Stocking 75 gallon

[Alvarez]

As most of you know I have been getting a 75g tank. I know I am quite a bit away from stocking it. However my son has made a list of fish he would like to eventually have in hisq tank. The guy at premiumaquatics told him with 1.5-2.0 lbs of LR per gallon it will double his inch allowance in his tank. thereby going from 15" of fish to 30"

1st off I want to make sure that sounds kosher to all here and list the fish he has given me and get ideas on which to add first and make sure they are all compatible... He looked them all up and all are reef safe and peaceful with the exception of the yellow tang he strongly desires.

Green Mandarin - 4"
Starry Blenny - 5.5"
2 false perculas - 7"
Neon Blue Goby - 2"
Yellow Tang - 8"
Royal Gramma Basslet - 3"

coming to a total of 29.5"

 

[roka64]

Green Mandarin - this one needs a well established tank. They live off of copods and it takes a while for them to populate enough so he won't starve. Some people have had success feeding them frozen foods, but it seems rare. You could set up a refuge for pod production, but I have no experience in that area....I'll let others comment and share their expertiese and experience.

The starry blenny:
It is not usually aggressive unless the tank mates appear to have a similar shape as it does, like the mandarin or royal gramma (these might cause problems, I've never had any, except the royal gramma, that my damsels killed...grrrr...)

 

[xkenneth]

You can't really keep a Mandarin without a good refugium. Or you could culture the pods in a seperate tank, there are a couple places online where you can buy the larvae/eggs.

 

[Alvarez]

keep in mind I have told my son we will be stocking this tank over the course of a year or year and a half. We will be in no rush in adding fish and I have told him if we have to add 1 fish per month then so be it. The fish will be monitored and stable before we add anymore.

In a years time would the tank be established enough to where it could be our last addition or will I still need a refugium? Its early, I can talk him out of it.

 

[buiboy]

I don't have any personal experience with mandarins but most people suggest the tank be around 6 months old before getting one.

 

[tecwzrd]

You’re pushing the acceptable bio-load even for a FOWLR tank and will have issues with keeping your no3 level at a respectable level when all are adults even with a sump, fuge, and quality $200+ skimmer IMO.

I think it could be very doable if you cut the Mandarin & tang though.

The Mandarins have a dismal survival rate but if you feel you “must” have one please have a fuge ready to go with a healthy amount of pods before buying one and give your tank at least 9+ months to fully stabilize and mature.

You can purchase pods from the following sites if needed:
http://www.reefnutrition.com/
http://www.ipsf.com/#anchor45957
http://www.inlandaquatics.com/prod/prod_detrit.html
www.seahorse.com