???Stocking Ideas???

[protokix22]

So I've got a 60 gallon tank with what will soon be 60 pounds of live rock. I'm running a wet/dry filter and a cannister filter too. I've got your basic protein skimmer. As for livestock, I've got 2 ocellaris clowns, 2 firefish, a royal gramma, and a coral beauty. I've also got a turbo snail.

Now, the last fish I got was the royal gramma and I got him a little after New Years. I have two questions. (1) am I about maxed out with the amount of fish? (2) if not, does anyone have any reccomendations?

I would prefer an open water type fish that is easier to care for and gets along with its other tank mates. I was thinking of trying a shrimp out, any ideas?

 

[E249]

The general rule of thumb is 1 in. of fish per gallon. I dont know how big yours are, but you could probably get more. I would also recomend damsels, they are very easy to take care of, are compatable with nearly everything, and come in many different colors and shapes. Just make sure you dont go crazy and start adding a bunch of fish all at once, I usually wait about 2 weeks inbetween getting new fish.

 

[carey]

If it was an inch per gallon you could have a five foot fish in that tank then! LOL

It all depends on your stock and how well you maintain your tank. I think maybe you could add a chromi of some kind. they are swimmers and mine are very mellow. Damsels would be my last suggestion, they can usually get very nasty and are a pain to get out of a tank.

 

[Sniperhank]

6 line wrasse or 2 zebra barred dartfish. My 6 line was great, totally need a new one.

 

[protokix22]

To respond to Carey, I'm pretty good with the tank. It's newer so I'm still very cautious. My levels have been perefectly fine, and I check about every 3rd day. I do water changes, about 15 gallons, every other Saturday. I just put in another 30 pounds of live rock to bring my total to 65 pounds. Again, I've got a wet-dry filter too. I've gone to a couple fish stores (I'm lucky enough to have 3 quality LFR's within about an hour of where I'm at) and each one said that I could do one more medium sized fish before I maxed out. It is however, a relatively new setup, and I've been problem free for about 5 months now. I had a couple of blue-greeen chromises at one point, but they all died off. Someone said they are really susceptible to stress because of how they are caught in the wild. They were amazing when they schooled together though. I'm just hesitant to try to do that again, especially because I couldn't find one of them when it died and it almost crashed my tank because of the ammonia spike (I didn't have any live rock at that point and my setup was still in it's earlier stages).

To E249, I like the way damsels look, but I've got really good vibes going on in my tank right now, and I don't want any bullies. I've heard damsels can get real aggressive.

To Sniperhank, I've been getting a lot of reccomendations for wrasses, so that's something I'm considering. Other than the 6-line, any other types of wrasses that look good and are easier to care for?

What do you guys think about a threadfin butterfly? I love how they look and they're peaceful. The only downside is I've heard they can be difficult to feed. And I know they aren't reef compatible, but if I ever transition into a reef, I'm going to get another tank anyway for FOWL.
Also, I've been told I can get away with a smaller foxface? I love the way they look. But I'm nervous because of their size, they seem too big for my system. Any opinions?

I won't be adding anything for about a month, I want to make sure my system is okay after adding this new round of rocks. The last fish I got was the royal gramma, and that was over 2 months ago.

In case anyones curious, I figured all together I've got about 10 inches of fish (1" for each clown, 1.5" for each firefish, 3" for the coral beauty, and 1.5" for the royal gramma).

 

[Sniperhank]

I want to say an 8 line will go in a 50 gal...might be worth looking up. But 6 line is flashier. Maybe a fairy wrasse.

 

[carey]

If you go the wrasse route they are jumpers. :-( Lost a fairy about 3 weeks ago and I have a covered tank with egg crate. So a screen top or hood would be better for keeping them.

I started with 5 blue reef chromis and now have 3 left. One jumped and one disappeared. They are awesome though, the 3 are always together and zip around the tank in a group.

The butterfly is iffy. Believe it or not I just lost my kleins butterfly this morning and he was an easy one to keep supposedly. he ate like a pig but after about 2-3 months he just died for no apparent reason.

 

[protokix22]

Okay, well you guys gave me plenty of advice, now I have to make a decision. I really love the looks of the threadfin, but I'm just not sure I'm confident enough to handle it.