The List

[leveldrummer]

ok, i compiled a list a while ago and ran it by you guys, but now i need some help, i need to know numbers and what you think of the fish compatibility.
first off i would like to know about inverts... i have some ideas of what i want, but im not sure about the numbers i need to clean... so any help, here is what i have so far.
4 or 5 bumble bee shrimp
1 fire shrimp
2 cleaner shrimp
60 cerith snails
5 turbo snails
HERMIT CRABS ?? i dont know how many to get, i want a mix of blue legs, red tips and dwarf zebras, but how many should i get???
SAND SIFTING STARS?? how many is good for a 46 gallon? 3? 50? dont know. help... ok thats it for inverts, most i found on liveaquaria, in stock, and ill pick stuff up at lfs if i can find them. but i need numbers.


and now fish... this is the list that i would like to have, and ive found most of these in lfs, and some on liveaquaria too.
coral beauty angelfish
royal gramma
occellaris/ or black and white perc clownfish (can these mix? more than one in a tank?)
purple firefish
bi color blennie
dragon goby/yellow watchman goby (not sure if i can mix them either) or differnt species you can reccomend?
6 line or carpenter or fairy wrasse (just want one, which ever i can find and what ever is most compatible
and a purple dottyback (i think thats the name)

please read and get back with me on each question i had... the main thing is the inverts right now, i need to know how many crabs snails and stars...

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by leveldrummer

ok, i compiled a list a while ago and ran it by you guys, but now i need some help, i need to know numbers and what you think of the fish compatibility.
first off i would like to know about inverts... i have some ideas of what i want, but im not sure about the numbers i need to clean... so any help, here is what i have so far.
4 or 5 bumble bee shrimp
1 fire shrimp
2 cleaner shrimp
60 cerith snails
5 turbo snails
HERMIT CRABS ?? i dont know how many to get, i want a mix of blue legs, red tips and dwarf zebras, but how many should i get???
SAND SIFTING STARS?? how many is good for a 46 gallon? 3? 50? dont know. help... ok thats it for inverts, most i found on liveaquaria, in stock, and ill pick stuff up at lfs if i can find them. but i need numbers.


and now fish... this is the list that i would like to have, and ive found most of these in lfs, and some on liveaquaria too.
coral beauty angelfish
royal gramma
occellaris/ or black and white perc clownfish (can these mix? more than one in a tank?)
purple firefish
bi color blennie
dragon goby/yellow watchman goby (not sure if i can mix them either) or differnt species you can reccomend?
6 line or carpenter or fairy wrasse (just want one, which ever i can find and what ever is most compatible
and a purple dottyback (i think thats the name)

please read and get back with me on each question i had... the main thing is the inverts right now, i need to know how many crabs snails and stars...

Skip the bumble bee shrimp. Worthless IMO. The rest of the inverts are fine. Add another Fire if you want....They are more active in groups. As for Hermits....I hate em but we need them. I'd go for all scarlets as they seem to eat more types of algae.
Sand sifting stars will wipe out the fauna in your sand bed including the beneficial stuff. Go with Nassarius snails to sift the sand. About 50 of them.

Fish list is not bad.....Stay away from the Purple Pseudo....Mean little b&%*^ds! Gobies will fight if they have similar body shape/size. I'd just go with the Yellow Watchman and a Pistol Shrimp for it to pair with. 6 Line Wrasse's can be mean as well. Fairy Wrasses are beautiful, Try to get a Carpenters Wrasse or a Scott's Fairy Wrasse.

Both the black & white clownfish & Ocellaris are the same species. False Percs and can live together. They can even pair up.

[leveldrummer]

ok cool, so i can have 2 different clowns, even if they turn out to be 2 males they shouldnt fight, i like the hermits, but you didnt answer how many i need... i was gonna go with a nice mix of all of them, just to give me different stuff to look at. ill switch the stars to snails, are there any stars that would be good for a tank? not into to many, i know the red nobs arent good, and they are the coolest imo. the purple seudo might not be the fish i was looking at in the lfs, i saw one fish (im color blind but im pretty sure if was purple) and i found that one on liveaquaria, it looked like it, but might not have been, but i saw one in a lfs display tank. cool fish, seemed very mellow. but thanks keri. any one else have 2 cents?

[Reefneck]

Originally Posted by leveldrummer

ok cool, so i can have 2 different clowns, even if they turn out to be 2 males they shouldnt fight, i like the hermits, but you didnt answer how many i need... i was gonna go with a nice mix of all of them, just to give me different stuff to look at. ill switch the stars to snails, are there any stars that would be good for a tank? not into to many, i know the red nobs arent good, and they are the coolest imo. the purple seudo might not be the fish i was looking at in the lfs, i saw one fish (im color blind but im pretty sure if was purple) and i found that one on liveaquaria, it looked like it, but might not have been, but i saw one in a lfs display tank. cool fish, seemed very mellow.

Now hold on there partner......I didn't exactly say 2 "different clowns, even if they turn out to be 2 males they shouldnt fight".

I said the Black and white & Ocelaris are both False Percs and can get on together. Also, Clownfish have no sex as juvi's.....They will fight (a little) to determine who's going to be the boss (The female of course)....The female will then grow larger than the male.

12 Hermits should be plenty for you. I have a Brown Brittle Star that I like. Hides all day, Roams at night. Stay away from Green Brittle Stars as they are fish eaters. Also the Chocolate Chips and the Red Generals as you mentioned are not Reef Safe.

The Purple Psuedo is a cool and mellow "Looking" fish but it is mean....MEan...MEAn......MEAN to it's tankmates.

Same goes for most Maroon Clowns....Mean little devils and usually kept with no other clowns. Like the one in my wifes tank. Happy alone with her Anemone but bites me when I feed the Anemone....Little beach!

[leveldrummer]

yea i was staying away from the maroon clowns just because they get so big, i want some of the smaller ones,

[Osiris]

just maroon hell, my regular false percs attack my freakin hand everytime i put it in the tank!

Sand sifting stars i'd stay away from until your tank has been running for 6+mos as most will starve to death i left mine in for just couple of months then moved it onto a bigger tank just enough to mess with my substrate after it had been running, that's all, which reminds me i want another one.

[Fishfirst]

I'd also stay away from the pseudo

[leveldrummer]

well i certainly appreciate everyones feed back. its really helping me define my list for when i start to get fish, anyone have suggestions as far as what i add first or last?? ive read angels should be placed last because of their domminance, but im not sure if that includes the coral beauty

[Fishfirst]

that indeed includes that coral beauty. I'd go
clean up crew
firefish
gobies
gramma
clowns
angel

[Osiris]

Just a side note my coral beauty did indeed pick at my tentacle type corals like xenia and xenya.........

[Fishfirst]

Yep, its a toss up on reef safe with them.

[leveldrummer]

yea i found that out, been thinking about it, but of all the dwarf angels i was looking at, that seemed like the best bet, cherubs and flames seemed a little more advanced and i was gonna start with what seemed to be the easiest to keep alive.