What Fish????

[GamersQuest]

Hi All

Just wondered what you all thought of the following suggested fish for my new reef aquarium - 4ft tank, Deltec 600 skimmer, 35kg live rock

6 x Chromis
2 x Clowns - pair
2 x Manderin - pair - not until tank is at least 12 months old
1 x Royal Gammer
1 x Coral Beauty
1 x Tang - not sure on the best type

I wanted a shoal of fish hence the Chromis - do you feel the others will all be reef happy and harmonious.

Do I have too many - or do you think there are others I should consider and if so which ones should I remove and replace

And finally other than the Manderin coming last is there a good order in which to purchase the fish and place in the tank

Thanks so much

Jxx

[JENnKerry]

I'm guessing your tank is either a 55 or 75 gallon. In my honest opinion you need alot more live rock and you have way too many fish on that list. Unless you have a sump where the pods can be plentiful, I would advise against the manderins. As far as tangs it all depends on what kind you want although they should all really be in a bigger tank. I would cut one chromis out since it's better to keep them in odd numbers. So I would say five chromis, two ocellaris clowns, royal gramma and coral beauty would be fine.

BUT...... keep in mind that if you decide to keep corals down the road at some point, you high bio load might be a potential problem with the corals. They are sensitive to excess fish waste. So that's something you need to think over. Best of luck.

Kerry

[GamersQuest]

Hi Kerry

Its a 96 gallon tank as it is 120 x 50 x 70 so deeper than usual.

I have 35kg of live rock and 25 kg of ocean rock - the thought being over time this too will become live rock - I hope!!

Why is it better to keep odd numbers - will keep the Tang out. Can you clarify the issue with Manderins - do they eat the coral?

Thanks so much for all the help

[JENnKerry]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by GamersQuest


I have 35kg of live rock and 25 kg of ocean rock - the thought being over time this too will become live rock - I hope!!/QUOTE]

Sorry, I'm a little slow with converting kg to lbs. :D
That's fine with starting with live rock then adding base rock to the tank. I've done it. Started with about 70 pounds of live rock then added another 40 or 50 pounds in base rock. By looking at my tank you would think it was all live to begin with.

If the tank is a 96 gallon that would be fine for a yellow, purple or hippo tang. Keep in mind that there are some tangs that get almost two feet. Manderins are totally reef safe but their main diet is pods. They are constant grazers and if you dont have a constant supply of pods, the manderin will eat whatever's in there and then eventually starve to death. If you have a refugium set up where the pods can multiply then there shouldn't be a problem. But the tank needs to be really mature. They will not eat or nip corals. They're one of the most docile fish. There are a few instances (search on reef central) where people have gotten their manderins to eat frozen.

[GamersQuest]

Fantastic - that must be why we were told to wait for at least 12 months before adding the Manderin - I did wonder :-)

Glad to hear the live rock concept works - and its no a mad idea on my behalf to save a few pennies!!

Thanks for the information - really helpful - not sure I want a 2ft fish in the tank - that would be cruel

Thanks again

[JENnKerry]

:thumbsup: