Stocking my tank

I need some help working out what to stock my tank with and how much.

Recap...
700 litre, 3 months old
Now have 2 percula (or ocellaris) clowns
2 Pyjama Cardinals
1 coral beauty
1 coral banded shrimp
1 leather coral (plus corals that came on the live rock)

I spoke over the phone to my pethsop guy today and he said that it's
very hard to get most fish we see on the net here in Oz. Why? Because
most are exported (his main supplier is in Cairns) to the rest of the
world where they can get more money for them and our strict quarantine
laws make importing prohibitively expensive

Royal Gramma - not available
Blennies - very hard to get and rare
Tangs - he keeps trying to talk me out of the Regal tang that I want
saying they are too prone to white spot. Several other tangs available
but they are not what I want. I can get a yellow tang I think.
Dottybacks I think are available (I've seen them there)
Mandarins - available but it's way to early for me to even think about them.
Firefish - I've decided against as I keep reading they are jumpers and I
dont' want lids
Bangaii Cardinals - hard to get but we're not sure if they are ok to put
in with the pyjamas?
Anthias/Chromis I'm not sure about availability
Gobies - dont' know much about them and not sure if I can get them
Butterfly fish - copperbandeds are available but I keep reading they are
difficult to keep and they may eat coral.

I want fish that are peaceful, would prefer to be understocked and don't
want anything that will outgrow the tank. I'd like a bit of colour but
also fish with character.

If you had what I have now, what would you get to add to it and how
many? Do any of you live in Oz and know what is available in Qld? Would
you add more clowns of a different sort (not tomatoes)?

Hello,
Forst of all, Regal tangs are prone to white spot, as all all tangs,
but with good husbandry they are great fish never the less.
If you tank is long (1.5 metres or so) you might get away with having
two pairs of clowns. In some cases they do well, in other they fight. I
personally am not tht brave
Depending on how much LR you have and what is the quality the tank
might be able to support mandarins. My tank is 90 US gal (~340 litres)
and I had my pair on month 3, but I had a lot of Figi/Tonga LR and a
lot of pods/shrimp/worms etc.

A lot depends on whether your tank is reff, FO or FOWLR tank.

Regards
Yuriy

miskairal wrote on Tue, 31 Jan 2006:
Now have 2 percula (or ocellaris) clowns

Those are different (although they look similar). Do you know which you
have, percula or ocellaris?

Would you add more clowns of a different sort (not tomatoes)?

Most clowns don't get along with other clown species. (Or, in they case of
maroon clowns, they don't even get along with their own species!)

Unless you have a really big tank, with more than enough room for separate
territories, you almost certainly should NOT get a different species of
clownfish to add to your existing ones.

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
I think there should be a standard size of pillow, and if you want to
manufacture a pillow that's larger or smaller, that's fine, but it will not
receive the coveted title of "standard."
-- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey [1999]

I love hawkfish. Spotted hawks are cool, but I've seen several species and
they're all very pretty and very personable.

Thanks Cindy. I thought they were coral eaters but I got that wrong from
what I've read since reading your post. I've seen a flame hawkefish at
the shop so at least there is a chance I could get one.

Cindy wrote:
I love hawkfish. Spotted hawks are cool, but I've seen several species and
they're all very pretty and very personable.

Yea they are realy cute fish, but they eat shrimp, and I
would not want a reef tank without cleaner shrimp.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Cindy wrote on 1/31/2006 4:02 PM:
I love hawkfish. Spotted hawks are cool, but I've seen several species and
they're all very pretty and very personable.

Don Geddis wrote:
miskairal wrote on Tue, 31 Jan 2006:

Now have 2 percula (or ocellaris) clowns


Those are different (although they look similar). Do you know which you
have, percula or ocellaris?

No I don't know b/c everything tells me something different. I can't
count their dorsal spines because a) they wont' keep still and b) They
are still very young and smallish. The do have a black line dividing
orange and white colouration.
I'm leaning towards ocellaris but in the long run it really doesn't
matter which they are.

I have seen 2 pair living together at opposite ends of a very big tank
but I won't go there.

Aw, not my Ziggy. She's my coral banded shrimp so I guess that is out
too now.

Wayne Sallee wrote:
Yea they are realy cute fish, but they eat shrimp, and I would not want
a reef tank without cleaner shrimp.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Cindy wrote on 1/31/2006 4:02 PM:

I love hawkfish. Spotted hawks are cool, but I've seen several
species and they're all very pretty and very personable.

What about some wrasse varieties - I have some multi colour and dragon
wrasse and they are really cool. Also what about a flame angel - but that
could fight with your CB?

~m

"miskairal" wrote in message
u...
I need some help working out what to stock my tank with and how much.

Recap...
700 litre, 3 months old
Now have 2 percula (or ocellaris) clowns
2 Pyjama Cardinals
1 coral beauty
1 coral banded shrimp
1 leather coral (plus corals that came on the live rock)

I spoke over the phone to my pethsop guy today and he said that it's very
hard to get most fish we see on the net here in Oz. Why? Because most are
exported (his main supplier is in Cairns) to the rest of the world where
they can get more money for them and our strict quarantine laws make
importing prohibitively expensive

Royal Gramma - not available
Blennies - very hard to get and rare
Tangs - he keeps trying to talk me out of the Regal tang that I want
saying they are too prone to white spot. Several other tangs available but
they are not what I want. I can get a yellow tang I think.
Dottybacks I think are available (I've seen them there)
Mandarins - available but it's way to early for me to even think about
them.
Firefish - I've decided against as I keep reading they are jumpers and I
dont' want lids
Bangaii Cardinals - hard to get but we're not sure if they are ok to put
in with the pyjamas?
Anthias/Chromis I'm not sure about availability
Gobies - dont' know much about them and not sure if I can get them
Butterfly fish - copperbandeds are available but I keep reading they are
difficult to keep and they may eat coral.

I want fish that are peaceful, would prefer to be understocked and don't
want anything that will outgrow the tank. I'd like a bit of colour but
also fish with character.

If you had what I have now, what would you get to add to it and how many?
Do any of you live in Oz and know what is available in Qld? Would you add
more clowns of a different sort (not tomatoes)?

Coral banded shrimp are a little agressive, so a hawk fish
*might* not be a problem. The coral banded shrimp don't
clean the fish as well as the skunk cleaner shrimp, and
they also kill the skunk cleaner shrimp.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



miskairal wrote on 2/1/2006 4:53 AM:
Aw, not my Ziggy. She's my coral banded shrimp so I guess that is out
too now.

Wayne Sallee wrote:

Yea they are realy cute fish, but they eat shrimp, and I would not
want a reef tank without cleaner shrimp.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



Cindy wrote on 1/31/2006 4:02 PM:

I love hawkfish. Spotted hawks are cool, but I've seen several
species and they're all very pretty and very personable.