Stocking Questions

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Bettababe1011

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Feb 1, 2011
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I'm going to start a 55 gallon reef tank, and I already have a definite list for stocking, but want to add a few more, since I've decided to go with this bigger tank. My definites are:
2 Occelaris Clownfish (one regular & one b&w)
1 Orange Lined Cardinalfish
1 Yellow Banded Possumn Wrasse
6 Sexy Anemone Shrimp

The possibilities for more are:
3-4 Zebra Barred Dartfish
Firefish
Royal Gramma
Black Axil Chromis
6 Spotted Cardinalfish
Peppermint Shrimp

I wouldn't add all of them, I would just pick and choose based on people's suggestions. And the coral list is stored on my other computer, so I can get it up in a couple of days, but a few of those were:

Brain Coral, Favites
Thick Finger Leather
Button Polyp
Candy Cane
And maybe one or two I can't remember off the top of my mind.

Thanks in advance! :thanks:
 
My vote would be to add a purple firefish to the definite list and I would consider the tank stocked. Id also add a few peppermint shrimp and a skunk cleaner or a blood shrimp.
 
So the one more fish would completely stock a 55 gallon? I probably would have gone with the purple instead of regular anyway, I do like the color better. I'll look into the shrimp. How many peppermints should I add?
 
I would not say the tank would be stocked with one more. You have to look at what you have. 2 clowns with small bioloads and stay close to their home, a cardinal with smaill bioload and small size and a wrasse with small bioload. A firefish is another small bioload fish that stays very close to home. No open swimmers and plenty of room bioload wise. I ran a 46 with 2 clowns, coral beauty, bicolor blenny, firefish, two damsels and a green clown goby. Shortly before transferring tanks I had a scooter blenny with no parameter swings. You're far from being stocked IMO.
 
Oh, another question! How should I feed these fish and corals? I'm assuming it isn't like freshwater, where you feed a few different flakes and pellets every other day.
And Sergie, what else out of my potential list do you think would work in this set up?
 
Most feed their fish everyother day. I switch between flakes and frozen mysis. Although don't overfeed flakes due to the phosphates they carry and rinse frozen food also due to phosphate. You'd gate an algae breakout... I'd say you coud add a firefish, maybe two of them if mated would look nice, and the gramma but add the gramma last.
 
Depending on the corals you might not need to feed. I have trumpets, frogspawns, colt, torch, green star polyps, assorted zoanthids, mushrooms of all types and other assorted polyps and I have never fed or dosed. They get all calcium from my salt mix and photosynthetic foods from my lights. As far as the fish food you've chosen I'd say you'd be set. If you get grazers at some point you may need seaweed enriched with garlic as a treat.
 
I saw some seaweed food there too, so I can easily get that. I posted some of my coral list already, the rest will be posted in a couple days. There's only one or two more. Am I fully stocked for now with corals, or could I get a couple more?
 
You can go pretty crazy with coral if you wanted. You would just have to worry about fast growing corals that can overrun others. With your list I'd say your ok to add some more. Just be careful with any that send out sweepers at night. I had a frogspwan fall over at night and land on a mushroom. The mushroom almost died by morning when I noticed but I pulled it off on time. It bounced back and is still alive.
 
Okay, so looking at the liveaquaria website, these are what I found:
Lavender Mushroom (one I had already been planning on but couldn't remember)
Bullseye Mushroom
Brain Coral, Trachyphyllia

I'll find more tomorrow, too.
 
Yeah your mushrooms would be great in there. They spread and look great in any tank. They don't spread as fast as zoas IME. And your brain coral from what I've heard isn't aggressive and is stationary. Good choices so far :)
 
Are there any coral types that I should stay away from as a beginner? I did find a colony polyp on liveaquaria that I liked. I know it was a zoa though, so how would I keep it from spreading too much?
 
And what about a Kenya Tree Coral? I know that is one that I would have to feed. How often would I need to though?
 
Okay, I have a list:
Caulastrea coral
Australian Big Polyp Blastomussa
Giant Green Polyp Duncan

And should I get any plants?
 
It all depends on the lighting you'll have. If you don't have something along the lines of T5's, Metal Halides or LEDs, you may be limited to softies. As for the zoas, even with an angry blenny picking off zoas growing over his home, they're still spreading in my tank. If you wanted to control it you could cut a part of the colony off. Other than that I don't know a good way to control growth.
 
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