Stocking list check in

[ClownGoneFishin]

Hey all, first time post here. I’ve been keeping fish for several years, but solely freshwater. Last winter, a professor of mine invited me to do some coral research with her (attempting to validate functionality of an RNA methylation gene in acropora genus corals, nothing came of it sadly), and offered me a job taking care of an 80 gal low boy in her lab. I’ve been doing that pretty consistently now, and am doing much more grand research with a larger coral facility (locating and quantifying modified nucleotides in acropora genus RNA). It’s been wonderful, so much so that I decided to finally pull the trigger and put together my first marine system. Since I’ve had several months of caring for a mixed system (mostly softies and sps, no lps funnily enough), I think I’ll be good to go coral wise, but fish wise, I wanted to validate wether my stocking list was feasible, and I wanted some opinions on what I should get first. If I do get the purple tang, it and the white tail will be the last fish in the tank, since I’ve heard purple tangs can be pretty bossy. Also at the bottom will be images of the tank so far. I haven’t put the lid on yet since I need a hand, and just started cycling last night (dropped .5 ppm ammonia over night :^) )

Ok, what I think I’m gonna end up with in 90 gal is
1 one spot foxface
1 flame angel (or other dwarf angel)
1 Pinkbar goby
1 lagoon shrimp goby
2 royal gramma
1 Swiss guard basslet
2-3 snapping shrimp
1 canary blenny
1 white tail bristle tooth tang
1 tailspot blenny
1 purple tang
Porcelain crab+anemone
Clean up crew (strawberry conchs, snails, a shingle urchin, hermits, etc etc)
Lots of coral


View attachment 20250907_152201_C75254E1-4D5F-4B7B-851A-824DECC85484.mov

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

I should add that the stocking list is more of a wish list. As I add fish, I’m going to monitor swimming and behavior, if it seems too cramped, I’m obviously gonna not get as many fish. The foxface, white tail, and nem+crab are really the only three I’m dead set on

 

[Zionas]

Bump. But so far:

One Spot Foxface- This one’s a bit iffy IMO due to size. I’d ask the opinions of a few.

Flame Angel / other Dwarf: Very good fit and Angels are my favorite.

Get 1 shrimp and Goby pair.

2 Royal Grammas: Actually pretty interested myself in seeing how 2 will pair up and stay a pair. Ask around.

1 Swissguard Basslet: Good fit. Some would be concerned about it coexisting with the Gramma (s) but I think they’ve been kept together without issues.

Canary Blenny: Good, get a captive bred one if you can. From what little I know wild ones can struggle to eat.

1 White Tail Bristletooth Tang: One of the best for this tank size.

1 Tailspot Blenny: Good, different niche from the Canary Blenny and more of a rock dweller. Make sure it’s eating prepared and can get enough to eat. Need algae.

Purple Tang: I’ve seen them successfully kept in your tank size for many years without issue, just ask around. If not, maybe consider a CB Biota Yellow.

For a 90 I think due to the 18” width, IMO get 1 bigger fish.

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

Bump. But so far:

One Spot Foxface- This one’s a bit iffy IMO due to size. I’d ask the opinions of a few.

Flame Angel / other Dwarf: Very good fit and Angels are my favorite.

Get 1 shrimp and Goby pair.

2 Royal Grammas: Actually pretty interested myself in seeing how 2 will pair up and stay a pair. Ask around.

1 Swissguard Basslet: Good fit. Some would be concerned about it coexisting with the Gramma (s) but I think they’ve been kept together without issues.

Canary Blenny: Good, get a captive bred one if you can. From what little I know wild ones can struggle to eat.

1 White Tail Bristletooth Tang: One of the best for this tank size.

1 Tailspot Blenny: Good, different niche from the Canary Blenny and more of a rock dweller. Make sure it’s eating prepared and can get enough to eat. Need algae.

Purple Tang: I’ve seen them successfully kept in your tank size for many years without issue, just ask around.

For a 90 I think due to the 18” width, IMO get 1 bigger fish.

