New to Saltwater, Need Stocking Help/General Tips

[679x]

Hey, I'm new to this forum, and saltwater aquariums. Never done it, but I'm about to. I currently have freshwater African cichlids, but I am thinking I'm ready for saltwater. I haven't set it up yet (don't have the time yet and need to do more planning anyway) so I'm currently just gathering info.

I've been doing a lot of research, and I think the biggest tank I can fit is a 4-foot 75 gallon aquarium.

Here is my current stock idea:
-1 or 2 Ocellaris clownfish
-1 blue-green chromis
-1 royal gramma
-1 carpenter's flasher wrasse
-1 tomini tang
-1 yellow shrimp goby
-1 or 2 neon goby
-some sort of shrimp, probably skunk cleaner or peppermint
-clean-up crew and corals, of course.

I'm thinking of starting with soft corals, then if they thrive, I will get hard corals.
I haven't researched the cleanup crew stock yet, but I have looked for fish that won't pick at corals/invertebrates.

How is my stocking list right now? Is everything compatible? Will any of those fish bother corals/inverts? Are any of them too difficult/risky for a beginner saltwater aquarist to keep?

I know for some freshwater cichlids, like the Tropheus that I keep, an herbivore that eats a carnivore's food could get bloated and die. Will this be a problem for an herbivorous tang in a tank full of carnivores/omnivores? To put it another way, is it harmful if a tang eats meat?

I've been thinking heavily about wrasses. I really like their colour, shape, and the way they swim. I was trying to decide between a wrasse or a firefish, but not both, because I read that most wrasses will intimidate firefish too much. Is this correct? Anyway, firefish are no longer on my stock list. Could I get a 2nd wrasse, or am I already stocked enough/too much, or a 2nd wrasse won't work?

I'm probably getting Red Sea coral pro salt, because I read that it's of good quality and contains the kind of stuff that corals, etc. need to thrive without having to dose stuff. I do not want to have to dose anything.

I'm going to fit a sump and a quarantine tank inside the stand (I don't know where else to put a quarantine), but I think I'll make a separate thread for my sump questions.

I'll probably be making more threads as I learn more and get farther in my saltwater aquarium planning and doing. And I don't expect a single person to answer every single one of my questions. But I hope that I can learn enough from this forum so that I will be able to avoid any potential mistakes.

Thanks in advance.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Patience is a virtue when stocking a saltwater tank.

Your fishlist is compatible if your filtration can handle the bioload.

Fairy and flasher wrasses mix well with each other, but also firefish.

75g is borderline for a tang. For the same length as a 75g, a 120g helps stocking and stability.

Saltwater herbivore fish are able to handle a higher protein diet than the tropheus, but providing algae isn't difficult either.

 

[glb]

I haven't had much luck with chromis.

 

[679x]

Patience is a virtue when stocking a saltwater tank.

Your fishlist is compatible if your filtration can handle the bioload.

Fairy and flasher wrasses mix well with each other, but also firefish.

75g is borderline for a tang. For the same length as a 75g, a 120g helps stocking and stability.

Saltwater herbivore fish are able to handle a higher protein diet than the tropheus, but providing algae isn't difficult either.

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping that my filtration could handle that kind of bioload. Of course, I wouldn't get all the fish at once. Once I know that my tank is completely stable and capable of handling another fish, I will add the next one on the list.

If I could get a firefish, that'd be pretty great. I read that wrasses intimidate firefish, and can cause the firefish lots of stress. So I didn't think I could add one.

As for the tank volume, I suppose I could get a taller one -- it'd be pretty cool to have more depth in a reef tank, with lots of space for fish to swim around the rocks, and there'd be a lot of space for all types of coral. Not sure how much width I can add, though. I suppose it wouldn't really be an issue, I just don't want the tank to stick out too far from the wall.

I haven't had much luck with chromis.

Even with a single one? I wanted a blue in the tank, and thought the colour of the blue-green chromis would look really nice, so I'd need something else to give the blue colour if I decided not to risk getting a chromis. The only other option I can think of would be an azure damselfish, because they're supposed to be more peaceful than other damselfish in some cases, but that's not a guarantee...

 

[eatbreakfast]

Some wrasses can intimidate firefish, but there are a lot of wrasses and not all are that intimidating.

 

[paintballer1]

Just something I've always been told if you decided to go with clown is that you always want more than 1. I have no idea if that's true but just my 2 cents. Good luck!!!!

 

[PatW]

You might think of fire fish or another kind of dart fish. Also Bengai cardinals are nice. The carpenters wrasse is a good fish. Mine hangs out right out at the top of the water column. So I would suggest putting a screen too on the tank to prevent jump outs. Bulk Reef Supply sells DIY kits for this. I have a fairy wrasse with the carpenters wrasse and it works well.

You have obviously done your research and your list is well thought out.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Just something I've always been told if you decided to go with clown is that you always want more than 1. I have no idea if that's true but just my 2 cents. Good luck!!!!

Clowns are fine kept singly.

 

[glb]

Thanks for the reply. I was hoping that my filtration could handle that kind of bioload. Of course, I wouldn't get all the fish at once. Once I know that my tank is completely stable and capable of handling another fish, I will add the next one on the list.

If I could get a firefish, that'd be pretty great. I read that wrasses intimidate firefish, and can cause the firefish lots of stress. So I didn't think I could add one.

As for the tank volume, I suppose I could get a taller one -- it'd be pretty cool to have more depth in a reef tank, with lots of space for fish to swim around the rocks, and there'd be a lot of space for all types of coral. Not sure how much width I can add, though. I suppose it wouldn't really be an issue, I just don't want the tank to stick out too far from the wall.


Even with a single one? I wanted a blue in the tank, and thought the colour of the blue-green chromis would look really nice, so I'd need something else to give the blue colour if I decided not to risk getting a chromis. The only other option I can think of would be an azure damselfish, because they're supposed to be more peaceful than other damselfish in some cases, but that's not a guarantee...

In my case, they were either aggressive or didn't live that long. Maybe others have had a different experience.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I haven't had negative experiences with chromis. One kept singly should be fine too.

 

[679x]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm quite happy about my stock list right now. Unfortunately I can't start working on the tank or sump or anything yet, but I suppose that gives me lots of time for more research. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Maritimer]

I don't find that my wrasses intimidate my firefish at all (neither do my azure damselfish...) in a 65 gallon.

You mentioned that you'd like to keep your quarantine tank inside the stand ... there has been research showing that ich (at least) can travel by aerosol transmission, so most folks would recommend keeping your QT at least ten feet from your display and your sump.

~Bruce

 

[679x]

You mentioned that you'd like to keep your quarantine tank inside the stand ... there has been research showing that ich (at least) can travel by aerosol transmission, so most folks would recommend keeping your QT at least ten feet from your display and your sump.

~Bruce

Yikes! Never would've thought that could happen, I haven't heard that it could do that until now. Good thing you told me lol. I'll have to find somewhere else to put it then. Not quite sure where that will be yet. I don't want to have tanks all across the house, but if the fish need it, you gotta do what you gotta do.

My assumption was that a fish with a disease like ich could not spread it outside of its own tank system, so I figured it'd be fine if it was in close quarters to another tank system.

I can think of a place where I can put the quarantine tank, where it'll be away from the saltwater tank, but it might be within 10 feet of one of my freshwater tanks. Saltwater ich I'm assuming is different than freshwater ich, and couldn't spread from salt to fresh, right? Or am I wrong?