90 gallon reef tank! Wanting to Research for a while before start up!

[baron1282]

I am waiting to do a 90 gallon reef tank. Not so hard right?? I am about a year or so away from this project. I need a house first, and don’t want to move a lot with a tank set up already.

I know what aquarium I want. It will be predrilled with all the stuff set up when I purchases it. It’s a kit from Jacks Aquarium in Cincinnati. Now I know that I am going to need more than the kit, and I expect that. My goal is research right now. I had a 29 gallon fresh water tank, which I had two Clown Loaches in. I loved them Clowns and I was going to update to a 150 gallon long tank for them. I was going to add more Clowns for them to have the community that they like. Long story short I was attached to them (feeding them out of my hands), and they got ICK because I had changed a lot in the tank and it stressed them out. They died, even though I tried to care for them. I went into the 29 gallon tank without any information or research and it bite me. Never thought you could get attached to a few fish like I was.

As of right now I am going to be doing a Salt Water tank with my 29 gallon, and only put one Dwarf Lion fish in. I am on Dwarf Lion fish forums getting a lot of info for that. I believe my failure with my first tank was due to no info or research when I started.
So my questions are!!
1. How much live sand is good for a 90 gallon tank?

2. How much live rock should I put into my reef tank? I want some coral in my 90 (Not my 29), and was wondering if it was ok to build up with some cheaper rock, than put the live rock on top of the cheaper rock so the coral could grow on top near the light?

3. Should I build the rock in a mountain style, to allow the fish to swim around it, or is it better to build it in the back of the tank and have more swim space out in front?

4. My BIG QUESTION!! I want a community tank with some larger fish (That can be happy in a 90 gallon) and maybe some small colorful fish that can all be happy without eating one another. My wife and I like a lot of color and that is why we chosen to stay clear from fresh water and take on the challenge of a salt water tank. From what I have seen you can put a lot more variety of fish together in a salt water than a fresh water. Ones that are more colorful anyway and not just silver or dark colored. Also what is some good easy to keep coral that I should have in this tank and how much?

5. The tank I will get will have a sump tank, but what is a good filter for a tank like this?

Thanks for the help, and I hope to make a great tank!!

 

[Animal-Chin]

1. you have to decide if you want a deep sand bed or not. Deep sand beds are like 4 inches thick and require a lot of sand. My tank has about 2 inches. Your LFS can calculate how much sand you'll need to buy after you decide this...

2. Lots of people are now mixing dead and live rock. Live rock is expensive so I bought 1/3 live and 2/3's dead. The dead turns live in like 6 months or so anyway...

3. I think mountain is better. Gives them something to swim around and doesn't create dead water behind. If you have space behid the rock against the wall with dead water gunk will build up there and rot.

4. These fish are reef safe. Some are not gonna like a 90 but take a look to see what you like... Buy Saltwater Fish | Reef Safe Fish | Vivid Aquariums

5. Gotta have a protene skimmer in your sump. Refugium would be great idea too...

 

[baron1282]

Thanks

Thanks for the Info! A lot of cool fish to choose from. I will go ahead and pick out some fish and give a list on here of what I want and see how what everyone things and how much of each is a good number for a 90 gallon.

 

[Phranque]

First thing I can tell you is stay the heck away from Jack's..... they are so overpriced. Only reason I use them is that I have a friend that works in their central warehouse

If you're doing your homework this far ahead, keep your eye on craigslist.... there's a guy up in Troy that deals aquarium equipment, and he occasionally has pre-drilled/overflow 90's with stand, hood & light for a lot cheaper than what you're looking at paying. Granted, the lights are the cheap t8's, but you may be able to get him to knock a few $$ off if you don't want them.

