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Iv'e asked for stocking ideas before, but now that my tank is actually cycled and has a clean up crew, the prospect of getting fish seems considerably more real, so I have given it more thought and come up with ideas. These are a few tentative combinations I thought of, obviously a lot of it is up to personal preference, but i'm curious which combination might be the best. What do people think? Plan #1: Two Pajama cardinalfish, one ocellaris clownfish, one starry blenny Plan #2: One purple firefish, one banggai cardinalfish, one ocellaris clownfish, one starry blenny Plan #3: One watchman goby, one starry blenny, two ocellaris clownfish Plan #4: Green clown goby, Banggai cardinalfish, ocellaris clownfish, starry blenny Plan #5: One royal gramma, one banggai cardinalfish, one ocellaris clownfish, one starry blenny Plan #6: Two Pajama cardinalfish, one starry blenny, one royal gramma

Hey! I have only had fish in my tank for about 2 weeks now and I am about to go to the pet store and get some more, but I was wondering. Is it okay to have 2 clown pleco in a 55g tank? I absolutely LOVE clown plecos and was thinking about getting one more. Any thoughts? TIA!

I'm in the process of cycling, and even though it probably won't be for a while, I have continued to give thought to what i'll be putting in my tank. It seems like a lot of people suggest adding a clean up crew first, then fish, then corals. Is this the best way to proceed? Adding the clean up crew first makes sense, but I've read that some invertebrates can be sensitive to nitrate fluctuations, so is there any risk to adding them right after the cycle? I've also heard the suggestion of adding the most peaceful/shy fish first, and I was thinking of getting a fire fish. Is there any disadvantage to adding a single, small, peaceful fish like that? Or would it still be best to wait a few weeks after adding the clean up crew to put any fish in?

So I have decided on keeping a fluval 13.5 as my first reef tank, I maintain one at my LFS I help out at, so im not completely new, and im curious about my stocking, I was thinking about keeping one clownfish (Ive heard this is ok) so my stock list will be below Equipment -Korelia 425gph powerhead -Hipargero 30W LED -InTank media basket running chemi-pure blue, sachem matrix (just because ill have a spare compartment) and poly filter pad. -Eheim Jäger 50w heater -ATO micro -5-10 Lbs of dry rock, how ever much fits my scape. -10 lbs of Fiji pink Arag-alive Corals (Just what im starting with) -Multiple types of leathers -Zoas -Hammer coral -Frogspawn -Kenya tree -Elegence (I know it might out grow my tank but I LOVE them) -Candy cane -GSP (separate rock) -Monti cap Fish & Inverts - 1-2 narssarius snails - 1-2 torchus snails - 1 Cleaner shrimp - 1 Occ. Clownfish - 1 Clowngoby - 1 neon goby or firefish Thoughts? Anything that should be changed, is there too much.

If you don't want to hear my obnoxious story skip down to the bottom, but the story does provide background) So I have never kept a reef aquarium but I have kept (and still maintain) many of the most challenging freshwater species (like discus if you are from that side of the hobby) and I look corals and corals and the inverts are the reasons I always loved looking at reef threads and watching builds, but it from my stand point it never warranted me getting one manly because I would need to do things like mix RODI water, get super expensive lights and drop loads on corals. But about a month back I wandered into a Saltwater exclusive store and was blown away by how much cooler these things looked in person then through a computer screen. And the only fish that really made me do wow (I was mostly attracted to corals and shrimps) where a Yellow cores wrasse in there 3000 gallon display along with a Flame angel and after hearing that these fish are a little more on the easy side of care I wondered if I could house them in my favorite tank which I already decided I would purchase after reading into it and seeing my friends display with one, And that tank is the Innovative Marine 25 gallon Lagoon. I love this size because I feel that it has enough space but I can still light it with one AI prime LED fixture (my favorite fixture) and its not so big so while I start out I can just purchase my water from my LFS. So I've done about a year of research now I think I am ready. Long story short can I house either (or both but I doubt it) A flame angel or Yellow Corris Wrasse in a IM lagoon 25 with like a Shrimp goby pair and a Firefish? (this will be a coral reef) the Dimensions of the tank are 24x20x12 and there will be about 30 pounds of LR and more than enough filtration (ghost skimmer, filter socks, chemipure blue, Seachem matrix, and possible a reactor or Fuge) Any response is much appreciated!

Looking to add fish to my 29 gallon biocube reef tank and wanting to hear what fish stocking others have successfully kept long term in this tank, or one of similar size? Please share your fish stocking list if you have had good long term success with your setup.

