Stocking suggestions on my 90g

FlyinPete · 03/31/2015, 11:36 PM

Around a month and a half ago I started a 15 gallon saltwater tank. I blindly rushed into the hobby with what I thought was sufficient knowledge but I was subjecting my fish to what will most likely be described as nothing but brutal fish torture by most of you.
I added in a YWG 3 days into the cycling (I used Colony nitryifing bacteria to speed my cycling process) After around 4 days, I added in a pair of juvenile clownfish (approx 1 1/4 inch) after testing my parameters.

I was really eager to just get a Nemo in my tank and I admit, that was more than rash and I feel really guilty for what I've done.
Please guys don't patronize me for this, I already got enough flak flown my way from my last help thread on this forum.

So now I'm setting up my 90 gallon tank and I'll probably be finished in around a week and a half and I was wondering if I could get some help on stocking.
I bought 12000k lighting for my future coral tank (planning on getting torches and an anemone Bubbletip maybe) but I want some beautiful active swimmers to accentuate the beauty of the corals. I was thinking about

1x Yellow tang juvenile (2-3" keeping it until 5-6" and returning it for SC)
1x Dwarf flame angel
2x Clown juvies (Don't want to return em, I've gotten pretty attached
1x Yellow watchman goby (I love him to death, probably my favorite fish)
1x Blue Tang (2-3" keeping it until 5-6" and returning for SC)
or
1x Powder blue tang (2-3" keeping until 5-6" and returning for SC)

and misc (CUC etc)

Does anybody have any suggestions? I know it's not recommended to keep these specific tangs (except for the yellow) in a tank that won't be it's permanent home or a tank that won't be able to accommodate it's swimming needs but I think if I get them as juvies and give them back to the store that it won't matter too much. I'm not keeping a foot long tang in a 4 footer lol.

If this really isn't realistic then I'd love to hear your suggestions as long as they're not rude. Although to be honest I'm pretty adamant about having either a blue tang or a PBT juvie, maybe it just isn't meant to be for the time being.

Sorry if I wasn't clear on some stuff, I had to write this in a hurry, if there's any part that isn't understandable then please message me and I'll clarify.

scooter31707 · 04/01/2015, 06:27 AM

I'm not going to bash you because you knew what you did wrong and hope you learned from this. Patience is key when it comes to the saltwater. At least you know the rules of keeping Tangs in too small of a tank. I would not recommend getting the Blue Tang nor the Powder Blue. I don't recommend 2 Tangs in that size tank anyway. You say you are going to take them back once they get bigger and out grow the tank. I have heard that a lot and when the time comes the LFS is gone out of business or something happens that you cannot get rid of the fish, then you are stuck with stressed out fish because the tank is too small. So, if that was me I would think long term and get the fish you can keep for many of years and watch them grow to their full potential. Just my 2 cents.

chefbill · 04/01/2015, 07:31 AM

Tangs are prone to ich. Ich is exacerbated by stress. Catching, moving, and re-quarenteening is about the most stress imaginable for these animals. Sound like a good outcome? You KNOW it is a bad idea. You have said so. Why do you keep trying to justify what is, in your own words, " nothing but brutal fish torture"?

I'm not being rude, harsh yes. Buy a fish with its full grown, adult size in mind. Ask yourself how easy it will be to catch this fish down the road, once it knows what a net is and once you have corals in your tank without destroying all your hardwork?

ZeeSparrow · 04/01/2015, 09:55 AM

^ What they said.

Personally, I have used LiveAquaria to identify what fish could possibly live in the size tank I have. They have a filter to select the maximum tank size, that will eliminate selections of those that require a bigger tank to start. Then from those that are shown, you can find the ones you like and run them past snorvich in this thread. (If you want suggestions, post them right here or in a new thread as he won't provide suggestions in that one.)

Good luck with your 90!

Sk8r · 04/01/2015, 03:52 PM

Honestly, I'd get rid of the tangs except one---they become assassins when they feel overcrowded and can do in other fish. You're better off with fairy wrasses, gobies, blennies, other damsels (one of a kind only!) and a single dwarf angel; dartfish; etc. People keep trying for multiple tangs and ultimately
there aren't enough fish stores with enough customers with 300 gallon tanks to be able to take these fish in when they outgrow their tanks. Most tangs and rabbits get way large, and how many people do you know with six foot long tanks? It's pretty sad when you have nowhere to go with a fish you've gotten attached to.

FlyinPete · 04/01/2015, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Honestly, I'd get rid of the tangs except one---they become assassins when they feel overcrowded and can do in other fish. You're better off with fairy wrasses, gobies, blennies, other damsels (one of a kind only!) and a single dwarf angel; dartfish; etc. People keep trying for multiple tangs and ultimately
there aren't enough fish stores with enough customers with 300 gallon tanks to be able to take these fish in when they outgrow their tanks. Most tangs and rabbits get way large, and how many people do you know with six foot long tanks? It's pretty sad when you have nowhere to go with a fish you've gotten attached to.

Yeah I guess I can see that happening but my LFS is thriving at the moment and they've been going on strong for like 5 years. They haven't turned down a single fish as long as it's healthy and illness free.

