Stocking suggestion for 55 gal FOWLR well established setup

[tomas21]

I have had an FO aggressive setup for 5 years and would like to change to a community setup.... What fish do you recommend for this type of setup in a 55 gallon show tank? And I do realize the max amt of fish in a 55 gallon should not exceed 11in

Here are some fish I like....
Powder blue tang
Lemonpeel angel
Six line wrasse
Percula clowns (tank raised)
School of green chromis
Flame Hawk
Peppermint cleaner shrimp.
Scarlet hermit crab

LFS recommended stock....
2 False percula clownfish (A. Ocellaris)
1 Royal gramma
1 Flame angel
3 Blue chromis or Yellow Tang
2 Peppermint shrimp

 

[austinsdad]

When you say "community setup", are you still talking fish only? 'Cause angels could be a problem with reef. Not sure about the hawk with shrimp. Maybe someone else could help on that one. How much rock you gonna do and what kind of filtration?
I see the LFS took the Powder Blue off your list. Might be a good move considering size and being prone to ick . But darn, it is such a beautiful fish. What the heck, you got 5 years experience under your belt, you might do fine. But 55G? Hmmm. Maybe there's a smaller tang that might work.

Definitely stick with the tank raised percs. Much more friendly. Good luck.

Oh yeah, welcome to this fine site too.

 

[RondaGP]

Not that pushing recommendations to the limit is good, especially when you are dealing with stocking density but.....

I thought the common recommendation was about 1 inch of fish per every two gallons. I know there is a mathmatical equation that has to do with surface area and not all fish have the same needs when it comes to swimming and open space but......

11 inches doesn't sound like very much in a 55 gallon. My 2 clowns and 2 damsels just about take up 11 inches (I also have a 55g).

Please don't think I'm correcting you.
I'm actually posting to inquire about the reliability of the information I have gathered from several sources.

Like I said, I have a 55 gallon also and I was want to add more fish.
Not that I was going to push the full 27 inches, but I was hoping for more than 11.

How off am I?

 

[austinsdad]

I don't think 11 fish in a 55g will work, regardless of the filtration and rock density. Those two things have a lot to do with the tank's capacity, but you still gotta consider giving all inhabitants space to swim in without feeling too overcrowded.

Th calculator at this site (above) uses the 5" rule too I think. One inch per two gallons equates to 1/2 inch per single gallon. Big diff from 5" per single gallon. Not sure, but those numbers may have come from freshwater stocking guides.

You just wait, one of these real smart people'll come along shortly and explain the rock/filtration/feeding relationships to stocking.

 

[tomas21]

When you say "community setup", are you still talking fish only? 'Cause angels could be a problem with reef. Not sure about the hawk with shrimp. Maybe someone else could help on that one. How much rock you gonna do and what kind of filtration?
I see the LFS took the Powder Blue off your list. Might be a good move considering size and being prone to ick . But darn, it is such a beautiful fish. What the heck, you got 5 years experience under your belt, you might do fine. But 55G? Hmmm. Maybe there's a smaller tang that might work.

Definitely stick with the tank raised percs. Much more friendly. Good luck.

Oh yeah, welcome to this fine site too.

This is going to be a fish only setup for now. There is approx 50 lbs of live rock + 40 lbs crushed coral.. along with CPR Bakpak and a Aquaclear 110. Based on the fish I listed what does everyone recommend? Thanks

 

[steve-s]

Re: Stocking suggestion for 55 gal FOWLR well established se

The stocking rule is much more a rough guide than anything. There are many things that need to be factored including territorial, benthic or free swimming, waste production/feeding habits as well as available space etc, etc.... That said, the guideline for SW is 1" of adult fish per 5 gal not including the tail.

LFS recommended stock....
2 False percula clownfish (A. Ocellaris)
1 Royal gramma
1 Flame angel
3 Blue chromis or Yellow Tang
2 Peppermint shrimp

The list above is actually fine with the exception of the tang. I would not house a large active fish like that in anything less than a 4ft tank. The rest will do just fine together. Also keep in mind that inverts do not add to the bioload but simpley consume available space depending on species so they do not factor into your decision.

Lemonpeel angel
Six line wrasse
Percula clowns (tank raised)
School of green chromis
Flame Hawk

Any of these fish would be fine as well but the LFS recommendation would need to be altered. Clowns species should not be mixed and only 2 of one type to a tank. Angels should be limited to one for a tank of this size. The flamehawk would also mean no sessile inverts like decorative shrimp. The chromis might also eat up a decent amount of stocking space unless you stuck with only 2-3.

Cheers
Steve

 

[tomas21]

Re: Stocking suggestion for 55 gal FOWLR well established se

The stocking rule is much more a rough guide than anything. There are many things that need to be factored including territorial, benthic or free swimming, waste production/feeding habits as well as available space etc, etc.... That said, the guideline for SW is 1" of adult fish per 5 gal not including the tail.

LFS recommended stock....
2 False percula clownfish (A. Ocellaris)
1 Royal gramma
1 Flame angel
3 Blue chromis or Yellow Tang
2 Peppermint shrimp

The list above is actually fine with the exception of the tang. I would not house a large active fish like that in anything less than a 4ft tank. The rest will do just fine together. Also keep in mind that inverts do not add to the bioload but simpley consume available space depending on species so they do not factor into your decision.

Lemonpeel angel
Six line wrasse
Percula clowns (tank raised)
School of green chromis
Flame Hawk

Any of these fish would be fine as well but the LFS recommendation would need to be altered. Clowns species should not be mixed and only 2 of one type to a tank. Angels should be limited to one for a tank of this size. The flamehawk would also mean no sessile inverts like decorative shrimp. The chromis might also eat up a decent amount of stocking space unless you stuck with only 2-3.

Cheers
Steve

Thanks for the info Steve... I think I'm going to go with the following selections...

2 False Percula clownfish (A. Ocellaris)
1 Royal gramma
1 Flame angel or Lemonpeel Angel
3 Blue chromis
2 Peppermint shrimp

 

[steve-s]

That should be fine for a 55 gal FO tank but I would encourage you to consider an FOWLR in consideration of the Angel you choose. They can be a fine addition to an FO tank but will do abundantly better with natural grazing surfaces that only LR can provide.

Also try to find out where the Angel is harvested from. Many are cyanide caught and last but a few short months. Also be sure they are not too large or the Angel may have trouble adapting, nothing over 2" if possible.

Cheers
Steve

 

[tomas21]

That should be fine for a 55 gal FO tank but I would encourage you to consider an FOWLR in consideration of the Angel you choose. They can be a fine addition to an FO tank but will do abundantly better with natural grazing surfaces that only LR can provide.

Also try to find out where the Angel is harvested from. Many are cyanide caught and last but a few short months. Also be sure they are not too large or the Angel may have trouble adapting, nothing over 2" if possible.

Cheers
Steve

Hi Steve.. Just to clarify the tank is a FOWLR and has been for 5 years. There is plenty of harvest on the rocks for the Angel. I just wanted to switch from a Aggressive tank to a community tank.

 

[steve-s]

Then you should be fine.

Cheers
Steve

 

[RondaGP]

Actually 1 inch per 5 gallons makes sense.
I know I read the other ratio somewhere. It wasn't for freshwater fish but it may have been old, outdated info. (I tend to over-research stuff and with that, I do come across practices that are no longer used).

So I guess I need to be content with my 4 little fish (approx. 10 inches) in my 55 gallon.


And I love Yellow Tangs too. We want to upgrade our tank size just to have one.