90G Stocking Help

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

Hi everyone!
I’m currently looking at a 90g tank that I’m hoping to clean up and turn into a really beautiful reef display for my living room.
If I do decide to get the tank, I was wondering what options I have for stocking? (Reef safe of course). I definitely want some schoolers (anthias for sure) and obviously some smaller tangs (tomini, yellow, etc) and maybe a nice show piece (not quite sure what exactly) and some filler fish (clowns, etc). Even some CUC suggestions!
I just want to make sure i’m going down the right track because I’ve only had one tank, a 20g nano, for a year- and I outgrew it and caught the BIG reef tank bug!
It would even be appreciated if you did a whole stocking list that I could edit up a bit if need be, but even one option is great!
All ideas are welcome of course, TIA!!

aztoza · Jul 20, 2024

Think of habitat—look for sand dwellers, rock perchers, and open swimmers to make sure you’ve got a good mix. Fish that work for you could be good, like tangs and some blennies eat algae and sixline wrasses eat coral pests. Jawfish or sandsifting gobies to stir sand. You could do some really cool inverts with 90g if you don’t want any predator fish. Urchins, conches, nudibranchs are cool. Maybe you also don’t have to have the whole wish list decided right off the bat…might be nice to just see what cool fish come in stock. I’m a noob this is just what I’ve experienced so far. Exciting to plan a tank.

littlefoxx · Jul 20, 2024

In a 90 you should really only keep a bristletooth OR a yellow, not both since its not long enough for swim room (they should at least have a 6 foot length) since they are so active. Look into some of the dwarf angels, lots of people can keep them with corals no issue.

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

littlefoxx said:
In a 90 you should really only keep a bristletooth OR a yellow, not both since its not long enough for swim room (they should at least have a 6 foot length) since they are so active. Look into some of the dwarf angels, lots of people can keep them with corals no issue.

Thanks for the info. The tank is actually a custom 90g long, so it will be okay for the tangs until they grow larger and are moved from there to my cousins 380. This is more of a project to see where this goes, and will be more aimed toward the coral aspect than the fish side. I’m keeping a low bio-load so less fish. I just want a few that will brighten up and add activity. Long term will probably just end up with some cool inverts, a blue-spot or pearly, a melanurus, and either some randall’s, dispar, or ignitus in a small shoal.
Like I said earlier, I did think I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with this tank, but I do want to try things out and explore my options. Thanks again! I will keep looking.

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

aztoza said:
Think of habitat—look for sand dwellers, rock perchers, and open swimmers to make sure you’ve got a good mix. Fish that work for you could be good, like tangs and some blennies eat algae and sixline wrasses eat coral pests. Jawfish or sandsifting gobies to stir sand. You could do some really cool inverts with 90g if you don’t want any predator fish. Urchins, conches, nudibranchs are cool. Maybe you also don’t have to have the whole wish list decided right off the bat…might be nice to just see what cool fish come in stock. I’m a noob this is just what I’ve experienced so far. Exciting to plan a tank.

Awesome, thank you so much! I do think it would be nice to not have such a set idea, and maybe just check out what comes in at the LFS that catches my eye. I try so hard to make everything perfect and organized, but that’s not always going to be the case! I didn’t realize how excited I would be for the upgrade!
Thanks again

littlefoxx · Jul 20, 2024

buttonreefer said:
Thanks for the info. The tank is actually a custom 90g long, so it will be okay for the tangs until they grow larger and are moved from there to my cousins 380. This is more of a project to see where this goes, and will be more aimed toward the coral aspect than the fish side. I’m keeping a low bio-load so less fish. I just want a few that will brighten up and add activity. Long term will probably just end up with some cool inverts, a blue-spot or pearly, a melanurus, and either some randall’s, dispar, or ignitus in a small shoal.
Like I said earlier, I did think I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with this tank, but I do want to try things out and explore my options. Thanks again! I will keep looking.

Ah cool! Nice to have that backup. Just dont do a hippo tang, you will never get one out when you need to rehome! Fast boogers and live in cracks in the rock lol. For sure look into a blenny! Whats not to live about how goofy they are and just so dang cute!

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

littlefoxx said:
Ah cool! Nice to have that backup. Just dont do a hippo tang, you will never get one out when you need to rehome! Fast boogers and live in cracks in the rock lol. For sure look into a blenny! Whats not to live about how goofy they are and just so dang cute!

