Advice on 92 us gallon 350 litre marine tank

Hi all
I am setting up a 92 us gallon, 350litre tank and wud like some advice on fish, I am thinking a yellow tang a regal tang(dory) 2 clown fish, a flame angel,a coral beauty angel, a green mandarin and a couple of gobies, a couple of shrimp and a star fish
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
Whoa...slow down there. There are a couple of problems with your plan, and it would be helpful if you could tell us something about the remainder of your system (sump? skimmer?, how much live rock?j etc.). A 92 gallon tank is kind of borderline for tangs, who like lots of open water to swim in. Mixing tangs can also be a problem. So you have two problems adding to each other - the relatively small tank and two different tangs. Under crowded conditions the yellow tang may decide to defend its limited territory from the other tang, and the result is fighting, stress and an generally unhappy fishkeeper. Flame angel is a great fish for that tank, but be sure it has lots of rock to graze on. Flame angels are members of the dwarf angel family, as is the coral beauty. Mixing them together is also risky. If there are lots of rocky hiding places it could work, but no guarantees. You could probably maintain a mandarin in a 92 gallon system, but not until the tank has matured for a year. Most mandies eat only copepods, which require a mature tank in order to thrive. If the pods don't thrive, the mandy starves to death, which is the fate of most of these gorgeous fish. There are many threads on this site about mandarin dragonettes, and how to feed them. Suffice it to say that it isn't for the faint-hearted. Gobies - great. You will need more invertebrates than a couple of shrimp and a star fish. Take a look at clean-up crews (abbreviated CUC) on this site to get an idea of what you will need. Also, look at wrasses - they are spectacularly beautiful, many are peaceful and most can be mixed (I currently have a red velvet fairy wrasse, a seagrass wrasse and a yellow wrasse in my system, and they get along perfectly). Keep asking question and we will help you to refine your equipment and stock list.
 
Hi thanks for reply
I will have approx 35kg or 77lbs of live rock, I will have bubble magus c6 which filters 500-700 litres per hour, I will also have 70lbs of live sound, the cuc I had in mind was 2 shrimp 4 hermit crab and 4 snails, I won't b running a sump, so with 2 dwarf angels will have plenty of hiding and rock to feed on
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
The Bubble Magus c6 is an in-sump skimmer - you cannot hang it onto the back of the tank, and you don't want the pump for it to be in your display, so I would forgo this item. For a fish only with live rock (FOWLR) system a skimmer is not very important so long as you keep up with your water changes and don't overfeed (good advice, even with a skimmer in operation
). For a tank of this size you will probably need more than the invertebrates you listed, but not at the start. There won't be sufficient waste for them to consume, and they usually starve to death in a new tank. Give the tank some time and then add your CUC. Most people cycle their systems with the lights off just to minimize algae growth (and to save on electricity) but I don't think it matters either way. Just be sure to measure nitrogenous wastes (initially, ammonia, later nitrites, and then nitrates). How are you going to cycle the tank? Please don't use live fish - it is unnecessary. Just suspend a piece of raw cocktail shrimp in a piece of nylon stocking in the water and let it decay for a few days until ammonium levels rise, then remove it and watch as the ammonium disappears, nitrite rises then falls and finally, nitrates appear. If you rock and sand are especially "live" you may not even see these changes since there may already be sufficient bacteria on them to qualify your tank as "soft cycled", meaning you are good to begin adding stock slowly.
 
Thanks for the advice, I will add a bubble magus e3 external filter as I would like one on system, what cuc wud u recommend for a tank this size?
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
This site recommends, for a 30-90 gallon system, a final CUC like this:




Dwarf White Leg Hermit Crab





20






Turbo/Astrea Snail





20






Assorted Reef Safe Starfish





1






Peppermint Shrimp






3






Blueleg Hermit Crab






20






Nassarius Snail






10




Do not try to start with a crew like this, since there isn't enough waste to feed all of them. Build up to such a CUC over several months.
 
I was wondering with the water, I am buying 92 gallons of water from my lfs, when it comes to mixing the saltwater can I add all the water to the tank then add salt to mix it, or is it better to mix before adding to the aquarium. If so I will have to mix it in 4 seperate lots. Can some advise me to which is best.
Thanks
 

geridoc

Well-Known Member
You can add fresh water, then salt. Don't add your LR and ls until you have adjusted the salinity.
 
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