90Gallon fish list - Comments/suggestions?

[Shannono]

OK, here is what I'd like to ultimately have in my 90 gallon tank:

• 
  Ocellaris Clownfish - can I get 2 of these, or am I playing with fire here?
  Coral Beauty Angelfish
  Bicolor Pseudochromis - 2, preferably
  Clown Goby or Neon Blue Goby

Questions:
1. Is this too many fish or too few?

2. I do not have live rock in my tank. Do you think that will adversely affect any of these fish, especially the Angelfish?

3. As the angelfish is a more aggressive fish, I'm thinking that it needs to be added last to the tank, correct?

 

[Shannono]

Upon further review, I am thinking of getting 2 Royal Gramma Basslets and skipping the Bicolor Pseudochromis. I've read that the Pseudochromis can be somewhat aggressive...

 

[lando]

Ocellaris Clownfish - can I get 2 of these, or am I playing with fire here?

You should be fine in a 90gal but see if you can a "pair" from the LFS and buy them at once.

I am thinking of getting 2 Royal Gramma Basslets

This is not really recommended, they can be aggressive towards their own species and keeping two is not advisable. That being said, I have two in my tank with no trouble (it a long story)

Is this too many fish or too few?

Certainly is not too many. You have some room for more...eventually.

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

I second that of Lando. 2 Grammas will probably go after each other and 2 pseudos might as well. I think you have enough room for a butterfly or possibly a yellow tang (any of the zebrasomas would probably work) Maybe a small scool of 3 chromis for some more motion to liven things up as well. Your other choices sound great

 

[demodiki]

A few of the neon gobies would also be nice looking.

 

[Shannono]

This site is the best! It's so nice for people new to the hobby to get advice from the more experienced hobbyists.

2 Grammas will probably go after each other ...

It's a shame the Grammas don't get along, because I really like how they look (sigh). Getting 1 gramma would be alright, wouldn't it? And perhaps I can get several of the neon gobies?

SALTDAWGY (or anyone else who'd like to chime in): Which butterfly do you recommend?

I think the Yellow Eye Tang is very attractive. I just don't want to overstock the tank...

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

There are some really good hardy butterflies. How about a Heniochous with that long trailing lyre or an Auriga Butterfly. Raccoons are great too, it all depends on preference. Yellow Eye Tangs are really neat with a quirky personality and they are real big on algae eating (As are most tangs) Good Choice. Another tang that is often overlooked is the Scopas tang. Most think it is drab with its grey, black color but it has an awsome disposition. If money is no object, my favorite butterfly is Tinker's BFly. Very hardy and long lived. I don't have the pocket to throw $200-$300 down on a fish but if I did this would be the one.

 

[Shannono]

I'm concerned about overcrowding my 90 gallon tank. Wouldn't 1 Coral Beauty Angelfish, 1 Yellow Eye Tang, 2 Clownfish, 2 Neon Blue Gobies, and 1 Royal Gramma Basslet exceed the capacity of my tank?

 

[cougaran]

I also have a 90 gallon and started a poll in the saltwater&reef fish only forum titled "POLL:::Following the 1" of fish per 5 gallon rule?" You'll see it a few posts down.
So with a 90 gallon tank you would have only 18" of space. I thought this might be on the small side, so i took a poll. So far it's more or less split between the rule followers and those who go over. So perhaps 36" of adult sized fish is best with liverock and a good filtration system. Just keep monitoring your tank for amonia, nitrite, and nitrates. They won't be adult sized for awhile, so you'll probably be close to the 1" rule in the begining. You can go on http://liveaquaria.com and look at the quick stats to figure out the adult size of your fish and go from there. I already have a list drawn up of the fish I want to buy.

 

[SALTYDAWGY]

IMHO I don't think that is overcrowding the tank at all. There are definitly many in the hobby that are very conservative about space requirements as such but let's face it, no matter how hard we try, a glass box of rocks with synthetic sea water will never replicate nature. Overskim and underfeed. The fish that you listed including the tang will make a great mix and work well for 90 Gallons. I know this will seem very controversial to some, but in my experiences in the last 15 years in the hobby, I have found that most fish grow to their environment size. This would explain why fish grow to larger sizes in the wild as opposed to our home aquariums (I know there are a lot of factors that attribute to this, but tank size is key)

 

[lando]

1" of fish per 5 gallon rule

This is really much more of a guideline then a rule. There are just too many variables that go into it. The type and amount of filtration, feeding routeen and fish selection (clean vs. messy eaters) will all play into this. Your fish list looks okay, provided you have the proper biological filtration to handle the bioload. remember to add the fish slowly so you do not overload the filtration capabilities of the tank. the question of "overstocking" is easily answered by turning to your water parameters. If all is well, you are not over stocking the tank. Keep in mind, there is a big difference between overstocking and choosing the appropriate fish for the appropriate tank. The fish you have choosen are appropriate for the tank.