stocking ideas anyone?

[The Wedge]

Well my live rock/live sand has been maturing for about a week now. I have no readings but I added some marine bio-spira (new stuff in the pink bottle) as well (it probably just died from now bioload. I did add some Cerith Snails (shame on me) because I was getting some diatoms already. I have several pods and some tube worms of some sort. I have about 20 some odd pounds of LR including the rubble in back. I don't think i should do the Damsel thing...just seems cruel and unusual now a days.

Any way when I do stock my 24 gallon aquapod what three small fish should I get? Purple Firefish, green clown goby, yellow watchman goby, oscellaris, or True perc, My local fish store really gives me some options...huge inventory some stuff on the rare side...He also has $2000 heads of coral (that is a lot). Anyway I want a cool tank but I want compatibility. I need to know order of placement and such. I was told to do mushrooms, xenia, zoana?, and other soft corals due to the stock lighting. Wow too many options with the SW. Should I get a type of shrimp, starfish, crab, hermit...

[cocoa_pleco]

what do you like? lol. it all depends on what you like, personally i would get a ocellaris clown, firefish, yellow watchman goby, cleaner shrimp, some mushrooms, a brain coral, various zoanthids, some hermit crabs, turbo snails, small starfish

[The Wedge]

Does the yellow watchman have the symbiotic relationship with the cleaner shrimp or some other type? Man there are too many choices...

[cocoa_pleco]

yep, pistol shrimp. the goby watches for predators, the shrimp builds them a home

[Wartorn]

Well my live rock/live sand has been maturing for about a week now. I have no readings but I added some marine bio-spira (new stuff in the pink bottle) as well (it probably just died from now bioload. I did add some Cerith Snails (shame on me) because I was getting some diatoms already. I have several pods and some tube worms of some sort. I have about 20 some odd pounds of LR including the rubble in back. I don't think i should do the Damsel thing...just seems cruel and unusual now a days.

Any way when I do stock my 24 gallon aquapod what three small fish should I get? Purple Firefish, green clown goby, yellow watchman goby, oscellaris, or True perc, My local fish store really gives me some options...huge inventory some stuff on the rare side...He also has $2000 heads of coral (that is a lot). Anyway I want a cool tank but I want compatibility. I need to know order of placement and such. I was told to do mushrooms, xenia, zoana?, and other soft corals due to the stock lighting. Wow too many options with the SW. Should I get a type of shrimp, starfish, crab, hermit...

Being so new and the cycle does take a very long time I would hold on the corals for now.

After Diatoms ...you may see cyano(born from the pits of hell).. I would suggest just let that cycle complete... also im sure there is still some die off on the LR that will be adding some DOC's to your water ...

As for soft corals when you are ready... go with what ever you like to see. They are hardy and easy to manage...and grow like weeds.

Try for starters stocking up your cleaning crew first... (pardon my spelling since I know I will butcher the names)
Asetheris snails , Blue Leg or red leg hermits, some Turbo Snails, and Nesarious snails 10 of each minus turbos maybe like 3-5 they eat fast grow big.

The reason being I suggest this is you will want to keep any future algae growth in control...and have deteritus stirred up by the Nessy snails in the Sandbed.

Then when you add things to the tank and increase bio loads you will have the proper clean up crew in place to keep your rocks clean and glass cleaner.

That tank I assume is a Nano tank...are you using a skimmer with it...or just plan on doing 50% changes weekly to control DOCs?

oh and welcome to the world of coral addiction!!

oh as for inverts... Fire Shrimp aka Blood Shrimp are pretty cool... I like cleaners myself they like to pick at my fingernails as I dabble in the tank... or clean other fish... Scooter Blenny fish are cool dudes to! Just avoid the cousins Mandarins cause they need a established amount of Pods ...and without a refuge with pod growth those guys starve.

[cocoa_pleco]

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