I can’t decide !

[brad shawn]

I’m really lost as to a stock list so I’m going to leave it up to you guys! I have a reefer 250 54 gallon display which is 36” long by 20” wide I believe. I have no clue as to what fish or what order to stock them in my qt tanks have been running for 2 months one for coral/ inverts and one for fish both 20 gallons. My display tank has been running for around 4 months with all while ghost feeding. Finally got back from my honeymoon and I have nothing but time to relax and stock my tank. So I’m thinking about stock lists for fish. I’m not too concerned with a “big” centerpiece. More so would rather have a assortment of smaller fish. I hate the look of one larger fish in a tank. It never looks to scale to me. Looks forced and unnatural. So please fire away with suggestions thank you. You guys are great !

 

[Flippers4pups]

Bump

 

[NatD]

My fav fish I’ve ever had was a bicolor blenny. They’re so darn cute and funny.

Clowns are colorful, but territorial. Mine have always been finger biters.

Kauderns Cardinal is so awesome looking.

Maybe a long nose hawk

Dart fish.

 

[Dragon52]

Gobi/Pistol shrimp pairs, some blennies, Jawfish are all good for smaller tanks. Also you could look at Fairy & Flasher wrasse if you want movement.

 

[Sean Duggan]

+1 to a blenny. My Midas blenny is one of my favorite fish.

A group of anthias would look nice in the tank

And maybe a fairy wrasse or type of goby

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Flame hawk has a lot of personality. Gobbies are fun.
Pistol shrimp and gobbie are super cool.
There are some gorgeous wrasses out there.

Might be a bit small for anthias.. could turn into a blood bath.

The fish i have but could do without...
Clowns, cardinal, rabbit fish.

 

[Sean Duggan]

Flame hawk has a lot of personality. Gobbies are fun.
Pistol shrimp and gobbie are super cool.
There are some gorgeous wrasses out there.

Might be a bit small for anthias.. could turn into a blood bath.

The fish i have but could do without...
Clowns, cardinal, rabbit fish.

Yeah it might be a little small for anthias. I did have a buddy of mine keep a trio of anthias in the same exact tank. He did end up going through a couple though before a trio stuck.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Male anthias are essentially Ike Turner in fish form. Chicks need a space to run and hide.

 

[brad shawn]

Gobi/Pistol shrimp pairs, some blennies, Jawfish are all good for smaller tanks. Also you could look at Fairy & Flasher wrasse if you want movement.

Any issues mixing different blennies in this size tank. If not which ones ?

 

[brad shawn]

Flame hawk has a lot of personality. Gobbies are fun.
Pistol shrimp and gobbie are super cool.
There are some gorgeous wrasses out there.

Might be a bit small for anthias.. could turn into a blood bath.

The fish i have but could do without...
Clowns, cardinal, rabbit fish.

I would love to have some anthias I think they are beautiful but I’m going to pass them up.

 

[foxt]

Blennies: tail spot, Midas, bicolor. Chrysus wrasse would add some color, as would an orchid dottyback.

 

[Sailfin11]

100% an orchid dottyback. I wouldn't have a tank without one in it. The purple color is absolutely striking! However, avoid any other similarly shaped fish (mine killed a Court Jester goby).

 

[Anchor]

Any issues mixing different blennies in this size tank. If not which ones ?

For Blennies if you want more than one, stick to the smaller ones IMHO. tailspot, 2 spot, bicolor these should be mixable, at least singly . Others like Canary and midas.. Midas can get some size if I recall properly. Avoid the larger ones like sailfin, lawnmower etc. as they don't mix and tend to be ummm.. spastic.

Dottybacks singly (and see agressivness above), basslets, Small shrimp gobies are cool but no shrimp with the basslets or hawkfish.

Fairy wrasses and Flashers are nice but be sure the tank is well covered.

I have a 30 gallon AIO with a Tailspot, a BG chromis, a Katherines Fairy and a Solor Fairy wrasse and think I am going to add either a Hector's or a Rainford's goby. with a possible bicolor Blennie. Similar mix that you are looking at but with less room..

 

[Aussiemarine]

Royal grammars are peaceful and very colourful plus are hardy once eating.

I am sucker for a carpenters flasher wrasse (super male!)

A dwarf angel would be good to either flame or coral beauty which are both relatively reef safe unless you get a bad one that like a bit of a coral munch

If you can get your hands on a trio of barrier reef chromis they add a fair bit of movement and energy to a tank

Clownfish are a staple fish I love a pair of designer clowns

Some other cool smaller fish
Bangaii cardinals
Female leopard wrasse (can be hard to keep as they are hard to get onto prepared foods)
Stigmatta blenny (also another difficult one to feed)
Banana wrasse
Purple firefish

So many to choose from!

 

[Jesterrace]

Flame hawk has a lot of personality. Gobbies are fun.
Pistol shrimp and gobbie are super cool.
There are some gorgeous wrasses out there.

Might be a bit small for anthias.. could turn into a blood bath.

The fish i have but could do without...
Clowns, cardinal, rabbit fish.

Agreed. Anthias should have a 4 foot length even for the smallest ones. @ the OP, I would look at a Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse. It could be a centerpiece fish due to it's gorgeous colors and tons of personality but maxes out just under 4 inches so it wouldn't look cramped in the tank. Pictures don't do it justice, so here is a short vid of one:

 

[Jesterrace]

Royal grammars are peaceful and very colourful plus are hardy once eating.

I am sucker for a carpenters flasher wrasse (super male!)

A dwarf angel would be good to either flame or coral beauty which are both relatively reef safe unless you get a bad one that like a bit of a coral munch

If you can get your hands on a trio of barrier reef chromis they add a fair bit of movement and energy to a tank

Clownfish are a staple fish I love a pair of designer clowns

Some other cool smaller fish
Bangaii cardinals
Female leopard wrasse (can be hard to keep as they are hard to get onto prepared foods)
Stigmatta blenny (also another difficult one to feed)
Banana wrasse
Purple firefish

So many to choose from!

The list is good for the most part but the Leopard and Banana Wrasse (I assume you are talking about the Yellow Halichoeres Wrasse) wouldn't be well suited for a 3 foot long tank long term. The Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse stays smaller than either of those as do several flasher wrasses so IMHO they would be the best choices for Wrasses.

 

[Aussiemarine]

The list is good for the most part but the Leopard and Banana Wrasse (I assume you are talking about the Yellow Halichoeres Wrasse) wouldn't be well suited for a 3 foot long tank long term. The Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse stays smaller than either of those as do several flasher wrasses so IMHO they would be the best choices for Wrasses.

The banana wrasse is only 4-5” MAX and is suited to tanks above 50g. I had one in my 3ft and he was great they usually spent most of their time around the rock work as well. Female leopards are smaller again only about 3” and would be fine for a 3ft (wouldn’t go a male leopard or a pair)

 

[Westoncase]

Candy hogfish are cool but ive heard they could get kinda mean as they mature. Stays around 3 inches. Reef safe

 

[Aussiemarine]

Candy hogfish are cool but ive heard they could get kinda mean as they mature. Stays around 3 inches. Reef safe

yeah not the ideal choice for a peaceful tank but good in a larger tank with a few bigger fish to keep em in check. I’ve never had one purely for that reason but every fish is different I guess!

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Just get three blond nasos and be done with it.