Stocking a 3’x2’x2’ tank?

[Zionas]

How does this list look? Would appreciate suggestions:

 

x1 Flameback Angelfish

 

x1 Purple Firefish

 

x2 Ocellaris Clownfish (common)- Captive Bred

 

x2 Azure Damselfish

 

x1 Orange Spotted / YWG + Randall’s / Tiger Pistol Shrimp

 

x1 Royal Gramma

 

x2 Pajama Cardinalfish

 

x1 Starry / Bicolor Blenny

 

 

Is this too much? Any compatibility or other issues?

[Clown79]

How many gallons

[Tamberav]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

How many gallons

Dimensions would put it around 90g

 

7 hours ago, Zionas said:

How does this list look? Would appreciate suggestions:

 

x1 Flameback Angelfish

 

x1 Purple Firefish

 

x2 Ocellaris Clownfish (common)- Captive Bred

 

x2 Azure Damselfish

 

x1 Orange Spotted / YWG + Randall’s / Tiger Pistol Shrimp

 

x1 Royal Gramma

 

x2 Pajama Cardinalfish

 

x1 Starry / Bicolor Blenny

 

 

Is this too much? Any compatibility or other issues?

Firefish may get bullied. Everything on your list is semi-aggressive except the pajama's and firefish. Firefish are more common a target of bullies since they often try to hide in caves that other fish defend like the damsels, blenny, gramma. Looks ok otherwise. 

 

I feel like your tank is constantly shrinking 😛

[Tired]

Agreed on the potential issues. Might work if you added the firefish and cardinals first, and if you make sure to have a lot more caves than you have fish.

I would get 1 azure damsel, not two. They and the clownfish should be some of the last fish added. 

 

Go with the tiger pistol, candycane pistols are tiny and a bit more likely to get eaten. In a big tank, may as well have the bigger pistol. 

[DISQUALIFIED-QQ]

90 gallons assuming this is the internal measurements of the aquarium. Just one damsel. You'd be surprised how much ownership it will take. It may complicate things with the clownfish (yet another damselfish). You definitely should pay attention to temperaments as you go from nicest to meanest. I'm not sure if this was considered, but it may be a good idea to have some fish do some work for you if you ever come across the need for algae and invertebrate management. They're not end all be all since they should be a layer on top of a proper clean up crew. My stock list below has a couple of plant nibblers and will have a wrasse for potential worms if it interests you; if not no offense taken.

 

Now if you have me entirely stock your tank, I'd have these fish: A "reef-safe" route...this is when you'll eventually do corals.

• 1 Fairy-type Wrasse (I like bluehead fairies)
• 3+ Pajama cardinalfish (loose groups can be cool to look at, not the most active fish however)
• 1 Firefish species
• 1 Lawnmower/algae blenny
• 1 Kole (yellow eye) OR tomini tang (Ctenochaetus tangs run smaller, so they can work in a 90 gallon)
• 2 Ocellaris clowns (you could try other species but ocellaris seem to be a little more even-tempered comparatively speaking)

If you're not thinking about corals at all.

• 1 Ctenochaetus tang
• 1 dwarf angel
• 1 small (>7") butterfly (like a pearlscale or latticed)
• 1 One-spot Foxface
• 1 pick a wrasse that won't go more than 6-7" heck even a sixline could do the trick.

5 bigger fish, if you really want clowns and the smaller fish you can substitute the foxface and butterfly.

[Zionas]

4 hours ago, Tamberav said:

Dimensions would put it around 90g

 

Firefish may get bullied. Everything on your list is semi-aggressive except the pajama's and firefish. Firefish are more common a target of bullies since they often try to hide in caves that other fish defend like the damsels, blenny, gramma. Looks ok otherwise. 

 

I feel like your tank is constantly shrinking 😛

As much as I wanted to do the 6’ 180, 😞 I figured it would take up too much space because I’m an apartment dweller so I’ve decided to go with the smaller tank.

[Tired]

You should really make sure your landlord will allow a tank that size, and also make sure the floor is sturdy enough to support it. 90 gallons is about 900 pounds, possibly more, of water, rock, and equipment. A lot of apartment floors aren't exactly made to support half a ton of weight in a 3x2 foot section of floor. 

[Zionas]

26 minutes ago, Tired said:

You should really make sure your landlord will allow a tank that size, and also make sure the floor is sturdy enough to support it. 90 gallons is about 900 pounds, possibly more, of water, rock, and equipment. A lot of apartment floors aren't exactly made to support half a ton of weight in a 3x2 foot section of floor. 

As far as I know, the landlord doesn’t have any restrictions on fish tanks. The building is fairly new, the complex was completed in 2016, not sure if that helps. I’m on the second floor btw.

[Zionas]

3 hours ago, Diamonds x Pearls said:

90 gallons assuming this is the internal measurements of the aquarium. Just one damsel. You'd be surprised how much ownership it will take. It may complicate things with the clownfish (yet another damselfish). You definitely should pay attention to temperaments as you go from nicest to meanest. I'm not sure if this was considered, but it may be a good idea to have some fish do some work for you if you ever come across the need for algae and invertebrate management. They're not end all be all since they should be a layer on top of a proper clean up crew. My stock list below has a couple of plant nibblers and will have a wrasse for potential worms if it interests you; if not no offense taken.

