General Stocking Question for My Reef Tank

tml52974 · 03/19/2018, 05:49 AM

I want to start with the question; did I post this in the correct forum? I haven't used this resource in quite some time. Just curious. I am looking for some opinions on possible new additions to my reef tank.

The tank is approximately 3 years old. It is 62 gallons. Basically a tall 55. The rockwork you see is free standing. There is room for the fish to swim all around. I run a Reef Octopus 1000 HOB skimmer and a Aquafuge HOB refugium. There are 2 pendant-style LED fixtures suspended behind the hood with a supplemental strip light. I believe the system to very active biologically, and I re-up with fresh copepods and amphipods once a year. I generally feed two or three times a day; dried flake food and frozen Mysis. Water changes are bi-weekly and run in the 25% range. I run two powerheads blowing in opposite directions with a varied and intermittent cycle.

I recently upgraded my lighting. This upgrade came along with a new group of coral. I pulled out most of the old LPS and purchased several frags of various LPS and polyps. Most of them are very small at the moment and probably don't show up well in the photo. I also have a Tiger Pistol Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Emerald Crab and what I think we would all consider your generic "Clean Up Crew".

Here's my fish:

(2) Green Chromis
(1) Pygmy Angel
(1) Tiger Ward's Goby
(1) Black Sailfin Blenny

Not much, I know. I also know this forum is a powerful resource, and I would like some educated opinions on possible additions to the tank. I am talking about fish, of course. Some other thinks you should know:

I started off with 6 Green Chromis. They were great until one became dominant. This number has slowly dwindled down over the past year. I expect it will be one before long. I think I've learned my lesson when it comes to Chromis. The dominant Chromis has shown no aggression towards the other fish.

The Pygmy Angel is great. She hasn't bother any of my coral. She is very active and is only passively aggressive to the other fish. Mostly just "flashing" next to them.

I bought the Tiger Ward's Goby hoping it would pair with my Pistol Shrimp. No such luck. It's been about 3 months now. My poor Pistol Shrimp has been buddyless for about 6 months.

I would like my shrimp to have a buddy, but I feel my setup may be too small for two gobies.

I like to do my research before making a purchase, and I've done my fair share of reading about Kole Tangs. Yes, I know. That's probably a pipe dream.

I think that's everything. Questions are always welcome. I apologize for the length of this post. Just trying to be thorough. I'm hoping I can squeeze at least two more fish into my setup. Your opinions are greatly appreciated, and I thank you in advance for your help.

FishD@ddy · 03/19/2018, 07:17 AM

I love Wrasses. I say 1 reef safe Wrasse will do.

McCosker’s or Carpenter’s Flasher or Lubbock Fairy are my recommendations.

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FishD@ddy · 03/19/2018, 07:18 AM

Btw I don’t see any pics of your rock work.

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tml52974 · 03/19/2018, 07:49 AM

Sorry about the pics. I am not super computer savvy. I couldn't figure out how to get the file size small enough for an upload. They are just cell phone pics, but apparently too big. Way too big.

nereefpat · 03/19/2018, 10:40 AM

The "Reef Discussion" forum is a good one, since it get the most traffic. The "Reef Fishes" is a good one too.

As for the photos, most folks use a image hosting site like imgur ( did I spell that right?).

A fairy or flasher wrasse is a good suggestion.

Some others to look into:
orchid dottyback
longnose or flame hawkfish
pajama or banggai cardinal
royal gramma

03/19/2018, 05:49 AM	#1
tml52974 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Williamstown, NJ, USA Posts: 62	General Stocking Question for My Reef Tank I want to start with the question; did I post this in the correct forum? I haven't used this resource in quite some time. Just curious. I am looking for some opinions on possible new additions to my reef tank. The tank is approximately 3 years old. It is 62 gallons. Basically a tall 55. The rockwork you see is free standing. There is room for the fish to swim all around. I run a Reef Octopus 1000 HOB skimmer and a Aquafuge HOB refugium. There are 2 pendant-style LED fixtures suspended behind the hood with a supplemental strip light. I believe the system to very active biologically, and I re-up with fresh copepods and amphipods once a year. I generally feed two or three times a day; dried flake food and frozen Mysis. Water changes are bi-weekly and run in the 25% range. I run two powerheads blowing in opposite directions with a varied and intermittent cycle. I recently upgraded my lighting. This upgrade came along with a new group of coral. I pulled out most of the old LPS and purchased several frags of various LPS and polyps. Most of them are very small at the moment and probably don't show up well in the photo. I also have a Tiger Pistol Shrimp, Cleaner Shrimp, Emerald Crab and what I think we would all consider your generic "Clean Up Crew". Here's my fish: (2) Green Chromis (1) Pygmy Angel (1) Tiger Ward's Goby (1) Black Sailfin Blenny Not much, I know. I also know this forum is a powerful resource, and I would like some educated opinions on possible additions to the tank. I am talking about fish, of course. Some other thinks you should know: I started off with 6 Green Chromis. They were great until one became dominant. This number has slowly dwindled down over the past year. I expect it will be one before long. I think I've learned my lesson when it comes to Chromis. The dominant Chromis has shown no aggression towards the other fish. The Pygmy Angel is great. She hasn't bother any of my coral. She is very active and is only passively aggressive to the other fish. Mostly just "flashing" next to them. I bought the Tiger Ward's Goby hoping it would pair with my Pistol Shrimp. No such luck. It's been about 3 months now. My poor Pistol Shrimp has been buddyless for about 6 months. I would like my shrimp to have a buddy, but I feel my setup may be too small for two gobies. I like to do my research before making a purchase, and I've done my fair share of reading about Kole Tangs. Yes, I know. That's probably a pipe dream. I think that's everything. Questions are always welcome. I apologize for the length of this post. Just trying to be thorough. I'm hoping I can squeeze at least two more fish into my setup. Your opinions are greatly appreciated, and I thank you in advance for your help.

03/19/2018, 10:40 AM	#5
nereefpat Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Central Nebraska Posts: 3,190	The "Reef Discussion" forum is a good one, since it get the most traffic. The "Reef Fishes" is a good one too. As for the photos, most folks use a image hosting site like imgur ( did I spell that right?). A fairy or flasher wrasse is a good suggestion. Some others to look into: orchid dottyback longnose or flame hawkfish pajama or banggai cardinal royal gramma __________________ Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers

03/19/2018, 07:17 AM	#2
FishD@ddy Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 56	I love Wrasses. I say 1 reef safe Wrasse will do. McCosker’s or Carpenter’s Flasher or Lubbock Fairy are my recommendations. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03/19/2018, 07:18 AM	#3
FishD@ddy Registered Member Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 56	Btw I don’t see any pics of your rock work. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03/19/2018, 07:49 AM	#4
tml52974 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Williamstown, NJ, USA Posts: 62	Sorry about the pics. I am not super computer savvy. I couldn't figure out how to get the file size small enough for an upload. They are just cell phone pics, but apparently too big. Way too big.