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Beginner reefer fish help (1 Viewer)

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Fjmm91

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Hi I'm new to the hobby and currently cycling my first tank. I was wanting to start Fowlr and eventually move to having a lps dominant mix reef tank. I was wondering if anyone knew a good website, if there is one, where I can find info on which species of fish do well with each other and are reef friendly. I only know I for sure want some clowns and some tangs but would like to add some variety that wont cause issues with these fish and future corals.
 

Tenny

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Before you just go throwing stuff in I want to stress the importance of a QT or buying from reputable places that sell QT'd fish. Fish that come from these sources start out healthier and can handle more typically. They are also typically eating a wider variety of food. Plus they are disease free, so your tank is healthier from the start... (of course to ensure it stays that way you have to practice that for the rest things, but still if you are able to ensure the fish don't have it your chances are considerably better).

The stuff from here are QT'd: HumbleFish Forum
Live Aquaria's Diver's Den is kinda QT'd.

As far as what to add, feel free to look at what Steve wrote, and ask questions. Lots of people on here with a lot of experience and ready to help.
 
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Fjmm91

Fjmm91

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I was planning on buying from ocean life, I've heard from some people that they were good for healthy fish and they did tell me of the qt process they go though but I'll for sure check out humble fish
 

sneezebeetle

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I was planning on buying from ocean life, I've heard from some people that they were good for healthy fish and they did tell me of the qt process they go though but I'll for sure check out humble fish
Welcome to the hobby and to MARSH!

I think OL (Oceanlife) is a good source and a great step in getting healthy fish. Nick and his team are very friendly and knowledgeable. A great source of information for fish compatability. From what I recall, I believe they also run therapeutic levels of copper in their fish systems, but agree with Tenny, QT, QT, QT! Humblefish is also a great resource!

The community here is also a great resource for you, and provides a great trove of information on every aspect of reef keeping.

What size tank do you have? The size of tank also plays a big part in fish selection and the community you are trying to create.

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Fjmm91

Fjmm91

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I have a 125 gallon tank with 30g sump, its 60x18 deep x 24in tall. Im also going bare bottom but nick was saying that only rules out some wrasse. I tried leaving space in the rocks when aquascaping since I heard thats better than just having the rocks piled all on each other and matters for some species of fish. 20200429_184324.jpg
 

sneezebeetle

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I have a 125 gallon tank with 30g sump, its 60x18 deep x 24in tall. Im also going bare bottom but nick was saying that only rules out some wrasse. I tried leaving space in the rocks when aquascaping since I heard thats better than just having the rocks piled all on each other and matters for some species of fish. 20200429_184324.jpg
Yes, you will want to create plenty of areas in your rock work for flow through. This will help prevent "dead spots" (although that concern is greatly reduced with going bare bottom). One of our former sponsors (their business was in rocks and aquascape) would advise folks to have as little rock as possible touching the bottom. As for wrasse, shld you decide you want one that needs a sand bottom, but want to maintain a bare bottom, all you would need to do is get a small tuppersare dish and put some sand in there, tuck it back in of your tank.

Do you already have some fish in mind aside from the clowns?

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Fjmm91

Fjmm91

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Yes, you will want to create plenty of areas in your rock work for flow through. This will help prevent "dead spots" (although that concern is greatly reduced with going bare bottom). One of our former sponsors (their business was in rocks and aquascape) would advise folks to have as little rock as possible touching the bottom. As for wrasse, shld you decide you want one that needs a sand bottom, but want to maintain a bare bottom, all you would need to do is get a small tuppersare dish and put some sand in there, tuck it back in of your tank.

Do you already have some fish in mind aside from the clowns?

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No, just a powder blue tang and eventually a mandarin dragonet after my tank has been established for a while and I have a fuge with copepod pop. going. Nick was saying I can go online and just look at what I like at online fish stores to see what catches my eye but was wanting more info so I can plan on what order to get the fish, how many I can support, which fish can stay together, and then finally diet requirements. Its like a huge puzzle that I'm excited to figure out for my tank
 

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If you plan on putting some Tangs, please note that it is a best practice that you put certain one first and some last. Welcome to MARSH!
 
