Good Choice for 1st Fish?

[raymac]

My reef is cycled, got tons of worms and copepods. All kinds of stuff doing well on the rock.
I'm about 8-10 weeks into this now, and I'm going to put in a fish at some point. 150gal.
I'm thinking a Royal Gramma or a dottyback might be a good start.
I want a Tang at some point. Probably a couple of Regal Tangs. Maybe an angel. Maybe one of the hardier butterflies.
I will do some perculas later, when the tank is more mature.
How about the Gramma to start? Any opinions out there? Thanks!

 

[kev]

I think a tang would be a good first fish... considering that you have a big enough tank and the tank has gone through the cycle. Tangs seem to be very hardy and "somewhat tolerant" of "some" poor water conditions, You dont have to have a big supply of living algae in the tank you could just feed em that seaweed selects algae and they do pretty good. I dont know if others would agree with me on this subject though but tangs are very cool and pretty hardy at that... good choice for a first fish for me....

 

[luke]

I personnally think royal grammas can be finiky at first. I would suggest clowns (perculas included). If you get tank raised (readily available) then they are tuff as nails.
Luke

 

[fshhub]

yep, the clowns, and some people do think it is ok to add a tang first, but i would wait, jsut because some of them can be aggressive towards anything added after tehm, and the clowns are one of the heartiest fish you can get to start with(one of, after damsels or ff) so adding them now, is a good idea, even though you have cycle, you may still experience problems, which the clowns are more likely ot survive
HTH

 

[sheni_angel]

Ditto that directly above!!!

 

[paulytee]

OK, my two cents...
I agree with the above posts about adding tangs last, very territorial. If you don't want to wait to add a tang, make sure you add him with your lights very dim(or off). Just before bedtime is ideal. Mind you, this is my opinions and experience, and could be way off base! Also, if you add other tangs after the first, rearrange the rocks a little bit(esp. his territory) it seems to calm them down a bit and makes them more hospitable. Probably because they are confused, bitter, or lost! Yeesh... I have been side-tracked...
<img src="graemlins//freak.gif" border="0" alt="[freak]" /> OK, back to your starter fish. I agree with everyone's idea of adding clowns. Very hardy and they have great personalities! I know people will roll eyes <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" /> at this next comment but...
I know damsels are a b**ch to deal with, but with the size of your tank, I really think a bunch of chromis damsels would be a great addition. They are mellow, not too aggressive, school together,and are a beautiful blueish-green.
I have a 73g bow front(two plus years) with a pair of Ocellaris clowns, a small chromis school, a pair of small yellow gobies, a Cherub Angel, and my baby (my very, very favorite!) blond naso Tang. Added last..
Sorry for rambling, but I hope it helps a little bit!

 

[hondo]

just wanted to say congratulations on doing it right. 8 - 10 weeks without adding any fish, you don't see that much here as most people have killed several fish by the 8 - 10 week mark.

 

[ak_reefer]

I think you should go with clowns first. Also another great hardy fish with a lot of personality is the Longnose Hawksfish or the Spotted Hawkfish. As far as Dottybacks go I like the Neon Dottyback. And would definitly wait to add a Tang or Angel.

 

[canadian-reefer]

if all your levels are at 0, salinity and temp is stable I would do a 10% water change, test 24hrs later, if all is well add your first couple of fish. Tang is last!! I just added one royal gramma and three Bangai Cardinals to my 65 gallon along with my clean-up crew ....25 blue legs and a brittle star.
Good luck, have fun, enjoy!!

 

[raymac]

Thanks a lot to all...
I had a 100 FO tank a few years back, and the Yellow Tang was in there for over 3 years, along with a Tomato clown and a 3-spot....I know how territorial the Tang can be.
So, the Tang will be the last thing I'm going to add...and not a yellow....I like a couple of Regals or maybe even a Sohal.
The only reason I'm hedgeing on the clowns, are that I would like to try an anemone (I know that will probably spark some comments on it's own), and I'd like to buy the clown with the anemone.
So, I think it's definitely a Royal Gramma to start. I know that the dottybacks can be territorial, but Tullock recommends them...and I really like the color. I'm hoping that since the tank is large enough, that there'll be more places to run and hide for the chasee...
Whoever suggested a Bangai Cardinal....thanks...
That's a definite for a month or so from now.
Thanks again, folks. More suggestions and comments are are always welcome.
Ray

 

[k.lee]

No experience but in a reff, I'd add a dottyback last, or close to it. They are reportedly very anxious, agreesive fish. And they get about 3-4 inches long, ie. a death to many small gobies, even small peaceful clowns, et cetera if added early, IMO.
They'll eat copepods up too, if you want a mandarin, I think.
Lee