Stocking order: fish or coral first?

[ChrisC1029]

The subject line sums up my question, but here's the details...

I've set up a new reef system with a 105 gal display, 55 gal sump and seperate 55 gal refuguim with a 4-5 inch DSB. I currently have 200 lbs florida aquacultured LR, 100 lbs LS and clean up crew (lots of blue legged hermits, tons of snails, 4-6 peppemint shrimp, 3 cucumbers and 3 serpent stars) in the system (Tampa Bay Saltwater package), divided between refugium and display. System has been running for 3 months with the above inhabitants. Using Salifert test kits, ammonia is <0.5mg/l (undetectable), nitrate 1-2 ppm (low range method), phosphate 0.05 mg/l, silicates 0 mg/l, calcium 425ppm, alkalinity 3.31 meq/l, ph ranges from 8.18 in am to 8.28 in evening. Everything has been pretty stable for the last month.

My plan is for a reef tank containing mostly softies, LPS's with some "reef safe" fish, and eventually (probably next year) 2-3 clams and maybe a few sps's.

I'm starting to come up with my stocking plan, and I'm wondering which would be better to add first, a fish or two, or a beginner soft coral? Would it be better to add all the fish first, and get nitrates, etc.. under control, before adding the soft corals?:confused:

[BiPolar]

i would add 1 or 2 fish every 2 weeks. I would add the corals the same way, just to make sure your system stays stable.

[MalHavoc]

I think at this point, you should be spending a lot of time deciding what fish you want. You mention that later on down the road, you may want to add clams or SPS corals. Not all fish are "reef safe" and even some fish that normally leave corals alone may decide to nip at clam mantles (the Bufferfly fish for instance).

In addition to this, some fish are more agressive than others. Agressive fish should be added after peaceful fish have been allowed to establish their territory, otherwise your agressive fish (clowns, some tangs, damsels, etc) may behave agressively towards any new additions.

Give it some thought.

[ChrisC1029]

Thanks for the responses bipolar and malhavoc.

I will plan on taking it slow as you suggested bipolar. And I will also put a lot of thought into fish that I add malhavoc. I'm still coming up with that list, as well as a list of corals.

But does it matter which you add first, fish or coral? Should you add the fish first (slowly), in an order of least aggressive to more aggressive as suggested by malhavoc, and then slowly add corals? Alternate between one new fish, then one new coral, etc..? Or add corals first and then slowly introduce fish? I thought that maybe if you get all the fish in first, then you could make sure to get nitrates, phosphates and such under control before bringing in corals. But if you add the corals first, would the fish be any less likely to nip at the corals once you add them. Or am I obsessing too much about this and it doesn't really matter as long as you go slow and allow the tank to stabilize after each new addition?

Thanks to all for their input. :)

[MalHavoc]

It doesn't really matter which way you add them, as long as you carefully monitor your tank after each addition. Every time you add something to your tank, you -will- get a small cycle. It may not be noticeable on a test kit, but it'll happen. Patience is the key.

[BiPolar]

am I obsessing too much about this and it doesn't really matter as long as you go slow and allow the tank to stabilize after each new addition?

Try this,
week 1 - add 2 small FRIENDLY fish
Week 2 - Add 2 easily kept corals (mushrooms, ect)
week 3 - Add 2 more semi friendly fish
week 4 - Add 2 moderate corals
week 5 - Add your more agressive fish
week 6 - Add you harder kept corals

I would keep testing to make sure you biological load doesnt get too big. And you wonder why i say easier (cheaper) corals first? I would much rather lose a mushroom rock, then lose a colony of acro's. These easier corals will help you find issues before you spend a few hundred bucks on hard to keep corals and they have problems.

[MalHavoc]

I would defintely use more than 6 weeks to establish your tank. That's only a month and a half! I'd argue that your tank isn't even done cycling at that point. Be sure to read this thread:

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=146661

I waited almost 6 months before I added my first fish and coral. It took me almost 3 years to get my tank to it's current stocking level, and I haven't added anything new to it in almost a year.

[NorthCoast]

I tend to agree with Jason. Even if a tank has cycled the maturation process takes much longer. Until then a tank can go undergo many changes (some good, some not so good). Small changes can (and sometimes will) upset the balance in the tank. It might not always cause a crash, but can lead to stress to the inhaitants.

Again, form a plan of what you want with the relative order. Let the parameters of the water and the general health of the inhabitants dictate the timeline. If something dies in the first two weeks then there is something really wrong. It really does take more than a couple of weeks to see if most things will work out - it is when things die slowly that seems to be the hardest to figure out. Time and patients will go a long way.

Later,
NC

[ChrisC1029]

Thanks again to all for their input.
I'll probaly start with some fish, but I'll probably give it at least another month before introducing the first one or two. In the meantime I'll start coming up with my stacking list.

This is what I'm looking at as my starting list. I've compiled this list based largely on my "pocket" copy of Scott Michaels Marine Fish book. Obviously not all of these will make the final cut, but this is the list I would initially choose from:

3-4 Yellow or Blue Assessor
3-4 Blue Green Reef Chromis
2-3 Bangaii Cardinals
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1-2 Scotts Fairy Wrasse or Carpenter Wrasse
1 Royal Gramma or Brazilian Gramma
1 Tang: either Regal/Blue, Yellow or Naso Tang
3-4 Neon Blue Goby or Sharknose Goby
1 Firefish Goby or Purple Firefish Goby
2-3 Anthias, either lyretail or Bartletts

Anybody see any conflicts here? Anything you would exclude right off the bat, or anything else you would add for consideration?

Thanks again for the help.
:fish2:

[NorthCoast]

Obviously not all of these will make the final cut, but this is the list I would initially choose from:

3-4 Yellow or Blue Assessor
3-4 Blue Green Reef Chromis
2-3 Bangaii Cardinals
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1-2 Scotts Fairy Wrasse or Carpenter Wrasse
1 Royal Gramma or Brazilian Gramma
1 Tang: either Regal/Blue, Yellow or Naso Tang
3-4 Neon Blue Goby or Sharknose Goby
1 Firefish Goby or Purple Firefish Goby
2-3 Anthias, either lyretail or Bartletts

Anybody see any conflicts here? Anything you would exclude right off the bat, or anything else you would add for consideration?


Well, obviously the number of fish in 105 gallon tank! :) I would look at 1 tang and 5 or 6 other fish.

Perhaps this list (in order) as example:
2 ocellaris clowns
2 bangaii cardinals
1 goby
1 royal gramma
1 yellow tang

Just my initial thought,
NC

[ChrisC1029]

Thanks for your input Northcoast. Any particular reasoning for those choices, or are they just your favorites?:)

Are there any others you would add to the list that I didn't consider? :fish1: