Start of my first saltwater tank

[Sonomakid]

Skimmer is a beast and yes I got it dialed in

[Sonomakid]

Reef rocks.net only sells base rock which is way cheaper than buying a bunch of live rock, their rock is awesome and I would recommend buying base rock and then only a peice or 2 of live rock from your Lfs. I would only order from reef rocks if you are not in a hurry as it takes close to a month to get an order from there, if in a hurry I would order base rock from Marcos rocks who is a sponsor on these forum.

[Sonomakid]

Ok as my cycle grows closer and closer to its end, nitrates finally showed up yesterday , i need some suggestions in stocking. Here is what i have on my list so far.

2x Ocellaris Clownfish ( my 4 & soon to be 3 year olds would kill me if i didnt)
1 six line wrasse ( 1 of the only fish my wife said doesnt look weird !)
my 4th and final fish i am undecided on looking for something active and colorful
1 red fire shrimp and a cuc (thinking of doing mostly is not all snails)

Please chime in with suggestions and comments ! thank you

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Coral Beauty? Or a Flame Angel?

[redsea]

Originally Posted by Sonomakid

Ok as my cycle grows closer and closer to its end, nitrates finally showed up yesterday , i need some suggestions in stocking. Here is what i have on my list so far.

2x Ocellaris Clownfish ( my 4 & soon to be 3 year olds would kill me if i didnt)
1 six line wrasse ( 1 of the only fish my wife said doesnt look weird !)
my 4th and final fish i am undecided on looking for something active and colorful
1 red fire shrimp and a cuc (thinking of doing mostly is not all snails)

Please chime in with suggestions and comments ! thank you

Just some words on the Sixline Wrasse......I had one in a 34g with one Ocellaris Clownfish and the Wrasse seemed to act a bit aggressively towards the Clown. They are really cool fish though!

If you get one I would most likely recommend adding it last. I believe that it it is always worth getting second opinions though.

[redsea]

Again, that was just my experience though.

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Originally Posted by redsea

Again, that was just my experience though.

And that's exactly it... Everyone's tank will react differently. My 6 line is great with my clowns, in fact, he likes the nem more than they do lol

[Sonomakid]

First off thanks for the quick replies, but looking up the 2 fish that benamayer suggested are both rated at 70g's so i would say those are out of the running. what about some sort of dottyback or goby or 1 of each as they tend to be smaller fish ?

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Dottybacks are awesome and they're active too. I had a Springer's Dottyback but it went carpet surfing 8-( Most gobies will work well, and are easy to keep...

[Sonomakid]

i was thinking a bi color dottyback or purple stripe or line i believe it is...as far as gobies i really have narrowed it down to any favorites

[redsea]

Dottybacks can be pretty aggressive too. I think it is the Orchid, however, that is a bit more peaceful. I would guess that you still may see a little bit of aggression, not sure though.

I love Dottybacks, as their color is just so amazing, I had a Diadem in my old 55g that was so awesome!

I think a nice Goby would be suitable for your aquarium.

[redsea]

Originally Posted by Sonomakid

i was thinking a bi color dottyback or purple stripe or line i believe it is...as far as gobies i really have narrowed it down to any favorites

I love these Dottybacks, but in my opinion I wouldn't keep them with more peaceful fish, as they are fairly aggressive. A good substitute for the Bicolor Dottyback could be a Royal Gramma. Check them out, their coloring is very similar and I believe that are a little bit more peaceful.

[Sonomakid]

i love the royals, but have shyed away from thinking about keeping them as i have heard they can be very picky eaters.

[redsea]

Sorry for the multiple posts! I forgot to add that I had issues in my old 34g when I attempted to add a Royal Gramma to the tank with the Sixline Wrasse. I think others have had both in the same tank without issue, however. I guess it all goes back to what works for one person, may not work for the other.

[Sonomakid]

I guess it all goes back to what works for one person, may not work for the other.

I agree 100% with this it seems nothing is set in stone when it comes to this hobby that being said... what do you think of fire fish ? my lfs has purple fire fish that are pretty cool

[redsea]

Originally Posted by Sonomakid

I agree 100% with this it seems nothing is set in stone when it comes to this hobby that being said... what do you think of fire fish ? my lfs has purple fire fish that are pretty cool

Firefish are fantastic in my opinion. Just don't keep them with aggressive fish, as they are peaceful.

[Sonomakid]

So that would be a no go with the Six Line...hmmm, i really want something different here.

[redsea]

Originally Posted by Sonomakid

So that would be a no go with the Six Line...hmmm, i really want something different here.

I personally wouldn't recommend it.

Have you checked out Bangaii Cardinalfish?

[Sonomakid]

yeah i love them, but everything i have read says they are lazy.. i am lazy enough as it is i dont need lazy fish lol

[redsea]

Originally Posted by Sonomakid

yeah i love them, but everything i have read says they are lazy.. i am lazy enough as it is i dont need lazy fish lol

Yep, they don't swim a whole lot, but they are nice looking!

Sorry, I probably made things confusing with all my "advice", lol. It's always tough for me, as I don't want to steer someone in the wrong direction......