Looking for stocking advice

[Latitude_change]

Depending on who I talk to at my LFS, I get conflicting advice, so I thought I would ask all of you.

My tank is a 58 gal with 10gal sump. I currently have 70 lbs of LR and lighting is a Coralite Lunar aqualight deluxe--96w 10,000 daylight bulb and 96w blue actinic bulb.

The tank has cycled, however I am not looking to add fish for a few weeks.

I am trying to formulate a plan so that over time I will know what I want to add and won't have a problem introducing something that may not be compatable with what is currently stocked at the time.

I am not planning on corals, but would like some hearty inverts, so I am thinking feather dusters or brittle stars.

Also, I have nephews who, of course, like clownfish, so I want to plan everything around a pair of Ocellaris clownfish that I intend to purchase first.

Other than that, I am a blank slate. What would you suggest and how many total fish would you suggest for these parameters? Thanks!

 

[roka64]

For inverts, you could also look at snails and shrimp. Check liveaquaria.com and saltwaaterfish.com and vividaquariums.com or thatpetplace.com for some ideas.
Total fish will depend on what other fish you put in there. Your best bet would get a stocking list and post that, there are a whole lot of options.
I am going to move this to the SW getting started section.

 

[Ziggy953]

Start out with the pair of O. Clowns. They are great fish and are typically very hardy.

With a 58 you have several options for fish. If you are not going to do corals you could add a nice dwarf angle and a few other fish. Don't add the fish too quickly you have to allow biological filter (bacteria) to catch up with your bio load. A yellow tang would do fine in your tank. I would keep the number of fish small, maybe 6 total over the next 8 months to a year. Taking your time and researching each fish before you buy is the best thing you can do for your tank, the fish and your wallet.

 

[Latitude_change]

I was definitely planning on going slow. That is nice to hear about the yellow tang. My wife likes them, but I was thinking the tank might be too small.

 

[Ziggy953]

They would certainly rather be in a larger tank but it will do fine. You may want to add the yellow tang last and purchase a small one too. They will grow but if you start with a small fish it will adjust better to the tank size and other fish. That is what I did.

 

[fijiwigi]

Yellow tang in a 58 gallon? those guys get pretty huge. How about a 46gallon tank Ziggy953 Pushing it? its the same 36" I believe. With that lighting you could probably get away with some easy to care for corals low light corals.
I just got a shrimp/Goby combo 2weeks ago. Awesome addition lots of fun to watch the relationship.
I like Damsels there are some nice colorfull damsels and they don't get very big. So you can have more fish swimming around to look at.

 

[Latitude_change]

So if I don't go with a yellow tang, what are some other fish that will swim well with o clowns? I heard damsels won't do well with them?

 

[roka64]

Clowns are damsels. If you add damsels, depending on which one, you should add them last. My yellow tails were more docile than my 3 stripes and the blue devil ruled the tank, but he never bothered my yellow striped maroon.

 

[usmcmarc]

Clowns are damsels. If you add damsels, depending on which one, you should add them last. My yellow tails were more docile than my 3 stripes and the blue devil ruled the tank, but he never bothered my yellow striped maroon.

I don't think anyone messes with GSM's... Mine are notorious for putting any new fish in it's place. When I added my 6-line it figured it could try and bully the GSM's...haha!!! GSM's pummeled it, and now it stays away from that side of the tank.

 

[Ziggy953]

I don't think I would put a yellow tang in a 46g tank. That would be pushing it. Even a 55 (4' tank) is pushing it. The only reason I have tangs in my tank is because I'm getting ready to have a 6' 210g tank that eveything is going in. I think tangs should be in larger tanks but the yellow is one of the hardier tangs and will do ok in a 55+ tank.