Strategizing Stocking Order: Saltwater Aquariums
- Jul 25, 2021
- Anshika Mishra
- 555 0 0
So, you have decided on the livestock for your new saltwater aquarium, but in what order should you introduce your fishes to the tank?
Strategizing Stocking Order
When your tank is built, and you have strategized your stocking list, it's time to strategize the actual stocking order of your tank. Some saltwater fishes are seasonal, and they could be on stock for months before they show up on stock lists of the shops of online aquarium fish-selling platforms. A lot of fish from the coral reef of Australia fit that bill as when the weather is terrible for months on end like the Australian winter collection boats can't reach the coral sea.
If a fish is seasonal, it's in season, and then you can get the fish, put it in quarantine and then hold to its until its number is called for your tank. Keeping a fish in a separate holding tank has its challenges, so if you got a sizable refugium then, the fish could hang out there till it's time to go into your tank.
Generally, aggressive fish go last. That way, they come into a crowded neighborhood v/s having free reign in an empty tank. Also, some fishes that are not aggressive can get territorial in an empty tank. So, before putting any fish in the tank, do proper research, and put them in the tank according to their aggression level and territorial habits.
Aggression can also be managed by bringing fish in groups, and Tangs are a great example. Some Tangs don't like other Tangs, and they specifically don't like Tangs of their genus. For instance, Thompsons' Tags don't like other Thompsons, and the same goes for Zebrasoma Tang. So, if you bring multiple of this Genus, you want to be them in at the same time. That way, they all have the tank, and the whole tank is new territory instead of one already being there and dominating the tank. Also, some Tangs care less about the environment.
PRO TIP: Adding multiple fish to your tank at once can also help spread out the aggression. If they don't have any new fish, the charge will have no place to go. This is common in an African Cichlid tank, but never load your bio-filter by adding lots of fish simultaneously.
The Right Order
Banggai Cardinals, Orchid Dottyback, Midas Blenny are all peaceful fish that can go in the tank early on. Once you have got the initial stocking out of the way, you should give the tank a month to mature with increased bioload. After that, the skimmer will start working better, biofilms will get established, and you can start adding soft LPS corals. At this stage, you can also begin adding inverts like Sponges to help boost the biodiversity in the tank.
Now, in order of aggression, you can start adding the bigger fish in the tank. So, for example, you can add fishes like Pink-Spot Gobby at this point and then wait for a couple of weeks and then add a little more high-aggressive fishes. But make sure that the fishes with the same level of aggression go at the same time.
From the above information, you might have noticed that we are advising you to spread out your stocking over the course of weeks and months. We recommend you add a fish, wait a week or two, and add some more fish. Always see how the tank reacts before you add more fish.
By the end of this process, your tank will be more than a few months old, mostly fully stocked, and with the biofilter primarily fully established. At this point, you can add your high-bioload fish like Triggerfish. After adding them, look out for nitrate spike. You might notice a tip of just 1-2 ppm, and that is ideally fish, but still, keep an eye.
In the end, you can add captive bread Clownfish to your tank. However, we advise you to add them in the future because you want the tank to mature to add sea anemone in with those Clownfish. The rule of thumb is to wait three to six months to add a sea anemone to the tank.
So, that is how you can strategize the actual stocking order of your saltwater tank. Still, have some questions? Comment below, and we'll get back to you.
Happy Fishkeeping!
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