Help with which fish to get first

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Fringe09

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Hi fellow reefers. I hope you can help.

200 gallon tank. 160 display and 40 sump. Just completed cycling and started seeding with pods. For the next 45 days or so I want to quarantine my first fish in a 20 gallon tank. I've searched the web and message boards and came up with the fish I would like to keep. Below is the list I've come up with. Not even sure I can keep all of them.

What fish should I start with? I'm hoping to start of with a few rather than just one.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
I wouldn't start with more than 3 or 4 fish. Firefish, bangaii, Gramma and flasher wrasse would all be fine to start with.

Only keep one firefish unless they are a bonded pr.

Bicolor dottybacks can be aggressive.

Catalina gobies have special temperature needs.

Naso tang will outgrow your tank.
 
eatbreakfast said:
I wouldn't start with more than 3 or 4 fish. Firefish, bangaii, Gramma and flasher wrasse would all be fine to start with.

Only keep one firefish unless they are a bonded pr.

Bicolor dottybacks can be aggressive.

Catalina gobies have special temperature needs.

Naso tang will outgrow your tank.
Click to expand...

Thank you!
 
BRS
Generally, start with less aggressive fish ... The firefish goby is a good choice, maybe think about leaving the tangs 'til last . . .

I do see a couple of things that give concern -

Catalina goby; these guys really want cooler water - they're not from a typical reef habitat.

Mandarins; hold off until you've got plenty of 'pods in a stable system, and think about maybe getting a male and female of the same species, rather than a blue and red. They can be surprisingly territorial.

Firefish, purple / Firefish goby; choose a bonded pair of a single species, if you can manage it - or a singleton. Two different species won't tolerate one another well.

Hepatus tang / Naso tang; both big fish that want a lot of room. Will a naso, in particular, be comfortable turning around in your tank, with rockwork, when it's a foot and a half long?

Bartlett's Anthias / Blue Flasher wrasse; Perhaps not all Bartlett's are as assertive as the one I had, perhaps my system at the time was too small - but my flashers were pushed into the background to the point that they simply couldn't take it any more.

Bicolor dottyback / royal gramma; Two very similar fish, one of which has a _seriously_ bad attitude. Not a teamup that'll end well. Perhaps consider a harem of grammas?

Go slowly, watch your parameters - particularly nutrient - and enjoy the ride!

~Bruce
 
Maritimer said:
Generally, start with less aggressive fish ... The firefish goby is a good choice, maybe think about leaving the tangs 'til last . . .

I do see a couple of things that give concern -

Catalina goby; these guys really want cooler water - they're not from a typical reef habitat.

Mandarins; hold off until you've got plenty of 'pods in a stable system, and think about maybe getting a male and female of the same species, rather than a blue and red. They can be surprisingly territorial.

Firefish, purple / Firefish goby; choose a bonded pair of a single species, if you can manage it - or a singleton. Two different species won't tolerate one another well.

Hepatus tang / Naso tang; both big fish that want a lot of room. Will a naso, in particular, be comfortable turning around in your tank, with rockwork, when it's a foot and a half long?

Bartlett's Anthias / Blue Flasher wrasse; Perhaps not all Bartlett's are as assertive as the one I had, perhaps my system at the time was too small - but my flashers were pushed into the background to the point that they simply couldn't take it any more.

Bicolor dottyback / royal gramma; Two very similar fish, one of which has a _seriously_ bad attitude. Not a teamup that'll end well. Perhaps consider a harem of grammas?

Go slowly, watch your parameters - particularly nutrient - and enjoy the ride!

~Bruce
Click to expand...

Thank you! Adjusting my list a second time
 
I would definitely consider just a royal gramma (or a harem of royal gramma) over a bi-color dottyback. My bi-color was a menace, he even made my Fiji Blue-Devil Damselfish look like a Fiji Blue-Angel Damselfish.

As far as tangs go, zebrasoma tangs and bristletooth tangs would probably be your best bet. Just be wary though since they can all be a little aggressive. I would add tangs last.

Start with smaller fish too, so they can grow with their environment.

Good luck!
 
pensacola-aquarist said:
I would definitely consider just a royal gramma (or a harem of royal gramma) over a bi-color dottyback. My bi-color was a menace, he even made my Fiji Blue-Devil Damselfish look like a Fiji Blue-Angel Damselfish.

As far as tangs go, zebrasoma tangs and bristletooth tangs would probably be your best bet. Just be wary though since they can all be a little aggressive. I would add tangs last.

Start with smaller fish too, so they can grow with their environment.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you for input. Removed Bicolor Dottyback from the list. Also removed Blue Tang and Naso Tang as they need minimum 180 gallons. I did add the Powder Blue Tang as the minimum tank size is 125 gallons. The Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) does look beautiful.
 
Fringe09 said:
I think the Blue Tang is also out. Minimum tank size needs to be 180 gallons.

Powder Blue Tang might work as the minimum tank size is 125 gallons
Click to expand...
PBT need a bigger tank than Hippo, for swimming room. The PBT also adds a 100% quarantine and treatment requirement for ALL fish to survive as they are not a fish that can thrive in ich management long term, or even short term, usually. They need a 180+

I was also going to suggest skipping the Naso tang. I think a hippo would be fine in a 160 for quite some time.
 
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