Stocking my 75 gal

So being new to this hobby and after a few compatability mishaps in the beginning (probably due to a lack of research, thank god for this site) I think I've gotten the potentials for my tank now. I currently have two black clown fish and a flame angel to coincide my sally light foot n a pistol shrimp. This is what I'm thinking for the rest:

1. A wrasse of some sort (suggestions welcome)
2. Kole Tang
3. Red Mandarin

My only concerns I've come up with is the Mandarin is kinda picky with it's diet but how hard is it to keep? For the Wrasse I've read they like to jump and need about 2-4 inches of sand, I don't have that much. Is it possible (if so, how) to add more sand to an established tank. Also they like to jump a lot? Cool b/c I have most of it covered but when I go reef won't that pose as a problem having the uncovered for lighting purposes if it's uncovered? The Tang I'm pretty much set on, heard a lot of good things bout that little guy.

Feedback would be great and thanks in advance!

 

well, there are some wrasses that don't hide under the sand bed. Like the flashers and fairy wrasses. So you would not need to add more sand for them. Unless you want more sand. You can add more sand if you want to, just add it super slowly.

As far as the mandarin goes, add it last. And ideally you should have a refugium set up to populate the tank with pods. That's mainly all they eat, and they can diminish your population if there is no breeding ground for them.

 

Well I have no experience with wrasses but yes it is possible to add sand to an established tank. just be aware that water will become cloudy for maybe a day or 2 so don't get alarmed. and yes mandarins are hard to keep without copepods. You'll be lucky if you find one that eats frozen food but the chances are kind of low. you would have to raise live foods; for more info check out this thread I made. the article explains it all for a good copepod culture: http://www.3reef.com/forums/fish-food/creating-copepod-culture-98769.html

 

I love tangs! Never tried the Kole. Very cool though!!

 

Well sometimes you can train them to eat frozen foods or brine shrimp but usually it is copepods. But as long as it is eating it shouldn't need to copepods, but then again most mandarins out there eat just that.

 

If you already have the pistol how about a yellow watchman goby.

And FLfishGirl is right you need a well established tank to keep mandarins long term. I also like the wrasses she listed.

 

That what I said, they mainly eat pods.

 

Bluehead wrasse?

 

well yeah I know but I'm saying you can feed them frozen food but it's just hard to get one that eats frozen food

 

This is a pretty fairy wrasse

the pink margin fairy wrasse