colorful stocking ideas

[thefishguy]

the main reason I skipped fresh and went to saltwater was because I didn't want non colorful tank.
I have a 75 gal.
could you give me some ideas for stocking, I would like to someday have a snowflake eel if that majorly affects my choices
what type of live rock has the best colors for fish like oranges, reds, purples?.. figi, keys

 

[revhtree]

It will depend on if this will be a reef or FO tank. Either way here are some fish I like:


Gobies
Wrasse's
Anthias
clowns
tangs (not very many choices in a 75g, but still a few)
Basslets
Angels
Buttterfly
Hawkfish

There are so many. You need to decide what type of system you want. Remember that you will be able to add all kinds of color with coral......

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

I like your attitude of jumping in. That's awsome. Most people are intimidated by salt water fish. Rolling up your sleeves and mixing some salt water is the first step and half the battle. 75 gal is a good choice. If you are just doing fish I would recommend some nice base rock to save money and some Premium Live Rock for life. Advice, understock the tank and go slow with adding fish after completing your cycle. I like
Flame Hawkfish
Yellow Tangs
Lawnmower Blennies
Flame Angels
Domino Damsels
Blue Damsels
And Percula Clown Fish

These are some pretty hardy fish that stay relatively small enough for the 75 and add a nice array of color. HAVE FUN.

 

[thefishguy]

thanks for everything, couple more questions
what about a cleaning crew some hermits, snails and about how many
would the crew and the tangs take care fo the alge.
Is pure sand good, like sugar sand or should I mix some crushed coral with it. would this affect biological filtration
as for the live rock I was thinking 100# of base then later add on about 50 of gulf and 50 of keys.
as for corals and cool stuff like shrimp and starfish those can be added in later after the tank has been estabilished + when I get some lighting better then NO
sorry for all of the questions, I am really excited I have been reading up on this stuff for about six months and I am slowly buying and making my equipment, looking for good deals

 

[ironmanxl1]

200 lbs of rock may be a bit much. There won't be much swimming room left. I've got a 75 with 110 lbs. I might add about 20 lbs more.

 

[malkore]

yeah you don't need to exceed 150lbs of LR in the display tank...1-2lbs is what's recommended.
I wouldn't suggest starting with dead base rock...it won't contain life, it won't be live rock, and thus it won't help cycle the tank. Better to start with a mix of base and keys or gulf so you have some die-off to help cycle with, plus more coralline (which means more color)

Don't mix CC in with your sand. CC is quickly losing popularity in the SW world...sugar grain sand is the way to go.

Starfish don't need fancy lighting, and some soft corals like mushrooms can do fine under NO lighting, though you'd need more than a single strip fixture.

 

[thefishguy]

I was looking at liverocks.com and they sell live base rock that is hella cheaper than regular keys or gulf.
I was looking at the your post malkore and what did you mean by only one fixture should I get another 48" strip light
This wouldn't really be a new tank it would be a tranistion from an old. Right now I have a 20 gal. tank I set up for a quarintine, that I am to transfor to the large. just the sand, which should be live sand correct or will I just have to start the whole process over again.