Stocking List for my 75 Gallon

[moneymm22]

Still setting up my 75 Gallon (48x18x20) tank and in the planning stage for the fish...

For the tangs, I have a local guy that will gladly pay for and switch out when they get too big with smaller ones, the bristletooth, should be good to keep (i think)

I figured they would be added in this order over the next year.

2 Gladiator clowns
1 Diamond Goby
1 Bangai Cardinal
1 PJ Cardinal
1 Dotty Back
1 Flame Angel
1 Bristletooth Tang
1 Blue Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Six Line Wrasse

is this the correct order to add?

any issues with all these fish getting along with each other?

 

[blaxsun]

Three tangs will soon be too many for a 75-gallon.

 

[moneymm22]

Three tangs will soon be too many for a 75-gallon.

Yea I figured as much, they would be last too add and prob would only do either the yellow or blue,

 

[Soren]

Still setting up my 75 Gallon (48x18x20) tank and in the planning stage for the fish...

For the tangs, I have a local guy that will gladly pay for and switch out when they get too big with smaller ones, the bristletooth, should be good to keep (i think)

I figured they would be added in this order over the next year.

2 Gladiator clowns
1 Diamond Goby
1 Bangai Cardinal
1 PJ Cardinal
1 Dotty Back
1 Flame Angel
1 Bristletooth Tang
1 Blue Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Six Line Wrasse

is this the correct order to add?

any issues with all these fish getting along with each other?

I don't have a lot of experience yet, but my research gives me a few concerns with your stocking:
Dottybacks are known for being jerks often, though some are peaceful. If you like the look of that bicolor dottyback, you might consider a royal gramma (Gramma loreto) instead which is much more likely to be peaceful.

Sixline wrasses are also known for aggression, but some are peaceful. You will probably have a better chance of less aggression in a 75-gallon tank as opposed to smaller tanks. If you like the sixline, give it a try, but keep in mind also that, if you see aggression and try to remove the sixline, these are usually difficult fish to catch from what I have read.

In agreement with @blaxsun, I would not try 3 tangs in a 75-gallon tank based on my research. You might succeed better with only the bristletooth and 1 other (you might succeed with all 3, possibly, but there are much higher aggression risks, especially in a 75-gallon). I personally do not like the idea of rehoming fish because they grow too large for current tank and will probably never do it, but it is a valid consideration if you have a solid plan with someone that has agreed to rehome them. Aggression could cause this to become necessity much sooner.

Flame angels, though quite beautiful and interesting, are known for difficulties in keeping them alive, especially in smaller and/or newer tanks. The tank should ideally be well-established, probably a year or longer, before introduction. A 75-gallon may work for enough size, but I can't answer this for sure due to lack of experience or information from those with experience...

Overall, this looks like a reasonable but slightly risky list for a 75-gallon, and I would categorize this list as heavy but manageable bioload for this tank size based on my research.

 

[ReefKidDarian]

looks good but maybe choose from 1 of the cardinals

 

[afrokobe]

You must be an accountant using excel for your stocking list lol

 

[Soren]

looks good but maybe choose from 1 of the cardinals

@moneymm22 I agree with this choice as well. Cardinals are usually schooling fish and might do better with 2 of the same species as opposed to 1 of each.

 

[moneymm22]

You must be an accountant using excel for your stocking list lol

Lol no just an excel guru, I use it for everything. I just popped in the images to get a good feel for the fish list.

 

[moneymm22]

@moneymm22 I agree with this choice as well. Cardinals are usually schooling fish and might do better with 2 of the same species as opposed to 1 of each.

Ok good to know, prob will go with just one or a pair of one species

 

[shawnriv]

I would remove two out of the three tangs, especially the Blue Hippo. If it was me, I would choose the Kole Tang between the Kole and Yellow. Depending if you plan on keeping corals, I would think long and hard about the Flame Angel.

 

[afrokobe]

Lol no just an excel guru, I use it for everything. I just popped in the images to get a good feel for the fish list.

I am the exact same way, I should start a reef spreadsheet lol

 

[reefz]

I know some will bite me for this, but I think would be fine if you had those 3 tangs in a 75g. The kole tang can be in much smaller tanks so he'd be fine. The yellow would last his whole life, but the blue would get far to big to stay in that tank. A small blue would work, but you would have to remove if it got bigger then 4 inches. Everything else would be fine. I wouldnt get both a pajama and bangaii cardinal, choose one. (they fight in my experience). Also note to not add all the fish at once, otherwise the huge bioload will kill them.

 

[Jib]

Seems like a lot of big fish for a 75. Also some that have unique care requirements. The Diamond Goby is a sand sifter, and should have an established tank with a sand bed that has plenty of life in it. Not sure you could get away with it being the second addition to the tank. As others mentioned, the cardinals will do better in small groups.

I'd try to research care requirments for each. Im sure you can wing it and toss them all in and they'll survive, but if you want them to thrive I'd spend some time researching each fish individually.

 

[Soren]

I am the exact same way, I should start a reef spreadsheet lol

And @moneymm22
I'm not an accountant, but I am an engineer.
I make my fish ranking and choice lists in excel and copy approximate-scale images into paint to picture how full the tank will be.

Example:
Fish Rank:

Fish Choices:

Approximate-scale images:

I usually start with a heavy bioload, then pare it down to a specific plan.

