I need your stocking advice!!

[Jandy]

Hello,

I need your stocking help for my 130 gallon tank!!
I want to set up mixed reef tank that is full of colorful moving fish and a wide assortment of corals: torches, hammers, clams, zoanthids, acros, acans, brains, bubble, plate coral etc.

The tanks dimensions are as follows: 55"Lx26"Wx24"H.

Stocking list:

One Yellow Tang
One Purple Tang (added young and at the same time as the yellow tang).
One Blue Throat Triggerfish (Male)
Two Ocellaris Clownfish
Three to Five Banggai Cardinalfish
One Orchid Dottyback
One Blue Dot Jawfish
One Royal Gramma Basslet
One Yellow Watchman Goby
One Filiamented Flasher Wrasse
One Blenny (open to suggestions).
Starfish (open to suggestions)
Shrimp (Blood Red Fire, Scarlet Skunk)
Crabs (open to suggestions)
Clean Up Crew (Nasarrius snails, Trochus snails, copepods etc)

What are your thoughts on the stocking above in a 130 gallon tank? And in your opinion is it worth trying a Valentini or spotted puffer in a reef tank? Thanks!

 

[Jseimo]

I would steer clear of the puffers especially since you want crabs and shrimp. Crabs would be emerald, Pom Pom crabs are about the only safe options. Porcelain crab if you get any anemones. Shrimp you can have both of you like they’re both peaceful and will play nice. Starfish I’d say forget for a long while, even then success is slim. Bangai cardinal fish really don’t do well in a pack like most places suggest, a mated pair or the risk of self aggression could get high. Blennies id go a lawnmower or starry once algae appears. Add the trigger last and make sure it’s smaller so it won’t see anything else as a potential snack. Or else anything added after will have to be bigger than the trigger

 

[Jon Fishman]

My Eel and Porcupine Puffer leave my snails, shrimp, Hermits and other fish alone...... I think they annihilated 40+ emerald crabs.......


I’d be more concerned with the trigger in the reef tank

 

[Uncle99]

Forget the wrasse, if your keeping clams.
Forget the starfish, they just die.
Forget the crabs, they just eat everyone else.
Rest looks good, but not familiar with keeping a trigger.

 

[sfin52]

The blue throat is the only one I would consider for a reef.

 

[Jandy]

Thanks for the great responses! So it looks like no puffer, no wrasse, no starfish and no crabs. Frankly not my favorites and definitely worth getting rid of for a harmonious tank. Any other fish or inverts I should consider?

 

[Wolf89]

The wrasse is completely reef safe and there is no reason to scrap it.

 

[sfin52]

Thanks for the great responses! So it looks like no puffer, no wrasse, no starfish and no crabs. Frankly not my favorites and definitely worth getting rid of for a harmonious tank. Any other fish or inverts I should consider?

There's lots of reef friendly wrasses
Fairy flasher leapords
There are stars britle stars and Fromia indica
Hermits and emeralds porcelain

 

[Wolf89]

I would recommend adding 2 orchid dottybacks, rather than one. Great as pairs.

 

[Jandy]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback. Any other stocking advice is appreciated. Also, what do you think of the Melanurus Wrasse? Reef safe and a good addition?

 

[code4]

I have a 6 line wrasse with my clam. Also have had good luck with sand sifting starfish. Had one for years. Shrimp can be problematic when feeding certain corals. Good luck

 

[SunnyD123]

Hello,

I need your stocking help for my 130 gallon tank!!
I want to set up mixed reef tank that is full of colorful moving fish and a wide assortment of corals: torches, hammers, clams, zoanthids, acros, acans, brains, bubble, plate coral etc.

The tanks dimensions are as follows: 55"Lx26"Wx24"H.

Stocking list:

One Yellow Tang
One Purple Tang (added young and at the same time as the yellow tang).
One Blue Throat Triggerfish (Male)
Two Ocellaris Clownfish
Three to Five Banggai Cardinalfish
One Orchid Dottyback
One Blue Dot Jawfish
One Royal Gramma Basslet
One Yellow Watchman Goby
One Filiamented Flasher Wrasse
One Blenny (open to suggestions).
Starfish (open to suggestions)
Shrimp (Blood Red Fire, Scarlet Skunk)
Crabs (open to suggestions)
Clean Up Crew (Nasarrius snails, Trochus snails, copepods etc)

What are your thoughts on the stocking above in a 130 gallon tank? And in your opinion is it worth trying a Valentini or spotted puffer in a reef tank? Thanks!

DEFINITELY a purple tang and a trigger. They are Beautiful.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

Ok, tell me if this seems understocked, overstocked or ok for my 130 gallon (55"Lx26"Wx24"H):

One Yellow Tang
One Purple Tang (added young and at the same time as the yellow tang).
One Blue Throat Triggerfish (Male)
One Melanurus Wrasse
Two Ocellaris Clownfish
One Orchid Dottyback
One Blue Dot Jawfish
One Royal Gramma Basslet
One Yellow Watchman Goby
Shrimp (Blood Red Fire, Scarlet Skunk)
Clean Up Crew (Nasarrius snails, Trochus snails, copepods etc)

 

[Wolf89]

Ok, tell me if this seems understocked, overstocked or ok for my 130 gallon (55"Lx26"Wx24"H):

One Yellow Tang
One Purple Tang (added young and at the same time as the yellow tang).
One Blue Throat Triggerfish (Male)
One Melanurus Wrasse
Two Ocellaris Clownfish
One Orchid Dottyback
One Blue Dot Jawfish
One Royal Gramma Basslet
One Yellow Watchman Goby
Shrimp (Blood Red Fire, Scarlet Skunk)
Clean Up Crew (Nasarrius snails, Trochus snails, copepods etc)

Personally, i would make pairs of the dottybacks as well as the triggerfish, and possibly of the watchman goby or jawfish as well.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

Wouldn't it be too overstocked to make pairs of the triggerfish as well as the dottyback? Or will this be fine for the 130 gallon?

 

[Wolf89]

Wouldn't it be too overstocked to make pairs of the triggerfish as well as the dottyback? Or will this be fine for the 130 gallon?

it all depends on your filtration. Maybe a decent-sized refugium and youll be fine.

 

[Andrew Stevens]

The tank comes with a 42 gallon sump and I'm probably getting the Reef Octopus Regal 200SSS Protein Skimmer.

I've decided to go with the dottyback pair. I've read that it's difficult to sex a female Blue Jaw Trigger until she is over 4 inches, are there safer ways to get a youngish male and female?

 

[Cole.mormon]

No triggerfish they need big tanks.
For cuc I would do no crabs as they eat everyone

 

[Cole.mormon]

Cuc should be:
10 nassarius tongas
10 nassarius vibes
5 Mexican turbo snails
25 astrea snails
5 Florida verity snails
1 lawnmower blenny
1 starry blenny

 

[Rmckoy]

Fox face are wonderful fish ( venomous but amazing personality )

I’ve never liked hermits , they are destructive
Always had a brittle starfish , a great scavenger