Waterbox 50.3 Stocking/Fish Suggestions

[jwood73]

I’m in the process of upgrading from a Fluval evo 13.5 to a waterbox 50.3. Display area dimensions are ~35.5x14x17 (about 36.5gal display and 12.6gal for the sump area).

Existing live stock I’m moving over:
- oscellaris clownfish pair
- YWG/pistol shrimp pair
CUC:
- trochus and turbo snails
- two blue leg hermits
- emerald crab
Corals:
- Torch
- Hammer
- Duncan
- Zoas
- GSP (on the back wall)
- sympodium

I’d like to add 2-3 more fish once I’ve gotten everyone settled into the 50.3. I’ve been going back and forth on what to add but I am thinking adding a blenny, one type of smaller wrasse and/or a royal gramma.

The blenny would either be a lawnmower or tail spot.

I’m stuck on the wrasse/gramma. I want this to be my more active swimmer in the tank. From all my research on R2R, it looks like some of the more popular options are: Melanurus, red line, Lubbock, and pink streaked.

Do y’all have have suggestions or are there any obvious red flags above?

 

[blaxsun]

For the blenny, I'd look at a tail spot or midas. The lawnmower needs a *lot* of rock as it grazes on algae 24/7 and can starve in smaller tanks.

A royal gramma or dottyback (I have a striped and sunshine) are great choices. In terms of wrasses, melanarus or christmas would top my list in terms of hardiness followed by some of the other varieties (leopard, etc.) The melanarus can get fairly large (my melanarus and christmas are both ~4-5" presently) and the do need at least a 1.5-2" sand bed.

 

[jwood73]

Thanks. I’ll definitely look at the tail spot then.


I was under the assumption dottybacks can be aggressive in community tanks? I’d love to go the dottyback route over a gramma since it give more color options. Would it be possible to add a wrasse along with the dottyback? Or perhaps a second dottyback instead?

I intend to have about 2” of sand bed for the YWG and pistol.