Greneis
Community Member
Hello friends! I have had my 150 gal reef with a Ruby sump running for about 10 months now. A few of my fish and corals are "older" ones that I transferred from my 32 Biocube when this was set up. My 14-year-old is my helper (much longer arms than me) and my oldest (no longer lives at home) scolds me for spending $$ on the tank rather than trips. Lol
I run a Reef Octopus Skimmer 200, and have a carbon reactor on the way. I have a pair of Gyres and run Radions. I keep a ball of PomPom MacroAlgae in the tank, not only because it looks cool and helps pull out the yuck, but it gives the Foxface and Scopas something to graze on. I feed at dinner time, the same time every day - Rod's Original. Once a week, I throw a few pieces of crab/snail snacks. I add a bit of Snow on Wednesday nights, but do not spot-feed anything. I am religious about weekly water changes and usually take out 10 - 15 gals. I have my own RO/DI from BRS.
I have been taking things slow and making sure I know what I am doing with everything before I do it. Adding fish/coral has been a slow process so that I know what they need and I don't go broke
I am thinking of adding a few more fish and want them to be beautiful, but useful at the same time. I am posting a few that I am thinking about for some input from those of you who have had experience with them. I have included a list of my current water-babies after my wishlist. I like the smaller-sized fish so that I can have a few more than if I did all larger fish.
I would love to add another tang, (to help with algae maintenance) but I am concerned that having just two in the tank would be an issue. I do not want to have a tank of just tangs... Would three be better than two? I like the Chevron, Mimic Eibli, I love the White Tail Bristletooth (but not the price) my son is begging for a Yellow (however, I am pretty sure that is in the same family as the Scopas that I currently have). Also, those of you have experience with these - which are better at rock grazing??
Here are some others that I am considering:
Gold Assessor Basslet
Randall's Assessor Basslet
6 Line Wrasse
Yellow Wrasse
Spotbreast Angelfish
Randall's Anthias ~ The Anthias scare me because of eating habits...
Lyretail Anthias
Dispar Anthias
I would LOVE a Dragonette, but again - eating habits
I was also thinking about adding a Black/red Cucumber and a Diadema Urchin because they are so cool looking!
Any other super favorite, reef safe, generally peaceful ones that I should consider??
I currently have: (14 for sure, possible 15 they are all small-sized [right now] except the first three).
Foxface Biggest fish/biggest baby/biggest drama queen
Scopas Tang Small fish with a big attitude - doesn't bully, but doesn't take no sass!
Blue Spot Yellow Jawfish The reason I set this tank up
Ocellaris Clown
Lawnmower Blenny
Orange Stripe Prawn Goby
Tailspot Blenny Biggest pig in the tank - actually looks pregnant LOL
Orchid Dottyback
Purple Firefish
Firefish
Pink line Wrasse We've only seen a handful of times in the three months we've had it - I think he's still in there
Blue/Green Chromis
Blue Sapphire Damsel
HarpTail Blenny
Neon Goby Just recently started hitching rides on the Foxface to clean it!
I love my critters too! I currently have:
Skunk Shrimp Total Ham
Blood Shrimp I only see him at night
Royal Blue Tuxedo Urchin Fatty
Red Tuxedo Urchin
Sea Serpent
Pistol Shrimp Best friends with my prawn goby
Dersa Clam
2 Halloween Crabs
Hermits 10ish variety of red/blue/scarlet
Porcelain Crab love watching this "catch" food
2 Pom Pom Crabs
Snails 30ish variety
Strawberry crab?? I haven't seen it since we put it in
Corals: (Smaller, affordable frags that are all slowly growing)
3 Rock Anemones
Purple Blasto
Green Trumpet
Frogspawn
Hammer
Toadstool My absolute favorite - and it's not even colorful, so I really don't know why?!?
Leather
2 Alveopora
2 Acro
Duncan
Trachy
Zoanthids
Pavona
Montipora
Firework Cloves
Nepthea (the only one I really don't like but my son loves it)
Acan
Three losses so far ~ A McCosker's Wrasse that seemed to disappear within the first week. We lost a tiny Scissortail Goby, who got sucked up in the food baster and didn't make it out - sad learning experience for my son. We also had a Zebra Dartfish that somehow managed to escape despite having screens and a canopy... that one still puzzles me.