So as the title states, can we? Or can we not? Being Reef hobbiest as a whole we all have many things we say can or cannot be done, from fish store employees, to hobby literature, , veterans, to beginners, everybody’s opinions are different. I’ve worked in the industry for years, and have heard many many things. What I’ve noticed is most of these have no bases in actual science. Some of which I’ve proven through expierments to be false and others true (gorgonians do not die if they touch air, some sponges however do) what I have found is a “you cannot unless you....” is more appropriate. So everybody post things that you think cannot be done or “rules” you have heard that you are unsure about and let’s discuss them. See if someone has evidence to the contrary. And maybe have some results for expierments proving if this to be the case or not. Please let’s not take unneeded risks with livestock, always be mindful and responsible of the creatures we care for. And please keep an open mind and remember some of the species we keep now would have been considered impossible not that long ago.

Hello! I have a new (to me) 29g biocube that I'm super excited about stocking! It's a well-established reef tank, having been my LFS's counter display model for 2 years before I purchased it. It came with: -2.5" live sand substrate -hella live rock (I don't know how many pounds) -some coral -2 nassarius snails -1 blue-knuckle hermit crab I've since added: -1 astrea snail -yasha goby/candy cane pistol shrimp pair Here are some fish I'd like to add. I think I should probably only add four more, so I need your help narrowing it down. TIA!! Green clown goby Banggai cardinalfish True clownfish (or other peaceful, small variety) Springeri damsel Firefish goby Firetail blenny I'm also open to other suggestions! I would also like to add: -1 emerald crab -1 fire shrimp -1 cleaner shrimp -1-2 turbo snails Is that too large a cleanup crew for a 29g? Thanks again!!! PS I am VERY new to the hobby and won't be insulted by any "obvious" advice.

In this tank I have a 3 inch Vlamingii Tang (Who got very distressed when I put her in my 450L reef) so she will be staying put until she gets a bit larger. I also have a Red Scooter Blenny, alongside a Paddlefin Blenny. I have lots of coral, ranging from Wall Hammers, Branching Hammers, Torches, Cornets, Duncans & Aussie Duncans. Kenya Trres & Colt Corals, Toadstool Corals, GSP & Glove Polyps. And my all time favourite Goniopora! There are a couple small mushrooms and my FeatherDuster garden too! What would people recommend trying to add to this tank as the only fish who does any swimming is my tang! The other two seem to stay closer to the sand bed or the rock work and aren't as active throughout the day as expected. Any advice or opinions are appreciated.

So, Recently my 6 line wrasse unfortunately died thanks to a spike in my nitrates... This has all been sorted now and many more precautions have been taken to ensure that this is not something that is likely to happen again at all. However, I now have no idea on what I actually want to stock this tank with? I am not a new hobbyist, and I have been keeping marine fish for about 4 years now, with many different tanks.. So I am rather stumped on what to add to this tank... So far I have some Xenia, Hammers, Duncans, A Featherduster & some leathers (Kenya Trees & Toadstools). I am looking to add quite a bit more coral wise to make the tank look like a little reef. But don't know what fish to add! Any advice or comments are appreciated.

Hi there, I've had my Fluval Evo up and running for about 2 months with live sand and live rock. So far, I've added 4 small Hermits, 1 Emerald, 3 Turbos, 1 Peppermint Shrimp and 2 young Ocelaris Clowns. Parameters are all good and the tank is healthy (well apart from 2 small Aiptasia). I will be introducing some coral over the next couple of months but wondered if people thought there is scope to add another fish or shrimp perhaps? Many thanks.

Hey guys I just made an account as well setting up my first tank. I decided to purchase the fluval evo 13.5 as so many others have. I’m no newbie to the hobby having freshwater tanks, but quickly being bored as I could neglect them and they would still look as I left them, I was up for a challenge. I am currently running it stock with live sand and rock to speed up cycling. The filtration is still the same, but with the addition of filter floss, purigen, and matrix in the first chamber. I’m looking forward to adding livestock to this tank soon. So far my ideas are clownfish, a yellow clown goby, a mandarin dragonet, and an orchid dottyback. My preferable choice would be the orchid dottyback with another fish. I understand that some people think that two fish is the maximum bioload for a tank this size. I’d be happy to hear your guys’ thoughts.

