90 Gallon Wish List Need Help

[Bubba12]

Hi all, this is my first post here in the forum, but I have been looking through several threads over the last couple weeks. A little background, I have been keeping freshwater tanks for about 15 years, ranging from community to planted Discus tanks. I have pretty much kept everything in that realm. I started a nano reef tank about four months ago and I am ready to upgrade. I am converting a 90 gallon into a reef. The tank is cleaned resealed and repainted and I have ordered my equipment (sump, skimmer, uv sterilizer, lighting, ro/di system)sand, and live rock. Everything should be here by the end of the week so I can begin aquascaping and cycling.
I have been researching and planning but it is driving me nuts not having a solid plan in place. I am hoping you guys can help me with my stocking list. I will be posting about CUC's (what forum should I post in for this)and corals in another post. Here is a list of what I like, I hope you can help me narrow it down to something acceptable for my tank. I really don't want anything that could send me down the wrong path but would like the tank to be somewhat unique.

Ocellaris Clownfish-I want two, I like the black and white but I have young kids and you can probably guess what they want. Can I have one of each? Ideally a pair of each but I'm almost positive that won't do.

Coral Beauty or Flame Angel-I am leaning towards Coral Beauty it seems like a better fit, but am willing to part with both.

Flasher Wrasse-love the coloring but I read they don't do well with dwarf angels or dotty backs

Yellow Tang or Kole Tang- seems like the yellow would be too large for the tank, I could easily part with both.

Foxface Rabbitfish- possibly a 9 inch fish, I like it but really don't want to limit my stocking levels on a large fish

Royal Gramma or Orchid Dotty Back- my wife really likes both of these but have read they may be too aggressive possibly attacking shrimp and other fish.

I really like Blennies, Gobies, and Dragonets and would like to keep as many as I can without problems. I am nervous about trying the Dragonets (Mandrin and Red Scooter) due to their feeding requirements, but I am a big fan. These are the ones I like but am very open to suggestion. Also where applicable do you reccomend the pistol shrimp combo?

Bicolor Blenny
Law mower Blenny
Yellow Watchman Goby
Diamond Goby
Pink Spotted Goby
Red Scooter Blenny
Mandrin Dragonet

Sorry for the lengthy post I know you guys have seen a lot of these. Any help will be much appreciated. I look forward to getting to know some of you.

 

[Naiad]

Ok let's try to cover everything. I would only do one pair of clowns. It is possible to add multiple but it raises the agression lvl of the tank. A 90 is small for most tangs. Again possible with the kole but will be more agressive. The flasher wrasse will do fine if added earlier than the other fish and given time to establish itself. You will definitely want to look into qt soon as well. The angels are hit and miss in a reef. There shouldn't be too much issue with agression in a 90 but they may eat coral.

Pick either the royal gramma or Orchid dotty back. They can't be mixed. This should be one of the last fish added unless it is a large fish like the tang. All fish that live around the rocks like blennies and gobies should come first.

Do not mix the scooter and mandarin. Pick one. I also love gobies and blennies and if done correctly you can mix many without problems. Biggest thing to look at is where they live and what they eat. If you dont cross the two in too many places you should be fine. You should have no problem with a pistol watchman pairing. Just be sure to actually get the correct pistol shrimp. Not all pistol shrimp live with gobies. Feel free to ask any questions and welcome to the hobby!

 

[Bubba12]

So clowns are in tangs are out, I was pretty much expecting that. When it comes to the dwarf Angels, is one less likely to eat coral than another or not worth the risk? Also, is the royal gramma more peaceful than the dotty Back?
Could you recommend a combination of blennies and gobies that have worked at well for you. I am worried about competition for for food sources. I was pretty set on the Diamond or the pink spot with the watchman, but have recently read that diamonds can clean out the sand bed and quickly starve themselves and watchman can be very aggressive. Have you experienced any of this? With that said I will likely stay away from the dragonets as well.
Thanks again for all your help and if you have any suggestions for fish that you think would work well and I have not listed please feel free.

 

[melypr1985]

Royal Gramma or Orchid Dotty Back- my wife really likes both of these but have read they may be too aggressive possibly attacking shrimp and other fish.

Have you seen the black cap basslet? Beautiful fish and just a vibrant as the others.

 

[Voltaire81]

Im new as well and have a Target Mandarin. From what i read, youre supposed to add them to a relatively mature tank (6-9 months) so they have enough pods for their diet.

 

[Naiad]

I love the black caps. As for the angels the two you listed are the safest of the dwarfs. From there it is just the individual fish.

Maybe someone who has had both can chime in on the dotty back vs gramma.

