New Setup Stocking Suggestions

[chich0]

Hey everyone,
My first post on here. Just got a question, what would you guys put in a tank with dimensions:
4ftx2ftx2ft and sump 3ftx18"x18"
I was thinking some clowns, corals, gobies, and a yellow tang if it doesnt cause to much comotion.
what would you guys stock with coral?
regards,
chich0

[AQTCJAK]

Welcome Aboard - Take is slow fish & corals will come in time some require more mature tanks you list of fish seems ok, However you are missing a cleanup crew & as far a corals are concerned what type of lighting you have will be a very large determining factor

[chich0]

yeah. i am going to have a 4 tube t5 with 2 blue and 2 whites for the time being. cleanup crew i wanted some type of snails or carbs or shrimp if there are any? an some lawnmower blennys. dont know what else yet thats why i need SUGGESTIONS!!! cumon ppl lol.

[chich0]

ok so:
1 Yellow Tang
2 sixline wrasse
1 Flame Angel
1 Pair of clowns
2 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Bicolor Blenny
2 Mandarins
2 Blue or green Chromis
1 Clown Goby
1 Firefish Goby
1 Jawfish
They are the fish i would like to keep in my tank but i have a feeling i might be pushing it putting that many in. I dont have a resource that tells me how big each species grow so im taking wild guesses by their pictures.
The tank will be a 170G including sump.
If anyone has a site with more info and The maximum size these species get please let me know

[AQTCJAK]

Originally Posted by chich0

ok so:
1 Yellow Tang Last in the Tank
2 sixline wrasse
1 Flame Angel
1 Pair of clowns
2 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Bicolor Blenny
2 Mandarins - Wait until you see codes growning & breading
2 Blue or green Chromis
1 Clown Goby
1 Firefish Goby
1 Jawfish
They are the fish i would like to keep in my tank but i have a feeling i might be pushing it putting that many in. I dont have a resource that tells me how big each species grow so im taking wild guesses by their pictures.
The tank will be a 170G including sump.
If anyone has a site with more info and The maximum size these species get please let me know

That looks like a good list refer to my comments about when to add

[prow]

1 Yellow Tang-gets about 7-8"max like it
2 sixline wrasse-get about 3"-just one, watch these guys little fin nipers. aggressive little guys.
1 Flame Angel-gets about 5" 50/50 with corals
1 Pair of clowns-if they hook up, one get about 3-4" the other 2-3". like it
2 Lawnmower Blenny-gets about 6" just one, needs a mature tank, should be added among the last, can be aggressive to like fish, firefish and jaw included.
1 Bicolor Blenny-good but not with jawfish of firefish, watch the lawnmower with it add at the same time.
2 Mandarins-just one, do you homework on this guy needs a mature tank +
2 Blue or green Chromis-good can be aggressive as they grow
1 Clown Goby-like it
1 Firefish Goby-like it
1 Jawfish-like it, needs a dsb.
i think just a little heavy on the room you have with that list. need to ajust it down a little.

[Melanie]

Originally Posted by prow

1 Yellow Tang-gets about 7-8"max like it
2 sixline wrasse-get about 3"-just one, watch these guys little fin nipers. aggressive little guys.
1 Flame Angel-gets about 5" 50/50 with corals
1 Pair of clowns-if they hook up, one get about 3-4" the other 2-3". like it
2 Lawnmower Blenny-gets about 6" just one, needs a mature tank, should be added among the last, can be aggressive to like fish, firefish and jaw included.
1 Bicolor Blenny-good but not with jawfish of firefish, watch the lawnmower with it add at the same time.
2 Mandarins-just one, do you homework on this guy needs a mature tank +
2 Blue or green Chromis-good can be aggressive as they grow
1 Clown Goby-like it
1 Firefish Goby-like it
1 Jawfish-like it, needs a dsb.
i think just a little heavy on the room you have with that list. need to ajust it down a little.

I agree with Prow but wanted to add the chromis are schooling fish and prefer to be in groups of 5 or more.

[framerguy]

Welcome Chich0, you'll love it here. I agree with Prow, and Melanies amendment. Be patient, let your number of fish grow as your experience does. Can you tell us (I don't think I saw it) how long has your tank been set up, is it cycled yet, what kind of Live rock and how much, what kind of sand bed, (I saw the lighting info, that'll do til you can upgrade to MH.) What are your water parameters, what filtration are you using? Again, welcome aboard!!

[chich0]

Thanks for the welcome guys.
Its not setup and trust me im patient. Im lacquering the cabinet atm. i have Crushed coral, 20kg of live rock 20kg of base rock (for the sump) an aqua one canister that does about 1200LPH a Aqua One Submergible filter that does about 1000lph. and offcourse the sump which will be filled with LR or Base rock. I dont want too much LR i think even the 20kg will be enough. just a few corals as a feature in the middle and a few stray rocks on the sides. dont want to build a wall or anything. I'm just gathering all the info i can before i start because i cant handle not knowing something or being a bit un organized lol

[DaveK]

Your tank works out to about 120 gal. You only have about 40kg of base rock and live rock, or about 90 lbs.

Usually for a reef you want about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of rock per gallon of water, or 120 to 180 pounds of rock.

As you can see, you don't have enough rock, and should add about 30 pounds (14kg) to 90 pounds (41kg) more.

I would also recommend not placing live rock or base rock in the sump, unless you have some very special specific reason for doing so. Rock in the sump tend to become a dirt trap, and lower water quality. This is because it's very difficult to clean around it when it's in a sump. Also, you don't see it, so out of sight, out of mind.

You might think I'm making a big deal about live rock, and base rock, and I am. This is because the rock is one of the major components of your filtration system. Personally, I'd rate it as the single most important part. This is not an area to skimp on.

[chich0]

what do you guys recomend to put in the sump? i thaught live rock in the sump was the best way to go and so i have heard everywhere. Also i wanted most of the LR in the sump because i didnt want too much rock in the tank. Also how is a 4x2x2 with a 3x18x18 sump a 120G? isnt the 4x2x2 alone a 120g?

[Melanie]

Yeah, the 4 X 2 X 2 is about 120 gal. Dave probably didn't notice the sump dimensions.

I agree with his suggestion about having about 1 - 2 lbs. of LR per gallon of water. It helps so much with the biological cycle because the anaerobic bacteria live inside it and consume the nitrates from your water. Plus it has extensive surface area for keeping the aerobic bacteria colonies happy.

I don't know about not putting rock in the sump so I'll defer to more experienced reefers.

On the crushed coral, you may want to ask some people who have jawfish. I thought the crushed coral was too sharp for them and cut their little bodies. Note: I do not have one so I'm not speaking from experience. I could be wrong.

[chich0]

Eventually i will have about 60kg of LR on there. (im from australia) lol. but im thiking about putting a bed of crushed coral about 4inches thick in my sump and and some LR and see how that pans out..

[Anselth]

Crushed coral is a big detritus trapper, which can lead to problems down the line. You might be better served with an aragonite sand bed instead.

[chich0]

is it fine for in the tank? Detritus trap?? never heard of crushed coral doing that before. every aquarium and person i know either has crushed coral or crushed marble in their reef tanks.