Stocking help

[fish are friends!!]

Hi guys! I plan on getting a 60 gallon tank and it will be my first saltwater tank ever!!! I read that the rule for saltwater fish is 2 gallons of water per inch of fish (for example: a 3in fish needs 6 gallons) so i picked out my fish using that rule. I would like to know if the fish i chose are compatible and and will fit in the tank (i left extra space just in case)
these are the fish:
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 cleaner shrimp
1 midas bleeny
1 bicolor dottyback
1 powder blue tang
I looked up all their sizes and and did times 2 (because they need 2 gallons of water per inch of fish) and added them all together it came out to 48 gallons out of 60 but i am still not sure. So could you tell me if these are compatible and if they will all fit? If not any suggestions on other fish?
Note: i will not be using live coral.
Thanks for your help!

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

The inches per gallon rule is pretty much bogus, IMO and probably does more harm than good.The tang wont do well in a 60 gallon tank. They require a lot of swimming space to be happy.The dottyback might have aggressions issues too.Everything else looks good. Maybe one or two smaller fish could be added but that's about as far as I would take it.

[Original Fin]

The inches per gallon rule is pretty much bogus, IMO and probably does more harm than good.The tang wont do well in a 60 gallon tank. They require a lot of swimming space to be happy.The dottyback might have aggressions issues too.Everything else looks good. Maybe one or two smaller fish could be added but that's about as far as I would take it.

+1
I agree with James here. For more guidance on stocking marine fish, check out this helpful thread.

Fish Stocking Limit - for FO and FOWLR

[fish are friends!!]

ok thanks...i did read that the dottyback might be aggresive.....what about an Auriga Butterfly fish (or any other kind of butterfly if these dont work out well) or a couple Green Chromis?
Thank you sooo much for your help!

[Reefing Madness]

ok thanks...i did read that the dottyback might be aggresive.....what about an Auriga Butterfly fish (or any other kind of butterfly if these dont work out well) or a couple Green Chromis?
Thank you sooo much for your help!

the Green Chromis will chase each other around until there is only one. As for Butterfly fish, you might try the Copperbanded Butterfly, he'll at least eat aiptasia out of you tank.

[fish are friends!!]

o ok thanks for the heads up...thats happen to me before with tiger barbs in my freshwater tanks, it was horrible....as for the butterfly r they ok being the only one of their species in the tank of should i get two....i dont want to stress the little guy

[chrisfont23]

Saw your question about keeping corals. Is it hard? Not really, but that answer comes with the assumption that you have done research and carefully planned out what you want and how you want to aquascape your tank etc. Of course, the investment is a little heavier too. You will need an adequate lighting component, a sufficiently sized protein skimmer and a powerhead or two. And of course, some patience.

[chrisfont23]

The tang wont do well in a 60 gallon tank. They require a lot of swimming space to be happy.

Unless you are me

[fish are friends!!]

Ok thanks for answering i wasnt sure cuz this is my first saltwater tank and i didnt want to screw it up or anything by trying to pull something off that might be too hard.....i will do some research! thank you for your help!

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Generally, most species of fish should be kept singularly unless you get a mated pair or you have a big enough tank so that each can establish its own territory. I don't recall seeing copper bands kept in pairs or groups commonly. Also, if fish look similar or have similar characteristics, chances are that they will treat eachother as a threat. I don't know much about CB butterflies but I've read that they don't have a good success rate in captivity and many don't make it. Do plenty of research on the livestock you want BEFORE you get it ( like you already are ) and then decide. Don't just take the word of one person ( myself included) as what works for one person, may not work for another. I think livestock selection is one of the most difficult tasks because you have to consider many things like biological impact, territorial requirements, comparability, etc... along with thrying to satisfy your own visual/ emotional preferences. HTH.

[Reefing Madness]

o ok thanks for the heads up...thats happen to me before with tiger barbs in my freshwater tanks, it was horrible....as for the butterfly r they ok being the only one of their species in the tank of should i get two....i dont want to stress the little guy

One is all you need.

[fish are friends!!]

i was just about to do the research for them....i am looking for brightly colored fish that are some-what hardy i am going to do further research before i get ANY fish i dont want to stress them if i mess up

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

One other think I wanted to bring up is that, if you haven't considered setting up a quarantine tank , you may want to research that aspect too. I've saved my tank from disease (ich) twice (with three of my 5 fish) by using a QT process. I've also been able to train my mandarin fish to eat prepared food in Qt. Disease is probably one of the most common fish killers in the hobby and preventing it from getting into your tank ( through the use of thorough quarantine) is the only way to go, IMO.

[fish are friends!!]

ok thanks! A mandarin fish was originally on my list of fish to research! Do you think i could add one? i love their bright colors!

[Reefing Madness]

ok thanks! A mandarin fish was originally on my list of fish to research! Do you think i could add one? i love their bright colors!

Mandarins need a matured reef to surive and thrive. they eat the copepods in the tank. Not a good idea right now for you to have one.

[Original Fin]

Same as with freshwater, alot of the fish sold in stores are wild caught. If and when you can, I encourage you to look for tank raised fish. ORA is perhaps the best known source, but there are many others, including hobbyists themselves that now supply the LFS market. You can check out some of their websites for a list of fish that can be captive bred.
Wild caught fish tend to be more difficult to acclimate, take to prepared foods, and of course buying them can contribute to some irresponsible fishing practices that not only hurt the future survival for that species, but also trickle down and effect the entire reef ecosystems they are found in.


It's no secret that the worlds reefs are in serious decline, and the writing is on the wall for where the future of our hobby needs to go. Much moreso than when compared to the trop freshwater trade. There will be more protection and regulation enforced on collection of corals and ornamental marine fish. We need to do the best we can to ensure our hobby has a future. Focussing on the propagation of fish and corals already in captivity has the biggest impact on that right now.
The world's reefs have enough problems, and scientists/biologists have only begun to understand the causes.


That said, we have been so far unsuccessful with captive breeding of the lion's share of popular marine fish, so there is naturally debate over whether it's right or wrong to continue to create a demand for those species.
I'm not here to tell you what you should do, just to hopefully present you with some insight to help you make your own informed decisions. It's my guess that new hobbyists have the biggest impact on fish mortality, and are the driving force in demand. Therefore, if we as a community can do a better job of enlightening newcomers, the better off we'll all be down the road.

[fish are friends!!]

ok so right now the fish i researched and might get are:
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 cleaner shrimp
1 midas blenny
and maybe a bicolor dottyback (im gonna do more research on this one)
does anyone see any problems with this list?

[Original Fin]

Not I.Just a heads up that blennys can be jumpers. Just ask FoMoCoTech. He is working on a DIY screen cover for his tank. You nigh want to PM him for the details.

[fish are friends!!]

ok...im not so sure of the dottyback now cuz i just did research and i read that they might eat the cleaner shrimp

[gregr]

The Friedmani/Orchid dottyback is supposed to be the least aggressive but there's no guarantee it won't go after the shrimp. I had one for a couple years and it left the shrimp alone but that's just one case.
Have you considered one of the centropyge angels? Like a flame, coral beauty, potter's, eibli, etc.? They should be ok in a 60 and no trouble with the blenny or clowns and are beautiful. Aggressive though- if you get one it will be the king of the tank.
Regarding the green chromis- I'd always heard they are peaceful and best kept in small schools, not at all like other damsels.
Even though it's not good to add more than one of a species you could add a lawnmower or starry blenny- I kept one with a midas for years and they totally ignored each other.