No fish yet...almost afraid to add

[tpack17]

My tank just cycled and I have some hermits in there. Was possibly going to add about 10 small chromis as a starter. The more I read about the diseases these fish carry the more leary I am about adding anything,lol. I planned on a quarantine but I barely have my main tank going. Sheesh, this hobby is killing me with waiting. Lol.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Patience is rewarded.

I'd add much slower than that.

 

[tpack17]

Patience is rewarded.

I'd add much slower than that.

Really? 10 1" chronis in a 150?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Undeveloped bio filter. Is not the number of fish, it's the amount of food.

 

[tpack17]

Gotcha! So what would you recommend?

 

[Mr. Bill]

Undeveloped bio filter. Is not the number of fish, it's the amount of food.

Agreed, that's a lot for your first addition, even for a 150g tank. Pick 2 or 3 other fish you want and add them first. Your newly cycled tank needs more time to stabilize and mature.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Gotcha! So what would you recommend?

What Mr bill said.

And def think about the stocking list as a whole. Is there a fish you eventually REALLY want. And look at the hardy first fish you can put in that list.
What do you like and what gets along. We have great threads here on that btw.

With luck and skill you might have them for quite some time.

 

[tpack17]

What Mr bill said.

And def think about the stocking list as a whole. Is there a fish you eventually REALLY want. And look at the hardy first fish you can put in that list.
What do you like and what gets along. We have great threads here on that btw.

With luck and skill you might have them for quite some time.

I guess that's the hard part. First that they don't bother coral. Second they get along which some people have luck with and others have issues.
I really like a royal gamma. Like a dwarf angel but not sure with coral.
What is a good fish that will be active in the substrate.

I guess I should let you guys know what my setup is. Lol.
SCa150
75g sump
40b just for chaeto( have some in already)
BK DC180
Radion G4x3
MP40x2

 

[leahfiish]

Chromis can be cool but they are definitely something that you would want to quarantine.
Diamond gobies are great sand cleaners. So are goatfish, although they can get kind of large, they are really cool.
Wrasses are very active and colorful. Fairies and Flashers in particular are usually peaceful and you could have a bunch of different ones in a tank your size.

For first fish for beginners, I often recommend royal grammas, firefish, and Clownfish.

 

[ndrwater]

I agree with those above saying Chromis might not necessarily be the best idea. They are often handled poorly from collection to shipping from the source. Often leaving them susceptible to infection. That coupled with the fact that a school of Chromis often ends up being A (singular) fish. They have a tendency to pick each other off until only one is left.
I also strongly agree with what Salty and Mr. Bill said about thinking long term and the big picture. Too many times a new reefer will go to the store and say, "Ooh the pretty blue one" without knowing what it may take to keep that particular fish thriving. Sometimes, OFTENTIMES, a well meaning new reefer will introduce incompatible fish unknowingly causing unnecessary stress for not only the fish, but the new reefer as well.. Nobody likes to see fish sick and or dying.

 

[ndrwater]

Replying without leaving some suggestions is probably not the answer you wanted either, so..
Royal Gramma. Pretty, generally peacefull
Yellow eye Tang, active, good for algae and more often than not peaceful
Watchman goby. Interesting fish, good sand sifter
Coral Beauty Angel, less likely than many other Centropyge Angels to nip corals. Hardy
Flasher wrasses, outstanding color and active. Caution... Definitely jumpers

And as Salty and Mr Bill said above, GO SLOW. adding a fish or 2 every couple of weeks is a decent plan. To much too fast is asking for problems.

 

[tpack17]

Thank you for the suggestions and advice. I definitely have no problem going slow. Took me 3 years to start my tank. Just want to make smart decisions on fish. When could I add a blood shrimp? Always liked them.

 

[ndrwater]

Shrimps like all inverts can be susceptible to Nitrate build up as well as salinity swings. As soon as your tank is relatively stable, say... 3-5 months in, go for it.
Relatively stable means your cycle is complete and you have nitrates within an acceptable level because you have been doing regular small water changes using RODI water. Beware of "purified" water as it isn't really good enough for our Reef tanks.
Although many people use water from their LFS, I personally down trust anything I can't control. An RODI unit is a sound investment if you haven't purchased one yet. It eliminates many potentially negative variables

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I'd start looking thru online vendors and check out all the different fish that will fit in your tank, which is most of the ones we reefers keep... Pick out a few that you GOTTA have then check out compatibility with each other and a few other fish you like. What does it take to feed them, will they eat all your inverts and corals, are they going to fight with each other? You'll want to add timid fish first to get them time to establish their hidey holes and territory, then add the more aggressive fish last so they won't have claimed the entire 180 gallons as theirs and try and run any new comers out of their territory. Also a the more hardy fish should be added first and the more delicate fish after you've had the tank running with fish a few months. That way the bio filter has time to get really established and you won't have any ammonia or nitrite swings when adding the more delicate fish.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Oh I forgot to add... QUARANTINE YOUR FISH. You've spent this long getting your tank ready. 30 days in an empty tank to make sure they don't have any diseases is a drop in the bucket. I just had to tear my tank apart, and I lost an $80 angel and a $200 eel because I let velvet get into my system. The money isn't the point though, that eel was special. I hand fed him, I was attached... You don't want that... Just set up a QT before you get any fish.

 

[tpack17]

Yes I have an rodi and salt mixing station setup. All 0 tds water. Good advice Robin. I plan on a quarantine very soon. Going to put some sponges in my sump to use for it.

 

[tpack17]

I added a coral beauty, royal gramma and yellow watchman goby. They are doing well but the goby was acting strange in the 150 so Zi moved it to a low flow area in sump. Doing better now. Will try and move him in a day or two again and see how he acts.
Read a few threads that they sometimes act weird and hangout at to of tank. I thought it was stressed. Wasn't sure if flow or what was stressing it. Thanks again!