50G stocking list

[Muffin87]

The summer is finally over and I feel more confident stocking my 50G.

It's 29 x 24 x 20 (high) bare bottom.

I'd love if someone experienced could comment on my stocking list.

 

Underlined fish are the ones, I'm really determined to keep, but I obviously accept comments.

The other fish are the ones I'm kinda undecided about.

 

Determined to keep:

1. Mandarin Dragonet
2. Swissguard Basslet
3. Red Firefish
4. Ocellaris (male)
5. Ocellaris (female)
6. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (doesn't decimate pod population)

 

Like them but can live without:

1. Midas Blenny
2. Orange Stripe Prawn Goby OR Yasha Goby (really like them but not sure how they'd fare in bare bottom)
3. Clown Goby, Green
4. Scissortail Dartfish
5. Zebra Dartfish

 

Undecided if they're worth the extra effort

1. Talbot's Damsel OR Starcki Damsel (can't really understand how aggressive they'd be towards other fish)
2. Vanderbuilt Chromis (they seem a bit boring personality-wise, but I have had chromis).
3. Royal Gramma (I guess I'd keep one or even multiple if possible - if they are compatible with everything else).
4. Long nose hawkfish (I've tried googling, but I don't understand how likely it is to eat a small fish like the clown goby)

 

Hope there's no controversial choices (other than the mandarin possibly! I'd have gone for a bigger tank, but I live in small apartment).

 

Thanks for the advice!

[Cyndrol]

I hope with Firefish you mean the goby and not the lionfish lol. I have seen people calling them red firefish so I just ask to be sure. Other than that I dont see any problems in keeping them. The Mandarin might have trouble finding food tho depending how much liferock you put in. Clown Goby or any other goby might be an option aswell since they dont get very big. Are you planing on keeping Corals?

[Muffin87]

Just now, Cyndrol said:

Are you planing on keeping Corals?

Yeah I'm planning to keep mostly LPS, and easier SPS: Pocillopora, Seriatopora, Stylophora, Porites, Leptoseris.

5 minutes ago, Cyndrol said:

Firefish

Yup, goby only.

6 minutes ago, Cyndrol said:

The Mandarin might have trouble finding food tho depending how much liferock you put in.

Yeah I'm not sure how much is "needed" for a mandarin in 50G.

[Cyndrol]

Quote

Yeah I'm not sure how much is "needed" for a mandarin in 50G.

you can keep a mandarin in a 20g tank as long as he is getting food. They are not active swimmers, but search all day for food. I once read that grown mandarins can eat up to 2000 pods a day...which I have trouble believing lol. I also have one and I managed to make him go for frozen food. Took me over a year tho.

Also the Flasher Wrasse is fairly hard to keep. Its not easy and maybe the tank is a bit small for him. They are very active swimmers.

[Muffin87]

10 hours ago, Cyndrol said:

Also the Flasher Wrasse is fairly hard to keep.

In what terms?

[Leo_ian]

On 9/15/2020 at 11:32 AM, Muffin87 said:

The summer is finally over and I feel more confident stocking my 50G.

It's 29 x 24 x 20 (high) bare bottom.

I'd love if someone experienced could comment on my stocking list.

 

Underlined fish are the ones, I'm really determined to keep, but I obviously accept comments.

The other fish are the ones I'm kinda undecided about.

 

Determined to keep:

1. Mandarin Dragonet
2. Swissguard Basslet
3. Red Firefish
4. Ocellaris (male)
5. Ocellaris (female)
6. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse (doesn't decimate pod population)

 

Like them but can live without:

1. Midas Blenny
2. Orange Stripe Prawn Goby OR Yasha Goby (really like them but not sure how they'd fare in bare bottom)
3. Clown Goby, Green
4. Scissortail Dartfish
5. Zebra Dartfish

 

Undecided if they're worth the extra effort

1. Talbot's Damsel OR Starcki Damsel (can't really understand how aggressive they'd be towards other fish)
2. Vanderbuilt Chromis (they seem a bit boring personality-wise, but I have had chromis).
3. Royal Gramma (I guess I'd keep one or even multiple if possible - if they are compatible with everything else).
4. Long nose hawkfish (I've tried googling, but I don't understand how likely it is to eat a small fish like the clown goby)

 

Hope there's no controversial choices (other than the mandarin possibly! I'd have gone for a bigger tank, but I live in small apartment).

 

Thanks for the advice!

The damsels that you chose are very peaceful. I have had others from the genus, model citizens, lost my azure by it jumping out and my spriger's is scaredy cat of my tank, sharing the rockwork with my gramma. get the blenny. id skip the firefish as they have no personality and get a trio of either of the dartfish. personally id always skip the occies and percs besides the darwins. Id go for either a pair of skunks or a spotcintus and if you have the money maybe a madagascan. flasher wrasse are easy from what i hear but i dont have any personal experience. i would do either a madagascar flasher or blue if i had the money and if i were you. Get a biota mandarin since they eat frozen from what i hear. If you are open to suggestions here would be mine : anthias, i love the ventralis, square spots and the lyretails(lyretails are easy enough), chalk or tobbaco bass(love them, have so much personality), fusilier damsels(as you can see, i love my african fish), a dwarf eel like a golden, banana or snowflake an if you have the experience a ribbon, or a sand sifting goby if you dont have any lps that live on the ground, my favs are the bella, orange spot, dragon and the yellow head. or a jawfish. or a dwarf angel

[Snow_Phoenix]

On 9/16/2020 at 8:01 PM, Muffin87 said:

Yeah I'm not sure how much is "needed" for a mandarin in 50G.

As much as you can spare without over-cluttering the tank. Also, do you have a sump with this set-up? You might want to set up a refugium - or culture pods. Dose live pods at least once or twice a month into the system - these fish eat a *lot and are constantly hunting, except during late night when they fade out to sleep. 

 

Try to design your scape according to the fish's needs if possible. Invest in display macro ---> lots of macro, good breeding ground for pods. 

 

A wrasse will compete with a mandy for pods, so if you're doing both fish, you need to make sure your system can support both their appetites. 

 

Try to get a captive-bred mandy if you can. Wild-caught mandys are a hit or miss. Most perish prematurely in aquariums because they cannot adjust to a captive diet. 

 

Once you get the fish, focus immediately on getting it onto prepared like frozen mysis (or even pellets, if you can). It's definitely a difficult fish to keep, but a rewarding one if kept correctly. Good luck! 😊👍