Sounds good to me, any recs on bigger fish? If the 1 spot proves to be too big (liveaquaria recs 70 gal for Siganus unimaculatus, so I think I’ll be alright), the facility I do research at has tons of big big tanks, so I’d be able to bring it somewhere with more room, I’m not too too worried in that regard.

 

[Zionas]

@ClownGoneFishin Since this is your first time keeping saltwater I wouldn’t get anything too hard like a Copperband although IMO that’s a choice for a 90.

Most of the Bristletooth Tangs would work, other than the White Tail you mentioned there’s the Tomini, Square Tail (Truncatus), Two-Spot (Binotatus) and another one that I haven’t seen many of. Think it’s either Cyanocheilus or cf Striatus? No clue.

Many people do put and think it’s just fine to have something like a Yellow Tang or sometimes a Purple in a 4ft tank and many have done it for years and years, although some would disagree. A Captive-Bred Yellow from Biota would be seen as a choice by many people here.

For something a bit different, I really like the Marine Betta and especially captive bred although I haven’t seen one in a while. There’s a guy here that used to breed them and sell them to Biota, not sure if he still does. He went by the name of ThRoewer.

Not sure about a Pyramid Butterfly or Swallowtail Angel for a 90. Or a Longnose Butterfly. Ask around.

If you’re OK with a bit of coral picking, maybe one of those Biota Milletseed Butterflies. I’m a fan of them although big for them means somewhere around 5” fully grown.

Sort of monotonous in the color scheme but Poma Labs I think does something called a “Red Sea Angel” (Apolemichthys xanthotis) that tops out at 6” and maybe 5” or so in captivity. They’re captive bred and 400 bucks a piece so depending on your budget may or may not be too much.

The Chaetodontoplus genus has some smaller Angels, including the Singapore Angel which is basically the same size although wild ones I heard aren’t the easiest and haven’t seen the captive bred ones from Poma in a while.

There’s a small subgenus of deepwater Butterflies called Roaops that aren’t exactly cheap, but the Burgess (cheapest of the genus) and Mitratus (more expensive) are nice fish. They are easy for a Butterfly from what I gathered.

The main thing with a 90 is that I feel the dimensions are a bit….. awkward and IMO if it was left to me I’d trade height for more width. The 18” width isn’t ideal at all. I wouldn’t add anything that tops out at more than 6” total in captivity (although wild sizes can be bigger). The exception would be the Marine Betta that isn’t too much of a swimmer and more of a cave dweller. An Angel, Butterfly or Tang you’d want to start small and have it as your biggest fish.

I actually think a 90 should be more like 48” x 22” x 20” instead of 48 x 18 x 21. Trading an inch of height for 4 inches of width is totally my thing.

 

[divewsharks]

Unless the 2 royal grammas are paired up prior, good you will likely only have one. The younger/smaller you can get them the better the odds.

 

[SeaWhatYouSave]

I think that list will generally work out fine -- none of the fish will outgrow the tank and you shouldn't have much fighting -- but I wanted to add a couple things I would keep in mind as a relatively new reefer.

The more fish you have, the harder it will be to keep your nitrates and phosphates at a low enough level for keeping coral, especially more sensitive coral like SPS and LPS. It is significantly easier to care for coral if you have a low bioload and feed sparsely. I wouldn't add more than 3-5 fish for a long time, until you've had great success with coral in your tank.

Additionally, you may want to consider adding some fish for parasite control and aiptasia control. If you don't have fish that fill these niches, then you might end up with a serious problem eventually, like a flatworm or aiptasia outbreak. I would recommend a Halichoeres wrasse and an aiptasia-eating filefish for these purposes, but there are many alternatives.

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

I think that list will generally work out fine -- none of the fish will outgrow the tank and you shouldn't have much fighting -- but I wanted to add a couple things I would keep in mind as a relatively new reefer.

