Pecking order advice

[bona42na]

Im cycling my 110 now and planning out the introduction of livestock shortly. My plans are for an eel ,type yet to be determined, a Dragon Wrasse , a Clown OR Niger Trigger and probably a Sohal Tang for a total of 4 inhabitants. I would like to hear your ideas how to introduce these bad boys in what order and would like some more comments on the type of eel to get. Thanks Peter

 

[stacyt]

I would suggest a SFE to start with. They stay relativly small, and are very hardy.
Keep in mind that if you decide on either of those triggers, that they will eventually need a bigger home. Not sure how long a small one would last, but I'd say at least a few years, if purchased small. The same goes for the tang IMO. Also keep in mind that as clown triggers get larger, they get meaner. They have been known to just go nuts, and kill all their tankmates.
The dragon wrasse is notorious for moving LR around. I would recommend against one if you plan on keeping the eel. He could likely cause injury to the eel when moving the LR around.
As far as stocking goes I think it would depend on the size of the fish that you plan to purchase. If you decide on a SFE then I would add him 1st.

 

[bona42na]

Thanks for the reply Stacy. How powerful will the Dragon Wrasse get . I have seen them up to six inches so far and cant imagine him moving my 8 to 12 lb. pieces of live rock around. But Im here looking for advice so I'll happily listen to all. I would also consider a Humu trigger if that would be more suitable. Do you have another tang to suggest. Please not a yellow ! I really thought I was going very conservative with just 4 guys in a 110 ,now Im thinking I may have to start planning a bigger one!

 

[dockery07]

I have a dragon wrasse and he is by far the favorite fish in the tank. He can move rocks up to 1lb but not any larger. He is changing to a rock mover now. Last night about 15minutes after lights out there are three small rocks in the middle of the tank. They make almost a triangle, my husband and I are looking at the dragon and all of a sudden he is gone, burried himself in the triangle under the sand. I make sure he has some rubble to move around and he is just fine. But he loves to rip hermits out of their shells

 

[bona42na]

dockery07 thanks for your insight . I too love the D/Rs and mine will be the central fish hopefully soon .

 

[stacyt]

I think a Huma Trigger would make a great addition to the tank. There are a few other tangs that would do well, but keep in mind they require good water quality. With only 3 fish, and an eel you should be able to maintain the water quality. Have you considered a powder blue tang?
Another thing to keep in mind when getting the fish should be disease. Tangs are pretty prone to ich, and I would quaranteen for a couple of weeks before putting him into your display.

 

[bona42na]

Besides my 110 display I have a 20G sump and a UV sterilizer so I think my water will be pretty good hence the Tang. Ill have a look at the powder blue, I had a naso many years ago before live rock was even invented ! Tangs may be fragile but I like the fact that they graze on the algae.

 

[fishy88]

Do you have a protein skimmer? imo a skimmer is a must. They are more useful than a UV.