# Opinion on my stocking list



## steveo9043 (Sep 7, 2012)

I created a spreadsheet on excel to make sure all the parameters can be met and they are all identical then added the full adult size to make sure I dont over stock.

Tank = 72G bow front, starting with a FOWLR tank and maybe adding coral in the future. 










I really want a tang to go with the clown fish but my tank isn't large enough according to liveaquaria. 

I also want to add 2 of these clean up crews

Saltwater Aquarium Inverts for Marine Reef Aquariums: The Keep It Clean Caribbean Package

What do ya'll think?


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

ive never kept chromis but ive heard of them slowly picking off the weaker one until your left with 1. i dont know how true that is, but potentially something to research. the cardinals will also eventually pair up and go after the others in the tank. i think i would only add a pair of them. 

i think you could do a *single *tang in this tank, i would advise a kole, tomini or bristletooth ( c. flavicauda or c.truncatus ) all of which are "smaller" tangs

inches of fish isnt an accurate estimate, esp. in a saltwater tank. the live rock will take up a good amount of space which is why you want to create good gaps, arches, pillars and such to enable fish to interact with their environment ( as well as good water flow ) not to mention fish create territories, some may have specific feeding habits, different bio-loads, tempers, and so forth which can all impact the number of fish.

as for your clean up crew option, 2 coral banded shrimp will kill each other, and potentially other shrimp. i also see alot of crabs, which i personally am not a fan of. they are opportunistic feeders and will eat what they get their hands on, this can include hermits which ive found like to kill snails for their shells. of course people can and do keep crabs, i just personally like my tanks without them and use a nice variety of snails and maybe a cleaner shrimp, instead of a coral banded shrimp ( which somewhat acts more like a lobster )

maybe check out reefcleaners.org, and remember its alot easier to start out with less and order/buy more down the road if needed then to try and re-home critters.


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## steveo9043 (Sep 7, 2012)

onefish2fish said:


> ive never kept chromis but ive heard of them slowly picking off the weaker one until your left with 1. i dont know how true that is, but potentially something to research. the cardinals will also eventually pair up and go after the others in the tank. i think i would only add a pair of them.
> 
> i think you could do a *single *tang in this tank, i would advise a kole, tomini or bristletooth ( c. flavicauda or c.truncatus ) all of which are "smaller" tangs
> 
> ...


Thanks for the reply. I should of added these will not all be purchased together or even at a quick pace. Once I have the tank setup I am giving myself a $100 a month budget on food/chemicals/fish/etc. So this WILL  take a while to accomplish. Obviously anything I don't spend out of that $100 for month 1 gets added to month 2.

As for the Chromis, I have decided to only get one.

Cardinals 2 will work good?

I think i am adding a jawfish and/or a watchman gobie in the mix and taking the butterfly out of the equation. 

are there any shrimp that can get along together? I like shrimp! lol


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## steveo9043 (Sep 7, 2012)

UPDATED LIST:


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Looks doable. And yea, you can get a few Peppermint Shrimp.


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

a watchman goby and pistol shrimp makes a fun combo


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

onefish2fish said:


> a watchman goby and pistol shrimp makes a fun combo


 :thumbsup:


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## steveo9043 (Sep 7, 2012)

well went out yesterday and bought a few lbs of live sand... need to pick up about 60 more lbs of regular sand.

I also picked up 45lbs of rock. 

my favorite rock so far









also... WHAT IS THIS? 








it fits perfectly inside the inlet side of my refugium


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## steveo9043 (Sep 7, 2012)

is it really a protein skimmer? I found some images on google and its ontop of the inlet and when the water comes in it bubbles and then catches like a mechanical protein skimmer?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

I have aboslutely no idea what that thing is.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

Can you post a picture, top down looking into it?

My suggestion would be either a surface skimmer / pre filter or some sort of media tower?


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## steveo9043 (Sep 7, 2012)

well I got my tank up! Its in the corner and about 18in from the tv. It's angled and I am going to put fake plants or something behind it. I used 60 lbs of argonite and 20 lbs of live sand. Refugium is not hooked up yet. Have the circulator in there to help get things moving. Going to bring a sample of water to the LFS tomorrow and have them test it and probably picking up 30-40 lbs of live FIJI rock. I only have 48 lbs of rock in there now and 80 lbs of sand. 










as for that piece. It is a protein skimmer. You can see it in this picture.


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