Stocking my 130 gal reef

[Matt spivey]

I'm choosing some fish now for after I move a juvenile bamboo shark to the local aquarium.

I have a foxface lo (about 3 inch)
Ocellaris clown (1.5 inch)
Bicolour blenny (2 inch)
Green chromis (1 inch)
Mandarin dragonet (2inch)

These are some fish I like to choose from:

Lemon peel angel
Blue dot/yellow head jaw fish (have a DSB)
Black ocellaris
Yellow tang
Blonde naso (favourite)
Blue Caribbean tang
Purple tang
Hippo/regal tang
Emperor angel would be cool but not sure if that'd work.

Obviously don't want them all but compatibility wise I wanted to know what's best.

Feel free to throw in your own suggestions for interesting fish. I'm a fan of good personality fish or odd looking ones.


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[nanoreefing4fun]

Hi Matt - In your 34 gallon RSM, I would suggest this great read & then looking up these fish on Live Aquaria for "Minimum Tank Size", this site offers great advise related - some of these fish require really very large tanks - hope this helps !

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/24702-marine-fish-stocking-limit.html

One example: Blonde Naso Tang (Naso elegans)

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+754&pcatid=754

Minimum Tank Size: 180 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Compatible: Yes
Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Max. Size: 1' 6"
Color Form: Black, Blue, Orange, Red, Yellow
Diet: Herbivore
Compatibility: View Chart

 

[Matt spivey]

Thanks, I checked live aquaria first to see the fish I liked the look of and testimonials.

I actually meant my new 130 gallon 4ft long tank. It's due to arrive in about 2 weeks

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Sorry Matt, I didn't realize you were referring to a new 130 gallon tank your about to get.... that opens up your choices quite a bit, consulting Live Aquaria for specs for "Minimum Tank Size" will serve you well ! You can have quite a few fish in a 130 gallon & some of the bigger ones... when you get them, consider full grown size.

See what others think...

 

[Wrangy]

Angelfish and butterflies, that's all you need! Don't bother with other fish :laughroll haha Naso is a solid choice I know a few tanks that have them and they are wicked personalities
Personally if I had a 130g (without having consulted minimum requirements yet) there would be a few 'main' large fish, a couple of angel's and butterflies, depending on what's suitable, maybe a tang but it would depend on what I could do with the other to families. Then I'd add some anthias for real colour pop and movement. Then I'd add a few interesting species to add a bit if uniqueness and of course a hawkfish never having a reef without one!

 

[Matt spivey]

Great point on the anthias they really add some life to the display I think. Can't choose between bartlets or lyretails.

It's been so long I forgot how to calculate the stocking limit! It's surface area for freshwater isn't it?
But with saltwater it's per gallon?

I just need a way to pass the time until my tank comes it's a great time to plan what fish you want!

 

[Snid]

Formulas like so many inches of fish per so many gallons of water aren't really a hard facts. Each system is different, and with saltwater especially, the age of the tank, the biological and mechanical filtration present, and the amount of Live Rock/Corals all make a huge difference. With new tanks, you especially want to be very conservative. I've seen some people say about 1 inch of fish (when fully grown, not current size) for every 5 gallons of water that actually fit into the tank is the best way to start out. So not the tank size, but the amount of water that makes it into the tank after all the Live Rock and sand has been added.

So with a 130 gallon tank, minus displaced water, depending on the sump, you'd probably want to ease into about 16 inches of full grown fish (rough guesstimate) over several months, and then as the tank matures you can gradually introduce more, but carefully observe behavior, cleanliness, and the tank's filtering capability. 16 inches doesn't sound like a lot, but when you are starting out fairly fresh you want to make certain that the biological filtration is present and capable. And by biological filtration, I don't only mean the bacteria, but also the CUC, types of Algae, worms, etc...

 

[Snid]

P.S. - I strongly encourage the more seasoned reefers to provide more accurate suggested measurements as my post was more for the idea than the exactness of it all.

 

[Matt spivey]

Cool thanks for the info, makes sense to me I guess I've got a large skimmer on it too, don't know if that would make a difference. It's a deltec 1450 and if I remember rightly it's big enough for a 6x2x2 tank, whatever water that may hold.

Do you think having matured sand and rock would help? Roughly half of the rock going in has been in my current tank for a long time

 

[Snid]

Do you think having matured sand and rock would help? Roughly half of the rock going in has been in my current tank for a long time

Helps a ton. There is so much life and biological filtration that comes in with established Live Rock (depending upon its age of course).

To be honest though, when it comes to the sand, I find that more often than not people recommend starting with new sand when making such a transfer. Sand gathers a lot of waste, even if it is broken down a lot, and with such a new build it gives you the opportunity to get rid of that. Of course, that being said you'd also be getting rid of beneficial things as well. So I am honestly not sure if it is best to get rid of it all, only part of it, or none of it. And if it is kept, how should it be rinsed, if at all? I'll let others chime in on the sand.

 

[Matt spivey]

Ok I was looking at fresh sand anyway but not "live sand" I want a good cheap aragonite (for buffering capabilities) not sure what grain size to look for but my oolite doesn't blow about too much at the moment. I want a nice bright white sand.