 

[blaxsun]

I've owned three different dottybacks: indigo, orchid and striped. The striped was the most peaceful out of the three. My sixline wrasse has been so calm that I often don't realize he's there (YMMV apparently though). I have a coral beauty dwarf angel and out of the half dozen or so dwarf angels you probably have the best chance of success with it (I'd rank the flame and midnight angels down the list). The cardinals will almost certainly get along, but keep in mind that they're an incredibly boring fish. They just kind of "hang" there, so I might recommend picking your favorite and getting another fish instead of two cardinals.

 

[Biokabe]

Still setting up my 75 Gallon (48x18x20) tank and in the planning stage for the fish...

For the tangs, I have a local guy that will gladly pay for and switch out when they get too big with smaller ones, the bristletooth, should be good to keep (i think)

I figured they would be added in this order over the next year.

2 Gladiator clowns
1 Diamond Goby
1 Bangai Cardinal
1 PJ Cardinal
1 Dotty Back
1 Flame Angel
1 Bristletooth Tang
1 Blue Tang
1 Yellow Tang
1 Six Line Wrasse

is this the correct order to add?

any issues with all these fish getting along with each other?

Here's what I would say:

1. Gladiator Clowns: No issue here. Any ocellaris or percula clown is fine for a tank like this. I lean towards ocellaris clowns myself, but no real differences between them as far as husbandry is concerned.
2. Diamond Goby: Save him for later, if you ever keep him at all. I've never had long-term luck with the sleeper gobies in my 75g; they do great for a while, and the sand bed gets really clean... then they die. If you want a sand sifter, a Rainford's (Court Jester) goby might be better. Supplement his sand-sifting with conches and nassarius snails.
3. Cardinals: I'd go with 2 of the same species rather than 1 of two different species.
4. Dotty Back: Bicolor dotties are nasty. If you like that look, go with a royal gramma - almost identical appearance, but much calmer disposition. If you want a dottyback, go with an orchid dottyback - they're much more peaceful.
5. Flame Angel: Dwarf angels in general can be hit-or-miss with reef tanks. Some indulge in coral predation, some don't. If you're not planning on keeping LPS corals, should be fine. If you are, know that adding a dwarf angel is a calculated risk. Flames can be a bit challenging and expensive; coral beauty, pygmy and flameback angels are other species that are a little more forgiving and a lot less money.
6. Tangs: I'd skip the yellow and the blue. Any of the bristletooth tangs (tomini, kole, yellow-eye, white tail) should be fine for a 75g long-term. Both of your other tangs would quickly outgrow your tank and could turn aggressive very quickly.
7. Six-line Wrasse: I'd skip this one and pick up a melanarus wrasse instead. Six-lines often turn into bullies and don't always show up where you can see them, or do their "job" in the reef tank. Melanarus have that same striped look, but IMO are much more attractive, more active, more visible and more reliable at consuming flatworms and other small pests.

That's my opinion.

 

[moneymm22]

Here's what I would say:

1. Gladiator Clowns: No issue here. Any ocellaris or percula clown is fine for a tank like this. I lean towards ocellaris clowns myself, but no real differences between them as far as husbandry is concerned.
2. Diamond Goby: Save him for later, if you ever keep him at all. I've never had long-term luck with the sleeper gobies in my 75g; they do great for a while, and the sand bed gets really clean... then they die. If you want a sand sifter, a Rainford's (Court Jester) goby might be better. Supplement his sand-sifting with conches and nassarius snails.
3. Cardinals: I'd go with 2 of the same species rather than 1 of two different species.
4. Dotty Back: Bicolor dotties are nasty. If you like that look, go with a royal gramma - almost identical appearance, but much calmer disposition. If you want a dottyback, go with an orchid dottyback - they're much more peaceful.
5. Flame Angel: Dwarf angels in general can be hit-or-miss with reef tanks. Some indulge in coral predation, some don't. If you're not planning on keeping LPS corals, should be fine. If you are, know that adding a dwarf angel is a calculated risk. Flames can be a bit challenging and expensive; coral beauty, pygmy and flameback angels are other species that are a little more forgiving and a lot less money.
6. Tangs: I'd skip the yellow and the blue. Any of the bristletooth tangs (tomini, kole, yellow-eye, white tail) should be fine for a 75g long-term. Both of your other tangs would quickly outgrow your tank and could turn aggressive very quickly.
7. Six-line Wrasse: I'd skip this one and pick up a melanarus wrasse instead. Six-lines often turn into bullies and don't always show up where you can see them, or do their "job" in the reef tank. Melanarus have that same striped look, but IMO are much more attractive, more active, more visible and more reliable at consuming flatworms and other small pests.

That's my opinion.

do i have to get the clowns first? maybe i can get the royal gramma first?

 

[Biokabe]

do i have to get the clowns first? maybe i can get the royal gramma first?

You can pretty much drop the clowns in whenever. They're very hardy, which makes them a good first fish, but so are grammas. Clowns are pugnacious enough to resist bullying, but not so aggressive that they really cause problems (as long as we're not talking about something like a maroon clown).

 

[davidcalgary29]

I spent months hunting down a royal gramma...only to realize that, while beautiful, it really didn't match the impact of my orchid dottybacks in the tank, which are spectacular. But make sure to get captive-bred specimens!

Why no blennies? The striped blenny is an excellent aquarium fish. Okay, it's a little venomous, but mine never bit me.

I'd look at fish with unorthodox locomotion, like filefish, which will give added interest to the tank. The pygmy white-spotted filefish is much better-behaved than larger filefish, and probably won't munch on your coral.

I'd replace two of the tangs with a variety of fun and interesting urchins. And keyhole limpets (aka "elephant slugs"). And an abalone.

 

[PNWReefer21]

Have you considered a wrasse?