentioned I have had one in my 90 gallon (which is smaller than your tank) for nearly a year and it still has plenty of space. Foxface move around but they aren't the quick open water swimmers that tangs are. The benefit is that the Foxface is much less likely to exert aggression towards it's tank mates than a Tang is. If the Tang is given the opportunity to bully then it often does. Oh and one other thing I forgot. Tangs are very dirty fish (they poop like you wouldn't believe). My Yellow Tang would fill the corner of my 90 gallon 3-4 times a day with nasty poop storms.