Wife is demanding some COLOR!

[Dlo132]

Hey all- I got my tank- came with a small party of fish/corals, but the wife wants some more color- at this point my ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites are all at 0, (Nitrites are not detectable on my test kit, but i have heard the brand i have has a tendency to lie.)

At the moment I have a 90G with a 33G sump, and about 90 pounds of live rock- in the tank I have:

Corals: Various Polyps- im still earning the names
2 anemones that haven't moved since the night i got everything set up
Fish: 2 Clowns
2 skunk clowns
1 mandrin dragonette (who is eating my "home made" fish food like its going out of style! Shew!)
1 Marine Betta (also eating the garlic soaked puree' of fishy yuck)
5 Mollys (that were only here to reproduce to feed the marine betta, but now that i have seen him eat, they are going to their own tank)
2 coral banded shrimp
1 fire shrimp
1 sally lightfoot who has been well behaved so far
an army of little hermit crabs

I do not have a tank cover, so this limits my options- but I was hoping to add:

1 golden eye/kole Tang
1 flame or coral beauty Angel (or both is i can get away with it!)
1 lawnmower Blenny
a couple bangai cardinals
possibly a couple gobies

and any suggestions the experienced people on here might have

Is this a feasible list, or are their better options that I don't know about?
I would probably try and order it all through JL, as the cost savings if i got everyone at the same time is pretty substantial, even after shipping, and after pulling out the herd of Mollies my filtration should be fine.

Thanks all- and if anyone local wants to grab a beer and fill my head with "on hand experience", Ive always got a six pack in the fridge!

[e46er]

Getting them all at once will overload your system and end badly

Add fish slowly
1 every month max

[Dlo132]

Ok- so adding a fish a month, will this list be compatible with my current inhabitants?

[Seriak]

One fish per month sounds a little too careful. I typically add 1 fish a week (Maybe a couple smaller ones) and have never experienced any loses. I also do weekly water changes which helps.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Seriak

One fish per month sounds a little too careful.

While one can never be too careful, I'd agree. One a week is plenty of time for the tank to adjust.

[subman]

I would say the list is ok (on the full side for your tank) I would be careful of the dwarf angels they can be nasty little buggers and are 50/50 if the are going to nip at corals. If they are a must have only one and add it last.

[Spyd]

Your fish list looks fine. You will only be able to get away with one of the Coral Beauties or Flame Angels. Putting 2 in a 90G will cause issues. In a 90G, I wouldn't be afraid to add a Powder Brown Tang or something with some more colour... A Yellow Tang would definitely add some pop in your tank as another option. I know a 90G is a little small for Tangs, but having 1 will not be the end of the world. Add this fish last as they are a little more aggressive.

The Bengaii's are nice because they stay in the open, however, colour wise, there is very little there and they do not swim around a whole lot. Maybe look at some Pajama Cardinals?? More colour.

A Lawnmower Blenny is interesting, but again, very little colour. Another option for a fish is a Royal Gramma as well. Nice Purple and Yellow combination but they hide out a little more...

The best way to add some colour in your tank is through corals. You can find any colour and they really make your tank pop.

[Dlo132]

Thanks for the tips---

I really like the Scopas tangs-- how long do they usually take to grow to full size?

I plan on having more corals soon-- the wife likes the fish though, and if she's happy with the tank, the gurgling and buckets in the kitchen Are more tolerable to her.

[Spyd]

Very true!! Other options are:

Foxface Rabbitfish. Nice Yellow / Black & white look. They grow larger but would be fine in a 90G.

Anthias are another great option. Some have beautiful colours, you can keep more than 1 and they swim out in the open. Only concern may be with jumping but you would have to get some opinions on that...

I think a Scopas Tang is a good option size wise as well for a Tang. Not as much colour though.

[Dlo132]

Originally Posted by subman

I would look at firefish as well. Nice color and friendly as well as maybe a flame hawk as long as you don't plan on keeping any shrimp.

No more hawkfish in this tank- the one that came in it killed a fire shrimp- the "boss" Was moderetly upset.