The more fish you have, the harder it will be to keep your nitrates and phosphates at a low enough level for keeping coral, especially more sensitive coral like SPS and LPS. It is significantly easier to care for coral if you have a low bioload and feed sparsely. I wouldn't add more than 3-5 fish for a long time, until you've had great success with coral in your tank.

Additionally, you may want to consider adding some fish for parasite control and aiptasia control. If you don't have fish that fill these niches, then you might end up with a serious problem eventually, like a flatworm or aiptasia outbreak. I would recommend a Halichoeres wrasse and an aiptasia-eating filefish for these purposes, but there are many alternatives.

I don’t know how I forgot to add a wrasse to the list, lol! I intend to keep one Cirrhilabrus wrasse in the tank, I’m undecided on species but afaik, most should be fine in the tank size wise. As for aptasia, my research pi breeds and sells bergia nudibranch (if you live in the NY state capital region, check out capital coral), so I should be fine with aptasia. I’ve heard rabbitfish will pick at them too, so I’m not super worried. I also neglected to add skunk cleaner shrimp to the list, but I intend to grab one.

I appreciate the advice though! Just as with my freshwater tanks, I’m going to give it a few months between “batches” of fish to allow the microbiome and nitrogen negative creatures to acclimate to the rising nitrate levels (my 75 fw is only getting the angels I planned for it months ago in a month or two, I can post picks for those interested).

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

Unless the 2 royal grammas are paired up prior, good you will likely only have one. The younger/smaller you can get them the better the odds.

Should I just go with one then? I think sourcing smaller, younger ones wouldn’t be too too difficult, but if it’s a pretty high risk to the fish, I’d rather not risk it

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

@ClownGoneFishin Since this is your first time keeping saltwater I wouldn’t get anything too hard like a Copperband although IMO that’s a choice for a 90.

Most of the Bristletooth Tangs would work, other than the White Tail you mentioned there’s the Tomini, Square Tail (Truncatus), Two-Spot (Binotatus) and another one that I haven’t seen many of. Think it’s either Cyanocheilus or cf Striatus? No clue.

Many people do put and think it’s just fine to have something like a Yellow Tang or sometimes a Purple in a 4ft tank and many have done it for years and years, although some would disagree. A Captive-Bred Yellow from Biota would be seen as a choice by many people here.

For something a bit different, I really like the Marine Betta and especially captive bred although I haven’t seen one in a while. There’s a guy here that used to breed them and sell them to Biota, not sure if he still does. He went by the name of ThRoewer.

Not sure about a Pyramid Butterfly or Swallowtail Angel for a 90. Or a Longnose Butterfly. Ask around.

If you’re OK with a bit of coral picking, maybe one of those Biota Milletseed Butterflies. I’m a fan of them although big for them means somewhere around 5” fully grown.

Sort of monotonous in the color scheme but Poma Labs I think does something called a “Red Sea Angel” (Apolemichthys xanthotis) that tops out at 6” and maybe 5” or so in captivity. They’re captive bred and 400 bucks a piece so depending on your budget may or may not be too much.

The Chaetodontoplus genus has some smaller Angels, including the Singapore Angel which is basically the same size although wild ones I heard aren’t the easiest and haven’t seen the captive bred ones from Poma in a while.

There’s a small subgenus of deepwater Butterflies called Roaops that aren’t exactly cheap, but the Burgess (cheapest of the genus) and Mitratus (more expensive) are nice fish. They are easy for a Butterfly from what I gathered.

The main thing with a 90 is that I feel the dimensions are a bit….. awkward and IMO if it was left to me I’d trade height for more width. The 18” width isn’t ideal at all. I wouldn’t add anything that tops out at more than 6” total in captivity (although wild sizes can be bigger). The exception would be the Marine Betta that isn’t too much of a swimmer and more of a cave dweller. An Angel, Butterfly or Tang you’d want to start small and have it as your biggest fish.

I actually think a 90 should be more like 48” x 22” x 20” instead of 48 x 18 x 21. Trading an inch of height for 4 inches of width is totally my thing.

CBB was one of the fish that originally got me itching to get a reef, and since I intend to take about a year or so to finish stocking the tank, I may still consider it!

