Help with stocking list for 90 gallon reef

[Sol]

Hi guys,

 

My 90 gallon long (5'X18"X18") is coming to the end of its cycle, and I'm starting to plan out my fish list. It'll be mixed reef but SPS dominated. Here's what I'd like (in no particular order):

 

Tomini tang

pair of true percula clowns

3X blue-green chromis

sand-sifting goby of some sort (input here??)

lawnmower blenny

 

After 6 months-a year POSSIBLY a mandarin (input?)

if I'm not fully stocked by now, POSSIBLY a purple tang (input?)

 

Am I overstocked? Do you all have any advice where I asked for input? Thanks in advance for that and any other advice you might have.

 

-Sol

[Michael7979]

I would pass on the blue-green chromis and look into getting a fat-head/sunburst anthias or maybe even two of them. They are much more colorful.

 

As for sand-sifting goby.....look into a twin spot goby. They do best in pairs, I think they are really cool!

 

Wait on the mandrain until you are sure that you are safe to add it as they do need a mature tank, (in my opinion), I waited about 15 months or so.

 

Even thou the tank may not look full it is by the time you have all this in there. My $.02 is I would pass on the purple tang.

 

OH YEAH!! WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!

[dsoz]

What about a clean up crew... Different types of snails, maybe some mini-hermits? You will need them to take care of the algae you will get from the fish bio-load.

 

BTW- wait on the mandrain gobi. If you don't have a lot of copeopods and amphipods, they will starve to death (I have had this happen, even in a tank full of 'pods) (sad)

 

This is the fun stage. Planning what you will get.

 

welcome to the club

 

Cheers

[Michael7979]

Yes snails and hermits are a part of the picture. I personally like to have more snails then hermits. I use cerith, nass., margarita, and turbos for snails. And scarlet hermits and/or micro hermits.

[Sol]

I already have my cleanup crew. Turbo and cerith snails, scarlet hermits, a few peppermint shrimp, a couple fighting conchs, and a serpent star.

 

Thanks for the input on the fish guys.

 

-Sol

[Palani]

Sol, you can do both chromis and anthias (like how Mike suggested) they are almost always found together in the upper reefs. I've got my anthias with chromis and they don't show any aggresion. Only the dominate male will show his "manliness" to the chromis if they get in his way. But I agree with Mike, get some anthias!

[izzypop]

Like the stock list except the purple tang. Even though very common I would add a yellow tang instead.

I had a mandarin in a new tank that ate pods at first then got hungry and ate frozen so give it a try if you want. JME. they can be tricky but if you can get them eating very easy to keep.

also agree ditch the chromis or do both with anthias

[Sol]

I've read that Anthias have to be fed multiple times per day, which is deterring for me. Is this not true? I think I'll ditch the purple tang plan, and maybe wait 15+ months for the mandarin. No yellow tang though; if I'm going to get a second tang after the tomini, it'd be a purple.

 

-Sol

[sknoch78]

Yes it is true you need to feed the Anthias multiple times a day. Once I got mine to eat dry foods, it became easy. I bought an ehiem feeder and fill it with several different foods, it feeds the tank four times a day.

[Lowman]

How about a colorful fairy wrasse?

[Sol]

Wrasses are out because the tank is open-topped, and I don't want any jumpers.

 

-Sol

[reefgeek84]

Wrasses are out because the tank is open-topped, and I don't want any jumpers.

 

-Sol

 

This is not always the case...if you are worried about it, get some eggcrate... I have found that if wrasses are happy they will not jump...again, that has been my experience...

[reefgeek84]

I would pass on the blue-green chromis and look into getting a fat-head/sunburst anthias or maybe even two of them. They are much more colorful.

 

As for sand-sifting goby.....look into a twin spot goby. They do best in pairs, I think they are really cool!

 

Wait on the mandrain until you are sure that you are safe to add it as they do need a mature tank, (in my opinion), I waited about 15 months or so.

 

Even thou the tank may not look full it is by the time you have all this in there. My $.02 is I would pass on the purple tang.

 

OH YEAH!! WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!!

 

The twin spots are cool and Micheal is right they are said to do better in pairs. I really like diamond gobies as well. But either one of these are the best choices because they stay low to the ground when they are sifting sand...the other types tend to come up 6-8" off the sand and dump the sand they have scooped up and sand goes everywhere, PITA. But I think sand shifting fish are the best thing for a sand bed, because your sand bed will always be clean.

 

as for the sunburst anthias, I have heard different...they do not like high lighting they tend to lose their color...Micheal W. Scott, says they should be in a tank that is not lit nearly as much as a reef tank...but I have had no experience with them, so I can only tell you what I have read...If you want a school, barlets school as well and I have heard that they do better in higher lit tanks, in the way of holding their color.