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Fjmm91

Fjmm91

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Thanks, yeah I've heard to never put a tang by itself at any point or I'll have more chances of causing stress from fight over territory, which is why I was wanting a good reference site so I can see which tangs I'd be interested in getting so I can plan out the order of addition and compatibility with other fish I might want to get.
 

Seaworthy Aquatics

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Like Steve said some places have compatibility charts. They won't tell you which specific tangs go well together but they will give you a basic idea of what fish do well together.

1588252755004.png

There's also plenty of videos around on the subject like this pretty basic one from BRS

 

sneezebeetle

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One thing I like about the LA site is it will also tell you minimum tank size recommended for each fish.

If you are considering more than one tang, i would add the Powder Blue last. They can be very territorial.

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I was planning on buying from ocean life, I've heard from some people that they were good for healthy fish and they did tell me of the qt process they go though but I'll for sure check out humble fish
As @sneezebeetle said, Nick at OLA is great. All of my local fish purchased come from his shop. When you enter the store, the fish on the lower left are new arrivals, and the ones in the top tank have been there longer. The tanks are running a low dosage of copper from my understanding. It's not enough copper so that you can skip a QT though. All of the fish I receive from them still go through a full QT, but I feel they start out very healthy. Nick is great at letting you know which fish are compatible with what and will advise you as good as anyone else here imo.
 
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Fjmm91

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As @sneezebeetle said, Nick at OLA is great. All of my local fish purchased come from his shop. When you enter the store, the fish on the lower left are new arrivals, and the ones in the top tank have been there longer. The tanks are running a low dosage of copper from my understanding. It's not enough copper so that you can skip a QT though. All of the fish I receive from them still go through a full QT, but I feel they start out very healthy. Nick is great at letting you know which fish are compatible with what and will advise you as good as anyone else here imo.
Yeah he seemed pretty knowledgeable but since I didnt really know what fish I was wanting didnt want to spend all of Nick's time playing the matching game with random fish I see in his store and would rather have at least some basic idea of what I was wanting so he could better advise me. Also need to look into getting a qt tank and learning more on the qt process as a whole. Watched some videos on brs with lin guy but need more In depth info, which humble fish may be able to help out with
 

sneezebeetle

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Yeah he seemed pretty knowledgeable but since I didnt really know what fish I was wanting didnt want to spend all of Nick's time playing the matching game with random fish I see in his store and would rather have at least some basic idea of what I was wanting so he could better advise me. Also need to look into getting a qt tank and learning more on the qt process as a whole. Watched some videos on brs with lin guy but need more In depth info, which humble fish may be able to help out with
There are some great references on the forum regarding QT and fish disease (Fish Diseases and Treatments | Fish Reference and Disease eradication vs. Disease management (new) | Fish Reference)

We have alot of experienced folks here that can offer a wealth of information and guidance in these areas including @steveb, @Reefahholic, and @Humblefish just to name a few off the top of my head.

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steveb

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Here is a really nice guide to QT'ing

 

Cody

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No, just a powder blue tang and eventually a mandarin dragonet after my tank has been established for a while and I have a fuge with copepod pop. going. Nick was saying I can go online and just look at what I like at online fish stores to see what catches my eye but was wanting more info so I can plan on what order to get the fish, how many I can support, which fish can stay together, and then finally diet requirements. Its like a huge puzzle that I'm excited to figure out for my tank
Welcome to MARSH and the hobby! What an exciting time for you! I remember the wonder and amazement when I first started.

The best way to get answers from people isn't always just to ask the question. You'll get a better response by simply saying the wrong answer. It makes people more likely to respond, for some reason. In that spirit, as far as figuring out your list, post what you want. Then, you'll get decades of experience sculpting that list into something that should be feasible.
 
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