Stocklist

Hey guys, new to saltwater and I am trying to formulate a plan for my first tank. I decided to figure out what fish I want before setting up the tank so I dont end up starting a tank that is too small for what I want. I have a lot of experience with freshwater and have been into keeping and breeding cichlids the past few years and usually overcrowd my tanks with heavy filtration to help with aggression but I know saltwater is a different story.

I am hoping you guys can help me pick a size tank and tell me what I may be able to stock depending on the sizes. This is to be a Fish and Live Rock only setup with no corals, at least for now. I have looked at everything from a 16gallon bowfront to a 55gallon aquarium. I currently rent and may be looking to move in a year or 2 so the smaller the better since they are a pain in the rear to move. I also do not have a ton of money so I was trying to stay smaller to help conserve since I rather have a smaller tank with better equipment then a larger tank with crap setup that will lead to a failed experience. I think I may have settled on a 36gallon bowfront which is a 30inchX12-15inch footprint. Im looking to stock a couple pygmy anglefish such as the coral beauty or a hawiian flame angel since these are pretty hardy from what I have red. I would also like to stock either a single clown or a pair, these would be the regualr tank bred variety. Other than that I love the idea of a mandarin dragonet and a neat goby or two with maybe a few inverts as a clean up crew. Does that sound like it has a chance to be successful or is it to set up to fail fromt he get go? Also what other fish would you suggest to a newguy like myself? If you could offer a couple stocklist suggestions that mightwork for a 26gal bow, a 36gal bow, and a 46gal bow that will help me make my decision. I also like Tangs but know these guys need larger tanks, how fast do the grow and is it acceptable to house them as juvies for awhile in a smaller tank and then rehome them when they get larger?

 

Geez, I seem to find all of your posts lol.

Anyway, let me start by saying this hobby becomes VERY addictive. You sound very much like me when I first started-just FOWLR, no corals. Let me tell you, I now have a full reef tank with softies and LPS corals, a 20 long frag tank and I'm constantly looking to upgrade.

With that in mind, I would suggest getting the proper equipment to start with. For a FOWLR, you don't need any specific lighting and you may be able to get away without a protein skimmer depending on tank size, but if you have even an inkling that you might want corals in the future, you might as well get good quality equipment now and save yourself the hassle in the future.

There are a lot of great choices for beginner fish- clowns, cardinals, gobies, blennies, dartfish, chromis, damsels (just keep in mind they get aggressive as they grow).

Based on your experience with FW, you may be able to handle a pygmy angel, but I would suggest starting with your suggested pair of clowns and then work your way up.

Last but not least, I would HIGHLY recommend that you skip the mandarin dragonet until your tank matures for at least a year and you have some solid SW experience under your belt. Mandarins have very specific needs and even the ORA mandarins that eat frozen foods instead of copepods, can be difficult to keep in a tank smaller than a 55 gallon (and thats the minimum)

They are beautiful fish and some of the most popular in the trade, but they are also the most often to perish due to their owners not being able to provide for their needs.

 

BTW, you are taking the right approach of researching first! So many people just decide they want a SW tank and walk out of the LFS with a tank under one arm and a tang or mandarin in the other!

As many have said before me: "Nothing good happens quickly with SW tanks"

 

Are you from the pittsburgh area or just a fan? Grew up down in Washington, PA.

Have you looked at the 40g breeder tanks? They are a decent sized tank that isnt too big but still isnt too small. I would say a good size, but you can still do reasonably basic equipment such as hang on back filters and skimmers without the equipment getting to big and overbearing on overall tank visuals. Plus in that size a tank move wouldnt be too hard.

One of the big spenders in the hobby is lighting, but with a FOWLR you have a few options. Stock lighting is still doable but not all that great. The lighting police will go after me but Odyssea lighting would be a good option for FOWLR and save a ton of money.

