Approve my Fish Wish list

I am in the process of getting a Red Sea Max250 purchased and set up and like any other kid with a new toy, we all have a wish list of fish that we would like to see in the tank.
Once everything is set up, I would like to incorporate these guys.  I have done quite a bit of research in compatibility of this list and seem to think they will all do fine with each other.
I plan to have atleast 1 pound of live rock per gallon (65 gallons) but will probably have much more because I plan to pack in as much reef goodies as possible so any fish in the tank will have plenty of hiding spots and places to call home without being threatened.
I also plan to order and purchase the smaller sizes of fish so that one doesnt think they are bigger or bader than the other.  I hope!!!  It doesn't always work out that way, I know.
Here is my list, I would like to know what you guys think with regards to compatibility to each other and compatibility with the same reef parameters (salinity, temp, calcium, alk, etc.).
Fish moving over from current Nano tank
-Clown, bi-colored blenny, yellow watchman with postol shrimp
New fish wish list
-Blue Tang, Clown Trigger, Yellow Tang, Foxface, Mandarin Goby, Powder Brown.

 

I cant really knock your fish selection... All are pretty fish. I cant even talk about how a 65 is too small really for the Regal and the Powder Blue together b/c I have a Purple and a Sohol in a 75 at the moment BUT... I am in the process of upgrading my system and no matter what you do... Its best to have these fish in a larger tank than a 65.  I have a feeling you will have some trouble out of these two.. All others you should be fine with.

Also.. I dont know much about fox faces (never owened one) but it seems you have 4 fish that are going to get LARGE... it may be a while but its going to happen.

 

I agree with Mann on this one, all those fish are awesome!

As far as compatibility, if you get the clown trigger, it's probably just a matter of time before the pistol shrimp ends up on the menu. Also any other crabs or snails in the tank.

I don't think 3 tangs in a tank that size is a good idea either, especially with a yellow and powder brown, they are more aggressive than you would expect. Don't know anything about blues really....

And like Mann said, you won't have any problems when they are little, but the powder brown gets 8" the clown trigger gets over 1' 6", the yellow 8", the blue 12", and the foxface another 8".That's a lot of fish for 65 gallons.

If you do stock with all of those, make sure you don't mind making plans to upgrade to a bigger tank, or find homes when they do get too big.

Just my 2 cents, where's Norman and Sam anyway?

 

Great feedback guys. This is the kind of info I'm wanting before I go spend a bunch of money on fish that I'm going to either have problems with or have to get rid of later because their are either too big or too agressive. Thanks guys.

 

Unless you are changing the 65 into 265 then no approval here!!!!  I have a 140 which had a blue regal and fox face.  They are both WAYYY too large for mine. I have since gotten rid of the fox but cannot find a home for the tang.  These fish require a large aquarium to be "happy." On natural reefs they cover large amounts of territory and do not just hang out at one place.

 

My new tank is becoming much more affordable. I think I just weeded out at least 300 dollars worth of fish that I can't have now. Lol. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

 

I would be happy to talk about this fish selection, but for the most part agree with Mark. Any tank smaller than 100gal should be considered in the small to med tank size and one tang or foxface will be ok for a while. There are untold numbers of fish that are both small and colorfull. Please try to stay with these with a tank of 65gal. You and your fish will be much happier and you won't have to give up friends you have raised since they were babies. Def a big no on the clown trigger. Needs to be in an agressive large tank even at a small size. Just my 2cents, and give me a call if you want to talk at length, I find it hard to explain in detail on here. I can say with some confidence that there are very few fish available to the trade that I have not had some experience with. That is under the say $200 range. I'm not any smarter than anyone else just older and foolish enough to take chances when others say "you can't put those together". Well it seems "their" right. It may work for a while, but fish change both in size and eating habits as they mature. Territory agression is not a problem until................ Well enough on that. Continue your research and go see a lot of peoples tanks. You have a lot of time till you can stock this thing right.

 

I'm going to add my two cents about the Mandarin goby.... I'd say wait until your tank is well established to go with a mandarin.  They eat pods and the such out of your sand and are prone to starving if there isn't enough to support them.  Some people have had luck supplementing them with pellet food or baby brine shrimp... But it's kind of iffy unless you've purchased a tank raised goby. 
 
