Ideas for stocking my 36 gal tank

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Yash

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Nov 2, 2006
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I still have about 3 weeks to go until my tank gets fully cycled but I wanted to start planning on what livestock I will be able to keep in my tank.

The tank is a 36gal bow front with a drip filter, and a 10 gal fuge. I currently have close to 30 lbs of rock in there, with a 50-50 mix between cured LR and base rock, and approximately 20 lbs of aragonite sand.

The tank is currently going to be a FOWLR setup, but I do plan on adding corals to it, once I have had enough experience with the SW setup.

I know that I would like to have a pair of Oscellaris Clown fish, since they will be comparatively easier for a beginner to SW like myself and from what I've read, they seem to have a great personality.

So, my question is - what other fish/invertebrates can I have? How many fish would you suggest I have as a maximum? I would personally prefer fish that have a nice mix of colors, and a good personality, as in they like to come out and swim and maybe eventually eat out of my hands, as opposed to those you rarely see since they're always in hiding. Also, what shrimp/snail/crab combination should I have and how many?

I would appreciate any ideas/feedback/suggestions so I can start planning things out :)

Regards,
Yash
 

Max

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Jan 26, 2004
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umh, six line wrasse, cleaner shrimp, pepermint shrimp, some of the little gobies and blennies like fire fish etc. I don't know if you plan on buying off line etc but, the aquarium on papermill has the best price and selection coral reef is ok. Let me know more what you want your keystone to be and I'll give you some leads. I normally don't like to do this sort of thing by the way ;).
Max
 

Yash

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Nov 2, 2006
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Thanks for your input Chris! By keystone, do you mean sort of the "centerpiece" fish? If so, I hadn't really planned on having any specific fish as such. I didn't think my tank would be big enough to have such a fish, since they're usually much larger.

At this point, I'm really looking for species that would get along with the clown and would be suitable for the size of the tank that I have. Since I'm so new to SW fish, I'm not familiar with the livestock at all. Once I have some names, I can read up on them and see what would sound like an interesting mix for my tank.

How many shrimp/snails/crabs do you think I would need as an adequate "cleaning crew?"

Oh and I'll probably be doing most of my fish purchases offline, mostly at the Aquarium. I'll check out the Coral Reef as well, but the last time I was there, they didn't seem to have too wide a selection.

Thanks again!
Yash
 

Max

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firefish,clown goby,pajama cardinal, bangai cardinal , flame hawk,"not invert friendly" possume wrasse, six line wrasse, I'd get a variety of snails,"not bumble bee or turbo if you want a reef". You should also have cleaner and peppermint shrimp , red reef hermits and serphant stars.
hth
Max
p.s. stay away from coral banded shrimp it you want other shrimp species. Post before you buy ;)
max
 

Yash

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Nov 2, 2006
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Knoxville, TN
Wow! Thanks for all the info! I have plenty of species to read up on now ... just reading up some basic stuff, I like what I see about the firefish and the clown goby. One question about the clown goby - are they pretty reclusive fish or do they like to come out and swim around? Or is it more like hop around ? :)

Another question ... if I do decide to go with say the firefish or goby ... would I have to limit them to one only or can I have more than 1 in my tank?

I'll definitely be posting here for opinions before I buy. I was at the Aquarium yesterday asking them for what optios I might have and was shocked when they said that I could have a tang if I wanted to as well .... now I know that much for sure that with the size of my tank and the other inhabitants, that a tank is NOT an option. I was just shocked at how they tried to talk me into thinking it was okay ... not sure I'd want to trust them on any opinions from here on ... prefer to ask around this board since you guys seem to know a LOT more!

Thanks again!
Yash
 

Max

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Jan 26, 2004
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you could have 10 fire fish if you wanted them. The gobies will come out and hop around. You might also look up midas blennies and cherub angles .;) No tangs bro good move and don't listen to the employees at the aquarium they are trying to sell stuff after all ;)
 
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