Which fish to get and in what order?

[CyberGuy]

I have a new 120 gallon tank that is being cycled with Brightwell Start XLM and it will be a mixed but sps dominant tank.

For those veteran reefers out there, which 10 reef safe but pretty fish would you add and in what order would you add to try and prevent too much aggression.

I am trying to plan things out and hope for the best since there is no guarantee in this reef hobby.

 

[LIreefguy]

Why are you asking other people what fish to get. It’s your tank. Get the fish you want
If your asking advice on a certain fish or what order to put them in. Sure I think think community can help. But there are probably 1000 of reef safe fish you can add to a 125.

 

[CyberGuy]

Why are you asking other people what fish to get. It’s your tank. Get the fish you want
If your asking advice on a certain fish or what order to put them in. Sure I think think community can help. But there are probably 1000 of reef safe fish you can add to a 125.

O. K. Fair enough. I guess I have to be more specific.

These are the fish that I want for my 120 gallon.

1. Yellow tang (for algea control)
2. Yellow coris wrasse (for pest control)
3. China wrasse (for pest control)
4. Lyretail anthias (for color)
5. Royal grammar (for color)
6. Hawaiian male flame wrasse (for color)
7. Blue hippo tang (for color)
8. Melanurus wrasse (for color)
9. Black storm clown (for coolness)
10. Talbot damsel (for color)

Those are the 10 fish that I really want to get.

Then the following 5 fish that I really really want to have but will be risky in terms of reef safe/aggression/difficulty:

1. Blue powder tang
2. Purple tang
3. Flame angel
4. Copperband butterfly
5. Ventralis anthias

 

[Tamberav]

I would start with the more peaceful wrasse or the clowns will be fine if juvies....then anthias....and add the Tangs last.

I would skip the Blue Tang entirely. They get large and I don't feel a 120g is enough room for this fish that can live 20 years.

 

[fl3xlinton]

I’d say get the least aggresive first. Let them get used to the tank and then get your more aggressive ones. I let my clowns go wild in a tank by themselves for 2 months and I tried to add a fire fish and he wound up dying within the night whole tail was missing.

 

[LIreefguy]

Flame angels aren’t reef safe. They all will nip at corals Sone not as bad as others but in the end they all nip. Weather they do enough damage is up to the individual. I would skip that one
blue powered tang assuming you mean powder blue tang Can be bully’s In a 125 with a couple of tangs it might be too much on the other fish. I have one in my 275 with 15 other tangs he is the king of the tank but there is so much room and rock and he has 14 other tangs to bully no one fife gets it too bad. So if I where you I pass on that fish

the hippo gets too big for a 125. I personally wouldn’t get that fish. A lot of people say they are ich magnets. IMO it’s because they are very skittish fish. Put them in too small a tang and it enough snowing room and hiding places they smile don’t do well. My hippo eats like a pig but always the first tang to hide. So I would skip that one

the Mel wrasse gets bigger and more aggressive than the fairy and flashers. So it over time might bully them. Or at least chase them causing them to jump

 

[LIreefguy]

As far as getting the fish. Least aggressive is always better. But I find I add fish late at night. Add the new fish and turn off the lights , also make sure the room lights are off. This helps with aggression.

 

[CyberGuy]

I guess I will cross the flame angel, powder blue tang, and melanurus wrasse off the list.

 

[Terri Caton]

Add all wrasses at the same time. Add all tangs at the same time. You get the drift. Adding each species at the same time decreases chance of aggression.

Most peaceful to least if possible.

Agree some of those tangs need more room.

Powder Blue can be a brat. Purple too. Then again so can most tangs. Feed them LOTS of seaweed.

My flame angel is one of the best behaved fish in my tank.

Love my Copperband. He was even added after the tangs. Yellow tang was picking on him first day but now all fine.

If I had to give up 2 of my fish they would be the Yellow and Purple Tangs. Most aggressive fish in my tank. Love my Powder Brown.