187 gallon Stocking

fishfreak2009

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 25, 2009
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Michigan
So I've had my 187 gallon running for about 4 years now (had difficulties for the first 2 years). The tank has been doing weel for a while, with little nitrate (less than 5 ppm), no ammonia, and no nitrite. I have about 200 lbs. of live rock (it's a tall tank), Caulerpa prolifera on some of my sandbed, a 30 gallon refugium (grape caulerpa), and a 2 inch deep crushed coral/live sand bed (I mixed the 2). I also have a 50 gallon sump on the tank. By the way, I have damsels, but they are peaceful, not going after anything because they are in a school. I want some suggestions for tankmates. Here's the current stocklist:
1 Bicolor Angelfish (had him for 2 years now, eats flake from my hand!)
1 PJ Cardinal (had since day 1, he was sold as a damsel, all his cardinal friends were eaten by my old niger trigger)
5 Yellow tailed blue damsels (had about a month now)
3 Smithi Damsels (bought with the yellow tailed blues)
1 Royal Gramma (had over a year)
2 True Percula Clownfish (they've laid eggs before, and are 3 years old)
lots of hermits
lots of astraea snails
lots of Discosoma, ricordea, and Zoanthids.

I know I want to add:
1 Sailfin Tang
1 Yellow Tang (added at same time as sailfin)
1 Fairy Wrasse (probably Lubbock's)
2 Blue Throat Triggerfish (a mated pair)
1 Seagrass Filefish (had one before and he was amazing! Unfortunately, he jumped out.
)

How does this sound?
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
5,542
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Central Wisconsin
The problems that I see are this...you are adding two things that are trigger like (they might fight) and you are adding two similarly shaped tangs.

I would go with the trigger pair, and the sailfin, but be aware that even your 187 might not be enough for a sailfin in the end. I have seen them spearfishing in hawaii the size of brief-cases. Even if they dont get that big, they require and deserve tons of swimming room. My brother and I had one in a 125, but ended up trading him in to the LFS because we felt bad that he didnt have more room.
 

fishfreak2009

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 25, 2009
694
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Michigan
ok, so no sailfin, just a yellow. I am pretty sure the trigger pair and the file would be fine together though, my lfs has a pair in with a file in their big reef tank display and there's no aggression. The filefish stays in the caulerpa and the triggers stay above the rockwork. My old niger (traded him in after he killed my breeding pair of Twinspot Hogfish) never fought with the filefish either.

BTW I was interested in the sailfin because the LFS has a 10 inch sailfin that nobody wants because he has a bunch of HLLE scars on his face. He's in a 55 gallon, and they said I could have him for $20.
 

TheCanuck

Piranha
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Nov 9, 2009
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I would roll with 2-3 yellow tangs, one trigger, wrasse, then a blonde naso tang.


Yellow tangs are much better with a buddy/group, and will be much more personable.

One trigger cause you don't want the pair to savage your tank.

Naso, cause they are the ****!



Keep in mind with filefish and triggers, there is a chance they will eat your corals..
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
5,542
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Central Wisconsin
TheCanuck;4431970; said:
I would roll with 2-3 yellow tangs, one trigger, wrasse, then a blonde naso tang.


Yellow tangs are much better with a buddy/group, and will be much more personable.

One trigger cause you don't want the pair to savage your tank.

Naso, cause they are the ****!



Keep in mind with filefish and triggers, there is a chance they will eat your corals..
+5

Nothing left to say on the matter.

That tang deserves at least 6' of swimming room. I thought that was too little when I had one personally. That might have just been me. Do what you want. $20 is a great deal no matter what kind of sailfin it is.
 

fishfreak2009

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 25, 2009
694
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Michigan
So I won't be adding any fish for a while. I am going to redo all the plumbing on the tank, as well as add a 55 gallon refugium to the current filtration, before I add any more fish. Before that, I have to get a job so I can pay for the stuff to build the refugium/sump (I'll hopefully pick up a 55 gallon at one of Petco's $1 a gallon sales). Then while I build the filter I'll transfer the fish, inverts, and live rock to a spare tank. I'll drain the main tank, fix the scratches in the front glass, replace the crushed coral with a deep sand bottom, and then refill the tank with cycled saltwater and all my live rock. I'll add some new fish to the tank (after quarantine) at the same time as the old fish so they all have a chance to find a territory.

Here's the new stocklist based on your trigger/tang advice:
1 Bicolor Angel (already have)
1 Potter's Angel (will remove if problems with the bicolor arise)
1 Yellow Tang (I had horrible luck with multiple groups killing each other before)
5 Yellow Tailed Blue Damsels (already have)
3 Smithi Damsels (already have)
1 royal Gramma (already have)
1 PJ Cardinal (already have)
2 True Percula Clownfish (already have)
1 Pearlscale Butterflyfish (not too concerned about the mushrooms etc.)
3 Heniochus (same as above)
1 Diamond sleeper goby (hence the deep sand bed)
1 Mandarinfish (part of the reason for the new refugium)

That's it!
 

fishfreak2009

Candiru
MFK Member
Sep 25, 2009
694
14
48
Michigan
For all I know I might just get a group of 5 yellow tangs instead of the butterflies. It depends on what the store has that is healthy. I found out today that my dad is actually allowing me to re-setup the smaller tanks, so the conglamoration of their inhabitants in my 55 gallon paludarium are going back to the small tanks. That means I can use that 55 gallon as a sump, which should save me enough money to buy sand for both the refugium and the main tank! So excited. Looks like the sump will be sooner rather than later. :nilly:
 

FLESHY

Polypterus
MFK Member
Jan 7, 2006
5,542
20
92
Central Wisconsin
For all these fish your going to need the 55g sump to have the filtration you need.

I would ditch the angels except maybe one dwarf, and I would also get rid of the butterflies.

+1 for the school of tangs however.
 
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