Fish suggestions for my 90g?

[GothFishKeeper]

I’ve officially gotten to the point where the nutrient consumption in my system outweighs what is produced by the animals, so I’m thinking about finally adding one more medium sized fish to accommodate that. The tank is a 48x18x24 90g mixed reef with lots of rock and a roughly 4” deep sand bed, although the sand is the Caribsea Hawaiian black so it’s very coarse which I know may eliminate some options. The system has been running for 1.5 years now.

(Please excuse the unscraped glass)

Current list of fish is:
•Pair of percula clowns
•Pair of pygmy waspfish
•Dragon sleeper goby
•White tail bristletooth tang
•Watanabe Angel

Ideally I would like to add something that on average would grow to be 5-7 inches, similar to the tang and angel, but I also don’t really want something that only has a lifespan of a few years. I like the idea of having my fish for a long time as I’m in my 20s and don’t plan on stopping this hobby anytime soon.

Any suggestions?

 

[GothFishKeeper]

I wish there was a rabbitfish or foxface species that could go in a 4ft tank but from what I’ve found the smallest grows to be at least 8”

 

[GothFishKeeper]

Bump

 

[Biokabe]

There is a foxface that works fine in that size tank, the one-spot foxface. I have one in my tank (exactly the same dimensions as yours) and it's a perfect fit for him.

Another fish of similar size that might work is the pyramid butterfly. I had one in my 72g before I moved over to the 90g (sadly, he didn't make the transition) and he was the hero of the tank. Always active and attractive, and as a bonus he ate aiptasia. He did develop an acan-picking habit, but I weaned him off of it by offering nori every morning (which was apparently a worthy enough bribe that he stopped bothering acans after that).

 

[GothFishKeeper]

There is a foxface that works fine in that size tank, the one-spot foxface. I have one in my tank (exactly the same dimensions as yours) and it's a perfect fit for him.

Another fish of similar size that might work is the pyramid butterfly. I had one in my 72g before I moved over to the 90g (sadly, he didn't make the transition) and he was the hero of the tank. Always active and attractive, and as a bonus he ate aiptasia. He did develop an acan-picking habit, but I weaned him off of it by offering nori every morning (which was apparently a worthy enough bribe that he stopped bothering acans after that).

Oh wow really? I had thought one spot foxfaces were the ones that grew to around 8”

My reason for wanting one, aside from them always being such sweeties ime, is bubble algae. I’ve had far too many problems with emerald crabs, and honestly they don’t even make much of an impact unless I throw in half a dozen of them, which was a terrible experience to reverse once they started eating corals.

If a foxface were to likely fully grow to ~6” then I wouldn’t mind having one, but I’m hesitant because I don’t like having to rehome fish. I get attached too easily

 

[Biokabe]

Well, mine isn't fully grown, so don't take my word for it solely. But if you read about the one-spots on here, there are plenty of examples of people who have kept them for the entirety of their lives in a 75-90g tank. That's why I ultimately decided to pull the trigger on one.

And yes, they are great on bubble algae. It took mine a couple of days to discover the chunks of bubble algae, but once he did, it vanished pretty quickly.

Another, better invertebrate option for bubble algae are pitho crabs. Similar to emeralds, but much more focused on algae and specifically bubble algae. I've actually seen them rip into bubble algae nests, where I never ever saw an emerald actually eat any.