Watchman gobies will defend their burrow but other than that are not very agressive. Sand sifting gobies that don't learn to take food from you will starve. Our sandbeds just can't support them. If you do get a watchman and pistol you will need a deep sand bed and secure rocks.

 

[Bubba12]

I just checked out the black cap basslet, very pretty, I will have to show the wife.
Back to the drawing board. Seems like stocking is going to require some trial and error.

 

[Naiad]

Lol working on stocking a 220. I feel the pain.

 

[Bubba12]

I had to get something semi-official on paper, I realize there may be some risk with a couple of these but it should be minimal. Let me know what you think.

Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
Starry Blenny
Royal Gramma
Flasher wrasse
Banghazi Cardinal
Pair of Shrimp Gobies with pistol shrimp (Randall's or Yellow Watchman)
Coral Beauty Angel
Kole Tang

Could you please suggest a stocking order? Also has anyone had in experience with stocking a pair of shrimp gobies?

 

[Naiad]

You want to add the gobies at the same time. Either 2 juveniles or a pair. I can sex yellows so if you think you have a pair just post a pic. Divers den currently has a pair of randalls and is a good place to look. The tang and angel should be added last. I would add the flasher wrasse second behind either the clowns or cardinal.

 

[Bubba12]

Thanks Naiad!!!

 

[ou12004]

I have a Wheeler's gobi with a Randalls' pistol shrimp and a High Fin gobi with a Tiger pistol shrimp in a 100 and they do not go far enough away from their holes to know anything else exists.

I don't agree on the tangs, I have a small Vlamingi Tang that I have had for a year and she has grown about an inch. If she starts looking like she is cramped or stressed I will trade or give her to someone with a larger tank. I give more weight to how large a specimen is when you are buying it. I would not buy a large adult tang to go in a 90 but a small juvenile is not a big issue for me.

I have a fish trap so I do try different fish, some work out, some don't. My Flame angel had to get rehomed as it started nipping sps after no problems for 2 years.

Some fish that are supposed to be reef safe are not. My red line blennie is the worst fish I have as it regularly takes bites out of sps corals but is to smart to get trapped so I just added so many sps that it can only do limited damage.

Do your research but just because it is on the internet doesn't make it true.

 

[Naiad]

I have a Wheeler's gobi with a Randalls' pistol shrimp and a High Fin gobi with a Tiger pistol shrimp in a 100 and they do not go far enough away from their holes to know anything else exists.

I don't agree on the tangs, I have a small Vlamingi Tang that I have had for a year and she has grown about an inch. If she starts looking like she is cramped or stressed I will trade or give her to someone with a larger tank. I give more weight to how large a specimen is when you are buying it. I would not buy a large adult tang to go in a 90 but a small juvenile is not a big issue for me.

I have a fish trap so I do try different fish, some work out, some don't. My Flame angel had to get rehomed as it started nipping sps after no problems for 2 years.

Some fish that are supposed to be reef safe are not. My red line blennie is the worst fish I have as it regularly takes bites out of sps corals but is to smart to get trapped so I just added so many sps that it can only do limited damage.

Do your research but just because it is on the internet doesn't make it true.

A large group of blennies are not actually reef safe. It was all a lie [emoji33] . They love to eat sps. The tribal blenny is another culprit to stay away from.

Mixing different species of gobies in larger tanks works well however adding two of the same species that are not a m/f pair does not. I had two male green banded gobies nearly fight to the death in a 120 and two male yellow watchmen fight in a 300 resulting in the death of one.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I had to get something semi-official on paper, I realize there may be some risk with a couple of these but it should be minimal. Let me know what you think.

Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
Starry Blenny
Royal Gramma
Flasher wrasse
Banghazi Cardinal
Pair of Shrimp Gobies with pistol shrimp (Randall's or Yellow Watchman)
Coral Beauty Angel
Kole Tang

Could you please suggest a stocking order? Also has anyone had in experience with stocking a pair of shrimp gobies?

An occellaris and black occellaris will pr up as long as both aren't females.

Agreed on kole and coral beauty last and the mandarin to an established tank.

Other than that order of the species you have listed doesn't matter. The royal gramma will pick a cave and defend it, but won't go out of his way to be aggressive.

If you were still interested in an orchid dottyback, that, too would be fine, they are a peaceful dottyback. In a 90 the gramma and orchid will both coexist.

Pairing watchmen gobies is pretty easy, usually in LFS tanks you can spot fish that have paired up. They will be closer while keeping a clear distance from other similar fish.

