Stocking List for 55g

[Cowboy20th]

Alright everybody, lets pick apart my stocking list lol.

Tank is not started yet, still have to DIY the stand, hood, and lighting. Then purchase skimmer, test kits, refractometer, and live rock. So about six months from now I will be stocking so feel free to offer suggestions and foresight on potential problems.

4-6 green chromis
1 yellow watchman goby
1 diamond goby
1 scooter blenny (added after tank is established)
2 clowns (not certain which variety yet)

And the cleanup crew which will probably be some snails, and possibly 2 pistol shrimp. Should I add a emerald crab or no?

I will also have some soft coral in the tank as well, not sure yet which varieties, suggestions are welcome.

And I would like to have a bubble tip anemone, but I know that is pretty iffy right now.

So what do you guys think? My filtration will be mostly LR, LS, and my skimmer. Any suggestions for more filtration or if it is necessary? I plan on adding a sump, but unsure of it at the moment, will probably buy a 120g later that is reef ready, and move everything to that one with a sump. My 55 is not drilled. Also, the scooter blenny I know eats pods, but I hear also of many eating frozen food as well, should i plan on growing pods or try and find one at my lfs ready for frozen foods? Thanks for all the help, hopefully someone else can use this thread for their 55.

[aquawolf]

Welcome to TRT!!!

The footprint of a 55 does not leave a lot of room for the sand once you add rock to the system. The 2 gobies are sand sifters and will be competing for real estate for their burrows. They will also be in direct competition with the scooter blenny for food resources. Pods will grow naturally in your system, but I am not sure a 55 will be able to grow enough to keep these 3 fish happy at the same time. If you want to keep them then you should take your time and find ones that the LFS can show you are eating prepared foods.

You are going to want to go with at least T5 lighting and probably need individual reflectors with them in order to keep a bubble tip anemone happy in there. They are very sensitive to changes in the water conditions, so it is usually best to let your tank mature for a while, some suggest a year, before adding the nem.

The good news is that you are planning now and have time to research and do things properly. Of course, the 120 would have no problem hosting your stocking list.

Best of luck to you.

[Cowboy20th]

Hey thanks for the advice. My lights will probably be t5s with individual reflectors, I am doing all the wiring and light fixtures myself on my diy canopy so I am not worried about lighting for anything since I can fully customize it myself. I know my LFS has gobies that eat frozen and live foods so those two would not be a problem to feed, I will have to find out about the blenny. You raised a good point that I did not consider and that is my tank's footprint. Does a 55g tank have enough real estate to keep these three fish happy? I figured one could take the left side, the other the right, and one in the middle. I am pretty sure I can find these fish eating frozen foods at my lfs (They train fish to eat frozen before they sell them mostly). If they do eat frozen will I be able to keep them? Thanks for the advice, I feel like a kid in Christmas season again while I am planning out this tank. LOL.

[kyrie_eleison]

interesting.

[kyrie_eleison]

interesting.