New hobbyist -which fish to pick?

[eekball]

Hi! My husband & I are new to the hobby & have a 75 gallon saltwater tank that we set up about 6-7 weeks ago. We were told that we needed to start off with 7-8 damsels to cycle the tank (unfortunately, I'm learning that wasn't the best thing to do). We did that and just took the remaining damsels out. We traded them in at our LFS and got a small school of green chromis (8 small ones).

We have picked out some other fish that we like and want to see if anyone can tell us if this is a good mix and/or good number to have. Everywhere I ask, I get a different answer!! It's quite frustrating!!

- Foxface
- Naso Blonde Tang
- Regal Tang
- Sailfin Tang (Red Sea)
- Heniochus (Black & White Butterfly)
- 2 jawfish or gobies

We also have 2 red-legged hermit crabs and about 8 blue/orange legged little crabs already in the tank.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

[scuba_steve]

welcome to aa for starters

if ya like the jawfish id add them next ! but important that your lights turn off gradually to keep them from freekin out and jumping out the tank ! once they settle in this is less likly !
naso will get to big for your tank in the long run imo
fox face isnt a bad choice have read that they will eat some algae other critters wont !
i think ya thinking of a schooling bannerfish
http://www.amonline.net.au/fishes/fishfacts/fish/hacumin2.htm
if so this a good choice
might want to hold of on the tangs till you settle into the salt keeping for a bit ! they can be a challenge to some

 

[eekball]

I don't particularly like the jawfish but someone said they would be cool at the bottom of the tank?

I think we've decided against the Naso Tang - like you said, it will outgrow our tank.

I also like the Fantail Orange Filefish but don't know much about it.

What about the Foxface, the filefish, Bannerfish and then in a few months adding the Blue Tang & the Sailfin Tang last?

Thanks!!

 

[IfoundNemo]

Hi welcome to aa! 75 gal tank is a bit small for more than 2 tangs. You may want to know about these 2 particular tangs before buying.

Regal tang is a pretty fish, but it is more susceptible to lateral line disease, fin erosion, ich and other skin parasites than many other fish. So you should really look into it first.

Sailfin tang - A 125 gallon or larger aquarium is necessary to provide plenty of swimming room. It is aggressive towards its own species and conspecifics at times, but peaceful towards other fish, so keep only one except in a very large tank.

 

[eekball]

IfoundNemo - Thanks for the input. It looks like you have quite a selection in your 75 gal SW tank.

Knowing that I like the tangs and different shaped/colored fish, what would you suggest we put together for starters?

We only have a school of green chromis right now (8), 10 hermit crabs and no live rock or anything.

Do you know anything about the filefish? And I've heard that the Butterfly fish is also pretty susceptible to disease, is this true?

Thanks again!

 

[scuba_steve]

most butterfly fish are coral eaters so you really need to research the ones you pick !
i suggest buy the book called marine fishes by scott w. michael !
its a pretty good guide to have with you when you walk into a store

 

[eekball]

Okay - I'm not trying to be stubborn here, but everyone I've talked to and info I've gotten online is all different. This is very confusing. But... We have ruled out the Naso Tang and Sailfin Tangs because of size. But what about a Scopas Tang? I like the shape and it is MUCH smaller.

What if we did a Scopas Tang with
- pair of Heniochus (aka Bannerfish, B&W Butterfly)
- Fantail Filefish
- pair of spotted cardinalfish or Banggai Cardinals
- Foxface

We have a school of 8 green chromis and 10 hermit crabs.
(Note: We do not intend on make the tank a reef tank )

Thanks!

 

[scuba_steve]

that tang would be a better choice but reading the marine fishes book its saye they are the most aggressive out of the zebrasoma's ! so add it last !

 

[austinsdad]

Check out my profile for what I've got in my 75g. The purple tang may get too big in a few years, but I know an LFS owner freind of mine will take him if needed. And like steve says, might wann add the tang last.

I had the foxface for a while, but got rid of him. He was a scairdy cat and got a real ugly brown when he was bothered. The filefish is a notorius jumper too.

8 b/g chromis may take up some of the fish per inch space you'll have down the road. Might wanna consider only 3 or 4 instead.

Most of all, welcome to AA!

 

[eekball]

Thanks! btw what is the "rule of thumb" for fish per inch?

 

[Phyl]

Welcome to AA! The next thing I'd put into my tank would be a nice sized pile of live rock (www.liverocks.com is *great*). That will give your fish someplace to hide, aid in the filtration and provide a natural environment to the fish.

The guideline for saltwater fish is and inch per 5g of adult fish minus the tail. www.liveaquaria.com has great information on the temperment of fish and their hardiness. It is a great place to look for ideas on fish.

Not wanting reef really opens up some possibilities for you. We have 3 chromis in our 120 and they're great fish. I've heard to keep them in odd numbers and 8 of them (24" of adult fish) would be a lot for a 75, given a recommended bioload of 15" of adult fish (lots of people go over that, but you don't want to go *tooooo* far).

We also have the spotted cardinals. They're interesting fish. They just hover in the water column for the most part. Our yellow tang is an avid swimmer streaking across the water like lightening at times. I don't have much experience with the rest of your fish since we stayed reef safe with our selection (and am so glad we did, adding a little coral to the tank changed its personality dramatically).

Good luck coming up with your final fish list. The hardest part of this hobby second only to waiting is limiting the number of fish you put into your tank!

 

[eekball]

Do you need special lighting, etc. for live rock?

Also, we haven't invested in a protein skimmer or sterilizer yet, are these absolutely neccessary?

 

[Phyl]

You don't need any special lighting for the LR. You'll be just as happy with it no matter what kind of lighting you have! The UV is debateable as to whether or not it helps at all so there's no rush for that. The protein skimmer will be worth its weight in gold and you'll want one soon enough but wait until you can get a good one. Just take it very slowly. Add one or two fish at a time and wait 4-6w between fish so that your bio filter can build up to the new load.

 

[IfoundNemo]

Hi again. Here are links where you can look up infos of a particular fish you want. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/categ.cfm?pcatid=15
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm

Lights: You will do ok with NO flourescent lights for FO or FOWLR system.

Protein skimmer: Helps remove small partical wastes(green/brown smelly) which can not be remove by your filtration system. So, get it asap! I recommend you get an aquac remora skimmer.

UV sterilizer: It helps keeps your fish/ inverts healthy by killing most parasites in the tank. Some people use it , some don't.Think of it like having an insurance.

 

[quarryshark]

pair of Heniochus

I hate to throw a wrench into the works, but I don't think this is a good idea in a 75. I have 2 in my tank and IMO they need more room than the Scopas Tang. Extremely active swimmers.
I know Liveaquaria states a 50 gallon system, but they also state in the same chart that this fish can get to 10" (they can, I have seen them this big). Don't forget they are in this to sell fish. tweaking system size recommendations can be expected.
we also have out own chart here at AA, I believe the system sizes recommendations are a little more conservative, but will lead to better success down the road.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/SWCompatibility.php
Have you considered a Centropyge (dwarf) Angel?

 

[eekball]

Was looking at a Coral Beauty Angel. We also saw a beautiful Yellow Eye Tang and a Dot-Dash Butterfly in the same tank. They all seemed to get along very well.