Thoughts on my Fish Stock Plan

[Katrina71]

Have you considered a watchman goby and tiger pistol pair? So cool to watch.

 

[mike550]

I really like your stocking plan as I’m starting to get my 120G going. Quick newbie Q for you. If I read your chart right you have 20 fish going into a 160G. How did you figure out how many fish you can keep in your tank?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sfin52]

@sfin52 just got a baby leopard. Maybe he could share a pic? Hint hint.

 

[thewalkingdad]

Have you considered a watchman goby and tiger pistol pair? So cool to watch.

I've seen videos of the pair and they do intrigue me. Haven't looked in the husbandry requirements for them yet, but I think I will. Do you have a pair? If you dump both in the tank do they find each other, or do you need to do something special in order to get them to pair?

Would I need to get rid of my Neon Goby to house a Watchman?

I really like your stocking plan as I’m starting to get my 120G going. Quick newbie Q for you. If I read your chart right you have 20 fish going into a 160G. How did you figure out how many fish you can keep in your tank?

Thanks in advance.

I'm going to catch a lot of flak for this, but I went with a loose and conservative interpretation of the old rule of thumb about 1" of fully grown fish per gallon of swimming area in the DT. I know that is a flawed approach, but that is the approach I took to develop a draft and that's why I'm here now asking for thoughts on if my plan is appropriate and ethical. So, it was a starting point, but I wouldn't rely solely on that method.

That does look very nice and very tempting. From what I've seen thus far, a Leopard is my third choice behind Melenarus or Fairy. I might have to have the wife be a tie-breaker.

Is the leopard a good pest hunter?

 

[sfin52]

I've seen videos of the pair and they do intrigue me. Haven't looked in the husbandry requirements for them yet, but I think I will. Do you have a pair? If you dump both in the tank do they find each other, or do you need to do something special in order to get them to pair?

Would I need to get rid of my Neon Goby to house a Tiger Pistol?



I'm going to catch a lot of flak for this, but I went with a loose and conservative interpretation of the old rule of thumb about 1" of fully grown fish per gallon of swimming area in the DT. I know that is a flawed approach, but that is the approach I took to develop a draft and that's why I'm here now asking for thoughts on if my plan is appropriate and ethical. So, it was a starting point, but I wouldn't rely solely on that method.



That does look very nice and very tempting. From what I've seen thus far, a Leopard is my third choice behind Melenarus or Fairy. I might have to have the wife be a tie-breaker.

Is the leopard a good pest hunter?

Yes it is.

 

[Katrina71]

Your neon goby will be fine with a watchman. Tiger pistols pair easily.

 

[mike550]

I've seen videos of the pair and they do intrigue me. Haven't looked in the husbandry requirements for them yet, but I think I will. Do you have a pair? If you dump both in the tank do they find each other, or do you need to do something special in order to get them to pair?

Would I need to get rid of my Neon Goby to house a Watchman?



I'm going to catch a lot of flak for this, but I went with a loose and conservative interpretation of the old rule of thumb about 1" of fully grown fish per gallon of swimming area in the DT. I know that is a flawed approach, but that is the approach I took to develop a draft and that's why I'm here now asking for thoughts on if my plan is appropriate and ethical. So, it was a starting point, but I wouldn't rely solely on that method.



That does look very nice and very tempting. From what I've seen thus far, a Leopard is my third choice behind Melenarus or Fairy. I might have to have the wife be a tie-breaker.

Is the leopard a good pest hunter?

Thanks. I’ve heard the 1” of fish / galllon but have also heard 1” / 5G which seems way high. Same thoughts. I’ll use as a guide to a stocking plan but I figure my ability to manage the bioload will really be the limiting factor.

 

[thewalkingdad]

Thanks. I’ve heard the 1” of fish / galllon but have also heard 1” / 5G which seems way high. Same thoughts. I’ll use as a guide to a stocking plan but I figure my ability to manage the bioload will really be the limiting factor.

Well, one thing to consider it managing the bioload is th easy part but doesn't take into account things like how much actual physical space a particular species needs to thrive. Some like to hangout in a small area, but some like to cruise the entire tank. Considerations like that can be more important than just managing bioload alone.

 

[thewalkingdad]

Based on input from the community here and some validation with researching more, I've updated my plan with the below.

Notable changes:
- Swapped Lawnmower Blenny out for a Watchman Goby and Tiger Pistol pair
- Swapped introduction order of the Goby/Tiger pair with the Yellow Tang
- Swapped Bartlet's for Lyretails Anthias
- Reduced Anthias count from 6x to 3x
- Swapped the Six Line Wrasse for a Melanarus Wrasse

I would appreciate the continued feedback. I'm not completely sold on the Yellow Tang (what other Tangs could/would be a better fit?), the Mandarin Goby (he would lose in a food-fight with the Wrasse if it came down to it), and the Coral Beauty (I love the idea, but still iffy on reef compatibility, seems like a 50/50 shot to get a prick fish).

What about the numbers of each fish? Any issues?

Thanks

 

[jp_75]

looks good!
i would still put bellus or swallow tail instead of coral beauty. you definitely have space to do it.

 

[thewalkingdad]

looks good!
i would still put bellus or swallow tail instead of coral beauty. you definitely have space to do it.

Thanks, JP. I am 100% UNfamiliar with either of those species, so I will check them out.

Could either of those be added in addition to the Coral Beauty or would that create problems and therefore you are recommending a 1:1 swap?

 

[jp_75]

Not an expert on mixing angels, sorry!
You could probably do it since we dealing with two different angels. I believe there was a thread about angels in sticky. Maybe ask there ?