Yeah! It hurts to see that people put those guys in a 20. Poor Dory lol.
I loooove my tribal blenny, and he’ll be thankful for a bigger home that will most likely get a bit of hair algae to munch on- and I might even upgrade his barnacle house to a mansion while I’m at it! Such a character! Got him at about 1.5” and now he’s a good 4”+! The little fatty got rid of my nuisance algae in a second, lol!

PharmrJohn · Jul 20, 2024

aztoza said:
Think of habitat—look for sand dwellers, rock perchers, and open swimmers to make sure you’ve got a good mix. Fish that work for you could be good, like tangs and some blennies eat algae and sixline wrasses eat coral pests. Jawfishor sandsifting gobies to stir sand. You could do some really cool inverts with 90g if you don’t want any predator fish. Urchins, conches, nudibranchs are cool. Maybe you also don’t have to have the whole wish list decided right off the bat…might be nice to just see what cool fish come in stock. I’m a noob this is just what I’ve experienced so far. Exciting to plan a tank.

+1 bigtime. I've got 12 fish planned for my 155. 8 of those are utilitarian. I want my fish to be a major part of the CUC. Also, you may want to consider a Filefish. They like to eat aiptasia. When you get everything lined up as to what you want (and have confirmed all those fish can hang with each other), determine the order they are going in. The peaceful tend to go in first and the more aggressive towards the end.

littlefoxx · Jul 20, 2024

buttonreefer said:
Yeah! It hurts to see that people put those guys in a 20. Poor Dory lol.
I loooove my tribal blenny, and he’ll be thankful for a bigger home that will most likely get a bit of hair algae to munch on- and I might even upgrade his barnacle house to a mansion while I’m at it! Such a character! Got him at about 1.5” and now he’s a good 4”+! The little fatty got rid of my nuisance algae in a second, lol!

Oooo! Do they have a lot of colors?? Ive wanted one but some seem just like a black blenny. But the others coloring is stunning!

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

littlefoxx said:
Oooo! Do they have a lot of colors?? Ive wanted one but some seem just like a black blenny. But the others coloring is stunning!

When I first got mine, he didn’t have much color- maybe a bit on his face. After he got a bit older and larger, he got that really nice blue colored pattern all over him and that bright white lyretail. When they get stressed or excited, they actually turn all deep black like that, even for just a second. Under the reef tank deep blue light, his blue color actually pops out fluorescent like the corals! Its really cool! I wouldn’t buy them from Live Aquaria, because people say theirs comes in all black even through adulthood. I got mine from my LFS. Oh and also, they can be LPS munchers, so just be aware! But overall yeah, super charismatic and colorful if you pick the right one!

He wouldn’t come out for a picture to show his colors! If you look it up online, there’s a few nice ones that are like him a bit!

#1: Mr. Limpet (my blenny) when excited:
(compared to the bright blue face on the other picture I showed!)

littlefoxx · Jul 20, 2024

buttonreefer said:
When I first got mine, he didn’t have much color- maybe a bit on his face. After he got a bit older and larger, he got that really nice blue colored pattern all over him and that bright white lyretail. When they get stressed or excited, they actually turn all deep black like that, even for just a second. Under the reef tank deep blue light, his blue color actually pops out fluorescent like the corals! Its really cool! I wouldn’t buy them from Live Aquaria, because people say theirs comes in all black even through adulthood. I got mine from my LFS. Oh and also, they can be LPS munchers, so just be aware! But overall yeah, super charismatic and colorful if you pick the right one!

He wouldn’t come out for a picture to show his colors! If you look it up online, there’s a few nice ones that are like him a bit!

#1: Mr. Limpet (my blenny) when excited:
(compared to the bright blue face on the other picture I showed!)

Cool! How big do they get?? I need a blenny in my big tank. Not the same without one. Love the midas though. This is my blenny in my biocube though. Goofy little fish

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

I’m pretty sure they max out at around the higher end of 4” - mine is just barely 5”. Midas are super pretty with that pink/yellow. IME they are more swimmers than hanging out around rocks and in barnacles. They also don't do as good a job for removing nuisance algae. It's really personal preference. Can’t go wrong with any blenny though! Is yours a starry? Super cute!

buttonreefer · Jul 20, 2024

littlefoxx said:
Cool! How big do they get?? I need a blenny in my big tank. Not the same without one. Love the midas though. This is my blenny in my biocube though. Goofy little fish

^