Stocking ideas for new 90 gallon

Tabbycat89

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This is my first venture into saltwater, we’ve always had freshwater. I have a 90 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump/refugium and planning to do a mostly soft coral tank with perhaps a branching hammer as the only lps. The tank is currently up, I, just waiting on silicone to cure in the sump before hooking that up. After that’s dry I’m planning to get the ultimate refugium kit from algae barn which contains turbo start. The question I have is in regards to stocking list and order; should I get some cuc members first and inverts before I start putting in fish and corals after that? I keep reading Mixed things regarding order. It’ll be a few more weeks before I stock since I’m going on vacation in 2 weeks and don’t want to get anything before that. Here’s my potential stocking list. Any concerns regarding amount or compatibility.

definitely want:
2 ocellaris clowns
1 bangai cardinal
1 royal gramma
1 yellow Morris wrasse
goby/pistol shrimp combo-either yellow watchmen or hi fin red banded

uncertain:
1 firefish
1 springeri damsel for something blue
1 Ctenochaetus tang possible yellow eyed kole
1 possible diamond goby-really interested in this but heard it might starve; I do have a deep sand bed, approximately 3 inches

invert/cuc:
scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp
1 pincushion or tuxedo urchin depending on what’s available at my lfs
1 randalls shrimp for my goby pair
V ariety of snails
possible conches if not getting the diamond goby
several small hermit crabs
 

davidcalgary29

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Welcome!

You're in a fun catch-22 situtation: your CUC isn't going to thrive until, well, there's something to clean. You're going to have to do supplemental feedings until there's enough for them to forage in the tank. I'd certainly add the macro as soon as you can do this.

The timing of fish and coral additions is trickier. I personally quarantine everything going into my tanks now, but this is -ahem- a complicated issue on this site, and there's a rainbow of opinions on the subject. Just be mindful that diseases and nasty hitchhikers can certainly ride in on ANYTHING we you put into your tank, and you've either got to accept that risk or set up some type of quarantine system for anything incoming. You can put softies in a new tank, but they don't do all that well in them unless you use live rock...and that comes with its own set of problems.

I'd reconsider your restriction of LPS to hammer corals. There are a ton of great LPS species available nowadays, and I couldn't imagine my tanks without acans or duncans. But that's just me.

A lot of people find cardinalfish to be kind of boring. I thought they were being unfair until I visited a few stores...and, yes, just saw them sort of hanging out in the water column. Firefish (especially purple firefish!) are spectacular and much more interesting to watch.

Diamond gobies shouldn't starve if you give them supplemental feedings.
 

Ro Bow

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This is my first venture into saltwater, we’ve always had freshwater. I have a 90 gallon tank with a 40 gallon sump/refugium and planning to do a mostly soft coral tank with perhaps a branching hammer as the only lps. The tank is currently up, I, just waiting on silicone to cure in the sump before hooking that up. After that’s dry I’m planning to get the ultimate refugium kit from algae barn which contains turbo start. The question I have is in regards to stocking list and order; should I get some cuc members first and inverts before I start putting in fish and corals after that? I keep reading Mixed things regarding order. It’ll be a few more weeks before I stock since I’m going on vacation in 2 weeks and don’t want to get anything before that. Here’s my potential stocking list. Any concerns regarding amount or compatibility.

definitely want:
2 ocellaris clowns
1 bangai cardinal
1 royal gramma
1 yellow Morris wrasse
goby/pistol shrimp combo-either yellow watchmen or hi fin red banded

uncertain:
1 firefish
1 springeri damsel for something blue
1 Ctenochaetus tang possible yellow eyed kole
1 possible diamond goby-really interested in this but heard it might starve; I do have a deep sand bed, approximately 3 inches

invert/cuc:
scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp
1 pincushion or tuxedo urchin depending on what’s available at my lfs
1 randalls shrimp for my goby pair
V ariety of snails
possible conches if not getting the diamond goby
several small hermit crabs
ooh ooh add a foxface!! and/or tomini tang
 

LuizW13

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I would advise not getting any CUC until a little while after you have fish. I'm not sure where that advice started, but putting CUC as the first livestock in the system is just not good advice- they'll eventually starve, unless you go out of your way to feed them. Good luck feeding snails if you have no algae growing.

As far as fish goes, I think it mostly comes down to your preference. I think Cardinals are boring, and diamond goby's have a reputation of throwing sand on corals in the sand bed, but that shouldn't be a concern if you don't plan on having corals on the sand.
What you could do is go to Liveaquaria to see what kind of fish options are out there, make a preliminary list, and then remove them based on compatibility, temperament, water volume, etc.

Definitely set up a cheap QT system though.
 

davidcalgary29

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I would advise not getting any CUC until a little while after you have fish. I'm not sure where that advice started, but putting CUC as the first livestock in the system is just not good advice- they'll eventually starve, unless you go out of your way to feed them. Good luck feeding snails if you have no algae growing.
The reason to do this is because it is often very difficult to quarantine CUC in a separate tank without live rock. Adding them at an early stage -- even if supplementary feedings are necessary -- lets them become established in the display first while addressing disease incubation periods.
 
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LuizW13

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The reason to do this is because it is often very difficult to quarantine CUC in a separate tank without live rock. Adding them at an early stage -- even if supplementary feedings are necessary -- lets them become established in the display first while addressing disease incubation periods.
That makes some sense..but you can then only do that once. I don't want to say that CUC are disposable, but every so often you'd have to restock them- and if the reason for introducing them as the first live stock in your system is to address disease incubation periods, then this is only effective before your first fish. I guess it can delay you from getting an invert QT system for a bit.
 

davidcalgary29

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That makes some sense..but you can then only do that once. I don't want to say that CUC are disposable, but every so often you'd have to restock them- and if the reason for introducing them as the first live stock in your system is to address disease incubation periods, then this is only effective before your first fish. I guess it can delay you from getting an invert QT system for a bit.
It's certainly a bit of a pickle, but that's why I stocked largely with trochus snails, which have readily reproduced in my Evo -- and given me lots of stock for my other builds.
 

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