Mobile Bay Reef Keepers

I am looking at finishing off the fish stock for my 75g.

Currently I have the following fish:
1 yellow tang
2 perc clowns
1 jawfish
1 pink shrimp goby

inverts:
1 CBS
1 Skunk Cleaner
5 emeralds crabs
1 brittle star
1 serpent star
@ 40 blue legged hermits
@15 Turbos
@30 nassarius snails


I was thinking about adding a six line wrasse, and possibly a mandarin ...

I am torn between a utility fish or just having something that is active...

Any suggestions?


Things to keep in mind:
75g tank
30g sump
@170lbs Live Rock
2-3 inch sand bed

Thanks

I recommend a diamond watchman goby. I love watching mine move the sand around and build burrows. He is constantly moving sand.

I also really like my watchman goby/pistol shrimp combos. I have a yellow watchman, a yashe hasche, a randal pistol and a tiger pistol. They are small and very interresting. And they all share the same burrow.

Get some urchins. They do a good job at eating algae. I have a pencil and a pincushion.

I have one of those little red starfish with the small black spots. I never can remember what they are called. But mine moves around a lot. Every time I look at him he's in a different spot.

oops forgot about my sump critters

I have 4 urchins in the LR rubble in my sump, with a few unwanted crabs.

As far as the watchman goby, I have been told that since I have the pink spotted goby (who also sifts, just not as much as the diamonds I have seen) another goby might be stressful.

I was leaning towards

Six Line
Mandarin (target/spotted)

not super sure though...

Honestly I don't know that I'd put much more in there, that's a pretty full list. Is this a fish only tank?

skip the six line and go see if Aquaworks still has the Yellow fin wrasse. Tim is calling it a green fin wrasse but its the same thing. I picked one up 2 weeks ago. This is an awsome little fish. If you want some color this guy has it. Bright neon pink with a yellow/green fin.

sb1227 wrote:Honestly I don't know that I'd put much more in there, that's a pretty full list. Is this a fish only tank?

you think the tank is at capacity with only

1 yellow tang
2 perc clowns
1 jawfish
1 pink shrimp goby

?

I just depends on what all you have in there, If there are alot of corals and rock the fish don't really have alot of room. You could do maybe a wrasse ( I agree on skipping the six line, the are good looking and move fast but tend to be kind of cocky with the other fish). Wrasses are fun to watch, and eat the little critters you don't want too many of.

It's my opinion, but fewer fish make happier fish and less problems in the long run.

I agree with the fewer fish statement.... just feels/looks like I am missing a fish....

One think about bioload that is often overlooked is not fish or inverts. Is it the bacteria. If you have a DSB, a normal amount of LR and any other things that harbor life they are really part of the bioload. I have head a few different stories of people taking out their sand and their alk demand lowers and the skimmate produced goes to nothing.

On the other hand I have seen tanks that have been seriously overstocked with skimmers that are rated at one half the tank volume that looked way better than most.

I would start adding fish slowly with the ones that you want the most first. I think that if you watch your parameters and take your time you will be able to judge the actual amount of fish that you can keep safely.

I wasn't thinking bioload so much as space. A 75 Gal. with alot of rock leaves less space for the fish, even though they seem to be able to move around the nooks and crannies pretty well. I have the same situation. The biggest issue I have had is one fish trying to get in another's space. Right now it's not too bad, but I wouldn't push it any farther. (I have 4) Unless I added something tiny like the real small cleaner gobies or something like that. The clowns stay in their little spot, the wrasse swims everywhere, and the yellow tang wants to be in everybody's way... But they've learned to deal. My main thing was I don't want the clown to stress, as they are a breeding pair, they do enough of that.
Still I agree, just add them slowly and keep in mind that they'll grow.

Oh, I tried the neon cleaner goby a few months ago, he jumped in the overflow the first day and has lived there ever since. Try to get one of those fellas out of the overflow! Just drop a little food in there for him.....sometimes I think I should put a little rock or something in for him.

sb1227 wrote:Oh, I tried the neon cleaner goby a few months ago, he jumped in the overflow the first day and has lived there ever since. Try to get one of those fellas out of the overflow! Just drop a little food in there for him.....sometimes I think I should put a little rock or something in for him.

I have a stand pipe in the overflow. I've had a few gobies end up in there and the only way i could ever get them was to put a net on the other end of the overflow and take out the stand pipe. The rush of water usually sucked them out.

We actually got that silly pygmy angel out with a net. I figured we'd have to take the standpipe out for him, but that would def. be the only way to get this guy out! I just hate to have to go thru all that.
Sad thing is he'll get right into your hand and sit there. Until you start lifting your hand up.

Scott, that is what I have been trying to tell people for a long time. Not only that, but bacteria is also the largest oxygen consumer in our tanks, as well. This is normal though. Bacteria make up approx 80% of the biomass on the planet, so it stands to reason that they make up at least that much in our tanks. But at any rate, I recommend a lower fish load (definitely skip the sixline--mine is evil incarnate). If you can, try one of the other wrasses, as there are many beautiful fairy and flasher wrasses available, all with better temperaments than sixlines. I would not get a diamond or sandsifting gobies, unless you are confident of the sand infaunal population or of the probability that you can get it to eat prepared foods. Typically they either starve, deplete the sandbed of beneficial organisms, or both. Lastly, as far as stocking is concerned, there are two thresholds: 1-stock limit until uncontrollable algae growth/lessening of easy maintenance and 2-Beginning of chronic ammonia levels and eventual fish death. Personally, I like to stay below both of them.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about sixlines. I had one, his name was S**thead. We lost him during Ivan, and I actually felt bad to find him when we got home. I almost felt guilty for calling him that for so long. Almost.

Burrowing Gobies/Jawfish can create havoc with your rockwork, as well.