Do you think adding more than one bristletooth tang to the list could cause infighting?

I intend to take some time tonight to go through the list of butterflies and angels you gave me (which I greatly appreciate), and see which one suits my idea for the tank best, but again, I really do appreciate such a meaty list! I’ll update the stocking list later tonight for anyone interested. Thank you all so much!

 

[SeaWhatYouSave]

I don’t know how I forgot to add a wrasse to the list, lol! I intend to keep one Cirrhilabrus wrasse in the tank, I’m undecided on species but afaik, most should be fine in the tank size wise. As for aptasia, my research pi breeds and sells bergia nudibranch (if you live in the NY state capital region, check out capital coral), so I should be fine with aptasia. I’ve heard rabbitfish will pick at them too, so I’m not super worried. I also neglected to add skunk cleaner shrimp to the list, but I intend to grab one.

Cirrhilabrus aren't the best at predator control. Halichoeres and Pseudocheilinus are much better. Bergia nudis should work great though.

I appreciate the advice though! Just as with my freshwater tanks, I’m going to give it a few months between “batches” of fish to allow the microbiome and nitrogen negative creatures to acclimate to the rising nitrate levels (my 75 fw is only getting the angels I planned for it months ago in a month or two, I can post picks for those interested).

I would recommend taking it even slower than that. Coral are significantly more sensitive to nitrates and phosphates than anything you'd keep in a freshwater tank. In my experience, whenever you have more than 10 ppm nitrate and 0.10 ppm phosphate, you're risking some of your coral not surviving. Unless you have a small number of fish, the natural biological processes in the tank won't be able to keep up with the nitrates and phosphates that are produced, so you'll have to resort to frequent water changes or complex equipment and chemicals. That is why there are so many reef tanks with only two or three fish in them.

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

I don’t know how I forgot to add a wrasse to the list, lol! I intend to keep one Cirrhilabrus wrasse in the tank, I’m undecided on species but afaik, most should be fine in the tank size wise. As for aptasia, my research pi breeds and sells bergia nudibranch (if you live in the NY state capital region, check out capital coral), so I should be fine with aptasia. I’ve heard rabbitfish will pick at them too, so I’m not super worried. I also neglected to add skunk cleaner shrimp to the list, but I intend to grab one.

Cirrhilabrus aren't the best at predator control. Halichoeres and Pseudocheilinus are much better. Bergia nudis should work great though.

I appreciate the advice though! Just as with my freshwater tanks, I’m going to give it a few months between “batches” of fish to allow the microbiome and nitrogen negative creatures to acclimate to the rising nitrate levels (my 75 fw is only getting the angels I planned for it months ago in a month or two, I can post picks for those interested).

I would recommend taking it even slower than that. Coral are significantly more sensitive to nitrates and phosphates than anything you'd keep in a freshwater tank. In my experience, whenever you have more than 10 ppm nitrate and 0.10 ppm phosphate, you're risking some of your coral not surviving. Unless you have a small number of fish, the natural biological processes in the tank won't be able to keep up with the nitrates and phosphates that are produced, so you'll have to resort to frequent water changes or complex equipment and chemicals. That is why there are so many reef tanks with only two or three fish in them.

Even with two refugiums, is there still considerable risk?

 

[SeaWhatYouSave]

Even with two refugiums, is there still considerable risk?

I like refugiums but they are definitely not a "magic bullet". If not configured optimally (poor lighting, insufficient harvesting, etc) they won't help much. Even if you do set them up perfectly, you will find that there is a limit to how many nutrients they can remove. If you exceed that limit, you will have to start implementing other nutrient control methods.

Ultimately, there's no "set it and forget it" solution here. If you want to keep sensitive coral, you will always have to be tracking your nitrates and phosphates and balancing them. Having fewer fish makes it much easier to keep the balance. I personally don't keep any sensitive corals anymore because I like keeping a lot of fish and haven't been able to find any nutrient control methods that keep up with my high bioload.

