Need some help on fish choice (for potential tank)

[Angryminer_07]

newbie warning...... I’m completely new to both the concept of saltwater and this community. Please forgive me for my ignorance and long post.

I’m a long time freshwater keeper, and I want to make the jump to a saltwater tank. I’ve done a ton of research and feel comfortable with most things. Before I pull the trigger, my wife has given me a list of “must haves” for the tank. I would like to know if the tank I’m looking at, reef set up would be kosher with her fish requests. I’d hate to spend the money and have issues with the fish we want.

Any info is much appreciated.

The tank is a standard 125 with typical overflow/returns/sump set up with a refug.

I want a reef set up with both Stoney and soft corals with a shallow sand bottom. Open to the idea of some sessials but not a must. I understand some of the coral may get grazed on but will they get absolutely destroyed with these fish.

The fish she’s requests:
Clown/anemone type combo if possible
Royal gramma
Hippo tang
Mandarin goby
Flame angel
+\-Yellow tang

Lastly, if these would be ok together, some suggestions on stocking order once the tank has cycled are welcome.

 

[EmdeReef]

Welcome to R2R!

I’m sure you’ll get many great suggestions here but a couple of general pointers:

Take things slow, going to take a while for the tank to stabilize for anemones and especially sps. I’d wait at least 6 months before adding. Some soft corals may be ok but keep in mind that many “hardy” soft corals often end up being invasive and annoying down the road. Make sure to plan ahead what kind of corals you want to keep.

Make sure to quarantine especially if you get a hippo tang as they’re often ich magnets. Although difficult to come by, a captive bred is a better choice.

you should be fine with the selection as soon as your tank is cycled with the exception of mandarins. Mandarins rely on pods for feeding and while captive bred will eat dry foods, they need to be fed many times a day so the best option is to wait until your pod population is big enough to support it. You can buy pods online to seed your tank for a few months before adding a mandarin and if at all possible get a captive bred. Helpful to have a refugium as well.

You may have to introduce hippo and yellow tangs together to minimize aggression, many coexist peacefully but always best to plan ahead.

Your flame angel may nip corals but shouldn’t “destroy” any. Exception being soft tissue LPS corals which I’ve found angels find irresistible- although I’m sure that’s not always the case.

Best of luck!

 

[cristata.reef]

Most of the fish listed with the exception of the hippo tang are good starters. However the anemone/clownfish pair will be hard to pull off this early on. The vast majority of sucessful anemone keepers wait for at least a year before introducing an anemone into their tanks. The clownfish on the other hand don't actually need the anemone and might not even nest it (some prefer to nest other random things instead). Other fish you could consider are gobies and blennies. Most are easy to keep and have amazing personalities. Be warned however that mandarin gobies/dragonets and scooter blennies are not gobies or blennies but dragonets and are very difficult to keep alive. If you have any questions about specific fish just post here and we'll be sure to help

 

[Angryminer_07]

Awesome info! Thanks guys.

I’m planning on being very slow with this whole process, that’s why I’m trying to plan this before even buying the tank.

I’m planning on having a quarantine set up for the tang to pre treat when it’s time to add them.

My plan is to start with the royal gramma and clown earlier (once tank has cycled), then go from there. Any issues with this?

 

[EmdeReef]

Awesome info! Thanks guys.

I’m planning on being very slow with this whole process, that’s why I’m trying to plan this before even buying the tank.

I’m planning on having a quarantine set up for the tang to pre treat when it’s time to add them.

My plan is to start with the royal gramma and clown earlier (once tank has cycled), then go from there. Any issues with this?

Doubt the two will interact or show aggression especially in a 125g.

 

[cristata.reef]

Awesome info! Thanks guys.

I’m planning on being very slow with this whole process, that’s why I’m trying to plan this before even buying the tank.

I’m planning on having a quarantine set up for the tang to pre treat when it’s time to add them.

My plan is to start with the royal gramma and clown earlier (once tank has cycled), then go from there. Any issues with this?

Some people report that clowns will bully new tankmates if introduced first but I've never experienced this myself

 

[Jesterrace]

Some people report that clowns will bully new tankmates if introduced first but I've never experienced this myself

My Snowflake Occ clown was a complete butthead to his tankmates, but then again it was in a 36 gallon tank. @ The OP, the Blue Hippo Tang really needs a bigger tank if you want to keep one long term (Generally a 180 gallon MINIMUM). It gets roughly a foot in length when fully grown and it and the Yellow Tang may not get along. Yellow Tangs can get pretty territorial/aggressive (I am actually in the process of trying to remove mine from my 90 gallon since it has taken to beating up my Coral Beauty Dwarf Angel). The Mandarin should probably be the last fish you add since you need to build up a solid sustainable breeding copepod population to ensure it has a constant food source (they need to feed constantly during the waking hours). The Flame Angel can be aggressive to tank mates but in a 125 gallon it should have enough room to not be a real issue. Be aware that all Dwarf Angels can nip at corals though.