Thinking about stock list and would love to hear input!

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severum mama

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Great news- I brought my LR home Tuesday and it's curing now! :D I'll try to get a pic up later, even though it isn't much to look at right now.

I know I am kind of a long way off from stocking, but I would like to have a plan to stick to when the time comes. Plus, it's so much fun to think about! :lol: I want to do this right so I am looking for your opinions before I buy a single SW fish. I am planning a 90 gallon (which I don't have yet) with a 30 gallon long for a sump (which I do have- yay). For a skimmer I am looking at the Coralife Super Skimmer rated up to a 220 gallon tank- I am assuming that the manufacturer's rating is overrated, like they generally are for filters. I want a reef tank and will likely buy a 6 or 8 lamp T5 fixture. I will use RO/DI water and will probably invest in my own RO/DI unit sometime down the road.

So here are the fish I really really like. I know I can't keep them all, but am looking for an interesting, active, colorful, and somewhat peaceful tank. Any combination of these fish would be awesome IMO:
Bartlett's anthias- I've heard these should be kept 1M/7F, is that true or would a trio be possible?
Yellow tang
Kole tang
Watanabe angelfish (sp?)
Yellow watchman goby
Ocellaris clown or Sebae clown
Scott's fairy wrasse or solar fairy wrasse
Firefish

I definitely want the Kole tang, they are so beautiful. Any opinions on what I could keep out of this list would be much appreciated! :D Any comments on equipment would be awesome too. Sorry about the long post and thanks much for your help with all my noob questions! :D
 
You said you want an angelfish which could be bad news in a reef tank. It was for me. Twice. I love the Kole tang also. Yellow tang is great fish also. Also I have 4 bartletts and they seem to do OK. It sounds like your plan is coming along fine. Here is a pic of my anthias

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Very nice, melosu58! I knew you would chime in with pics of your anthias! 8) I know angels can often be bad news for reef tanks, but I looked up the Watanabe angel in a book that said it was fine for reefs... the same book cautioned aquarists about the Pomacanthus and Centropyge angels so I thought maybe it would be ok. :?
 
Nice article. Only thing I've ever heard about the Wantanabe that is not mentioned already, is that alot of times they suffer from improper decompression. They are, to the best of my knowledge, a deep-water species. They also will appreciate a darker aquarium. I've never had one, but have looked into them in the past. You're right though, the are planktivores, but that isn't a guarantee that they won't pick at corals at all. :)

If it were me (given the price, and delicate nature of the animal) I would bypass it, but hey, totally up to you! I would have to spend $100 or so on a fish to lose it because of it's sensitivity. :)
 
That's the beauty part... it wouldn't cost me $100. :wink: Plus the ones I've seen around here looked great, so maybe I would get lucky as far as health.

I know it may be a gamble but I just love this fish! I don't think I would risk it with a centropyge angel, but maybe I would have some success with a genicanthus species. I'm not totally set on anything except the kole tang and probably the goby, so I appreciate the opinions for sure. :D
 
Genicanthus species are usually great im reef tanks.
I have had two different batches of baby G. lamarks that interestingly loved green star polyp! This was a blessing for their new owners, for they were both experiencing the inevitable epidemic the star polyp can become.
I say go for it!
Oh yeah, Scoop multiple female bartletts. If you have a problem with the original male, dominant momma will step up to the task!
 
I say go for it to severum. I forgot about your "lucky" circumstance. Hah! Remember to monitor it for a few days when you get it in, and make sure it will eat all the food you plan on feeding it before you take it home.
 
I like your fish and it is pretty. I do have to admit that I dont know much about them so I have to step aside for the experts but I do have one question. If they do eat green star polyps what makes them safe with other corals? If they nip at any coral then they`ll nip at others. Just an observation IME.
 
I understand where you are coming from melosu58, and you are all experts compared with myself. Maybe it makes a difference that afishyonados is referring to g. lamarck, whereas I am referring to g. watanabei (I also like g. lamarck but I believe it grows too large for the tank I want)? Kind of like how the flame angel is reputed to be better behaved in a reef than a lemonpeel angel, though it is in the same genus- except for yours melosu58! :roll:

DT- I wouldn't bring home a fish unless I could watch it eat prepared food at the store. I simply do not trust that I have the skill level to coax a picky eater into accepting aquarium fare. :) Plus, the store does not sell fish that are not eating, or ones that are still stressed from shipping and are not ready to leave.

One thing I'm still a little confused about is that I was expecting people to recommend a combination of the fish I like based on my tank size. Did I not choose too many fish? I thought I did, but I would happily keep them all if I didn't. :) If my list is too large, could I keep all the others if I decide against the anthias? Do any of the fish I like grow too large to live a happy life in a 90?

Thanks again, you guys rock.
 
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