 

[Bubba12]

I have been a freshwater guy for a long time. When I decided to make this jump over to saltwater reef I wanted to have a Strict plan ( this is what I am getting and this is when I am getting it)in place before I did anything, but the more I research, the more I am starting to realize stocking, filtration, compatibility, etc. etc.... It seems to be a trial and error game just like freshwater with a little more risk due to cost and maintenance. Test your water and keep moving
In the meantime, every time is walk into the lfs, or talk to you guys, or read some random fish profiles I change my mind on something. I am loving this so much compared to FW because the options are so broad and I haven't even hit on invertebrates. I guess I'm sticking to what I think I know.
I was at the lfs today and saw a blue spotted jawfishblue for $120. I have to have this fish, so my stocking list is changing already. Does anyone have any experience with this specimen?
Also, I just added live rock and live sand today, my tank is so cloudy I can't even tell how my aquascape looks, but I have already seen snails and copepods crawling all over the glass, which makes me think I could get a Mandarin someday. My lfs lady says she can get a dragonet the that is already accepting frozen.
I am not really sure where I am going with all this, but I have a few more questions. Does anyone have experience with adding two dwarf angels( flame and coral beauty), and what's the deal with multiple gobies....ie....jawfish, blennys, gobies, and Dragonets? I am tempted to go with whatever the lfs suggests, but planning and implementing is half the battle.

 

[Naiad]

The blue spot is a difficult jawfish to keep. They do not like warmer waters like other fish. You also need a deep sand bed if you want jawfish. You can have multiple species of gobies with little problem. Two dwarf angels can be challenging.

 

[Bubba12]

Naiad , thanks for responding to everything . Have you ever kept two dwarf angels? If I'm already seeing copepods will my tank be read y for a dragonet in ( months

 

[Naiad]

Not dwarfs but I have kept 2 larger angels in a 120. They did coexist but did have a few clashes. It should be fine for a mandarin. I would be sure to setup an area in the sump for the pods to reproduce. If you add phytoplankton they will reproduce faster. Mandarins that take to frozen will do fine.

 

[billwill]

I've got a 90 and literally was sitting in front of it thinking of my top 5 fish I enjoy the most when I saw this post! Clowns are cute for a bit, but get pretty boring without an anemone. My five top choices:
1. Blue tang. A must have in a 90
2. Melanarus wrasse. Super cool and super peaceful
3. Mystery wrasse
4. Midas Blenny
5. Bicolor Blenny

Those are all super easy and will get along. My female blue star leopard wrasse belongs on that list, but a little trickier to keep. My blue faced angel falls in that same category, but these two are incredibly beautiful.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have been a freshwater guy for a long time. When I decided to make this jump over to saltwater reef I wanted to have a Strict plan ( this is what I am getting and this is when I am getting it)in place before I did anything, but the more I research, the more I am starting to realize stocking, filtration, compatibility, etc. etc.... It seems to be a trial and error game just like freshwater with a little more risk due to cost and maintenance. Test your water and keep moving
In the meantime, every time is walk into the lfs, or talk to you guys, or read some random fish profiles I change my mind on something. I am loving this so much compared to FW because the options are so broad and I haven't even hit on invertebrates. I guess I'm sticking to what I think I know.
I was at the lfs today and saw a blue spotted jawfishblue for $120. I have to have this fish, so my stocking list is changing already. Does anyone have any experience with this specimen?
Also, I just added live rock and live sand today, my tank is so cloudy I can't even tell how my aquascape looks, but I have already seen snails and copepods crawling all over the glass, which makes me think I could get a Mandarin someday. My lfs lady says she can get a dragonet the that is already accepting frozen.
I am not really sure where I am going with all this, but I have a few more questions. Does anyone have experience with adding two dwarf angels( flame and coral beauty), and what's the deal with multiple gobies....ie....jawfish, blennys, gobies, and Dragonets? I am tempted to go with whatever the lfs suggests, but planning and implementing is half the battle.

Blue spot jaws live shorter lives in temps in the upper 70's. They do better in low 70's, high 60's. 2" sand bed will suffice for most jawfish.

Wait for the tank to mature 6 months before adding a mandarin, even one that is eating prepared foods. The digestive tract of mandarins is so short they need to eat almost constantly. They can quickly decimate a pod population that is not ready to support them.

Most gobies are compatible, but case by case exceptions do exist.

I've got a 90 and literally was sitting in front of it thinking of my top 5 fish I enjoy the most when I saw this post! Clowns are cute for a bit, but get pretty boring without an anemone. My five top choices:
1. Blue tang. A must have in a 90
2. Melanarus wrasse. Super cool and super peaceful
3. Mystery wrasse
4. Midas Blenny
5. Bicolor Blenny

Those are all super easy and will get along. My female blue star leopard wrasse belongs on that list, but a little trickier to keep. My blue faced angel falls in that same category, but these two are incredibly beautiful.

Blue tangs get huge and a healthy one should quickly outgrow a 90.

Mystery wrasses can develop a nasty attitude toward smaller fishes as they get older.