In my Reef 120, I was looking at what other corals would fit well, and even more so what fish?! At present I have the following. Corals: 1 Hammer 1 Torch 1 Kenya Tree 1 Gonoporia 1 GSP Frag 1 Mushroom Inverts: 1 Seabe Anemone 2 Feather Dusters CUC 1 Cleaner Shrimp 1 Blood Shrimp Fish: A Bonded Pair of Maroon Clowns A Fireball Angelfish (which is being sold to a friend) A Blue Cheeked Goby So what would you recommend to have in here? There is a lot of spare bare rock and plenty of caves and caverns, just not sure what will bring the tank to life in many aspects. Thank You in advance!?

With my 29 Gallon Biocube running for about two months, and stocked with most (if not all) of the fish I will ever have, I would now like to know what my best options for corals are. I currently have 3 Zoa Frags and a Xenia in there, all of which seem to be doing well. My question is, what would be a good start to add right now. Along with the basic power compacts, the previous owner also installed 5 Coralife LED Light bars, and zip tied a Finnex LED Strip to the lid (half actinic, half white). What should I start putting in to bring decent coverage across the rock, and what can I add in the future? Thank you!

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum and also a beginner with handling fish My problem: I have a 10G tank which is currently being cycled with 2 live rocks and with Prodibio Startup. It has lighting, water heater, water flow mover, marine salt, and substrate. I want to have an anemone, a clownfish, a coral. 1. Can I put them all in a 10G tank? 2. Ideal sequence? Some say put the anemone first before corals and fishes. Some say put clownfish first then anemone. As usual when going online there's conflicting resources (and I'd guess they are all valid for specific scenarios) 3. How far can I go with stocking? I read there's the one-inch rule and also the floor area rule. My guesstimate for a 10G is 5 fishes (3 inch each). 4. Assume I can put 5 fishes, does a coral or anemone count as 1 "fish" (though they are not fish) I'm sure I will have follow-up questions. I have done my reading but as usual, there's not enough reading that can answer every scenario. I am trying to copy a couple of setups as my baseline, but these questions are lingering in my mind. Overall goal: I want to give life to our new apartment while considering the limitations of space and layout of this 1100 sq feet place. I and my wife want a minimalistic design of the place. The place has vegetation that are strategically placed in the apartment. We don't want to have huge tanks because of those reasons (at the very least) Just a bit of background about me: I'm a fast learner and like to gobble a lot of information. I'm a senior software engineer who values test driven development, a professional beauty photographer on par with the best in the industry, and a serious Internet of Things maker (I've created a lot of sensor-related things--monitoring everything in the house and also started with robotics). I'm also a master-level chess player. Thanks

With my 29 Gallon Biocube running for about two months, and stocked with most (if not all) of the fish I will ever have, I would now like to know what my best options for corals are. I currently have 3 Zoa Frags and a Xenia in there, all of which seem to be doing well. My question is, what would be a good start to add right now. Along with the basic power compacts, the previous owner also installed 5 Coralife LED Light bars, and zip tied a Finnex LED Strip to the lid (half actinic, half white). What should I start putting in to bring decent coverage across the rock, and what can I add in the future? Thank you!

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for stocking my 14 gallon bio-cube. I have been out of keeping saltwater fish for about a year now. But after a quick trip to petco with my mom to get dog food, I have rediscovered my love for keeping saltwater fish. I have a few ideas for stocking, but I wanted to run it by some people first. The first and only really good one is to do a frag tank with an egg crate rack half way up the tank. Doing a couple inch bed of sand, with some live rock. I plan on doing some mushrooms/ leather corals for the frags. But I was wondering what fish I should do. I was thinking maybe some damsels or something like that. But like I said I've been out of it for a little while so...I am not sure what I should do.

Hey Nano reef, I just had a possible Stocking question about my tank I'd really like to get a 6 line as my 3rd fish in my DIY fusion IM 20. I really like the colors on the fish since the begining, as it'd match with my clown and TSB, But I have a few Concerns I cant seem to find a straight answer to online. Mostly I am concerned if it will bully my TSB. Whether during every day or punk it out during feeding time. As I understand it, the wrasse is generally peaceful but might attack crustaceans in your tank. As far as I am concerned on my hermits, I am upset with them as one has somehow got twice the size compared to the others and has started killing the others, even though same species, and I do not care for them anymore as CC (especially since I've seen them steal food from my blastos and ricordea's mouths.) I would only be concerned if the 6 line would attack feather dusters, brittle stars, or my snails. if anyone has experience with 6 line's predatory diet, can you please list what it has preyed on? The second part of the question is because my tank is a bit Open, Will my rockwork be suitable for it? It's the reason I chose not to get cardinals, shy, or fish that like alot of rockwork since I want to keep their habits in mind. Lastly, would it attack a possible 4th fish being neon goby or other tiny fish if they were added after? Anyways I really appreciate any imput, because i've been mulling on the next fish to add for a long time by now. here is a picture of the tank for reference of the rockwork.

