Humble beginnings!

[enzo54321]

My tank is new and i'm going to start stocking what do you suggest I start with? Fish? Coral?

[sumpfinfishe]

I myself would suggest a few damsels just to be safe for awhile. They will not be as likely to suffer as much while you keep adding the ocassional piece of rock or coral. I prefer to stock very slowly, so much that it took 3 years to fill just my 27gl. and money wasn't an object. All of the great natural reefs and tanks that I have seen -didn't happen overnight :wink:

my two bits! Wish I had a new tank to stock :cry: Have fun :!:

[StirCrazy]

I personaly would not put anyfish in there that you don;t want to keep in there.. for eg, if you put damsels in ther and want other fish later you will most likely have to remove them. If you have rock this will be a chore and 1/2, trust me I have two in my sump right now and I had to tear down the tank to chatch them. I started with blue chromis but there are a lot of reef/fish safe choices, you just have to kinda decide your final plan and go acordingly.

Steve

[Samw]

When I started out, after the rocks cured, I got xenia, hermits, snails, and an emerald crab. Everything survived. :)

[Jack]

Personally I went the damsel route, but I knew these guys from my tank before and they aren't aggressive, I was lucky. But I do have the one mean damsel in the refugium where he belongs for now. Although, I have to agree 100% Steve and the Green Chromis. They are nice, easy to keep, and cheap. Xenia is nice to look at aswell.

[sumpfinfishe]

Hi Enzo, sorry for the confussion, in my first post reply I was thinking a fish only setup :oops: , as I just helped a friend setup that type of system. Steve is right, adding a long term resident fish such as a blennie, goby, or a sixline would make the most sense. I would hold off on any high priced fish or coral's until your established.

Sam and Jack also make good reply's, adding house cleaners such as snails, hermits, or a shrimp will only benifit a new system.
Adding a small branch of caulerpa such as the sawblade or fern branch type or a brown or red seaweed will also aid in maintaining nutrient levels, just be careful to keep the green varietys under control, and I would stay away from bobble types as they can spread rapidly by releasing pores into the system. I have kept a small patch of the sawblade type in my reef since day one! It gets trimmed back once every few months to keep this managable, and also adds a nice natural look too!

As for corals, ama Xenia is a good starter and also button polyps, colt, and sinularia varietys are also good starters to list a few. Button polyps can spread fast though, so caution in placement is essential. I have stayed away from all types of mushrooms, as they can be a real pest due to there high growth rate.

Have fun, and take your time, cheers Rich :)

[Michael]

Just to throw my 2 cents worth...I started my tank with a blue damsel (yellow tail), and it has been the least aggresive fish in my tank.
The damsel gave up on going for a bloodworm when my peppermint shrimp wanted it. He hides more than anything.
At this time my only other fish is a blennie. The tank also has hermit crabs in it.

I guess I was just lucky the damsel was not aggresive.

Michael