How Would You Stock A 120 Gallon

well i like large angels,tangs,triggers,puffers and lionfish. i would give up all the others id i could put a large angel in a tank with some sps and anemones and mushrooms but i dont know if thats possible. I like all the corals of a ree fbut fish that nip at some corals so im stuck on which way to go thats why im asking with the angel

 

I would take some time looking at live aquaria and read which fish are reef safe if you want a reef.. How much rock do you plan on?

 

there are tons of cool fish that you can put in a reef tank... the smaller dwarf angels are cool too... I gave up on agressive fish and large angels the minute I decided to do a reef...

The big things are REEF or FO, or FOWLER, then what fish can be with what... once you make up your mind that you're going a certain way, it'll be a lot easier to figure out what can work and what doesn't.

 

This is what I would do....

Pair of Chaetodon tinkeri, trio of Cirrhilabrus filamentosus, a pair of your choice of Amphiprion, and a 4-7 harem of Pseudanthias ignitus.

 

First of all a 120 gal tank is really misleading in size. I moved up from a 65g to a 120g and I quickly had to move up to a 210g because I wanted a few tangs including a Sohol and I already had an Asphur angel which is not of the larger variety but more the middle size angel. I mean you have to give the fish room. If you want those fish and I've had a 150g with predators like those than have a fish only tank with a few rocks. Think of the money you save in lighting. Your doing the fish an injustice and I'm sorry but this is just my opinion. If you go reef follow the proper guidelines otherwise your asking for a disaster.

 

well what type of fish could i keep in the fowlr as far as them not being to cramped?

 

You could have some interesting fish but I would look to get the babies of the bunch and let them grow up together. Most dwarf angels would be fine so pick out your favorite. Figure any tang you buy will double in size the first year. My African Hippo and Sohol tangs are cool although the Sohol might grow too big for your tank but any of the tangs from the purple tang variety(yellow) are very tough on newcomers and attack with their hook but after that they are ok. Whatever you decide these should be your last entry and I'd put them both in at about the same time(I'd pick one or two). Midsized angels like the beautiful Majestic angel or the Asphur angel are peaceful and add beauty to the tank. I've never been a fan of the lionfish because frankly I'm afraid of his fins. Wrasse's can be cool I had a dragon wrasse that would drag rocks and rubble and stack them up into a mound and then at 6:30 PM he would swim around in circles over the mound and then he would dive in and hide there for the night. Funny as all heck.;D Trigger fish are always happy except for the undulated trigger which is not for this hobby. I've had a Huma Huma, Clown, Queen, pinktail and Saragasum trigger. The pinktail was the most docile and the Saragasum was peaceful. The Huma Huma was not shy at all and liked to checkout the taste of my fingers so when I put my hands in the tank I would make a fist. The clown trigger can be somewhat aggressive I would maybe put him in last. Once you add triggers you might have a problem with inverts and a possible rock slide as they dig into the rocks if they think food is in there.. That's the big problem when you get these fish is your going to have to keep stock of cleaner wrasse's as cleaner shrimp may not work. There is the Harliqin tusk which is a beautiful fish. Oh we forgot a couple of clowns would be nice and a couple of gobies to clean the sand and maybe a baslett would work. I cycled my tank with the two clowns and 7 chromis' and this way I don't have to chase damsels with a net as they get aggressive. Honesty a FOWLR tank can be beautiful with a few SPS hard corals that might work. Softies could be lunch. You never know?
All I can say is read up on each fish and learn their personalities and know who's compatible with whom. Without the reef system however I have to say the water quality becomes an issue as more frequent water changes might be needed without proper filtration. These guys are messy so take that into consideration. I wish you the best of luck and I'm interested in what you decide and how it turns out.
PS sorry for the book I wrote here.

 

thank you so much for all that information. thats what i was really looking for as far as info on these fish. So which trigger would be better as far as a humu, niger and clown are concerned for my tank (would 2 be to many?). and then with that a majestic would be better than a emperor correct because of the size difference?
-Trigger
-1-2 Tangs
-2 Clowns
-Majestic angel
-maybe small angel or 2
-Cleaner wrasse/ shrimp
-Gobies
and maybe some sps and an anemone
would that be to much because it sound like it might but honestly i dont know

 

Personally, I'd go full reef and get a bunch of smaller fish that are reef safe rather than a couple of the larger ones. I find that lots of small fish swimming around are far more striking than 2 or 3 big fish. Plus, making it reef means that once you're full on fish you can still add coral - much more fun, more work, but IMO it's worth it.

 

I do agree with Elliot as far as more little fishes are better than a few big ones but with that said I've heard that niger trigger's are docile and can be reef friendly and would be a good choice. If in fact you go that way then you could go reef when you want to although I'm not sure about the niger trigger with inverts. I would put the shrimp in early after the tank cycles and hope for the best.
I recommend T5's for lighting because they are universal to all tanks. 60" bulbs would have to be ordered online but I buy my lights online anyway as I can't find the lights I want in stores (reefgeek.com).