stocking 55 to 90 gal

Discussion in 'Tropical Fish' started by chappy85, Apr 23, 2011.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. chappy85

    chappy85 Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2010
    Messages:
    376
    Location:
    Brisbane, Australia
    think am getting a little ahead of myself but have started thinking about stock the 90 gal i plan on replacing my 55 with.

    the 55 is really just being used to cycle the rock until i can get the 90.
    the 90 i plan on starting as FOWLR until i've got a chiller for mixed reef with a bit of everything SPS/LPS/softies, tho would like to be able to grow some nice big staghorn type acros.

    deciding on which fish is getting harder the more i look into it so am hoping some others experience can narrow things down for me.

    the 3reef calculator says i can have 22" of fish
    with that in mind im leaning towards
    1 blue jaw trigger 10"
    1 coral beauty 4"
    1 fairy wrasse (maybe laboutes? read below) 5.5"
    1 midas blenny 6"

    that seems overstocked but a 10" fish in a 48" tank doesnt sound right. would i have time to upgrade before he got that big?
    also will any of these fishes eating habits have any negative effects on my chances of keeping a successful reef tank?
    it seems like i should drop the trigger for maybe some smaller fish, but i cant find anything anywhere near as awesome.

    the 55 is currently cycling about 30 lbs live and base rock sitting on some egg crate. i have another 44lbs of fresh LR on order that will be delivered after it has cured.
    the main reason i'm looking into this now is that the guy i've ordered the LR from also has a laboutes fairy wrasse in stock i could possibly have him deliver with the rock, but i have no idea of their temperment or when it should be added.
    could i keep the laboutes in the 55 by itself for a while or will it go crazy?

    thanks for reading and please be brutal with any recommendations, i'm sure there will always be another wrasse :)
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. cdgardner11

    cdgardner11 Spanish Shawl Nudibranch

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2010
    Messages:
    88
    The main fish I would be worried about in a reef tank would be the coral beauty. They are known to nip corals. The bluejaw should be fine but does have the chance to go after an invertebrate or two.

    Both of these depend on the individual fish and both might be fine in a reef.

    You won't be overstocked with the amount of fish you have. The bluejaw will be small when you get it and won't be 10'' for years.
     
  4. chappy85

    chappy85 Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2010
    Messages:
    376
    Location:
    Brisbane, Australia
    That doesnt sound to bad then, I guess I could try a couple different coral beauties if I did have problems, and try keep it well fed anyway.
    Forgot to mention id like a cleaner shrimp or 2 and maybe a peppermint shrimp. Are they just considered part of the cleanup crew? Would make for an expensive blue jaw meal ($160 for blood reds here!), but I may forgive him.
    What about the stocking order? Would there be any issues adding the seaweed first?
    And if its not as stocked as I thought already could I add another small fish or 2 into the mix? Like small goby something or gramma?

    Thanks for helping

    (sorry, sometimes tapatalk will pick words for me!)
     
  5. BlueWaters10

    BlueWaters10 Skunk Shrimp

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2011
    Messages:
    282
    Location:
    Oklahoma
    I would be afraid to put any trigger in my reef tank. I have acoral beauty and it hasn't nipped at any corals but, they tend to hold a bad rep on this forum as nippers so I'm guessing they do it a lot.
     
  6. chappy85

    chappy85 Coral Banded Shrimp

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2010
    Messages:
    376
    Location:
    Brisbane, Australia
    Ive heard really good things about the blue jaw in reef tank and theyre a spectacular looking fish so really want to try one.
    Have seen a few cb's in local tanks with no reported issues so I'd like to try that too. As long as colonies aren't destroyed I hope I'll be ok.

    (sorry, sometimes tapatalk will pick words for me!)