Help deciding next fish?

Killerflash · Nov 5, 2015

Hey everyone I need a little help and/or suggestions on what fish I should get next.

The tank is a 90 gallon FOWLR with a carpenters wrasse and white blenny.
I plan on getting a pair of clowns and a pair of dwarf angels as some of my last additions.

I was thinking about maybe an indigo or orchid dottyback next. Maybe another wrasse? I was also thinking about maybe a kole tang one day as I've been told it would work well with what I have planned.

If anyone has any input or suggestions even on other types of fish that I didn't mention that would work with what I have and the clowns/Angels I would appreciate it.

kyla bidwell · Nov 5, 2015

1) Yellow watchman goby: mine perches on a rock that sits on the sand. They are hardy and they watch you! Cool fish! And beautiful too!

2) scooter blenny: mine has SO much personality! He dances for us when we come up to the tank. He 'flys or glides' from rock to rock all day long. He was my favorite fish until I got my.....

3) until I got my sailfin tang! My sailfin is packed with personality and is the most beautiful fish in my tank. It was VERY shy for the first week or so. Wouldn't even come out to eat. But right at that 1 week mark, it just blossomed with personality. If you dont chose to get the sailfin, or if you already plan to have another tang (you mentioned a kole tang) that wont be compatible with another tank, my second choice would definitely be a foxface. I loved mine. Unfortunately it died, thats when I got my sailfin. But they are close matches personality wise. If you get either of the 2, you will need to get some dried seaweed and clip it in the tank bc they are both grazers. I was VERY new when I got my foxface, and I didnt know they MUST have veggies, and thats why mine died. Im NOT making that mistake with my sailfin though!

Hope that gives you some ideas to ponder. I was clueless as to what I was looking for when I first started the hobby.

Killerflash · Nov 6, 2015

It definitely does! I've totally forgot about gobies until you mentioned yours. I may get one and regarding the fox face, I've thought about those before as well as butterfly fish, but I hear both may eat my CUC. How was your fox face with inverts?

I only was considering a kole tang because someone recommended it; they don't need too much space compared to the other tangs and seem to be more peaceful.

eatbreakfast · Nov 6, 2015

foxfaces won't eat cuc.

Killerflash · Nov 6, 2015

Oh maybe I'm thinking of something else then. I may end up getting a fox face lo or one spot then since some yellow would add a lot in terms of color to the tank and another peaceful fish. I may get a goby or basslet too before the clowns and Angels instead of a dottyback.

kozzy · Nov 6, 2015

Hawkfish are very cool. Amazing personalities. I like the flame hawk the most.

Cleo642 · Nov 6, 2015

I like this fish, but idk if you think it would be too small for your tank.

Killerflash · Nov 7, 2015

That is a nice lookin fish, would it work with the blenny that I already have?

Cleo642 · Nov 7, 2015

Killerflash said:
That is a nice lookin fish, would it work with the blenny that I already have?

I wouldn't be certain of that. There a black sailfin blenny too. They are easier to find. When the time comes, I want a golden sailfin. If find/see one, get it, cause they are not as common as the black sailfin blennies. I am sure an experienced hobbyists could tell us about more than one blenny?
@Humblefish @3FordFamily
Maybe y'all can help us here.

4FordFamily · Nov 7, 2015

I know very little about blennies I've only ever had bicolor and I now have a flame tail that was sent by mistake. I do know blennies are often not very accepting of other blennies but it depends on a lot of factors

Humblefish · Nov 7, 2015

Blennies can be kind of ornery with one another sometimes. They will often lay claim to multiple hidey holes throughout the tank and if territory overlaps there's going to be a problem. Unless it's a really big tank. Personally, I think I'd stick with just one in a 90 gal. I also would never add a dottyback to a peaceful tank; especially not an Indigo.

4FordFamily · Nov 7, 2015

Humblefish said:
Blennies can be kind of ornery with one another sometimes. They will often lay claim to multiple hidey holes throughout the tank and if territory overlaps there's going to be a problem. Unless it's a really big tank. Personally, I think I'd stick with just one in a 90 gal. I also would never add a dottyback to a peaceful tank; especially not an Indigo.

Good catch on dottyback. Only somewhat peaceful dottyback is an orchid I've had great luck with them over the years

Killerflash · Nov 7, 2015

Thanks for the input, I originally planned on just having my one blenny so ill keep it that way.
As for the dottyback, I've decided against it and am going to get a basslet instead. The only reason for considering the dottyback was because I had heard the two I was looking at were supposed to be pretty peaceful as far as dottyback a go.
It appears that's not always the case though; so a black cap basslet, some kind of goby, one spot fox face, oscellaris or true percula clowns, Kole tang, and 2 dwarf angels (flame and coral beauty most likely) will be what I eventually add and probably in that order.
Another fish I'm considering is some kind of anthias, but not really looking into them too much right now as I'm pretty content with my current list.

kyla bidwell · Nov 8, 2015

+1 on the the longnose hawkfish! They arent the most stunning fish, but they do have cool personalities!

you mentioned butterfly fish, and I just want to say be careful with them. They nip coral sometimes. Its hit or miss though. You may luck up and get one that dosent nip. Personally I would take my chances with a butterfly before chancing ANY kind of angel. Just try to get a butterfly with a short snout if you go that route. They dont tend to nip as much as the long snout butterflies. I had a pearlscale butterfly that didnt bother anything. They are beautiful and dont cost as much as some of the other butterflies or angels. I think I paid somewhere around $20 for mine.

