I'm going to also look into your suggestion (Foxface Rabbitfish). My
original idea was to get a group of surgeonfish. A group of three,
perhaps two yellow tangs and a purple tang. Or a pair of purple tangs
and a yellow tang. In a tank this large, if all were added at the same
time, they should settle down in a few days. I did this on a smaller
scale in an Oceanic 58 gallon tank years ago and it worked out fine.

My LFS is trying to talk me out of the tangs and into the Rabbitfish.
What is the attraction? Are they less boisterous than Tangs? Are they
hardier than Tangs? Will they do OK in a group? Or, am I better off
just adding one?

Thanks, again, for your advice!

HJ

P.S. all of the fish are still doing great! I just need to make sure
the food is broken apart in small enough pieces for the Longnose
Butterflyfish to be able to eat.

In article ,
swarvegorilla wrote:

"Haywood Jablowme" wrote in message
...

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely look for these fish the
next time I'm shopping.

Two questions:

1) Is the Lawnmower Blenny good for cleaning up food that makes it all
the way to the bottom? Can he compete for food with aggressive
feeders?

they are excellent algae eaters, but yes they are ok in a scrap. They enjoy
algae discs if you wanted a sinking treat.
Mine come to the surface with the frenzy now, but at first were shy.
It's also a 'common name' for a group of blennys that vary in colour shape
and size in the trade.

2) I believe all of the rabbitfish are venemous. Is this right? Does
this present a problem when doing maintenance?

Not for me yet.
I'm scared of lionfish, mantis shrimp, big triggers, ockys and cone snails
when playing around.
The foxface, he's me mate




Thanks, again, for the suggestions!

HJ

No prob mate
Don't mind the trolls
they die hard but mean well.
or something like that,
it's roots are long lost in lameness



In article ,
swarvegorilla wrote:

I would have to say that 'fox faced rabbit fish' are an awesome fish, and
a
lawn mower blenny is also a good buy.
2 of my favourites anyway



"Haywood Jablowme" wrote in message
...

Since everyone was so much help, I thought I should provide an
update...

Tank was delivered and set up in January. The water went in and the
pumps started for the first time on 1/21. My LFS recommended cycling
the tank with damsels. So, I added 18 mixed damsels the following
weekend.

All went well but the cycle never started. So, the LFS gave me some
Ammonium Chloride to get things started. It worked as subsequent tests
showed that the cycle had indeed started. It took nearly two months,
but I returned the damsels and stocked my tank. I only lost 3 damsels
and one of them was my own fault as he was hurt when I tried to catch
him. Catching damsels in a 150 gallon tank is not the easiest thing...

The compact florescent bulbs actually produce more heat than I
expected. Not as much as metal halide bulbs, but still enough to raise
the temperature in the tank. The room runs between 76 F and 77 F.
Running the lights, the water in the tank is normally 79 F to 81 F. I
think I am going to get a small fan to mount in the hood. This way, I
can blow some of that heat out into the room. Hopefully, this will
cause the water to be a little cooler. Here in Florida, heat can be a
real problem.

My lighting consists of two of the Sunpaq retrofit kits installed
directly into the hood.

Fish a 3 Heniochus Butterflyfish, 2 Pacific Blue Tangs, 1 Longnose
Butterfly (not sure if its flavissimus or longirostris, does anyone
know an easy way to tell?), and a small Golden Jack (Gnathanodon
speciosus).

My plans are to add a group of Tangs (yellow/purple/sailfin) and a
Centropyge angel in a couple of weeks. Then I will begin looking for a
spectacular large angelfish to add. Perhaps an Emperor or a Blueface.
Any suggestions?

Never did get any Ocellaris Clownfish. In my area, there are simply no
large ones available. Only the very tiny ones which I didn't think
were appropriate for a tank this size (150 gallons).

What do you think of my fish selection so far? Unfortunately, I had to
select from what he had. Also, I only selected from fish that he has
had for at least two weeks and those that readily accepted food.

I would really welcome any suggestions for future additions.