Hello Everyone, I've got a 19 gallon (24''L 16''H 12''W) and I'd like to stock it with captive bred fish and cultured corals only. It has been running for almost 3 months and I've got an Ocellaris pair at the moment. I'm thinking of adding a Neon Goby. Not many cb fish are available in my area but I could get my hands on a couple other goby species (elecatinus puncticulatus) and many Pseudochromis. Could I add an Orchid Dottyback in this tank? From what I read I understand its the most peaceful among Pseudochromis. Here's an FTS Thanks

Hello! I have just begun to get into the world of saltwater aquariums, and would like to get feedback on my possible setup and stocking list! Note: All these items are suggestions and thoughts, nor are final. This entire setup is intended to be under $350 or under, and would like to keep that with any setup. Equipment -Tank and Filter: Grreat Choice 10 Gallon Aquarium Kit -Light: Orbit Marine Led 18" -Heater: Eheim Jager (75 watts) -ATO: Custom ATO found on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AutoTopoff-Nano-Water-Level-Controller-for-Reef-Aquarium-Auto-Top-Off-ATO-/172782246208?hash=item283a9fd940:g:UOwAAOSwmLlYB52i -Salt and Hydrometer: Both Instant Ocean brand -Powerhead: Hydor Koralia Nano 425 -10 lbs of Live Sand and Dry Rock each: To buy at LFS -Automaric Feeder: Ani Mate Automatic Aquarium Fish Feeder (would like to upgrade to Grasslin Rondomatic, later) Stocking I would like to be conservative with stocking, but still have a diverse reef. Here is what I will add, but in what order should I add them in? Fish: Ocellaris Clownfish CUC: Sexy Shrimp pair (I still haven't decided on what CUC should mainly consist of, but would like to avoid any types of crabs if nessesary) Corals: I would just like a few soft corals, both because of looks and budget restraints for lighting. A toadstool coral, GSP, and Xenia are what I've thought would look nice and fit in well. Being new still comes with questions, and here are mine: What should I feed my tank (staple and supplemental), and how often? I would like to use pellet foods, if I can. With my general stocking plan, how much water will need to be changed, and how often (a biweekly 1.5 gallon water change is what I think will be necessary, but I would like to extend the time between water changes as much as possible)? Will plain Instant Ocean salt supplement the tank? I thank you for your time, and would like to hear from you soon! - Generic Reefer

Hello all, today i I added in my last edition to my Fluval sea evo 13.5 gallon. The first fish was a royal gramma, followed by a black ice clown, and today I added an azure damsel and blood shrimp. I added the azure last as I know it was the most likely to be aggressive.. I have had 0 issues with aggression from the damsel/clown, but the gramma seems to be a bully. My aquacape is set up with 2 large stacked rock caves on each end, with open space in the middle. My gramma occupys the left cave and the damsel has been in the right cave.. however my gramma is coming out of the cave, across the tank to the damsel and opening its mouth. Should I relocate the gramma? I have a 32 gal biocube I could put it in.. or will the territories be settled and things will calm down in the days ahead? Also I would like to ask if this tank is overstocked. I have had the clown and gramma together for a week and have 0 nitrite, nitrate and ammonia. I could either: 1.) keep the 3 together 2.) have 2 damsels with the clown 3.) have 2 clowns with the new damsel any help would be appreciated!

Good morning fellow nano-reefers! I'm ready for fish! I've searched and researched and read til my eyes bled and then I read some more. I had decided on my vertebrate inhabitants and was looking for them in one of my LFSs. I asked if they had any Panda Gobies and the guy showed me a Circus Goby. My husband, who has shown little interest in stocking besides fish that we can't have, perked up immediately and said that he REALLY liked that one. Now my question: Since the Circus/Full Moon/Black-Barred Convict Goby is nocturnal, can I squish in an Ocellaris pair, a Purple Firefish, and the Goby in my 12 gallon Fluval Edge? I'm not looking for alternative fish and I'm sure I'll be waiting a while to find the Goby in one of my LFSs (which happen to be Aquatic Warehouse and Aqua SD). https://www.nano-reef.com/forums/topic/384489-my-lil-fluval/?tab=comments#comment-5548187