Foxface are completely reef safe if im not mistaken. I know mine was. If im worng someone please correct me. I had a bad hair algea outbreak before I got mine, and after only a few days it had eaten all of the algea. A lot of people get them for that reason.

A basslet is a great choice. Thay are beautiful fish and they wont bother anything.

Im sure you already know this.....but dont get ANY damsels if you plan on getting the peaceful fish you mentioned. They will terrorize your tank. I read all about them and decided to get some anyway as my first fish. It was a huge mistake. I have 2 in particular that have litterly terrorized fish to their death. I have too much rock to get them out. And traps wont work. Its tempting bc they are so cheap and beautiful. They are 4 dollars where I live! But its just NOT worth it in the long run.

So to sum it up....my personal advice would be to swap the angels out with a short snout butterfly, and id most definitely add a hawkfish to the list. I think you will be very happy with the fish you listed. If you plan on getting an anemone for your clowns, you might want to rethink the species of clown you get. The ones you listed dont always host nems. I have a bta and the only clown that will host it is my tomato clown. Some people have luck woth percs too. But some dont.

Ok thats probably way more information than you need so ill leave ot at that! Good luck and have fun! Remember to add fish slowly. 1 per week was my rule and it worked out pretty good. Let me know if you want ideas for coral! I've been having a blast figuring out what coral I like lately!

eatbreakfast · Nov 8, 2015

Be careful of butterflies, most are not reef safe. Pyramids, zoster, marginalis, longnose, and copperbands are the 'safest', but there are still risks.

Agreed on avoiding most damsels, but a few species in the Chrysiptera genus are more peaceful than their cousins.

kyla bidwell · Nov 8, 2015

Oh and 1 more kind of fish came to mind! Its actually my next addition

A small school of chromis! I know that they look kinda plain when you only see 1 or 2, but I think they are pretty cool in groups. Also, they were my absolute least favorite fish when I first started the hobby. But I broke down and got 1 a while back, and I actually REALLY like it now. In my lfs they looked like plain silver colored fish, and reminded me of sardines to be honest lol! But once u got mine home, it looked much prettier undernmy lights. It changes color depending on where it is in the tank. I think watching the behavior of schooling fish is very interesting, and the chromis have pretty color. So id get 6 to 8. I just figured that since your getting a 90 gallon, you will have enough room for them amd they would liik cool swimming back and fourth. I cant wait to get mine!

Killerflash · Nov 9, 2015

I didn't mean to confuse anyone by bringing up butterflies previously, I never was planning to get them just mentioning I thought about them originally before getting water even in the tank. That was before realizing they wouldn't work in the set up I wanted lol. I'll probably stick with my most recent list posted in the previous post. Maybe add some chromis though, a little group of schooling fish does sound fun to watch.

kyla bidwell · Nov 9, 2015

Awesome! You have a great list! You should post pics as you add things. Id love to see how its coming along! And have fun fish shopping!

Killerflash · Nov 9, 2015

Thanks, I definitely will post some. I think I may have started a thread a while back about my tank; if I did I'll bring it back to life, but if not I'll start a new one and let everyone see how it's going and when stuff is being added.

I am stumped though on something guys. It's becoming a real challenge to find a black cap basslet, which was originally my replacement for the dottyback. I've been doing a little digging into orchid dottybacks which mostly resembles the basslet that I'm looking for in color and want to hear some thoughts. Supposedly they are the most peaceful of all dottybacks and can even be kept in mated pairs? (not that I want a pair, I actually only want one of either fish for the beautiful purple color they have).
Of course I will keep a look out for a black cap basslet and I still have time before I have to choose between the two since I'm getting a goby next, but would it work with the orchid if I end up unable to get my hands on the basslet?

The stock list would be as follows:
Carpenters Wrasse
Smiths/White Blenny
Yellow Clown Goby
*Maybe* Blue/Green Reef Chromis (Group of 3-6 probably, don't want to get too overcrowded)
Black Cap Basslet OR Orchid Dottyback
One Spot Fox Face
Oscellaris or True Percula Clowns
2 Dwarf Angels (flame and coral beauty most likely) I'm more determined to make this one work than anything else
*Maybe* Kole Tang

eatbreakfast · Nov 9, 2015

Killerflash said:
Thanks, I definitely will post some. I think I may have started a thread a while back about my tank; if I did I'll bring it back to life, but if not I'll start a new one and let everyone see how it's going and when stuff is being added.

I am stumped though on something guys. It's becoming a real challenge to find a black cap basslet, which was originally my replacement for the dottyback. I've been doing a little digging into orchid dottybacks which mostly resembles the basslet that I'm looking for in color and want to hear some thoughts. Supposedly they are the most peaceful of all dottybacks and can even be kept in mated pairs? (not that I want a pair, I actually only want one of either fish for the beautiful purple color they have).
Of course I will keep a look out for a black cap basslet and I still have time before I have to choose between the two since I'm getting a goby next, but would it work with the orchid if I end up unable to get my hands on the basslet?

The stock list would be as follows:
Carpenters Wrasse
Smiths/White Blenny
Yellow Clown Goby
*Maybe* Blue/Green Reef Chromis (Group of 3-6 probably, don't want to get too overcrowded)
Black Cap Basslet OR Orchid Dottyback
One Spot Fox Face
Oscellaris or True Percula Clowns
2 Dwarf Angels (flame and coral beauty most likely) I'm more determined to make this one work than anything else
*Maybe* Kole Tang

Orchid dottybacks are peaceful as far as dottybacks go.

Black caps are not as frequently available as royal grammas are, but they are currently available through nyaquatic.com

Your stocklist is reasonable, though I recommend adding the angels simultaneously.