When you do get ready to get into corals, keep in touch. There are a few good local groups/clubs in the SW Ohio area that hold local frag swaps.... you can get corals at 50%-90% cheaper than what you will pay in any of the stores in this area!! I just came back from one this past weekend in Columbus.... spent $80 and came back with 12 pieces that would've easily cost $250-$300 around here. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/new-coral-acquisitions-225213.html

 

[baron1282]

Here is what I am thinking

2 Percula Clownfishs
2 Yellow Tangs
2 Sixline Wrasse
4 Orangespotted Diamond Goby
1 Sailfin Tang
5 Spotted Cardinal
4 Hi Fin Red Banded Goby with pistol ship pair
2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
5 Banggai Cardinal
1 Purple Tang
1 Yellow Eye Tang
10 Cleaner Shrimp

An Algae Scrub Crew which includes

1 Lawnmower Blenny (M 2"-3")
8 Astrea Snails
8 Nassarius Snails
2 Emerald Crabs OR 2 Sally Lightfoot Crabs
10 Red Leg Hermit Crabs
1 Electric Blue Hermit Crab

Some reefs I was thinking about

1 Dendrophyllia
1 Green Flowerpot Coral
2 Sebae Anemone blue tip
1 Long Tentacle Anemone
1 Green Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Orange Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Green Polyp Toadstool
3 Toadstool Leather Coral

I might be going big here, but that's why I am doing the work ahead of time to get the know how.

 

[Mr. D]

Here is what I am thinking

2 Percula Clownfishs
2 Yellow Tangs
2 Sixline Wrasse
4 Orangespotted Diamond Goby
1 Sailfin Tang
5 Spotted Cardinal
4 Hi Fin Red Banded Goby with pistol ship pair
2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
5 Banggai Cardinal
1 Purple Tang
1 Yellow Eye Tang
10 Cleaner Shrimp

An Algae Scrub Crew which includes

1 Lawnmower Blenny (M 2"-3")
8 Astrea Snails
8 Nassarius Snails
2 Emerald Crabs OR 2 Sally Lightfoot Crabs
10 Red Leg Hermit Crabs
1 Electric Blue Hermit Crab

Some reefs I was thinking about

1 Dendrophyllia
1 Green Flowerpot Coral
2 Sebae Anemone blue tip
1 Long Tentacle Anemone
1 Green Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Orange Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Green Polyp Toadstool
3 Toadstool Leather Coral

I might be going big here, but that's why I am doing the work ahead of time to get the know how.

That is a lot of HUGE fish, a 250 or 300gl might better suit that list.

Personally I would only put one tang in a 90 purple, yellow, or a bristle tooth or kole tang but I would opt for just the purple.
Tangs are semi-aggressive to aggressive and purples especially so just one tang either way IMO though.

 

[baron1282]

That is a lot of HUGE fish, a 250 or 300gl might better suit that list.

Personally I would only put one tang in a 90 purple, yellow, or a bristle tooth or kole tang but I would opt for just the purple.
Tangs are semi-aggressive to aggressive and purples especially so just one tang either way IMO though.

So take all the Tangs off my list and just the Purple guy? Would that shorten the list up a bit? The reason why I went with that many fish was because on the list I was looking at showed what size tank they need and all of the fish ranged from 55-60. I think only one Tang needed a 75 gallon tank.

What about the clean up crew and the shrimp? And the corels I have chosen?

Maybe I should go with this?

2 Percula Clownfishs
2 Sixline Wrasse
5 Spotted Cardinal
4 Hi Fin Red Banded Goby with pistol ship pair
2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
1 Purple Tang
10 Cleaner Shrimp

 

[Animal-Chin]

do those numbers represent how many you want? Like are you saying 10 cleaner shrip as in you're want 10 of them? If so your lists are way to big. A 90 gallon can't hold that much.

Change your list to something like this...

2 Percula Clownfishs
1 Yellow Tangs
1 Sixline Wrasse
1 Orangespotted Diamond Goby
1 Spotted Cardinal
1 Hi Fin Red Banded Goby with pistol ship pair
1 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
1 Banggai Cardinal
1 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Lawnmower Blenny (M 2"-3")

An Algae Scrub Crew which includes

8 Astrea Snails
8 Nassarius Snails
2 Emerald Crabs OR 2 Sally Lightfoot Crabs
10 Red Leg Hermit Crabs
1 Electric Blue Hermit Crab

Some reefs I was thinking about

1 Dendrophyllia
1 Green Flowerpot Coral
2 Sebae Anemone blue tip
1 Long Tentacle Anemone
1 Green Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Orange Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Green Polyp Toadstool
3 Toadstool Leather Coral

 

[Phranque]

An Algae Scrub Crew which includes

1 Lawnmower Blenny (M 2"-3")
8 Astrea Snails
8 Nassarius Snails
2 Emerald Crabs OR 2 Sally Lightfoot Crabs
10 Red Leg Hermit Crabs
1 Electric Blue Hermit Crab

2 things here:
None of the flat crabs are truly reef safe. Of these, the Emerald is probably the safest bet, but will still eat corals if hungry.

