Can I get that fish

[tomlow617]

Looking for advice for planning fish purchases -

I have a 90 gallon tank with an aqueon 4 sump. (full equipment and set up is below)

I have the following fish:

2 Ocellaris Clowns, Bicolor Blenny and a Yellow watchman goby

Fish I am interested in:

Purple Fire Fish
Mandarin Dragonnet
Hippo Tang (is 90 big enough, opinions seem to differ)
Flame or Coral Beauty Angel

For planning purposes can the tanks support this load? I would rather understock then overstock.

Conventional wisdom is Tang and Angels should go in last, but I think I need close to 6 months to add the Mandarin. Can the Mandarin go in last or do I need to wait on the Tang and Angel until the Mandarin can be added?

Would I be asking for trouble if I add: Purple Fire, hippo tang, Angel then the mandarin??



Water Quality
PH 8.25
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 18 ppm
Alkalinity 9 dK (Starting 2 part then will go to Kalkwasser via ATO)
Calcium 400 ((Starting 2 part then will go to Kalkwasser via ATO)

Livestock
2 Ocellaris Clowns added 2/11/12
Bicolor Blenny added 3/2/12
Yellow watchman goby added 3/2/12
5 or 6 Hermits
2 Skunk Shrimp

Coral
Green Star Polyps added 3/10/12
Red Mushrooms added 3/10/12
Toad stool added 3/17
Frog spawn added 3/17

Display Tank
AGA 90 Gallon Tank
216w T5HO 554w Actinic, 1 ATI 54W Blue Plus, 108w 10K
Two Koralia evolution 1400 gph – pumps alternate every 6 hours
85 pounds of Pukani Rock (does not conform to 1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon but this stuff is super porous)
Glass Holes 1500 GPH overflow
100 lbs Pink Samoa Reef Sand

Sump
Apex Controller
Aqueon Proflex Sump 4
Reef Octopus XP1000SSS (rated for 125 gallons)
5 pounds rubble
2 Eheim Jager 200w heaters
Eheim 900G return pump
Tunze ATO – Preparing for Kalkwasser
Cheato
6500K 24w Compact Fluorescent Bulb

[michaelr]

i think most people would advise against a hippo tang including me. one, the tank is small for a hippo tang. plus theyre ich magnets so you need to quarantine. as for the angel, you should be ok. ocasionally some individuals will nip at corals but mine never did. finally, the mandarin should be ok in a 90 but id give it at least 6 months. a refugium is reccomended for mandarins to provide a safe haven for pods. if you cant provide that then make rubble piles either in your sump or dt for them to breed. a good way to tell when mandarins are safe is when you can see pods on the glass. btw look in to getting a kole tang. they will have plenty of room in a 90 and are very colorful as well

[HaKs310]

I would do the purple fire fish or the mandarin and one of the angels. The angels are known to nip at corals or other inverts, so something to be aware of.

Mandarin would be a hit or miss as far as its diet. If you can get one that eats frozen food or flake, that would be optimal.

I would not bother with the tang. They are pigs and will eventually become too large. Breaking down your aquascaping will not be fun.

[tomlow617]

is the following doable?

2 Ocellaris Clowns, Bicolor Blenny and a Yellow watchman goby
Add
Kole Tang then flame angel then mandarin?

Too much bioload or am I ok?

Center of my sump is being used as a fuge currently. I have rubble and chaeto and plan on seeding with copepods.

[michaelr]

id add the flame last honestly. of those three they are probably the most aggressive. the one thing thats bothering me is it seems to be cutting it close bio load wise and id feel safer if one of the experts chimed in

[michaelr]

but compatibility wise youd be good.

[thegrun]

I agree with the above. From a strictly bio-load standpoint the additions will be fine, but like the others, I would pass on the tang and only get the mandarin once you are certain your pod population is adequate.

[faisal629]

post this in the intended fish purchase sticky, you will get you answer! its great trust me.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2068112

[sponger0]

No hippo tang.


Kole tang is good. But would add last.

The mandarin I wouldnt do unless you have a decent size fuge setup with the tank and running and keep running for 7 months to a year before putting a mandarin in.

I have experience with an ORA Target and them eating prepared foods doesnt always work out for the best. You have a 50/50 chance honestly.

Also if you want a flame angel in a reef tank, keep in mind this is also a 50/50 chance they will eat coral. Even if they dont seem to at first, they could change their mind at any moment. So keep this in mind as far as buying a dwarf angel. Even ones labeled "reef safe"

[BigCountry74]

x2 pass on the tang. I have a 135g and I am trying to avoid tangs myself since it's a rather diverse community tank, they just get too big...plus I already have a good sized foxface.

Put the flame angel in last and make sure you have plenty of live rock for it - caves, crevices, places for it to swim in and out of nipping on the rock for food. that's all that fish does...that's what it's designed to do hehe :D

everything else will work fine. good luck with the mandarin, heard they can be hard to feed, but if you can find one at the right price point should be a safe risk to try. :D