Stocking Suggestions For Percula 90

[Nim]

All,

I have just started my furst saltwater tank (after having freshwater for about 20 yrs in breaks)

Percula 90 is roughly 250L volume (65US gallon) plus a 30g sump which houses the Aquamedic turboflotor 1000 skimmer and plants to put in a DSB in there but I may need to change the tank as its one of the old seabray ones with very large bracings restricting working space.

I have about 35 kilos of live rock. 11 scarlet hermits and 1 electric blue hermit. 10 turbo snails and around 30 turban snails (sold to me on fleabay as turbos). 2 Mithrax crabs and thousands of mini brittle stars and about a 100 bristle worms that came with the live rock. Apart from these there are plenty of peanut worms (3 are 6") 100s of tube worms and polyps etc. A Bit of coral line algae. 15 Nassarius snails

The tank was setup in january and the LR introduced on 15th of January.

Water circulation pumps:
3 x 1200LPH (Aquaclear 402)
2 x 800lph (Came with the tank)
1 x 2600lph (came with teh tank)
1 x 800lph halida
1 x hydor koralia 1
1 x 400lph fluval old one

The sump pump is an eheim 1250 sump pump seperate from above.

Light is 2 x 70W 14000k halides and 3 x blue LED GU10 spot bulbs that I may be replacing with an actinic shortly.

Last week I added 2 x percula clowns but I was suggested to keep my SG at 1.028 - 1.030 and I think they could not take the stress as later when I called up the fish store to find out what SG they keep their fish, I was told 1.021

Ammonia and Nitrite have been zero for the past 4 weeks and after the death of clowns I have reduced the SG to 1.024 over a period of 2-3 days. Nitrate was 25ppm a week after introducing LR but now it is gone down to 0-0.5ppm.

I did have a flurry of brown diatoms and hair algae but the diatoms have now almost gone except on the couple of places on the glass and the green hair algae almost vanished overnight. I have not used rowaphos yet as I wanted the tank to stabalize on its own first rather then start using chemical filtration to speed up the process.

I now have 2 blue reef chromis since wednesday in the tank but unfortunatly was sold a blue reef damsel instead of one of the chromis so I now have a chromia damsel and I now know why damsels are considered tiger barbs of salt water though the chromis has not been harassed much as they both prefer different levels but I will be talking to the store manager who was away on hols about it

Also have a zoanthid and a toad stool. The former is doing very well and the toad stool has shed its slime about twice (I think due to change in salinity)

So the fish stock I have decided is:
1 x yellow tang (It was one of the conditions put on by the wife to get a salt water so unfortunatly this has to stay)
4-5 Damsels/chromis
2 Percula clowns/false perculas
1 coral beauty angel of flame angel
1 royal gramma
2-4 cardinals

does this look right or over stocked? the YT will be the last one to go in the tank I suppose because of its aggression but I do however prefer damsels instead of chromis but the blue & yellow damsel instead of the blue reef or the yellow damsel.

What are your views

Thanks,
Nim

 

[thomas10051988]

if i were you i would have the chromis instead of the damsels as they are really aggresive as you now know if you do decide to go with the damsels put them in last as this may ease the aggressoin

 

[SkiFletch]

The only trouble I see with that Nim is that Coral Beauties and/or Flame Angels can sometimes nip at corals including leathers. Some don't, but some do, and as you've already discovered with the damselfish, getting a fish out once in your tank is a royal PITA. As such I can't advise the dwarf angelfish.

 

[Nim]

Thanks guys., I will try to avoid damsels but will the dwarf angels be worth a try? I am not planning to have a lot of corals to start with.

What would the stocking procedure? Which of the above should I get first and which the last? Already have a chromis and a damsel but I think I will get one more chromis to avoid the aggression of the damsel to be vented on one fish. Wait for a couple of weeks and then get a couple more?

Nim

 

[SkiFletch]

IMO, the problem is the damselfish. Any further additions will be bullied to or near to death. Those things are really annoying territorial prics. Were it my tank, I'd get the damselfish out now before I did anything else. Then I'd add the cardinals, the rest of the chromis, clownfish, YT, psuedochromis, and finally the angelfish

 

[nanocubeking]

I think you otta find something more exotic than a Royal Gramma. They are very nice fish but I would go for a wrasse (Leopard Wrasse). Some sort of reef safe wrasse would be and look WAY cooler than a royal gramma. I have a flame angel and it is completely reef safe. There are individuals that pick at corals but the majority( I think personally) does not pick at corals. There for dwarf/pygmy angels have gotten a bad name as coral killing monsters. I would do a SMALL flame angel or a cherub angel.

Oh yeah forgot for damsels... I dont really like the idea of them in a peaceful tank. Definitely if you do a damsel shoal make them chromis's. They bunch up in big peices of Sps and it looks awesome too!

 

[Nim]

Rite the damsel is out now and replaced it with BG chromis. I now have 4 chromis living in kind of peace with each other for almost a month. Water quality seems perfect. Ammonia/nitrites are and have always been zero. Nitrates are down to 2ppm from 20 when I started the tank off.

Now planning a pair of percula clowns next week. Also have 2 softies: Orange spot soanthid and a yellow toadstool and both are doing very well and actually growing pretty fast

The yellow wrasse looks good so do the neon blues so we will decide what we want to get instead of the gramma or we may just get the gramma (That would be a forced dicision by my other half)

Thanks guys,

Nim

 

[thomas10051988]

i disagree for me the royal gramma is by far the most bright colourful and interesting marine fish i have kept. Wrasse even reef safe are always a threat to shrimps