Would getting a single 2-3" PBT or BT be alright then and returning it when it's 5" though? How long would it take to grow if I fed it twice a day and a daily basis?

Thx in advance

FlyinPete · 04/01/2015, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooter31707

I'm not going to bash you because you knew what you did wrong and hope you learned from this. Patience is key when it comes to the saltwater. At least you know the rules of keeping Tangs in too small of a tank. I would not recommend getting the Blue Tang nor the Powder Blue. I don't recommend 2 Tangs in that size tank anyway. You say you are going to take them back once they get bigger and out grow the tank. I have heard that a lot and when the time comes the LFS is gone out of business or something happens that you cannot get rid of the fish, then you are stuck with stressed out fish because the tank is too small. So, if that was me I would think long term and get the fish you can keep for many of years and watch them grow to their full potential. Just my 2 cents.

Duly noted. Thanks for not bashing on me, I'm pretty adamant about keeping a PBT or BT but someone below said that they'd undergo a lot of stress in the catching and quarantining etc process which is understandable.

I might have to rethink my stocking, do you have a specific stocking list I could use or a rule of thumb for SW fish?

FlyinPete · 04/01/2015, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chefbill

Tangs are prone to ich. Ich is exacerbated by stress. Catching, moving, and re-quarenteening is about the most stress imaginable for these animals. Sound like a good outcome? You KNOW it is a bad idea. You have said so. Why do you keep trying to justify what is, in your own words, " nothing but brutal fish torture"?

I'm not being rude, harsh yes. Buy a fish with its full grown, adult size in mind. Ask yourself how easy it will be to catch this fish down the road, once it knows what a net is and once you have corals in your tank without destroying all your hardwork?

I never thought about catching the fish and disturbing the corals to be quite honest so you brought up quite a good point but I wasn't trying to justify putting two tangs in a 90 gallon. I was wondering if it was POSSIBLE to keep a yellow tang & a blue tang or a yellow tang & and a power blue in a 90 as juveniles and returning them as they mature. Also how long it would take for them to mature. It's a controversial topic and I just wanted to gather opinions.

Thanks for the help but could you tone down just a tad bit, it came off as a tad bit too strong. I haven't done it yet, I was planning on doing it but I'm rethinking it thanks to everyone's feedback.

FlyinPete · 04/01/2015, 06:52 PM

Finally figured out how to multiquote but a minute too late, sorry for the triple post guys.

How do you feel about my revised stocking list?

1x Dwarf flame angel
2x Juvenile Ocellaris clownfish
1x Yellow tang (LiveAquaria says they require a minimum of 100g fully grown but a lot of people on this forum say 75-90)
1x Yellow watchman pistol pair
2x Bicolor blenny
1x Neon goby
2x Firefish (Maybe not, I've seen far too many people saying they're carpet surfers)

Is this too overstocked or could I squeeze in something else because I'm looking at adding in another pair of clownfish. I know it hardly ever works but would t hey just stick to the other sides of the tank or would they just harass eachother to death? Suggestions?

chefbill · 04/02/2015, 08:27 AM

OK the last I have to say here, as I'm guessing this is all going to be a waste of time, though I hope I'm wrong.

Are you rich? You seem to think nothing of paying for a fish that will die, much sooner than it has to. Unless you have a huge tank, you get 2 clowns, of the same species. That's it. You get 1 dottyback, that's it. You get 1 dragonette, that's it. These "rules" are to protect life.

Concerning the clowns, you say you know it rarely works, but willing to risk the fish anyways? Remember the next time the phrase "I know, but..." goes through your mind, that whatever follows is WRONG.

Collectively, there is a huge amount of knowlege and experience here. You ask questions, that you know the answers to, but somehow think you, in your experience and with your knowlege, you can get aroung the answer.

I know you said you haven't done these things yet, but I don't get why you don't think the realities of nature, and our unnatural ways of immitating it, apply to you.

And if you think this is too strongly worded, you are going to hate the rest of the internet.

