Stocking 70 gallon reef tank

[Mikesfish]

I am brand new to this hobby and have a 70 gallon aquarium with a 30 gallon sump. I just wanted any opinions on the stocking of this tank. I currently have 2 occelaris clownfish and 1 banggai cardinal and a cleaner shrimp. I hope to add 1 firefish, 1 goby / pistol shrimp combo, 1 royal gramma. After this I am not sure I have room for any other fish, but would like to have a coral beauty or some small tang like a bristletooth tang? Then clean up crew I currently have 10 snails and 5 hermits and plan on adding more as the tank grows. Thanks for any help!

 

[blaxsun]

You have lots of room for more fish. Maybe not a half dozen tangs, but easily 6-12 more small to medium size fish. I have 32 medium-larger fish in my 160-gallon, and they're all healthy and happy. It really depends on how good your filtration setup is.

A coral beauty is an excellent addition. Try to get the smallest one you can and limit yourself to a single dwarf angelfish (two dwarfs will fight in a 70-gallon).

 

[Mikesfish]

Thank you!! My filtration is just filter socks and a Nyos protein skimmer, definitely need to somehow add a hang on fuge or something so I can have that help with some nitrates.

 

[elchopo]

Thank you!! My filtration is just filter socks and a Nyos protein skimmer, definitely need to somehow add a hang on fuge or something so I can have that help with some nitrates.

You mention having filter socks as filtration. How does that work? I have a 75 gallon with just a protein skimmer.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

I am brand new to this hobby and have a 70 gallon aquarium with a 30 gallon sump. I just wanted any opinions on the stocking of this tank. I currently have 2 occelaris clownfish and 1 banggai cardinal and a cleaner shrimp. I hope to add 1 firefish, 1 goby / pistol shrimp combo, 1 royal gramma. After this I am not sure I have room for any other fish, but would like to have a coral beauty or some small tang like a bristletooth tang? Then clean up crew I currently have 10 snails and 5 hermits and plan on adding more as the tank grows. Thanks for any help!

Skip the tang, both you and the fish will be happier long term. They need the bigger tanks to thrive.

Coral beauty is a great choice with the other fish on your list. I'd consider adding a few wrasses. Look at the yellow coris, the radiant, most of the fairy wrasses, any of the flasher wrasses, and if you can find one that is eating well locally, leopard wrasses are gorgeous, peaceful, reef safe fish.

I have a heavily stocked 75 gallon, which will be extremely heavily stocked once the rest of the fish arrive, but I feed very heavily 4-5x daily, have a way oversized skimmer, run dual filter socks rinsed daily, have sponges on the overflows and wavemakers rinsed daily, have a UV sterilizer, and have a refugium that holds about 5 gallons of Caulerpa and has 50% harvested weekly. I also do weekly 10 gallon water changes. Corals are growing like crazy, fish are thriving.

 

[Mikesfish]

You mention having filter socks as filtration. How does that work? I have a 75 gallon with just a protein skimmer.

I really like the filter socks so far.. any excess food in the water column gets collected there and it captures their waste really well so far. I think the downside is cleaning the filter socks so make sure you look that part up before switching. I didn't want to put them in bleach and also didn't want fish poop in my washing machine so I bought a cheap pressure washer to clean them since the easier maintenance is the more likely it can happen!

 

[Mikesfish]

Skip the tang, both you and the fish will be happier long term. They need the bigger tanks to thrive.

Coral beauty is a great choice with the other fish on your list. I'd consider adding a few wrasses. Look at the yellow coris, the radiant, most of the fairy wrasses, any of the flasher wrasses, and if you can find one that is eating well locally, leopard wrasses are gorgeous, peaceful, reef safe fish.

I have a heavily stocked 75 gallon, which will be extremely heavily stocked once the rest of the fish arrive, but I feed very heavily 4-5x daily, have a way oversized skimmer, run dual filter socks rinsed daily, have sponges on the overflows and wavemakers rinsed daily, have a UV sterilizer, and have a refugium that holds about 5 gallons of Caulerpa and has 50% harvested weekly. I also do weekly 10 gallon water changes. Corals are growing like crazy, fish are thriving.

Thank you! I'm nervous with no tang I may have crazy algae issues, but I agree my tank isn't big enough for them to actually be happy so I just will need to get creative on cleanup crew. Your set up sounds awesome especially the UV sterilizer! My buddy added one and his tank was insanely clear after just a day of adding one. Thanks for the information on wrasses, I finally got my lid in this week so I definitely will be thinking about those options when I head to my lfs to see If they have any! Congrats on your success so far!!