 

[ReeferGrant]

Hey all, first time post here. I’ve been keeping fish for several years, but solely freshwater. Last winter, a professor of mine invited me to do some coral research with her (attempting to validate functionality of an RNA methylation gene in acropora genus corals, nothing came of it sadly), and offered me a job taking care of an 80 gal low boy in her lab. I’ve been doing that pretty consistently now, and am doing much more grand research with a larger coral facility (locating and quantifying modified nucleotides in acropora genus RNA). It’s been wonderful, so much so that I decided to finally pull the trigger and put together my first marine system. Since I’ve had several months of caring for a mixed system (mostly softies and sps, no lps funnily enough), I think I’ll be good to go coral wise, but fish wise, I wanted to validate wether my stocking list was feasible, and I wanted some opinions on what I should get first. If I do get the purple tang, it and the white tail will be the last fish in the tank, since I’ve heard purple tangs can be pretty bossy. Also at the bottom will be images of the tank so far. I haven’t put the lid on yet since I need a hand, and just started cycling last night (dropped .5 ppm ammonia over night :^) )

Ok, what I think I’m gonna end up with in 90 gal is
1 one spot foxface
1 flame angel (or other dwarf angel)
1 Pinkbar goby
1 lagoon shrimp goby
2 royal gramma
1 Swiss guard basslet
2-3 snapping shrimp
1 canary blenny
1 white tail bristle tooth tang
1 tailspot blenny
1 purple tang
Porcelain crab+anemone
Clean up crew (strawberry conchs, snails, a shingle urchin, hermits, etc etc)
Lots of coral

Sorry, this is a little off topic, but how did you get involved in coral research? I'm currently halfway through my BS in biochemistry and this is something I would love to get involved in one day.

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

Hey all, first time post here. I’ve been keeping fish for several years, but solely freshwater. Last winter, a professor of mine invited me to do some coral research with her (attempting to validate functionality of an RNA methylation gene in acropora genus corals, nothing came of it sadly), and offered me a job taking care of an 80 gal low boy in her lab. I’ve been doing that pretty consistently now, and am doing much more grand research with a larger coral facility (locating and quantifying modified nucleotides in acropora genus RNA). It’s been wonderful, so much so that I decided to finally pull the trigger and put together my first marine system. Since I’ve had several months of caring for a mixed system (mostly softies and sps, no lps funnily enough), I think I’ll be good to go coral wise, but fish wise, I wanted to validate wether my stocking list was feasible, and I wanted some opinions on what I should get first. If I do get the purple tang, it and the white tail will be the last fish in the tank, since I’ve heard purple tangs can be pretty bossy. Also at the bottom will be images of the tank so far. I haven’t put the lid on yet since I need a hand, and just started cycling last night (dropped .5 ppm ammonia over night :^) )

Ok, what I think I’m gonna end up with in 90 gal is
1 one spot foxface
1 flame angel (or other dwarf angel)
1 Pinkbar goby
1 lagoon shrimp goby
2 royal gramma
1 Swiss guard basslet
2-3 snapping shrimp
1 canary blenny
1 white tail bristle tooth tang
1 tailspot blenny
1 purple tang
Porcelain crab+anemone
Clean up crew (strawberry conchs, snails, a shingle urchin, hermits, etc etc)
Lots of coral

Sorry, this is a little off topic, but how did you get involved in coral research? I'm currently halfway through my BS in biochemistry and this is something I would love to get involved in one day.

Luck really, I was in my uni’s TriBeta chapter, and one of our professor leaders was acquainted with my current research pi. I’m sure there’s larger programs, but I’m lucky enough to live near Albany, and capital coral is right there.

 

[ClownGoneFishin]

Wanted to update! Been a few weeks since the tank has been cycled, and I’ve already added a fair amount of life. There’s a Roy’s grams and candied snapping shrimp in there too,?75 neither have been willing to sit and be photographed. Scopas tang went in today, and the nem and porcelain crab are in qt. Everything else has been purchased prequarantined :)