As for the other fish.  I'm prone to agree with everyone else.  You might get by with a small small fox face for a year or so in a 65... But it's pushing it.  Clown triggers are never a good idea unless you want most of your cleanup crew and other fish to end up on the menu.  My suggestion is to borrow/purchase the Marine Fishes book and do a little research.  It's been extremely helpful to me and several others I know as far as fish compatibility, suggested tank size, and adult fish size. 
 
Much luck in your research! 

 

I would try to get a bunch of smaller reef fish that are either colorful or have an interesting personality for a 65 gallon tank. There are so many options about this but I would talk to  Fisher12 hes had just about everything fish wise for a reef tank.

 

I think I have decided to go with a more reef safe grouping of fish.  I have a clean up crew on the way in to help with the algae cycle and should be able to transfer my clown, blenny, pistol shrimp, and yellow watchman over in a couple of weeks.  I really want to get a mated pair of Green Manadarins from ORA when they become available, still deciding on that.  I think that may be all I am going to add for a while.  I would really like to focus on getting the coral in there and thriving right away.

 

Unless the ORA mandarins have been switched to and are eating frozen food readily, the mandarins well not last for more then a few months. Depending on the variety of mandarin, most cannot be kept alive on frozen foods. You well need a tank with a well established refuge hooked up to it that well be able to supply enough live pods to keep 2 mandarins alive and most of all no other fish that well scour the rocks for the pods like WRASSES or butterflies of any kind. Also any aggressive eating fish like tangs or angels even if they are eating frozen as mandarins like butterflies are slow movers and they won't get enough food.

 

That is the beauty of ORA's Mandarins.  They are indeed captive bred and are accepting most frozen and dried prepaired foods, no need for live pods if desired.  Here are some clips from their website.  This is why most aquarists are patiently awaiting the release of ORA's Blue and Red Mandarins.  The Green Spotted (aka Target) Mandarins are already available for purchase.  I spoke with Jason from ORA this week and he said the Blue and Red Mandarin eggs have already  been collected and they are awaiting the hacthing season.  He did not have a time frame yet for their release.
 
 
<p class="body">In a significant advancement in Marine Ornamental Aquaculture, ORA recently introduced captive bred Mandarin Dragonets, also known as Mandarin Gobies, to the commercial aquarium market. Mandarins are exquisitely beautiful and highly desired by aquarists, but the wild-caught specimens have a reputation as being difficult to feed and maintain. Those concerns are resolved as ORA Mandarins have been raised on a variety of prepared foods. Hobbyists of all levels can now own and enjoy these easy to keep Mandarin Dragonets thanks to the research and production efforts of ORA.
<p class="body">All of ORA’s captive bred mandarins will accept a variety of prepared frozen and dry foods upon acclimation to their new tank. They may be offered Nutramar Ova, finely chopped Hikari Frozen Blood Worms, fish roe, frozen or live baby brine shrimp, frozen daphnia, and New Life SPECTRUM Small Fish Formula pellets. Some have also shown interest in Cyclopeeze.

 

Very good, the only issue I see left is you well be limited to what kind of fish you put in with them. As stated above they move slow compared to tangs, warasses, angels and such and for them to get enough to eat you probably won't want the others in the same tank.

 

The problem I see with putting mandarins in with other fish and expecting to feed frozen food or pellets is food competition as John stated.  If you put them in a tank with any kind of agressive eating fish such as the tangs or even some types of clowns you're going to have to over feed your tank for the mandarins to be able to get any food.  Granted over feeding isn't a big deal really if you want to do lots of water changes and spend some money on filter socks and carbon to keep things clear but the question becomes do you really want to mess with it? Personally... not so much when if you wait a while for your sand and refugium to stock up on pods you shouldn't have any issue keeping a mandarin goby.... However in my opinion two is pushing it in a 65 ORA mandarins or not.

 

I take pride in hand feeding all of my tank critters so I dont mind literally bottle feeding the little guys so that they get what they need.

 

or you could do something like this

http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_diner.html