new guy from NY

[180 fowlr]

Hi Everyone, i am new to this hobby and website. growing up i have always been facinated by saltwater aquariums and now i have one.
a little bit about my tank:
180 gallons (72" x 24" x 24")
wet/dry filter
2 aquaclear 70
uv sterilizer
approximately 165 lbs. of live Fiji rock
2.5-3" live sand bed
the tank was first filled in February of this year, cycled with the live rock and sand for a few weeks then i put some damsels in there to complete the cycling.
the current livestock is:
6 damsels
2 pajama cardinals
1 niger trigger
2 yellow tangs
2 blue hippo (regal) tangs
1 blond naso tang
1 snowflake eel

still left on my wish list are:
marron gold band clownfish
Medium emperor angel
porcupine puffer (or dogface not sure yet)
lionfish
cowfish
huma huma (picasso) trigger
Clown Trigger

so, what do you all think? hoping to hear some suggestions/advice from folks who have had more experience at this than me. I am working very closely with a maintenance company / LFS that has a lot of experience and excellent references.

 

[carey]

Hi there, welcome to the forum!

UI;m so not an expert on compatibility of fish but I do know you are most likely full on tangs. Are you going reef or staying fishonly? I believe angles arent reef safe if you want corals. Also not sure on the smaller fish with some of your wish list fish. I know triggers and puffers can eat smaller fish if given the chance.

But we'll wait ans see what the actual owners of those fish have to say!

I just have happy fish tanks so I never need to worry, although I do keep corals so I have to watch out for that when stocking.

 

[Markaveli]

Ur pushing ur load real close with those 4 tangs

 

[180 fowlr]

i'm not getting anymore tangs. i am staying fish only, i would rather have the variety of fish than some of the beautiful corals.

 

[Markaveli]

What I'm saying is that the tangs r gonna grow and is going to need the room so more fish mean less room to grow

 

[180 fowlr]

What I'm saying is that the tangs r gonna grow and is going to need the room so more fish mean less room to grow

i'll keep a close eye on that. i plan to stock pretty slowly for that reason. i dont want to overstock.

 

[crister13]

I have wanted a cowfish for a long time. They will release a toxin that will destroy all of your livestock when they die or they are stressed. Best to keep them in a very peacful aquarium. The tangs I agree would be a little ify, but if you keep a close watch you should be good. The snowflake MAY eat the damsels, but if kept well fed, he shouldnt. Triggers are very aggressive fish. Especially the clown. Watch out for that. He may kill everything when he gets older. Nigers are more docile than most triggers, and mine bits me when I put my hand in the tank. (hes only like 3")! Good luck with your fish.

 

[crister13]

Oh and also no lions with triigers or puffers. I CAN be done but is very rare. The trigs will rip the spines off the lion and then kill it. Again good luck.

 

[ErrolP]

Oh and also no lions with triigers or puffers. I CAN be done but is very rare. The trigs will rip the spines off the lion and then kill it. Again good luck.

This is true, I have tried and failed with mixing lions with triggers,but 4 months ago i decided to try a large lion with smaller triggers one being a Clown, I have had no problems, triggers know not to mess with a large volitan. They are still all alive and thriving.

 

[ErrolP]

I have wanted a cowfish for a long time. They will release a toxin that will destroy all of your livestock when they die or they are stressed. Best to keep them in a very peacful aquarium. The tangs I agree would be a little ify, but if you keep a close watch you should be good. The snowflake MAY eat the damsels, but if kept well fed, he shouldnt. Triggers are very aggressive fish. Especially the clown. Watch out for that. He may kill everything when he gets older. Nigers are more docile than most triggers, and mine bits me when I put my hand in the tank. (hes only like 3")! Good luck with your fish.

I agree, your damsels won't last long, with blue and yellow tangs you should be fine in a 180 for their lifetime, In my time in the hobby the biggest hippo tang I've seen was 10 inches and it was 12 yrs old, yellows I've never seen get that close, just. Provide grazing room and plenty of live rock and algae on clips for them to feed on thru the day.

 

[TimmyVoo]

If you do get all the fish you mentioned your bioload with be out of this world especially when they grow to adulthood. The clown trigger is way to aggressive IMO for any home aquarium and is moderate to hard to maintain. The emperor angel is a great idea but your tank has only been set up for 7 months and it will most likely not survive. They consider your tank well established up until over a year. The lion in my experience constantly fight with my tangs because the tangs like to bite his fins because they mistake them for food. Also, the lion will eat any small fish you have with no question and not to mention their difficulty to feed because they love live food and you don't want to be bothered with buying live ghost shrimp 4 days a week. The puffer is a great idea as well but my only problem with mine is their skin is a great holder to many parasites. Like sharks and eels the puffers skin is like sand paper and a parasite like ich will attach onto the puffer and although it's on the puffer the puffer will not be effected but some other fish might in the long run.

I would stick to your tangs and maybe a puffer and eventually after your tank has grown in age, get the angel. You may want to jump into getting all these fish but it's not the best idea. The less fish you have the more enjoyment you'll get out of it. The more fish the more water changes the more fighting the more stress and the more deaths. Your tank will look beautiful with the tangs and eventually the angel especially with the Fiji rock. Don't overstock because it will only cause more stress on you in the long run

 

[180 fowlr]

If you do get all the fish you mentioned your bioload with be out of this world especially when they grow to adulthood. The clown trigger is way to aggressive IMO for any home aquarium and is moderate to hard to maintain. The emperor angel is a great idea but your tank has only been set up for 7 months and it will most likely not survive. They consider your tank well established up until over a year. The lion in my experience constantly fight with my tangs because the tangs like to bite his fins because they mistake them for food. Also, the lion will eat any small fish you have with no question and not to mention their difficulty to feed because they love live food and you don't want to be bothered with buying live ghost shrimp 4 days a week. The puffer is a great idea as well but my only problem with mine is their skin is a great holder to many parasites. Like sharks and eels the puffers skin is like sand paper and a parasite like ich will attach onto the puffer and although it's on the puffer the puffer will not be effected but some other fish might in the long run.

I would stick to your tangs and maybe a puffer and eventually after your tank has grown in age, get the angel. You may want to jump into getting all these fish but it's not the best idea. The less fish you have the more enjoyment you'll get out of it. The more fish the more water changes the more fighting the more stress and the more deaths. Your tank will look beautiful with the tangs and eventually the angel especially with the Fiji rock. Don't overstock because it will only cause more stress on you in the long run

Thank you for the advice. I don't plan on added the fish so quickly. I have been adding at an average of 2 fish every 6-8 weeks. I have also been working with someone with over 20 years experience and have been adding in a certain order so that it wouldn't be stressful (adding the most aggressive last etc.) I have also been watching everything very closely.