FEEDBACK on SELECTION, SEQUENCING, and TIMING of adding FISH

[Spiderman]

I'm planning to upgrade to a 125G SWFO tank over the next year or so. The tank will have 125 # of live rock. I'd like to know if the following timing/sequence of fish to be added is acceptable. Of course, the tank will be cycled for a month, and I will put around half a dozen or so damsels for another month just to get things more stable. After I return the damsels, I plan to add the following:

2 (PERC) CLOWNS -(tank bred)
1 ROYAL GRAMMA
1 BANGGAI CARDINAL
1 CLOWN GOBY

(I already have the above fish in my existing 6-month old 25G SWFO tank, so it's a matter of slowly moving them into the bigger tank in a span of 1.5 months. This will then be the QT tank)

Then I plan to add the following, after quarantining them for a month each:

1 SIXLINE WRASSE and 1 BICOLOR BLENNY (juveniles; will add them together)
1 DWARF (FALCO'S) HAWKFISH (juvenile)
1 BLUE TANG AND 1 KOLE TANG (juveniles - added together; Kole should probably be bigger?)
1 RED FLAME ANGELFISH (juvenile)
1 AURIGA BUTTERFLYFISH (juvenile)
1 MANDARIN DRAGONET (juvenile; to be added 3 months after - so it will essentially be a year since the start of tank cycling)

Any suggestions/opinions as regards selection, sequence, and timing?

 

[austinsdad]

The first thing that came to me was the effort to remove a half dozen or so damsels with 125pounds of rock. IMO, you'll have to remove all the rock to do that. IMO, you should consider skipping the temporary damsels.

I'd probably cycle with grocery store shrimp, add the clowns (they're damsels anyway, but much nicer playing with others) and move the next 3 like you planned.

Gonna keep your shrimp, crabs and snails in the 25g? I think the hawkfish might have them for dinner when QT'd there.

 

[scuba_steve]

agree with austin on skipping the damsels they will not be fun to catch but would change the order of the first fish for sure

1 BANGGAI CARDINAL this is a slow swimming fish might not do will with the mix in the long run anyway imo
1 CLOWN GOBY
2 (PERC) CLOWNS -(tank bred)
1 ROYAL GRAMMA

 

[Spiderman]

Alternative to damsels

Since it would be difficult to get these damsels out of a big tank with lots of rock, what alternative do I have, then? I've never heard of shrimp cycling a tank. Maybe there's a better method of catching these damsels?

Thanks for responding, by the way, austinsdad/scuba-steve!

 

[quarryshark]

Check out this article.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

 

[cajunbaby75]

i have cycled with shrimped more humane than damsels and easier to catch one is hard enough just try 6 good luck keep us posted