Noob setup advice

geckoxp

geckoxp

Member
Hey everyone...yes I am new to the saltwater hobby...well some what new that is. I have had what I consider nano for a while that I took down earlier this year as I was moving.
Here is a picture of that setup:

Needless to say I am getting back into it with a 90 gallon tank that I just recently setup. Here is the setup that was advised to me that would work for what I wanted to do...please by all means give me any ideas and constructive advice you can give me to help me out in anyway.

Here is what I have currently setup and what I was planning on doing with the aquarium.
Fish that I am planning on keeping:
2 Clown fish
1 Yellow Goby
1 Yellow Tang
1 Bicolor Dotty
1 Blue Hippo Tang
2 Firefish
1 Six line wrasse
I am planning on keeping soft corals only in this tank as the lighting is just a Coralife compacts with 4 65w bulbs with 2 10ks and 2 actinic bulbs.
I have a the following equipment:
90 Gallon tank
Coralife CFLs as mentioned above just for softies
Emperor 400
Protein skimmer bak-Pak 2
2 1200 Maxi-jet powerheads
200w heater with the temps at about 77-78
Instant Ocean Reef Crystals being used at 1.025 using my refractometer
About 90ibs of live rock
80ibs of Arag-Live sand
I set everything up Friday afternoon so the setup has had a few days to clear up...now I am waiting for the tank to cycle up which should take a couple weeks and then I plan on doing a water change..so basically now a waiting game.
I was thinking about possibly going with a Filstar XP3 filter instead of the E400that I am using now but many people I have talked with believe that the canister filters do about the same job as what the E400 along with the Bak-Pak 2 bio filter would do...any thoughts?
Any ideas, help etc would be great...obvious noob here so I want to get as many ideas as possible and stick to one plan that I laid out above with the live stock and soft corals...
Thanks a ton everyone!
 
D

dragonzim

Active Member
Skip the tangs and get more powerful, or just more, powerheads and you're good to go! Most people around here will say that no tangs should be kept in a 4 foot tank. You can get away with the yellow tang for a short time but the hippo will outgrow it way too fast. They are open water swimmers and need more space than a 4 foot tank can provide.
 
geckoxp

geckoxp

Member
Originally Posted by DragonZim
http:///forum/post/3102886
Skip the tangs and get more powerful, or just more, powerheads and you're good to go! Most people around here will say that no tangs should be kept in a 4 foot tank. You can get away with the yellow tang for a short time but the hippo will outgrow it way too fast. They are open water swimmers and need more space than a 4 foot tank can provide.
I have heard so many different things about tangs. Most say that they can be housed in the 90G without a problem and then some say they should go in nothing less then 100G...so I guess its who your getting the advice from, such as a LFS wanting to make a purchase or an experienced keeper...hence why I am here asking questions.
From the photo of the 2 power heads...I have another 1200 that I could install but I have been debating where to place this? The 2 in the tank are on the back wall facing inwards with one being higher and another lower to try and simulate current. They Xcross in the middle of the tank. So would a 3rd be needed? In front on the side glass facing horizontal so that it goes directly across the front was just one idea? The 2 I have in the tank seem to me moving pretty well as the sand keeps shifting from the flow. Any ideas on this would be great!
Also one other thing I did not mention. The LFS in the area put in cured live rock and live sand in the tank. They stated to me that bc the rock was cured there should be very little die off and it could be possible in a couple weeks to start adding some fish...slowly of course. The 2 clowns for instance and then wait a couple weeks and then add in the firefish for instance. Basically they said I should probably get a small spike by this week and then it should go down by the 2nd week.
Should I still put in a raw cocktail shrimp in anyways or let the live rock etc cycle the tank? Should I make sure I get diatoms in the tank, then add the clean up crew and then the fish?
 
deejeff442

deejeff442

Active Member
tangs are a big opinionated subject in this hobbie.
i had 3 tangs in a 90 for probably 4 yrs no problems.
you would have to plan on a bigger tank when they get bigger.
i am not saying it is ok to do but i had no problems.now i have 4 tangs in a 225 and plan to add a naso blonde soon.but again in 18-24 months i am building a home and plan on another bigger tank.
i would say if you are willing to upsize in a few years get a couple tangs .
just get them small and not fast growers like naso.
 
geckoxp

geckoxp

Member
Thanks for the advice...completely understood about the Tangs. I will see what my LFS has to say about them and if I would be able to bring them back when they get a bit bigger if I do not upgrade. I have heard of people doing that as a sort of trade in for another or credit. This stuck me a bit odd so who knows
.
I guess everything else looks ok with the setup? I ordered the Mods from F&S today for about $12 each so I will see how that works out. Thanks for the advice everyone!
 
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