Unusual Stock for 45 Gallon Lagoon?

[PicassoClown04]

So I inherited a lagoon tank today, 45 gallon barebottom. It’s been in my house this whole time but was technically my dad’s until today. So it’s fully cycled and everything. It’s currently an sps dominant tank but I’m thinking about changing that. Anyway, here’s my question. Does anybody have any ideas for unusual stock for a mixed reef tank? I’m definitely gonna have a mixed reef but less heavy on the sps.

thinking about a Madagascar croucher? Possibly some fathead anthias? Will a mandarin be okay in a 45 if I dose pods for a while and add some pod hotels/rubble in the sump and wait a couple of months- a year?

I’m looking for fish that not everybody has. Please no eels or fish that need live food. Multiple feedings per day is fine. Thanks y’all!!

 

[PicassoClown04]

Bump

 

[Sosuke]

If the tank has a lot of liverock and no pod eaters besides the mandarin I think a mandarin will do fine in a 45, I've had my 32 biocube up since October and added a mandarin at around the 6 month mark and he was tiny when I got him and now he's doubled in size. The sunburst anthias will be fine if you feed 2-3 times a day and make sure you have heavy filtration for it. My LFS was surprised to hear Ive kept it alive for some reason...

 

[PicassoClown04]

If the tank has a lot of liverock and no pod eaters besides the mandarin I think a mandarin will do fine in a 45, I've had my 32 biocube up since October and added a mandarin at around the 6 month mark and he was tiny when I got him and now he's doubled in size. The sunburst anthias will be fine if you feed 2-3 times a day and make sure you have heavy filtration for it. My LFS was surprised to hear Ive kept it alive for some reason...

Im not worried about keeping whatever I get alive, just wondering what I should keep!

 

[Sosuke]

Im not worried about keeping whatever I get alive, just wondering what I should keep!

Ah my mistake sorry, then yea I think a mandarin and maybe an anthias or 2 would be awesome in a mixed reef

 

[PicassoClown04]

Ah my mistake sorry, then yea I think a mandarin and maybe an anthias or 2 would be awesome in a mixed reef

Just read that fatheads get to 5” isn’t that a little big for a 45 lagoon?

 

[LegendaryCG]

If you want unusual go softies or anenomes.

 

[Sosuke]

Just read that fatheads get to 5” isn’t that a little big for a 45 lagoon?

Yea that may be a problem actually, another colorful fish that won't outgrow the 45 could be a type of firefish or basslet

 

[PicassoClown04]

If you want unusual go softies or anenomes.

Im thinking maybe a BTA dominant tank? Is it okay to mix different colors? Like RBTA, Green, Black Widow, CSB, in the same tank?

 

[PicassoClown04]

Yea that may be a problem actually, another colorful fish that won't outgrow the 45 could be a type of firefish or basslet

Was thinking maybe exquisiet or helfrichi firefish but I currently don’t have a lid, they’re notorious jumpers

 

[Sosuke]

Was thinking maybe exquisiet or helfrichi firefish but I currently don’t have a lid, they’re notorious jumpers

I would look into getting a lid if you can since any fish does have the ability to jump out of the tank or maybe strong surface agitation

 

[LegendaryCG]

Im thinking maybe a BTA dominant tank? Is it okay to mix different colors? Like RBTA, Green, Black Widow, CSB, in the same tank?

I’m doing the same in my IM.. different BTA will hurt each other, but you should be able to have a couple in your tank as they will move away and settle in their own spot.

 

[LRT]

I would scratch firefish or any jumper fish from the list I have tried most and lost them all eventually.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I’m doing the same in my IM.. different BTA will hurt each other, but you should be able to have a couple in your tank as they will move away and settle in their own spot.

So how many for a 45 lagoon? Maybe 3 different varieties added over about a year so they have time to find a happy place? Which ones are y’all’s favorites? I’ve already got black widow and RBTA.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I would scratch firefish or any jumper fish from the list I have tried most and lost them all eventually.

Yeah I’ve heard a lot of sad stories about like a 1/8” hole leading to a dried up fish. Haven’t had any jumpers yet and I’m hoping to keep it that way!!

 

[PicassoClown04]

Do y’all thing a ruby red dragonet would be easier on the pods than a green/psychedelic mandarin? I’m just nervous about it running out of pods since I’m gone on the weekends and on vacation a lot. I’m home Monday-Friday and Im willing to feed it with a pipette those days but it’s gonna have to rely on pods sometimes and I just don’t want it to starve to death while I’m away.

 

[PicassoClown04]

I would look into getting a lid if you can since any fish does have the ability to jump out of the tank or maybe strong surface agitation

All my tanks have pretty good surface agitation, I like the shimmer effect on the wall from the light . It’s also an sps tank right now so the flow is pretty good, thinking about changing out the powerheads/turning them down so my fish don’t struggle.

 

[LegendaryCG]

3 should be ok, in partial to the rarer greens like the acid wash.

 

[Sosuke]

Do y’all thing a ruby red dragonet would be easier on the pods than a green/psychedelic mandarin? I’m just nervous about it running out of pods since I’m gone on the weekends and on vacation a lot. I’m home Monday-Friday and Im willing to feed it with a pipette those days but it’s gonna have to rely on pods sometimes and I just don’t want it to starve to death while I’m away.

Im not sure if one is faster at eating pods than the other if the tank is established I bet it will be fine during the weekends

 

[PicassoClown04]

Okay so I threw this together real quick. Not my tank but a very similar aquascape. I definitely want some nicer clams either blue maxima, blue/green crocea, and/or a teardrop maxima (looking to have all three but possibly only 2 since I have a blue leopard maxima in another tank). Definitely some rarer softies like the green nepthea, photosynthetic gorgs, yellow Tonga leather, and Tonga colt (cauliflower colt). I put 3 variety of BTA in here, lemon drop, inferno, and CSB but I’m not expecting to get all three of these. I do think a yellow nem would be nice though now that I know they exist. Any other unusual corals that arent crazy super difficult to keep? Im good with daily feeding if need be, of course not on weekends and possibly not for a week or two as vacation.