 

Now if you have me entirely stock your tank, I'd have these fish: A "reef-safe" route...this is when you'll eventually do corals.

• 1 Fairy-type Wrasse (I like bluehead fairies)
• 3+ Pajama cardinalfish (loose groups can be cool to look at, not the most active fish however)
• 1 Firefish species
• 1 Lawnmower/algae blenny
• 1 Kole (yellow eye) OR tomini tang (Ctenochaetus tangs run smaller, so they can work in a 90 gallon)
• 2 Ocellaris clowns (you could try other species but ocellaris seem to be a little more even-tempered comparatively speaking)

If you're not thinking about corals at all.

• 1 Ctenochaetus tang
• 1 dwarf angel
• 1 small (>7") butterfly (like a pearlscale or latticed)
• 1 One-spot Foxface
• 1 pick a wrasse that won't go more than 6-7" heck even a sixline could do the trick.

5 bigger fish, if you really want clowns and the smaller fish you can substitute the foxface and butterfly.

I plan to do a mix of softies and LPS corals. Any ones I should avoid?

[Zionas]

My favorite blenny is definitely the Starry and it’s my first choice for a blenny by far. I heard they’re a lot easier to keep and feed than the Lawnmowers that often starve to death once algae runs out and never eat prepared foods.

[Snow_Phoenix]

5 minutes ago, Zionas said:

My favorite blenny is definitely the Starry and it’s my first choice for a blenny by far. I heard they’re a lot easier to keep and feed than the Lawnmowers that often starve to death once algae runs out and never eat prepared foods.

Starrys are awesome. Big dudes with a lot of personality. 👍

[Zionas]

50 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Starrys are awesome. Big dudes with a lot of personality. 👍

Yeah love their colors. Do you find them easy to feed and keep?

[Tired]

When the building was built and what floor you're on doesn't tell anyone how strong the floor is. You really need to make sure it's strong enough. You'll want to find where the supports are in the floor, for one thing. People keep big tanks on places other than basement floors, but it has to be done carefully, otherwise they'll put themselves on basement floors sooner or later.

 

(mild hyperbole to illustrate a point, they are unlikely to actually crash through the floor like a cartoon anvil and land in one piece.)

[Snow_Phoenix]

34 minutes ago, Zionas said:

Yeah love their colors. Do you find them easy to feed and keep?

Yes. I've had mine for nearly 2 years and he's around 6.5" ++ now. I feed mine Hikari seaweed pellets (M size) and a mix of other carnivorous food. When I first bought him, he had a habit of munching on my caulerpa. He still grazes on the film algae patches on my LR. I've tried Nori with him, but his interest is usually 50/50. They can get quite large and a bit dominant once established though. 

 

This is mine: 🤗

 

 

 

[Zionas]

3 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Yes. I've had mine for nearly 2 years and he's around 6.5" ++ now. I feed mine Hikari seaweed pellets (M size) and a mix of other carnivorous food. When I first bought him, he had a habit of munching on my caulerpa. He still grazes on the film algae patches on my LR. I've tried Nori with him, but his interest is usually 50/50. They can get quite large and a bit dominant once established though. 

Ahhh I see. Do you think they’ll become aggressive towards any of the fish on my list? Especially concerned about the Firefish, shrimp goby, and the Cardinalfish.

[Snow_Phoenix]

6 minutes ago, Zionas said:

Ahhh I see. Do you think they’ll become aggressive towards any of the fish on my list? Especially concerned about the Firefish, shrimp goby, and the Cardinalfish.

Just updated my previous post with some pics, so that you can gage their size, and exactly how big/thick they can grow. 

 

I keep mine in a 60G cube with plenty of smaller fish - and I've never had any issues with him harassing or bullying any fish. I think in a 3' x 2' x 2', it shouldn't be an issue. As long as there's enough rockwork for the blenny to perch on and establish a general territory, it should be okay with all the fish you've listed. 

[Zionas]

2 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Just updated my previous post with some pics, so that you can gage their size, and exactly how big/thick they can grow. 

 

I keep mine in a 60G cube with plenty of smaller fish - and I've never had any issues with him harassing or bullying any fish. I think in a 3' x 2' x 2', it shouldn't be an issue. As long as there's enough rockwork for the blenny to perch on and establish a general territory, it should be okay with all the fish you've listed. 

That’s great to know! And he looks awesome! Are they a rare find?

[Snow_Phoenix]

7 minutes ago, Zionas said:

That’s great to know! And he looks awesome! Are they a rare find?

They used to be here, but for the last two years or so, I had a LFS close to home that managed to pull some Starrys in three to four times a year. Their most recent shipment also included Starrys, but I'm not sure how big they are. 

