Preparing to move to mixed reef. Do I have too many fish?

ReachTheSky

ReachTheSky

Active member
This is my first tank. The more I've been reading and researching, the more I've been wondering if maybe I got a bit trigger happy with the fish buying. As it stands, it's basically a FOWLR but I do plan on slowly adding coral and turning it into a mixed reef with various SPS, LPS and Soft corals. I'd like to hear some of your guys' advice and opinions.

I set the tank up around ten months ago. It's a 90 gallon and I managed to cram a 40 gallon sump underneath it. The skimmer I use is the Reef Octopus Extreme XS 160 (rated for 160 gallons). I also have two small TLF reactors running Rowaphos and Chemipure Elite. There's probably around 50 pounds worth of live rock in the display. Deep sand bed and chaetomorpha w/ more live rock in the sump. No hair algae or cyano issues but coralline is growing at an alarming rate. Nitrates are around the 0.3 to 0.5 PPM mark. Nitrite and Ammonia levels are undetectable.

Livestock:
- Blue Tang
- Yellow Tang
- Coral Beauty Angelfish
- Flame Angelfish
- 3x Green Chromis
- Rose Bubble Tip Anemone hosting:
- 2x True Percula clowns (paired)
- Yellow Watchman Goby paired with:
- Tiger pistol shrimp
- Yellowtail Damselfish
- 2x Fire Shrimps (paired)
- Varied clean-up crew

Thank you in advance for any feedback. If there's something I haven't addressed, please let me know.
 
It always depends. If you feed too much and don't change water, you can't keep 1 fish in a 180G. If you feed the right amount and do water changes, you can keep more fish than that in a 90.

If you don't have pest algae and you are running your lights at the same length and intensity required to keep a reef, then you should be ok.

Tangs may eventually get a little cramped is all.
 
I feed them twice a day. Once a week, I hang a garlic seaweed clip in there which the tangs quickly tear apart and eat.

The Yellow Tang has grown to about 4" (he was 2" when I first got him). The Blue Tang does have me a bit worried - he was about 5" (I think) when I got him and he's reaching the 8" mark. :eek2: Man, they grow fast.
 
Get rid of both tangs and you should be fine. The angels may nip at SPS coral though and will almost definitely nip at LPS.
 
SkullV said:
They are both too large (the blue tang for sure) for a 90g and both carry with them a significant bio-load.
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+1

If you have to keep one, keep the yellow; but you should really get rid of both tangs. You could replace them with some fairy wrasses. Active, colorful and "reef safe."
 
Oh boo.

I kind of knew I had to get rid of the Blue Tang one way or another because he's grown but I really didn't know that a 90 gallon is too small for a Yellow Tang.
 
If you don't get any more fish and ditch the blue you could keep the yellow in a 90 that's what I'm putting in mine nobody jump on me for this
 
Dragon moray ki said:
If you don't get any more fish and ditch the blue you could keep the yellow in a 90 that's what I'm putting in mine nobody jump on me for this
Click to expand...

So now it's back to a yellow? You are STILL wrong.

One thing you want to do in this hobby is NEVER take this ^^^ posters advice.
 
Sorry for necroing this thread. I didn't think a new one would be necessary since my question applies to the same category.

An update first: I returned the Blue Tang to my LFS about a month ago. The Yellow Tang is still with me. I've had him for nearly a year now and my mother absolutely adores that fish. She's not taking the idea of returning him well. So really, is there no way of keeping him and maintaining a stable system? This will be the last time I ask, I promise.

I will be taking all three of the Chromis out today. They actively swam in a school as juveniles but now that they've matured (1.5-2" each), they've grown solitary and literally do nothing all day. It's depressing.
 
Ideally you'd want to return those chromis. As they mature, they almost always fight among each other to death until one is left.

For the yellow tang, I don't see the problem of keeping it in a 90 long term, assuming the rock work is not tight to allow enough swimming room. Of coure, if it grows above 6", you may want to rehome it. Ideally though, I wouldn't keep any tang (even the smallest ones) in anything smaller than a 5-foot tank.
 
people like to claim that the ocean itself isn't big enough for these tangs. As much as huge tanks are necessary for many species, I've kept a yellow in my 90 for over 4 years and he is fat, happy, and healthy by all applicable standards. No aggression from him whatsoever to my clowns, copperband butterfly, or anthias either. I'd say that if the tank isn't too heavily stocked and has enough swimming room that he doesn't look visibly sick, cramped, unhappy, or aggressive then just keep him
 
The Chromis are all gone. :) I returned them an hour ago.

The Tang never shows aggression towards any of my other fish. He's proven to be the most curious one - he always approaches new inhabitants first. There's plenty of open space in the tank which he swims around in and also in between the rocks which he glides through. He's never shown signs of illness, eats well and appears happy and healthy. As I mentioned, he's about 4" from nose to tail which doesn't seem to be an issue but if he grows larger, I will obviously relocate him.

Thank you guys for your input on this. Any more feedback based on experience would be much appreciated.

I do have another itch I'd like to scratch though. Anthias! :spin1: I've always been a fan of these guys. Anyone have any input on Anthias in a 90 gallon? I know a trio is probably a long shot but if there's a particular species I can own, I would love to know.
 
Anthias like to swim. I had a trio of lyretail in a 90. I wouldn't do it again. The angelfish will limit your coral selection. Look into fairy wrasses.
 
billyzbear said:
Anthias like to swim. I had a trio of lyretail in a 90. I wouldn't do it again. The angelfish will limit your coral selection. Look into fairy wrasses.
Click to expand...
IME Anthias aren't like Tangs; they are active, but they seem to more ride the current/waves. This seems particularly true of Sunburst Anthias.
 
billyzbear said:
Sunburst and blotched anthias are not open swimmers, they stay within the rocks and are deep water anthias.
Click to expand...
? Mine have always been out and about in the water column. As I said, they aren't very active for anthias (in my opinion). I don't know where you got blotched anthias. I was simply pointing out that there are anthias that aren't extreme swimmers, so it could be a possibility in a tank this size.
 
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