Fish stocking/addition question

[brandan]

I just got my new 55gal. finally cycled. I have a Six-line Wrasse, a Maroon Clown, a Clown Goby, and I Scooter Blenny. I am just wondering if it is ok to acclimate all of them at once. I know you are supposed to add fish slowly, but is that really going to be much of a bio-load on 70 gallons of water? I was thinking of adding another Maroon Clown at the same time, that way neither one gets too territorial. Just wondering what everyone thinks.

 

[wrassecal]

I wouldn't add them all at once. If you just cycled you aren't ready to support the food needs of a blenny or a wrasse. How much live rock do you have int tank? The blenny is going to need a lot of algae to eat and the wrasse is going to need a lot of worms and pods. Your tank probably won't be ready to support the 2 fish for a least 6 months if you have 40 or more lbs of liver rock. The only fish on your list that would probably do OK in a newly cycled tank is the maroon clown. Maroons are known to be aggressive so if this is your choice of clown you probably shouldn't plan on adding any other clowns. The little goby will need a stabilized tank to survive so I'd wait about 4 mos or more. Patience really is the key to success - along with careful stocking plans.

 

[brandan]

Everything is getting moved from my 20gal that I have had set up for awhile. All of my fish will eat what I give them, including the Blenny. The Wrasse tends to take care of my Bristleworm problem, but he will eat Mysid, and Brine all day if I give him the chance. I will have a total of about 65lbs of LR, and 40lbs of LS, a 20gal. sump and a 55gal. DT. The only thing I am worried about really, is the load on the system.

 

[promisetbg]

It should be fine to add the fish as long as your tank's parameters are in check. I urge you to do some research on your 'blenny' which is in fact not a blenny at all. This is one of the unfortunate misnomers of the hobby. The scooter is a dragonet, and needs live copepods. I would fear the new tank has'nt established much of a population yet.Your wrasse will also outcompete the dragonet as it is a much faster swimmer than the slow and deliberate scooter.You could add live copepods to insure they are in the tank. Do you have a refugium or one planned for this tank? There are also encapsulated brine shrimp eggs available, they will hatch out within a day or so...and are great food for them as well.

 

[brandan]

I will admit, back when I bought the Blenny, it was a mistake. At the time, I did not realize that they needed pods to stay alive, every so often, he will eat brine/mysis, but it is probably not enough to stay in good health. Now I have to buy pods to populate the tank. My 55gal that everything is now going in as a refuge with LR rubble, and LS.