[Zionas]

2 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

They used to be here, but for the last two years or so, I had a LFS close to home that managed to pull some Starrys in three to four times a year. Their most recent shipment also included Starrys, but I'm not sure how big they are. 

😞 That’s not very common. I think they should be imported more frequently than the Lawnmowers.

[Snow_Phoenix]

7 minutes ago, Zionas said:

😞 That’s not very common. I think they should be imported more frequently than the Lawnmowers.

It isn't, but around 5 years or so ago, they only arrived once a year, and only *one small specimen would arrive. It was always highly priced, and people would scramble to purchase it. I'm glad they're at least more common now, and the prices have dropped to a more affordable range. But the ones my LFS pulls in are huge though - it's pretty uncommon to get a Starry <4.5" at the store. 

 

When I first got mine, it was ~4.5" too. But I think he's hit the max., length-wise. 

[Zionas]

Just now, Snow_Phoenix said:

It isn't, but around 5 years or so ago, they only arrived once a year, and only *one small specimen would arrive. It was always highly priced, and people would scramble to purchase it. I'm glad they're at least more common now, and the prices have dropped to a more affordable range. But the ones my LFS pulls in are huge though - it's pretty uncommon to get a Starry <4.5" at the store. 

 

When I first got mine, it was ~4.5" too. But I think he's hit the max., length-wise. 

I live halfway across the world, I am an Asian (Chinese) reefer and the hobby here is maybe no more than 15 years old. Really hope I can find one. Sometimes here the LFS also does online sales and they can list the sizes of their fish. Here some LFS employ a dual online-physical business model. However our selection of fish is smaller overall compared to you guys because we lack access to most Atlantic species. The most common blennies here are the Bicolor and Lawnmower (too drab for me), sometimes we get the Midas (either the greenish or the Golden, flaky yellow- male?). 

[Snow_Phoenix]

8 minutes ago, Zionas said:

I live halfway across the world, I am an Asian (Chinese) reefer and the hobby here is maybe no more than 15 years old. Really hope I can find one. Sometimes here the LFS also does online sales and they can list the sizes of their fish. Here some LFS employ a dual online-physical business model. However our selection of fish is smaller overall compared to you guys because we lack access to most Atlantic species. The most common blennies here are the Bicolor and Lawnmower (too drab for me), sometimes we get the Midas (either the greenish or the Golden, flaky yellow- male?). 

Where are you located exactly? I'm from Malaysia, so I'm halfway across from where most folks on the forum are, too. 🙂

 

And I'm Asian (Indian). 🙂 

 

Most of the fish we get are from the Indo-Pacific region. Same goes for corals. I think the coral selection is the same (just different morphs of the same species), and the fish shipment right now is limited due to Covid. Before this, we do get a constant rotation of tangs, clownfish and smaller fish (like gobies & blennies). But nothing super-fancy, although once in a while we get a premium/rare fish, which is quickly scooped up by collectors. 

 

Bicolor and Lawnmower blennies are fairly common here too. I find Lawnmowers drab too, but they're very good at mowing down algae - and they can grow fairly large/thick too. Midas is rarer and seasonal - but often arrives malnourished and thin. 

[Zionas]

15 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Where are you located exactly? I'm from Malaysia, so I'm halfway across from where most folks on the forum are, too. 🙂

 

And I'm Asian (Indian). 🙂 

 

Most of the fish we get are from the Indo-Pacific region. Same goes for corals. I think the coral selection is the same (just different morphs of the same species), and the fish shipment right now is limited due to Covid. Before this, we do get a constant rotation of tangs, clownfish and smaller fish (like gobies & blennies). But nothing super-fancy, although once in a while we get a premium/rare fish, which is quickly scooped up by collectors. 

 

Bicolor and Lawnmower blennies are fairly common here too. I find Lawnmowers drab too, but they're very good at mowing down algae - and they can grow fairly large/thick too. Midas is rarer and seasonal - but often arrives malnourished and thin. 

Oh cool! Nice to know! 🙂 I have never visited Malaysia. You guys are literally at the heart of the world’s greatest reef bio-diversity. I’ve always been worried about a Lawnmower as I know they are much pickier eaters than the Starry.

 

    We get our Midas Blennies from the Red Sea and East Africa, that’s where they’re from. Beautiful fish though if I could do a larger tank in the future, I know they’re active swimmers unlike most other gobies and blennies.

[Snow_Phoenix]

I'm not sure where we get our Midas blennies from, but we do get Red Sea shipments too (rare). They are pretty, but I've never had good luck with them. 😕 

[Zionas]

4 minutes ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

I'm not sure where we get our Midas blennies from, but we do get Red Sea shipments too (rare). They are pretty, but I've never had good luck with them. 😕 

😞 They’re supposed to be hardy, I guess it’s just the shipping. 

 

I’m based in Guangzhou by the way.

 

 

i assume you’re in KL? How big is the saltwater hobby in Malaysia and SE Asia?

 

Also very curious to know because you’re from the region. How bad is cyanide and chemical collection for our saltwater fish in Malaysia / Indonesia / Philippines these days?