Help..

rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
Hi.. my tanks in the cycle period and I'm thinking of the stocking. I want a mixed reef Tank with nice, colorful fish. What's a good list for my 120? Here's one I made. Tell me where I'm wrong. I have a sump and made a compartment for a fuge. All I need is the algae to put in it.. here's my list
Clown pair
Mandarin(1red 1green)
Pipefish (1 or 2)?
Christmas wrasse
Could I keep like 4-5 bartletts anthias to top it off? Thanks. Any questions about the tank, ask em. Preciate the help
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390947/help#post_3464749
Hi.. my tanks in the cycle period and I'm thinking of the stocking. I want a mixed reef Tank with nice, colorful fish. What's a good list for my 120? Here's one I made. Tell me where I'm wrong. I have a sump and made a compartment for a fuge. All I need is the algae to put in it.. here's my list
Clown pair for better odds get one smaller than the other.
Mandarin(1red 1green) wait 6 months to year (need well established pods)
Pipefish (1 or 2)? nice
Christmas wrasse very colorful & active, will compete for pods
Could I keep like 4-5 bartletts anthias to top it off? never kept them or researched them Thanks. Any questions about the tank, ask em. Preciate the help
start up a refuge area with LR and macro algae, this will keep your pod population thriving.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Bartlett's are nice anthias. They don't tend to be too difficult and are not that aggressive. I'd let your tank get a little established before trying them. My one big concern is the anthias, pipefish, wrasse and mandarin. All four are pod eaters and will hunt for food all day. The anthias and wrasse will also eat meaty foods, but they are pod eaters/hunters to some degree. This can create an issue if you don't have a very mature refugium feeding your tank.
The yellow head sleeper goby will bury your corals. I've yet to see one that didn't create a snow storm with sand.
 
njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390947/help#post_3464976
Alright... What's a goby you recommend that plays with the sand? Pinkspot goby?
I think most people will tell you the Diamond Goby is the best sand sifter, however, he'll make a mess out of your tank and throw sand everyplace, and he'll eat all the good stuff in your sand along with the bad. I'd recommend a Lawnmower Blenny, he's our favorite fish, good personality, picks at the rocks, looks cool. Ours is named Grandpa.
 
icedtc

icedtc

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBillyV http:///t/390947/help#post_3465004
I think most people will tell you the Diamond Goby is the best sand sifter, however, he'll make a mess out of your tank and throw sand everyplace, and he'll eat all the good stuff in your sand along with the bad. I'd recommend a Lawnmower Blenny, he's our favorite fish, good personality, picks at the rocks, looks cool. Ours is named Grandpa.
+1 to this!
I went to my LFS a few days ago looking for a new fish to sift a little sand or at least clean and live in my live rock. It was a choice between a lawnmower blenny or a diamond goby. After seeing what th goby did to his tank, I went with the blenny! The goby was the only fish in his tank and there were MOUNTAINS of sand everywhere. Great for sand sifting but too much in my opinion. Not only could it topple your live rock if not properly seated, but it just made the tank look chaotic.
Happily I got the lawnmower blenny and he is already my favorite fish. Like Billy V says, they have great personality, and can be found hiding in my rocks or out and about sucking algae off of them. Within 24 hours of having him in my tank, he's already bouncing around all over eating all the algae he can suck up. He doesn't mess with any fish and isn't making mole hills with my sandbed.
I would get a small variety of snails to sift your sand. Nice and easy to maintain without the worry of them doing too much damage.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
PLEASE don't get a lawnmower blenny. If you read through threads on this site, you'll find that most do not survive long term in captivity. There are far better algae blennies that fair better in the home aquarium than the lawnmower blenny does. I'm a blenny person, I love their personalities, but I am a firm believer than Lawnmowers should be left in the ocean.
As far as sand sifting gobies, most will throw sand everywhere. It depends on the fish. Keep in mind that sand sifting gobies might clean your sand, but they're also removing it of beneficial fauna, so if you're going to keep a sand sifter, you will have to reseed it from time to time. Some people just get a cup of sand from a fellow reefers tank, or from the LFS's reef tank. I reseed mine with sand from my refugium or from another tank. I have a Bullet Banded Sleeper Goby. They tend to not make too much of a mess, but again, it depends on the fish. Usually Diamond Gobies don't bury corals like the Yellow Head Sleepers, they're one of the worst.
 
njbillyv

njbillyv

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///t/390947/help#post_3465025
PLEASE don't get a lawnmower blenny. If you read through threads on this site, you'll find that most do not survive long term in captivity. There are far better algae blennies that fair better in the home aquarium than the lawnmower blenny does. I'm a blenny person, I love their personalities, but I am a firm believer than Lawnmowers should be left in the ocean.
I thought most people loved their Lawnmower Blennies, I know we do. We've had him forever and he's great.
So what type of Blenny do you recommend if the LMB is no good?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJBillyV http:///t/390947/help#post_3465028
I thought most people loved their Lawnmower Blennies, I know we do. We've had him forever and he's great.
So what type of Blenny do you recommend if the LMB is no good?
Depends on the size of the tank. I have a Black Combtooth and a Tail Spot in my 180. I think Tail Spots are great for nano tanks, mine actually cleans more than the Combtooth does. Bi Colors are great for medium sized tanks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390947/help#post_3465049
Would a pink-spotted watchmen goby be ok? Also, is my tank ok for like 4 anthias?
I don't see any issues with either fish. Just be slow on your additions.
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
So if I got
Clown pair
Pipefish pair
1 red, 1green mandarin
Christmas wrasse
4-5 anthias
Goby
Arrow crab
Urchin
Serpent star
What's a colorful, peaceful fish i can keep? Blue hippo t?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Pipefish, Anthias, and Mandarins are all what I would consider difficult. I thin Pipefish with any active fish like Anthias would be nearly impossible. You're just getting your feet wet so your chances of success are greatly increased if you have a lightly stocked tank and avoid the difficult fish for a while.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390947/help#post_3465195
So if I got
Clown pair
Pipefish pair
1 red, 1green mandarin
Christmas wrasse
4-5 anthias
Goby
Arrow crab
Urchin
Serpent star
What's a colorful, peaceful fish i can keep? Blue hippo t?
I do not recommend 2 mandarins, they'll very likely fight. Those combined with other pod eaters is just too much for your tank.
A blue hippo is going to get too big for your tank, although some people do put them in 120's. I'd consider a FoxFace Lo or maybe a dwarf angel like a Coral Beauty. A better suited tang would be a Yellow Eyed Kole, or similar bristletooth tang.
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
Would they fight if I had a pair of either red or green mandarins? Also, I think ill skip the tang or Foxface for more space for fish and coral.
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
Ok. Let's say I feed it in morning and evening, but leave Friday for lake and come back Sunday.. will it die? Will an auto feeder work?
 
superman

superman

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390947/help#post_3465220
The guy at ny lfs said anthias need to be fed everyday or else they will die..is this true?
It's not just anthias. You should feed all your fish everyday, 2-3 times a day. You could survive a weekend without food, but how would you feel by the end of it?
A lawnmower blenny is not a bad fish to keep at all, but needs to be put into a very well established tank with good algae growth.
Two mandarins in a 120 might get by with enough room, but they will starve eachother out of a food source quicker.
Is this your first SW tank? You may get some beginners books or even a good SW fish species book and see what kind of livestock is reccommended for a new tank. I know there are so many fish you want, but you need to be patient, and consider the fish's needs.
 
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