90G stocking help

Squibege

Squibege

New member
Would like opinions on my stocking list for my 90G (48lx18dx24t). It's my first reef tank. Wanting a mixed reef with mostly LPS and lots of fish which I know will be a large bioload. Currently have a Bubble Magnus 5 skimmer which I plan to upgrade as my bioload increases.

I put stars by the fish I'm least willing to give up on having (the anthias have stars because I know I want some, just not 100% sure which/how many). I've separated into chunks of additions I think will work best. PLEASE correct me if anything seems 'iffy'!

CUC will go first (obv)

*Yellow watchman goby
*Yellow clown goby
Purple Firefish

First corals, softies and lps.

*Clownfish (typical ocellaris)
*Banggai Cardinal (more than one?)

Bicolour Benny
*Chromis (want more than one but apparently that's not the best idea)

Yellowtail damsel
*Coral beauty dwarf angel

*Yellow tang

*Bartlett anthias x2
*Sunburst anthias
 
That's a lot of fish. Just know you will need to do a lot of water changes to keep from having a lot of algae growth.
 
I have 11 fish in my 80. It's a tad crowded. I'm not seeing additional algae issues. I do about 15% water changes a week. I have similar fish - diamond goby, 3 x Anthias, 2 occ clowns, 2 chromis, 2 pj cards, starry Benny. The most aggression is one chromis to another. Funny I got them from a fellow reefer and they wouldn't split them. The male Anthias is a tad aggressive but not bad at all. I think 2 less fish would be perfect but it's working thus far.

I wouldn't dare adding a yellow tang to the mix.
 
Marchillo said:
I have 11 fish in my 80. It's a tad crowded. I'm not seeing additional algae issues. I do about 15% water changes a week. I have similar fish - diamond goby, 3 x Anthias, 2 occ clowns, 2 chromis, 2 pj cards, starry Benny. The most aggression is one chromis to another. Funny I got them from a fellow reefer and they wouldn't split them. The male Anthias is a tad aggressive but not bad at all. I think 2 less fish would be perfect but it's working thus far.

I wouldn't dare adding a yellow tang to the mix.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply! Gives me info to take into consideration :)
 
It's a shallow reef - 48 x 24 x 16 high. The 24" front to back is good for scaping and more caves to hide. I didn't plan on 11 fish. It just happened. I'm done at this point.
 
Agree with the above. If you are going to end up a bit overstocked then I'd leave the most aggressive off the list. Even peaceful fish will get aggressive to protect their territory.

Like I said my list is similar to yours. I forgot to mention my large pj Cardinal chases the smaller one. They were qtd together and introduced together. This was happening even when there were only 5 fish - 2 occ clowns and the starry blenny. It's kind of funny now. Any type of aggression and a couple fish swim through them as to break it up and the aggression stops. Quite interesting to watch.
 
I find yellowtail damsels to be very passive and really model citizens. I even had one share a 10g with 2 ocellaris for several months before they all went into a 75g with zero aggression. It was easily one of my favorite fish.

However each fish is unique so there is always a chance you get a demon.
 
I tried to keep Bartlett's anthias with lyretails in a 180. The lyre tails did not make it long term. The aggression never looked that bad but it took its toll over the long haul.

Kole tang might be a better choice for a 90 gallon tank than a yellow tang. They stay a little smaller.

I had a dwarf angel that didn't bother corals but was very territorial. You have a few fish that can be aggressive- tang, damsel, anthias and a dwarf angel. Might be tricky to pick a stocking order that doesn't create aggression problems. Ideally, you want to stock the tank least to most aggressive. Based on my limited experience, if you're going to get a dwarf angel, I'd probably add it last.

Matt
 
*Yellow watchman goby
*Yellow clown goby
Purple Firefish

First corals, softies and lps.

*Clownfish (typical ocellaris) x2
*Banggai Cardinal (more than one?) x1

Bicolour Benny
*Chromis (want more than one but apparently that's not the best idea) x5-7

Yellowtail damsel
*Coral beauty dwarf angel

*Yellow tang

*Bartlett anthias x2
*Sunburst anthias

Of what you had on your list, I would put the ones ive bolded, plus I would throw in either a sailfin or starry blenny... but thats just me.

I definitely dont think a 90 is too small for a yellow tang. I have had great successive with yellow tangs in a 90 gallon tank, and ive also seen many others have success with these fish in similar size or smaller tanks. I know some people wont agree with that but thats just what ive seen and experienced being in the hobby for 12 years.

I also have never had problems with chromis in nice sized groups. I currently have 5 green chromis in my tank and they are a breeding harem. I think i may have started with 6 or 7 but 1 or 2 died early with the initial nipping between the fish, but ive had these 5 now for about 7 years. theyve been breeding for about 4 yrs.

I personally think anthias are a bit more difficult to care for. I've never had them, but have heard they are a bit picky and have heard several people report they need to be fed several times a day to stay healthy, but i only feed my tank once a day.

Prior to last summer i would have recommended the dwarf angel, but when i started getting into acans, it turned out my CB was nipping at them all day causing them to do horribly. Once I finally saw the CB nipping, i removed the fish and the coral are doing great now.
 
And I would also probably add a royal gramma or a fairy wrasse to the list. They both offer a good color to bioload ratio.
 
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