Stocking Ideas for 86 gal (326L)?

[sophohno]

My husband and I are getting our first marine tank and are trying to figure out what we eventually want to stock it with so we can prepare properly. The display tank is 120W x 55D x 53H cm and is 326L (~86gal) and we have a sump. We're planning to keep coral and do a mixed reef setup.

My husband wants to get an eel but we're concerned about them eating smaller fish. We think an engineer goby (or a pair of them) would be a safer substitute but I can't find a lot of info on exactly how big a tank should be to house a pair comfortably for their life.

Things we definitely want:
* 2 ocellaris clownfish + an anemone
* 1 blenny (not sure exactly what kind yet)
* 2 fire shrimp
* 1 tuxedo urchin
* either two engineer gobies (if they will fit) or a pistol shrimp + shrimp goby pair (I figured we can't do these + the engineer gobies due to them both burrowing)

Other things we're considering but not sure if we have space to add in addition to what we definitely want:
* 1 royal gramma basslet
* 1 fairy or flasher wrasse (would want a relatively peaceful one)
* 1 clown goby
* 1 flame or longnose hawkfish
* 1 tomini or kole tang
* some sort of snails / conches

Would appreciate any insight on what will work and what won't. Also any other suggestions are appreciated! We don't want to overstock the tank.

 

[fishywishy]

You won’t be overstocked, and everything on your list looks fine except for a few things:

While two engineer gobies could fit, I’d recommend getting just one or maybe skipping the goby altogether, as they require a very deep sand bed and can sometimes disrupt or collapse rockwork with their burrowing.

Hawkfish are known to sometimes go after cleaner shrimp, so although it doesn’t always happen, it’s a risk to consider.

Hold off on adding an anemone until your tank is more established.

Midas, forktail, and bicolor blennies are all good options.

 

[crabgrass]

Others will say fbis, but Tang last