03/31/2015, 11:36 PM	#1
FlyinPete Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Toronto Posts: 20	Stocking suggestions on my 90g Around a month and a half ago I started a 15 gallon saltwater tank. I blindly rushed into the hobby with what I thought was sufficient knowledge but I was subjecting my fish to what will most likely be described as nothing but brutal fish torture by most of you. I added in a YWG 3 days into the cycling (I used Colony nitryifing bacteria to speed my cycling process) After around 4 days, I added in a pair of juvenile clownfish (approx 1 1/4 inch) after testing my parameters. I was really eager to just get a Nemo in my tank and I admit, that was more than rash and I feel really guilty for what I've done. Please guys don't patronize me for this, I already got enough flak flown my way from my last help thread on this forum. So now I'm setting up my 90 gallon tank and I'll probably be finished in around a week and a half and I was wondering if I could get some help on stocking. I bought 12000k lighting for my future coral tank (planning on getting torches and an anemone Bubbletip maybe) but I want some beautiful active swimmers to accentuate the beauty of the corals. I was thinking about 1x Yellow tang juvenile (2-3" keeping it until 5-6" and returning it for SC) 1x Dwarf flame angel 2x Clown juvies (Don't want to return em, I've gotten pretty attached 1x Yellow watchman goby (I love him to death, probably my favorite fish) 1x Blue Tang (2-3" keeping it until 5-6" and returning for SC) or 1x Powder blue tang (2-3" keeping until 5-6" and returning for SC) and misc (CUC etc) Does anybody have any suggestions? I know it's not recommended to keep these specific tangs (except for the yellow) in a tank that won't be it's permanent home or a tank that won't be able to accommodate it's swimming needs but I think if I get them as juvies and give them back to the store that it won't matter too much. I'm not keeping a foot long tang in a 4 footer lol. If this really isn't realistic then I'd love to hear your suggestions as long as they're not rude. Although to be honest I'm pretty adamant about having either a blue tang or a PBT juvie, maybe it just isn't meant to be for the time being. Sorry if I wasn't clear on some stuff, I had to write this in a hurry, if there's any part that isn't understandable then please message me and I'll clarify.

04/01/2015, 03:52 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Honestly, I'd get rid of the tangs except one---they become assassins when they feel overcrowded and can do in other fish. You're better off with fairy wrasses, gobies, blennies, other damsels (one of a kind only!) and a single dwarf angel; dartfish; etc. People keep trying for multiple tangs and ultimately there aren't enough fish stores with enough customers with 300 gallon tanks to be able to take these fish in when they outgrow their tanks. Most tangs and rabbits get way large, and how many people do you know with six foot long tanks? It's pretty sad when you have nowhere to go with a fish you've gotten attached to. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/01/2015, 06:27 AM	#2
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	I'm not going to bash you because you knew what you did wrong and hope you learned from this. Patience is key when it comes to the saltwater. At least you know the rules of keeping Tangs in too small of a tank. I would not recommend getting the Blue Tang nor the Powder Blue. I don't recommend 2 Tangs in that size tank anyway. You say you are going to take them back once they get bigger and out grow the tank. I have heard that a lot and when the time comes the LFS is gone out of business or something happens that you cannot get rid of the fish, then you are stuck with stressed out fish because the tank is too small. So, if that was me I would think long term and get the fish you can keep for many of years and watch them grow to their full potential. Just my 2 cents.

04/01/2015, 07:31 AM	#3
chefbill Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 530	Tangs are prone to ich. Ich is exacerbated by stress. Catching, moving, and re-quarenteening is about the most stress imaginable for these animals. Sound like a good outcome? You KNOW it is a bad idea. You have said so. Why do you keep trying to justify what is, in your own words, " nothing but brutal fish torture"? I'm not being rude, harsh yes. Buy a fish with its full grown, adult size in mind. Ask yourself how easy it will be to catch this fish down the road, once it knows what a net is and once you have corals in your tank without destroying all your hardwork?

04/01/2015, 09:55 AM	#4
ZeeSparrow Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Spokane Valley, WA Posts: 788	^ What they said. Personally, I have used LiveAquaria to identify what fish could possibly live in the size tank I have. They have a filter to select the maximum tank size, that will eliminate selections of those that require a bigger tank to start. Then from those that are shown, you can find the ones you like and run them past snorvich in this thread. (If you want suggestions, post them right here or in a new thread as he won't provide suggestions in that one.) Good luck with your 90!

04/01/2015, 06:52 PM	#9
FlyinPete Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Toronto Posts: 20	Finally figured out how to multiquote but a minute too late, sorry for the triple post guys. How do you feel about my revised stocking list? 1x Dwarf flame angel 2x Juvenile Ocellaris clownfish 1x Yellow tang (LiveAquaria says they require a minimum of 100g fully grown but a lot of people on this forum say 75-90) 1x Yellow watchman pistol pair 2x Bicolor blenny 1x Neon goby 2x Firefish (Maybe not, I've seen far too many people saying they're carpet surfers) Is this too overstocked or could I squeeze in something else because I'm looking at adding in another pair of clownfish. I know it hardly ever works but would t hey just stick to the other sides of the tank or would they just harass eachother to death? Suggestions?

04/02/2015, 08:27 AM	#10
chefbill Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 530	OK the last I have to say here, as I'm guessing this is all going to be a waste of time, though I hope I'm wrong. Are you rich? You seem to think nothing of paying for a fish that will die, much sooner than it has to. Unless you have a huge tank, you get 2 clowns, of the same species. That's it. You get 1 dottyback, that's it. You get 1 dragonette, that's it. These "rules" are to protect life. Concerning the clowns, you say you know it rarely works, but willing to risk the fish anyways? Remember the next time the phrase "I know, but..." goes through your mind, that whatever follows is WRONG. Collectively, there is a huge amount of knowlege and experience here. You ask questions, that you know the answers to, but somehow think you, in your experience and with your knowlege, you can get aroung the answer. I know you said you haven't done these things yet, but I don't get why you don't think the realities of nature, and our unnatural ways of immitating it, apply to you. And if you think this is too strongly worded, you are going to hate the rest of the internet.