Stocking advice :)

[robin623]

I have some troubles make up my mind about stocking my tank, and the people at the only decent looking nearby LFS confuses me... So, I want to ask you guys here =)

I guess I can try to describe my tank, (and its condition): aquarium is allmost 75 gallon, but I like the idea of DSB so I added like allmost 100kg sand and 15kg live stone (bali) and ~6-7kg of "base stone".. old submersible tunze scrubber (bubbly) no clue what brand. Old scrap i bought used.

The tank has been running for nearly 2 months, ammonia ~ 0ppm, nitrite ~ 0.05ppm, nitrate < 0,5ppm, ph ~ 8,3, temp ~24Cdegree, Ca ~ 540ppm, Mg ~ 1200ppm, alk ~ 9dkh, phosphate ~ 0ppm.

5 hitch-hiker corals (polyps and 1 ... mushroom?

) Seem to thrive, 4 hitch- hiker turbo snails and 5 newly bought nerita seem to thrive. Brown bloom of goo (diatoms?) and bubles started to develop in the DSB

First thing my LFS confused me with today, they want me to buy more bali stone since I said I had small reading of nitrite (they are dropping, went from out of scale high, to 0,4ppm to 0,05ppm) - I told them I think my 15kg is enough since i will add fish (and other stuff) slowly, giving microbal life time to spread to the sand and base rock..

The stocking plan that has developed over the past 2 months:
- I hope to start with a cleaner shrimp and 2x Gobiodon Citrinus (Citrinus clown goby) (I wonder if the poison will protect them or these gobies will be harrased by other fish??!) - LFS comment, hard to feed gobys ( I want to grow acropora at a later stage

)
- then _1_ dottyback, either springeri, orchid or bicolor

- yelowtail damsel - LFS comment, MEAN BASTARD FISH (I have aquascaped a few caves with my stone so I hope the yelowtail will feel secure enough to behave??!?)
-mated tomato clowns and bulbtip anemone (entecmaea quadricolor) - LFS comment, anemone is easy to keep (I was WTF??!) and tomato clowns are MEAN BASTARDS! (I asked them if the tomato had an anemone when he experience the aggressive behaviour, and LFS said no.. I suggested thay may be the cause why the loco tomato... I dont know really, but LFS didnt like tomatos at least!)
-sixline

Any input and corrections to reduce my confusion would be appreciated, and sorry for my english, it is not my everyday language

(I am also a bit worried about algae spreading right now in display, i will add macro algaes to my sump next week, snails have too much to eat atm.

 

[Ted]

well most of us dont do a DSB...I know I never have. I have read about them but just seemed a lot of sand to make it work right... That being said you have 33 of our pounds of rock...Most none dsb systems use 1 to 2 pounds per gallon of water..So a 75 would be 75 to 150 pounds of rock...Now there are big differences in rock...Some are porous and light some are very dense...I have a bit of both..Your main filtration is the rock and in your case a DSB......How full looking is the tank? Pic would help. as far as the fish...and such...nems are not easy. need a established tank...a year or more would be best...Damsels and clowns are mean...its just there nature....Should be added last in my opinion...

 

[wontonflip]

+1 Ted...I'd skip the damsel altogether, IMO. They are not just mean....they're killing machines. They would probably kill your gobies or any other fish you put in there. And definitely +1 about the nem....wait on that until your tank is more stable. If the nem dies, it can wipe out your entire tank because they release toxins when they die.

If your DSB is not deep enough, it's useless. And if you accidentally stir it up, you can wipe out your entire tank.

 

[Amba]

I'd ditch the DSB they are a time bomb IMO.

 

[FishyReef]

I think for the most part, your LFS was spot-on in its comments (except for the one about the 'nem)

You do need more rock (as Ted said, 1-2lbs per gallon)

Damsels and tomatos *are* mean bastards (and some six-lines can be as well). BUT, if you really want them, then at least most of the other fish on your list will be pretty well matched in terms of aggressive behavior (minus the gobies - see my next comment). How about adding something like a lemonpeel angel to that mix instead of the gobies? The lemonpeel will also be well-matched in terms of aggression.

Clown gobies might not be the best answer - I don't really know if they are hard to feed, but I think they will get lost in a 75g tank - while they may like to hang-out in acropora, they aren't necessary for acropora to thrive, and honestly I think they will hide in a cave, be bullied by the rest of your pretty aggressive list (tomatos, damsels, six-line), and you probably will rarely see them.

DSBs are risky - stir the sand and you could have a disaster on your hand from hitting a pocket of sulfur gas that has built up. I'm not sure they really add much to your tank that rock and a regular 1-2" sandbed doesn't already add. Also, adding rock is going to be challenging with a DSB - you really want your rock to rest on the glass - sand can dissolve and shift over time, and if you have the rock on top of the sand then your rocks can shift and you can have a rock slide, which can be disatrous (land on and kill fish, break glass, etc). Rock provides not only necessary surface area for nitrifying bacteria, but also places for your fish to establish territory.

While bubbletip 'nems might be one of the easiest as far as 'nems go, they still need pristine and stable water conditions, and strong lighting. Most people recommend having your tank set up for at least 9months to a year before trying a 'nem. Also, if they get sick and die they can wipe out your tank. And there is no guarantee that your clowns will even host the 'nem even if you put it in your tank.

Hope this helps!

 

[SarahSmile]

Hi Robin, the yellow clown gobies are cute but hard to keep. I had 2 wither away and Little Fish pointed out to me that they are hard to keep. She knows what she is talking about for sure. They are also teeny tiny and might be hard to spot in your 75. I would avoid the damsel and the tomato for sure!! These are all aggressive fish and will hamper your future stocking choices. I love my sixline, many people have had problems with them being aggressive. Mine is very sweet so every fish is different. The dottyback is semi-aggressive so try to add him last if you must have him. You don't want to have 3-4 fish that are so mean you cannot add anything else, that would be a pretty empty 75 gallon.

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree that you will probably never see the clown gobies in a 75. I had one in a 10 gallon tank and rarely saw it.

 

[Kelz88]

+100 fishy sarah and biff

I had one of those teeny tiny clown gobies in a 5 gallon and he was very shy. He didnt last very long as i could only get him to eat once or twice in the short time i had him. Cute as heck but way too small and shy for a big tank.

 

[daugherty]

i use to have one clown goby in my 75 and it was out all the time on one of my acros. they are aa very easy fish to keep alive you will run into problems as most of them like to hide or are just to small to see all the time.