90 Gal Fish Wish List...Any tips?

[Feelin_Salty]

I have a 90 gal with a refugium with three macro algaes in it, and in my main tank i Have:

100lbs Live Rock
100lbs Live Sand
1 Copper Banded Butterfly
1 Peppermint Shrimp
2 Emerald Crabs
2 Sea Cucumbers
1 Nudibranch
About 50 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
About 75 Turbo Snails

I know it's a lot of snail, but there's still a bunch of algae growing in my tank, and they're still alive after a few months. I know I need about another 50lbs Live Rock, but after that purchase has settled into my tank I wanna stock it, and was looking for some pointers on what fish I want...

-3 Horshoe Crabs
-Lownmower Blenny
-2-3 Skunk Clown Fish
-Mandarin Goby...Copepods are blooming like crazy in my tank right now...I'm just waiting until there's more species in there..It's a difficult fish to keep and I'm kinda building a nice reef tank for one of these
-Flame Hawkfish
-Either a Naso or Powder Tang or an Angelfish of some sort...not too sure, but I know a bigger fish would look good next to all the smaller ones in the tank...

Any tips on who should go in first, any problems any of them might have with eachother or other additions would be cool.
TIA

 

[FishFrik]

Look at tangs. They are awesome!

 

[vsnsofadrgn]

mandarins require an established tank, so i would wait a long while before that addition. i wouldnt do the horseshoe crabs, they get HUGE!!! check to be sure, but i think the hawkfish will eat shrimp and the like.... it is my understanding that clownfish get along best with one or a mated pair. lawnmower blennys need plenty of algae to eat... someone can correct if im wrong

 

[melosu58]

Horseshoe crabs not a good idea. They will get big and wreck your LR

 

[Feelin_Salty]

I forgot to mention that I also plan on having some coral/anemone and a few flame scallops

 

[Scottm]

I would avoid the flame scallops unless you want to feed them massive quantities of invert food. Its very hard to keep them alive.

 

[No_Floaters]

A friend of mine watched his emerald crab (as big as a quarter) grab a small cleaner shrimp and tear it to pieces. I'd skip the emeralds because of that and because most of them hide all day anyway.
Reading this thread must be depressing! LOL

 

[dianeww]

This does sound depressing and discouraging, but I would rather be depressed about my first idea, then get the right advice to take a new and more appropriate (and more likely successful) approach!

 

[lando]

That is an ambitious list...

1 Copper Banded Butterfly

This is a difficult fish to keep. Many do not accept prepared foods well and slowly starve to death. Success seems to be assosiated with species from Aulstralia and having lots of LR for grazing.

3 Horshoe Crabs

Horseshoe crabs are one of the poorest options for the home aquarium. Even one will deplete the fauna from a sand bed in no time. Starvation is the almost always the end result. As mentioned, they also have a habbit of causing rock slides. Falling rock and glass tanks are not a good combo. Skip this one.

I forgot to mention that I also plan on having some coral/anemone and a few flame scallops

As you move forward, stick with fish that are onsidered "reef safe". The angel will be out. A tang is still a possibliity. What lighting system are you planning on? Skip the flame scallop as well. Again, they have a poor survival record. The amount feeding they require can foul your water in no time.

 

[Scottm]

All this can be daunting at first but keep your chin up there are some awesome species out there that you can keep and that are very hardy. Look into Wrasses, tangs, clowns. The copperband is ambitious but can be done. Lawnmower blennies are awesome I have one in my 29gal, they can be hard to feed but its not nearly as hard as feeding a mandarin which it seems like you would be capable of doing, just don't keep any other avid Pod eating species with the mandarin.

 

[Feelin_Salty]

I guess I've gotten pretty lucky so far...my copper banded goes nuts when I reach for the food bowl(I scoop some water and then let the frozen mysid/brine thaw then serve) And as soon as it hits the water he's all over it...I think I over feed him...he looks nice and fat.
It's true about the emerald crabs I have two and I usually only see one or the other once MAYBE twice a week, they like to hide in the rocks all the time, but haven't bothered my cleaner shrimp at all...although I do wonder where his molted shell goes...
Horshoes are cool, but not when you step on em at the beach...and it's not soundin like it'd be a good idea for my tank either...
Keep the good advice comin!!