With the hermits, I'd stay away from the red or blue legs.... they have a penchant for attacking snails just for the heck of it. Scarlets are much friendlier, and just as pretty.

Some reefs I was thinking about

1 Dendrophyllia
1 Green Flowerpot Coral
2 Sebae Anemone blue tip
1 Long Tentacle Anemone
1 Green Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Orange Ricordea Mushrooms
1 Green Polyp Toadstool
3 Toadstool Leather Coral

Best thing I can say about this.... "No battle plan survives the first contact....."

Educate yourself as much as you can about different kinds/types of corals and their requirements, because the first time you're in a store or swap meet and see tanks full of coral..... it's gonna be "ooohhh, that looks neat".

Second, what you have listed is actually going to look pretty sparse in a 90. I've got a 28 nano, and have more variety than that, so learn up!!

So take all the Tangs off my list and just the Purple guy? Would that shorten the list up a bit? The reason why I went with that many fish was because on the list I was looking at showed what size tank they need and all of the fish ranged from 55-60. I think only one Tang needed a 75 gallon tank.

What about the clean up crew and the shrimp? And the corels I have chosen?

Maybe I should go with this?

2 Percula Clownfishs
2 Sixline Wrasse
5 Spotted Cardinal
4 Hi Fin Red Banded Goby with pistol ship pair
2 Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
1 Purple Tang
10 Cleaner Shrimp

Purple Tang's gotta go..... 125g +. Pretty much consider any tang needing a minimum of a 6' tank.

Multiple species of wrasse may or may not be aggressive towards each other.... hit or miss. Are you willing to risk the $$ ?

Not a bad stock list, but keep in mind.... the more fish you have, the larger the bioload to deal with.

 

[Ingy]

For the tank size, perhaps consider a 100 long. It's the smallest volume 6 ft tank I have found, and if the rocks are stacked against the back, you should have plenty of room in the front for a tang to swim.

 

[baron1282]

I think what I am scared of is the enormous cost of anything bigger than a 90. I looked at Jacks and they got everything for a reef system with lights and everything for around $1500 pre-drilled. I looked on Cragslist and other sites and I can get a bigger tank a 200 gallon for that price without being drilled. I wouldn't know how to drill a tank and would be scared to do so. I can do it, but I don't know how to set up a sump tank and all that. The one at Jacks comes with all that ready to go.

I am planing on learning how to do a sump tank, because if I am going to do something this big, I need to know. So I am sure that fear of mine will go away once I start learning how too. The drilling part will still scare me!

Lets say I get a 200 gallon tank pre-drilled with a sump tank and plumbing ready to. I can and I have found some for about 2 grand. How much more would it cost me to set that tank up and be ready to go? How much live rock would I need for it? I hear that each tank needs at least as much live rock for each gallon it holds. So 200 pounds of live rock!

I found this, is this even good live rock?

Buy Walt Smith Premium Fiji Live Rock - 44 lb. Box Online | Vivid Aquariums

I just think I get scared of price when it comes to going bigger. I am not scared of commitment to the tank or learning how to do it. A lot of people tell me Bigger is easier.

 

[Mr. D]

The only reason I said purple was b/c it's my favorite tang. Yellow would be less aggressive most likely.

Yellow and purple are pushing it in a 75 but depending on the fish it may work. 6' is the to be safe general recommendation. A bristletooth or kole would be a better fit as the generally reach 5' most sites show the largest scientifically recorded specimen so usually take 1-2 inches off. It's like saying people grow up to be 8'0 ft tall when in reality we usually are around 6'0ft.

 

[DanS180]

I'm following this thread to the T.. I plan on doing a 90 gallon reef in the near future.. currently have a 29 gallon reef with 2 occy clowns, 1 firefish, CUC, and about 8 diff corals