There are pictures in my In Over My Head post if you want to peek... I think this post has been long enough.
I run a Reef Octopus Skimmer 200, and have a carbon reactor on the way. I have a pair of Gyres and run Radions. I keep a ball of PomPom MacroAlgae in the tank, not only because it looks cool and helps pull out the yuck, but it gives the Foxface and Scopas something to graze on. I feed at dinner time, the same time every day - Rod's Original. Once a week, I throw a few pieces of crab/snail snacks. I add a bit of Snow on Wednesday nights, but do not spot-feed anything. I am religious about weekly water changes and usually take out 10 - 15 gals. I have my own RO/DI from BRS.
I have been taking things slow and making sure I know what I am doing with everything before I do it. Adding fish/coral has been a slow process so that I know what they need and I don't go broke
I am thinking of adding a few more fish and want them to be beautiful, but useful at the same time. I am posting a few that I am thinking about for some input from those of you who have had experience with them. I have included a list of my current water-babies after my wishlist. I like the smaller-sized fish so that I can have a few more than if I did all larger fish.
I would love to add another tang, (to help with algae maintenance) but I am concerned that having just two in the tank would be an issue. I do not want to have a tank of just tangs... Would three be better than two? I like the Chevron, Mimic Eibli, I love the White Tail Bristletooth (but not the price) my son is begging for a Yellow (however, I am pretty sure that is in the same family as the Scopas that I currently have). Also, those of you have experience with these - which are better at rock grazing??
Here are some others that I am considering:
Gold Assessor Basslet
Randall's Assessor Basslet
6 Line Wrasse
Yellow Wrasse
Spotbreast Angelfish
Randall's Anthias ~ The Anthias scare me because of eating habits...
Lyretail Anthias
Dispar Anthias
I would LOVE a Dragonette, but again - eating habits
I was also thinking about adding a Black/red Cucumber and a Diadema Urchin because they are so cool looking!
Any other super favorite, reef safe, generally peaceful ones that I should consider??
I currently have: (14 for sure, possible 15 they are all small-sized [right now] except the first three).
Foxface Biggest fish/biggest baby/biggest drama queen
Scopas Tang Small fish with a big attitude - doesn't bully, but doesn't take no sass!
Blue Spot Yellow Jawfish The reason I set this tank up
Ocellaris Clown
Lawnmower Blenny
Orange Stripe Prawn Goby
Tailspot Blenny Biggest pig in the tank - actually looks pregnant LOL
Orchid Dottyback
Purple Firefish
Firefish
Pink line Wrasse We've only seen a handful of times in the three months we've had it - I think he's still in there
Blue/Green Chromis
Blue Sapphire Damsel
HarpTail Blenny
Neon Goby Just recently started hitching rides on the Foxface to clean it!
I love my critters too! I currently have:
Skunk Shrimp Total Ham
Blood Shrimp I only see him at night
Royal Blue Tuxedo Urchin Fatty
Red Tuxedo Urchin
Sea Serpent
Pistol Shrimp Best friends with my prawn goby
Dersa Clam
2 Halloween Crabs
Hermits 10ish variety of red/blue/scarlet
Porcelain Crab love watching this "catch" food
2 Pom Pom Crabs
Snails 30ish variety
Strawberry crab?? I haven't seen it since we put it in
Corals: (Smaller, affordable frags that are all slowly growing)
3 Rock Anemones
Purple Blasto
Green Trumpet
Frogspawn
Hammer
Toadstool My absolute favorite - and it's not even colorful, so I really don't know why?!?
Leather
2 Alveopora
2 Acro
Duncan
Trachy
Zoanthids
Pavona
Montipora
Firework Cloves
Nepthea (the only one I really don't like but my son loves it)
Acan
Three losses so far ~ A McCosker's Wrasse that seemed to disappear within the first week. We lost a tiny Scissortail Goby, who got sucked up in the food baster and didn't make it out - sad learning experience for my son. We also had a Zebra Dartfish that somehow managed to escape despite having screens and a canopy... that one still puzzles me.
There are pictures in my In Over My Head post if you want to peek... I think this post has been long enough.
