question about stocking my 55g...

[albionpo]

Well, I'm currently cycling my FOWLS tank and starting to research the fish I would like( eventually ) to have. I know there are a few different opinions about stocking levels & compatability so any and all replies & suggestions here would help me greatly. Here's my wish list:
2 perc clowns
1 dwarf angel ( coral Beauty )
2 firefish
1 six line wrasse
1 cleaner wrasse
and the 3 green chromis (if they survive) I'm cycling with...
Do you think this is too much? enough? ( was thinking maybe a regal tang after about 6 months ) It seems like a lot when I look at it. Thanks for your feedback!! Also, do you think any of these fish would be bad to have with a small cleanup crew??

 

[templar]

That sounds like a good setup to me they're all smaller fish so in type it looks like a lot but I think it would work, I wouldnt get the regal tang though, not with all the other fish anyway, and I'd wait for a more developed tank (4-6 months) until you add your coral beauty. And you could get a nice cleanup crew and live rock if you wanted as well. With a good cleanup crew and hopefully you have good filtration (or a lot of live rock) I think that would be a nice tank.

 

[albionpo]

Thanks for the input, I guess I'll have to scratch the tang, huh? I kinda thought so. Well, maybe if my green chromis don't make it, I'll eventually ( 6 or 7 months later ) have room for it? I love the way they look, but I know they can be prone to ich. Oh, well. I read a little about the six line wrasse but not enough...I'll be buying two more books today so will get more info. I really wish I could GET live rock for my tank but it's unavailable to me here in Hawaii ( I might be able to get a piece or two out of the ocean but not much ) My setup should be adequate for now...an Emperor 400 filter, 2 MJ power heads, a prizm skimmer ( I'm not running it yet )and a LSB. Think that will keep up with those fish? I think those fire fish are really cute...hope they don't hide TOO much. About the wrasses, though. Does anyone know if they're ok with each other? will they fight? Anyway, I'll take your advice and put my dwarf angel in last, maybe after 3-4 months. Thanks again!!

 

[guppie]

With out the tang your list is fine, they are all small fish and no it won't be over stocked. Just make sure you add one fish at a time to let the bio load catch up. good luck

 

[albionpo]

Ok. So now I'm thinking that I would really like to have a puffer fish in my tank. I know the only one I could probably get away with in my size tank is a valentini or a stars & stripes or something? Do you think I could have one with these other fish? I would definitely scratch the cleaner wrasse and maybe get rid of the green chromis...think I'd still have room? I hope so...I really want to have a puffer!! I'm getting some books in the mail ( SOON, I hope ) so I'll research a lot more but just wondered what ya'll thought of that line-up...2 perc clowns, 1 dwarf angel, 2 firefish, 1 six line wrasse and 1 valentini puffer. Too much for a 55g? Thanks for responding...

 

[nickyblase]

Having a puffer in a 55g would not be a good idea. Even though they are REALLY cute, they get quite big. As far as a sixline wrasse is concerned - you will be fine. I have one in my reef tank which has a peppermint shrimp, 2 cleaner shrimp, and a ton of other invertebrates, and he is fine with all of them.
Here are a couple of ideas though to keep in mind:
Sixline's like to eat bristle worms, which I'm pretty sure are never in new tanks - so when you shop for one, make sure they will eat flake/pellet food or brine shrimp, otherwise they will starve. Also keep in mind that a lot of wrasses have a penchant for jumping, so keep this in mind when you are planning the top of your tank.
When stocking, start with the most docile first - after the chromis, I'd add the firefish, then the clowns, then the sixline, and lastly the dwarf angel. I'd skip the cleaner wrasse.
I would also highly recommend getting some live rock in the tank like mentioned above. It helps with water quality, and long term the fish will be happier - especially if they want a place to hide.
Hope this helps!

 

[nickyblase]

Missed your comment about the difficulty about getting live rock. I got some really nice Fiji rock from an unnamed auction site shipped to me, and the pricing was actually very good. I'd shop around to see what it would cost to ship. It will last several days in packing with wet newspaper around it with plastic bags to seal it in.
If you're going to try to get live rock from the local water, make sure you let it cure for 6-8 weeks before putting it in the tank (you'd need to put it in a tub with saltwater, a heater, powerhead, etc).