A few comments on your stocking choices. Angels can get territorial with each other so you may want to rethink doing both a CB and a flame. I have both but they are in seperate tank. Both are indeed really colorful and eye catchers. Since you also mentioned clowns here is an idea. A flame but go with black/white clowns to mix it up a little. I tend to get comments on my clowns since non hobbyists only seem to think of nemo (of course). Another fish for that size tank you might want to look at is a chalk bass. They have nice colors and are friendly enough with other occupants. I also have a blue reef chromis. They can add a nice dash of blue to the tank and arent agressive like damsels, and are far brighter than the common chromis. As far as goby's you might want to look into yellow watchman & shrimp combo. They can be interesting to watch. Like mentioned I would shy away from the mandarin as well. They arent necessarily a hard fish to keep but I would say they are best for when you are more experienced. They also tend to do better in larger tanks where the pods they eat can grow better. I would also recommend shying away from the tang. Sure your long term plans might be to upgrade to a larger tank but you can never guarentee it will happen. Any sort of list of things can happen then you end up with a ever growing fish in a tank way to small.

 

Thanks for the help, yea from what I read about mandarins I have to agree with you. I would only get tank raised and never wild caught because of this and figured it would still be a long shot. Also I do not plan on adding everything at once, I think the clowns will be first and the angels would be in 4 months or so down the road to give the tank a good chance to mature first. I do have a tendency to start small and egt addicted fast, hence the fact i had a 30gallon tub of fish in my college dorm after I started with a 5gallon tank lol.

 

I am from CT from live in Pgh now. Go to Wet Pets all the time in Washington PA have you ever been there?

I looked at the 40g breeder and like the idea since I know footprint is mroe important than gallons, however the only reason I am finally jumping to saltwater is because my wife who doesnt care for fish is excited about SW and the colors and agreed to let me put a setup in the living room. She like bowfront and surfline tanks, but hates cubes and rectangles. I was thinking a 36bow is still a decent footprint if needed I could go 46gal bow which gives me an extra 6inches in length same width but was trying to stay smaller since liverock cost a fortune

 

Just as an FYI, I started my 46g with about 15 lbs of LR and 35lbs of Dry. It takes a little bit of time to cure, but for $2 per lb from reefcleaners.org you can't beat it. I've had the 46 up and running for about 3 months now and I have coraline growth and it is beginning to cure. I also used biozyme to help speed the cycle and get bacteria throughout all of the rocks more quickly

 

Yes, I've been to wet pets a few times, but I only make it back to PA once or twice a year. Wet Pets looks like a good shop, a little high on equipment pricing (or were), but fish prices were really good. There was another shop up towards century III if I rememebr right. Granted thats been a while there.

Something to think about if you havent bought a tank yet is to check craigslist. There usually is some really good deals. I still browse them from time to time. Almost had my folks buy me a 210g that was on there a while back. I hear what your saying about the wife & tank shapes trust me. lol. My wife is the other side & not a fan of bowfronts lol.

Astrick is right on the money about the rock. Buy dry and let it cycle. Looking back I bought live rock in my 75g and think it was barely if worth the money. If I was in your spot I would buy dry rock & pick up a couple pieces of live rock from a lock shop or CL. When I started my 29g I threw 2-3 pieces of rock in my sump & transplanted it to start the tank. The cycle took just about as long and I think fresh live rock vs mailed live rock made a big difference even though the ratio of live to dry was way different. I personally have most of my rock from BRS & marco rocks, but given that marco is in FL, its probably of the same type as reefcleaners. I'm a long term buyer from reefcleaners for CuC's, and have no doubt if he puts his name on the rock that its good stuff. Marco just happened to have a sand/rock deal at the time.

 

Definitely a great idea! I have bought pretty much everything I own from CL, including the sundial quad t5 light I just got for $125 tonight. It a great resource, you just need to make sure you test everything out before you buy and make sure there are no leaks in a tank too.

They are both very well known for their great products and service. The nice thing about reefcleaners is that you can specify what shapes of rock you want. I asked for a variety that I could use to make arches/ caves and that is exactly what I got.

ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - Rock

 

I would definitely stay away from tangs. They say they need a minimum of 55 gallons, but when you factor in the fact that they can swim over 100 miles in a day, this isnt something they do well in small tanks. if you are serious about tangs get at least 150g IMO
however if you are new to the hobby, start with a mid sized tank, with easy and hardier fish.