Potential based on what I've seen/like: green torch coral pulsing xenia Montipora capricornis (red) candy cane Green Star Polyps (to cover black wall of tank) frogspawn 2 clowns 2 tiny hermit crabs 1 nassarius snail I'm still reading a lot about coral and what can be combined with what and how and where. However, I would like to know which of the stuff that I mentioned above is reasonable. I don't plan on adding anything (beside fish) anytime soon. I want to take my time and learn my way around all this reef stuff lol

So I currently have 3 fish in my 30 gallon, a pair of ocellaris clowns, and a royal gramma. I have a few ideas on what to add next but I'm not 100% sure and I'd like to hear others opinions and ideas on this . Preferably I'd like the fish to be easy to get onto dry food like NLS pellets but I don't mind having to feed frozen if it's needed. Also I'd like for it to be safe with smaller inverts like crabs, snails, shrimp, feather dusters, etc. A few ideas I've thrown around in my head so far are: - a pygmy wrasse (not too sure how my microfauna population is though) - a flasher wrasse - some kind of cardinal like a bangaii - yellow candy hogfish (hear these can be terrors) - a springers damsel or other peaceful species - a blenny (both fang and normal) - a yellow assessor (don't know if this would work with my gramma) - one of those biota CB coral beauties (not sure if the tank would be large enough plus possible aggression and reef safe issues). - one the ORA filefish species (also potential reef safe issues) Also here's a FTS to show the rock scape in case that would affect any potential options.

Hello everyone, I'd like to start by saying that although I just signed up for my own nano reef account, ive been lurking through these forums for months and have found a wealth of help and answered questions; this seems like a great and helpful community that I'm happy to now be a part of. So I started my first nuvo 20 gallon nano reef and it has been up and running for just over a month now. This is my first attempt at saltwater, although I am not new to fishkeeping. Basically, im having second thoughts about some of my ideas and would just like to bounce them off of some experienced members who may be able to steer me away from making poor tank choices. Here are some details of the tank: - 20G nuvo fusion - current USA LED light - koralia hydor 425 gph - 18-ish pounds BRS pukani dry rock - 20 pounds live sand - innovative marine custom caddy media baskets -chemi pure blue - 0 ammonia 0 nitrite 10ppm nitrate - 1 ruby headed fairy wrasse - 1 pygmy hawkfish - 1 large electric blue hermit crab - 1 medium trochus snail - 1 small hermit crab - 4 LPS frags Things I plan to add: - reef octopus HOB 1000 skimmer (already ordered should come this week) - aquamaxx carbon and GFO reactor (to eventually replace the chemi pure blue) - aquamaxx biopellet tumbler - Larger clean up crew - Leopard toby puffer - Pygmy angelfish So I'll start with the disclaimer that I know the fairy wrasse in the long run is probably too small for this tank and will most likely not be a permanent member of my reef community. However, she is very small right now (1.5") and seems to be thriving in my tank (hopefully I can upgrade before she grows too big and I have to take her back to my LFS) So my first question is, did i add too much rock? Ive searched this and I know the simple answer is no, you cant have too much filtration. BUT, i am a little concerned that im reducing my already small water footprint, and want to provide my fish with enough room to swim freely. Basically I just want opinions, could i do better with my aquascape? Should i remove the chunk of rock on the right or get rid of the massive cave piece? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Next, i need help with some questions regarding the stocking of my tank. For one thing, I know i need a bigger CUC. So far theyve been keeping algae under control for the most part, but i woke up to a bit of a diatom bloom again and could definately use some more snails. I would really like to also add a leopard toby puffer, but I'm not sure it would fit in my tank well. Liveaquaria suggests 30g but lgreens nano fish guide in the stickies says 20g. I know these puffers arent exactly reef safe but id be willing to replace some hermits and snails if it would eat them. What do you think about a leopard toby puffer in my tank? I also am interested in a pygmy cherub angel. However I think that might be over stocked if i also had the toby, fairy wrasse, and pygmy hawkfish. Thoughts? im not too worried about biological load. With the reef octopus 1000 HOB skimmer and biopellets, and bi weekly 25% water changes it seems like id be worried about not enough nutrients if anything? Does anyone have experience with biopellets on a tank this small? Ive read mixed things and it seems like id have to start with a VERY small amount of pellets. But it seems like a good time to try while the system is still new. But like i said im more worried about space. I want my fish to live happy lives where they arent all cramped in against eachother. so could i do a toby, pygmy angel, fairy wrasse, and pygmy hawkfish? Maybe if i removed some rock to clear up space? Maybe i could get rid of the wrasse and have the toby, pygmy angel, pygmy hawkfish, and a small goby that way i only have two fish really in the water column? thank you for reading thus far, any comments, thoughts, suggestions, and experiences are welcome and appreciated