Fish Recommendations for a 73g Mixed Reef

adambom · 11/18/2015, 11:45 PM

I've just upgraded my tank from a 55g with no sump to the new Red Sea Reefer 350. The display is 73g with an 18g sump, for a total water volume of 91g. I've got about 100lb of live rock and a decent skimmer. For circulation I'm currently running two RW-8's. I'm running carbon and GFO in a filter sock at the moment, although I may upgrade to a reactor in the future. I have a DIY cover to prevent fish from jumping.

Currently inhabiting my tank are:

2 Ocellaris Clowns
3 Pyjama Cardinalfish
2 Blue/Green Chromis
2 Engineer Gobies
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp

I feel that I was maybe a bit overstocked with the 55g. The fish are healthy and I'm diligent about husbandry and water changes, although I was constantly battling algae in that tank.

With nearly double the water volume and a substantially larger display tank, I am now considering adding more fish. I'm concerned about bio-load, which is why I thought I would check here before getting anything, but if there's a consensus that I can continue to add fish without being overstocked I will probably begin to slowly add fish within the next couple of months.

Angelfish are out. Not willing to take the chance with coral-nipping. Also, I'm looking to avoid anything aggressive. That would probably mean no blennies either - I've heard the LMB's can be aggressive towards other blennies - although I'm open to advice to the contrary.

Some fish I'm partial to:

Kole Tang (The tank is big enough, right?)
A small school of Bartlett's Anthias (would probably order a trio from DD)
Any of the colorful reef-safe wrasses
More Chromis (although I'm worried they'll just pick each other off)
Firefish (especially the lesser-seen color varieties)
Jawfish

I'm looking for suggestions on fish and general stocking advice for my setup.

jrr98002 · 11/18/2015, 11:53 PM

Any of the fish you mentioned would be good additions, except IMO an adult Kole will be a tight fit in there. The others should be just fine. IME I might steer clear of extra chromis exactly for the reason you said...you add a small group and you usually end up with 1 at the end.

11/18/2015, 11:45 PM	#1
adambom Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 108	Fish Recommendations for a 73g Mixed Reef I've just upgraded my tank from a 55g with no sump to the new Red Sea Reefer 350. The display is 73g with an 18g sump, for a total water volume of 91g. I've got about 100lb of live rock and a decent skimmer. For circulation I'm currently running two RW-8's. I'm running carbon and GFO in a filter sock at the moment, although I may upgrade to a reactor in the future. I have a DIY cover to prevent fish from jumping. Currently inhabiting my tank are: 2 Ocellaris Clowns 3 Pyjama Cardinalfish 2 Blue/Green Chromis 2 Engineer Gobies 1 Lawnmower Blenny 1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp I feel that I was maybe a bit overstocked with the 55g. The fish are healthy and I'm diligent about husbandry and water changes, although I was constantly battling algae in that tank. With nearly double the water volume and a substantially larger display tank, I am now considering adding more fish. I'm concerned about bio-load, which is why I thought I would check here before getting anything, but if there's a consensus that I can continue to add fish without being overstocked I will probably begin to slowly add fish within the next couple of months. Angelfish are out. Not willing to take the chance with coral-nipping. Also, I'm looking to avoid anything aggressive. That would probably mean no blennies either - I've heard the LMB's can be aggressive towards other blennies - although I'm open to advice to the contrary. Some fish I'm partial to: Kole Tang (The tank is big enough, right?) A small school of Bartlett's Anthias (would probably order a trio from DD) Any of the colorful reef-safe wrasses More Chromis (although I'm worried they'll just pick each other off) Firefish (especially the lesser-seen color varieties) Jawfish I'm looking for suggestions on fish and general stocking advice for my setup.

11/18/2015, 11:53 PM	#2
jrr98002 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Little Rock Posts: 235	Any of the fish you mentioned would be good additions, except IMO an adult Kole will be a tight fit in there. The others should be just fine. IME I might steer clear of extra chromis exactly for the reason you said...you add a small group and you usually end up with 1 at the end.