Hi,
Would be grateful for help with stocking. I am re-starting my RSM250, have already 3 fish:
1. Occ. clownfish (about 1.5", rather peaceful)
2. Gold-headed (sandsifting) goby (2.5-3", doing well, had it >2months)
3. Firefish (regular) (2", for about 1 month)
Other livestock:
1. Large fire shrimp (almost 3" trunk)
2. Conch
3. ~10 big Nerites
4. ~12 Florida Ceriths
5. ~18 Nassarius Vibex
6. ~60 dwarf Ceriths
Corals (it will be softies/LPS tank)
1. Toadstool leather
2. Finger leather
3. Symphylia (brain)
4. Paly colony
5. Frogspawns
6. Mushrooms
7. Duncans, chalice and a single SPS frag (I got as a freebie )
8. Zoas
9. Many hitchhiker featherdusters
I am running stock equipment + chiller + small DIY refugium with chaeto in the stock sump.
Thinks are going well, CUC got under control a small GHA outbreak related to pellet feeding, now almost no visible algae with several per days feeding of rinsed frozen food and freeze-dried coral food
In the future, I would like to add a Derasa clam (near top) and RBTA, kept them successfully in RSM250 before, plus more softie corals: hammer, torch, acans, pulsing kenya, more zoas, perhaps candy cane and some photosynthetic gorgonians.
So I was thinking of adding more fish. I am far away (1-1.5 h drive) for any LFS and the best one is >1.5 away, so unfortunately I would probably have to order more than 1 fish at the time .
My wish list:
* something peaceful and colorful: Royal Gramma?
* perhaps a more higher maintenance, but peaceful fish: McCosker wrasse?
* One bigger fish, ideally herbivorous: small (1-1.5") Yellow Tang (or small flame hawk, if my concerns about compatibility are not valid)
Questions:
1. I also like flame hawkfish a lot, but from what I read it could bother my fire shrimp (and sand sifting goby?) plus eat all my feather dusters? I was also considering to get a Christmas worm rock at some point (and keep it at the very top) - sounds like flame hawk would destroy it? Does size also matters - Blue zoo is offering tiny flame hawks, below 1" even
2. I understand that RSM250 would be long term to small for a yellow tang - but do you think I would be ok with a small (1-1.5") YT for 1-2 years? I plan to upgrade to RS 525 or something like that within that time frame. I also have another RSM250 (thanks to Reefmack, who posted a deal I could not refuse, even though was shopping for a much smaller tank). I am thinking of setting it up as a semi-aggresive community tank (with a small snowflake eel and flame hawk and a banggai pair), so if yellow tang would become to aggressive, I could also move it there.
3. How much a yellow tang would grow from 1-1.5" within 1 year? 2 years?
4. What other fish would you recommend for a peaceful community RSM 250 tank? I am looking both for colorful and interestingly behaving fish. I planned to add a tailspot blenny, is supposed to be very entertaining, but the one my LFS had seemed barely alive and as kids said, too small and transparent to see . Might be a better nano fish.
I am sorry for such a long post and looking forward to all comments/advice.
Would be grateful for help with stocking. I am re-starting my RSM250, have already 3 fish:
1. Occ. clownfish (about 1.5", rather peaceful)
2. Gold-headed (sandsifting) goby (2.5-3", doing well, had it >2months)
3. Firefish (regular) (2", for about 1 month)
Other livestock:
1. Large fire shrimp (almost 3" trunk)
2. Conch
3. ~10 big Nerites
4. ~12 Florida Ceriths
5. ~18 Nassarius Vibex
6. ~60 dwarf Ceriths
Corals (it will be softies/LPS tank)
1. Toadstool leather
2. Finger leather
3. Symphylia (brain)
4. Paly colony
5. Frogspawns
6. Mushrooms
7. Duncans, chalice and a single SPS frag (I got as a freebie )
8. Zoas
9. Many hitchhiker featherdusters
I am running stock equipment + chiller + small DIY refugium with chaeto in the stock sump.
Thinks are going well, CUC got under control a small GHA outbreak related to pellet feeding, now almost no visible algae with several per days feeding of rinsed frozen food and freeze-dried coral food
In the future, I would like to add a Derasa clam (near top) and RBTA, kept them successfully in RSM250 before, plus more softie corals: hammer, torch, acans, pulsing kenya, more zoas, perhaps candy cane and some photosynthetic gorgonians.
So I was thinking of adding more fish. I am far away (1-1.5 h drive) for any LFS and the best one is >1.5 away, so unfortunately I would probably have to order more than 1 fish at the time .
My wish list:
* something peaceful and colorful: Royal Gramma?
* perhaps a more higher maintenance, but peaceful fish: McCosker wrasse?
* One bigger fish, ideally herbivorous: small (1-1.5") Yellow Tang (or small flame hawk, if my concerns about compatibility are not valid)
Questions:
1. I also like flame hawkfish a lot, but from what I read it could bother my fire shrimp (and sand sifting goby?) plus eat all my feather dusters? I was also considering to get a Christmas worm rock at some point (and keep it at the very top) - sounds like flame hawk would destroy it? Does size also matters - Blue zoo is offering tiny flame hawks, below 1" even
2. I understand that RSM250 would be long term to small for a yellow tang - but do you think I would be ok with a small (1-1.5") YT for 1-2 years? I plan to upgrade to RS 525 or something like that within that time frame. I also have another RSM250 (thanks to Reefmack, who posted a deal I could not refuse, even though was shopping for a much smaller tank). I am thinking of setting it up as a semi-aggresive community tank (with a small snowflake eel and flame hawk and a banggai pair), so if yellow tang would become to aggressive, I could also move it there.
3. How much a yellow tang would grow from 1-1.5" within 1 year? 2 years?
4. What other fish would you recommend for a peaceful community RSM 250 tank? I am looking both for colorful and interestingly behaving fish. I planned to add a tailspot blenny, is supposed to be very entertaining, but the one my LFS had seemed barely alive and as kids said, too small and transparent to see . Might be a better nano fish.
I am sorry for such a long post and looking forward to all comments/advice.
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