Need suggestions, please

We are in the process of setting up our first reef tank, and are totally new to the hobby. We have purchased a 90 gallon tank, a Pro Clear Aquatic sump, a Coralife Super Skimmer (for up to 125 g), and a Rio HyperFlow water pump (17HF). We decided today that we are upgrading to MH lighting. A friend of ours (who also owns a LFS), will be coming out to set up all the equipment and add the water. Once that is done, he will order our live rock - we're thinking about 120 lbs.

I know we will have to be patient & let it cycle until we are ready to add corals & fish.

I've been doing a lot of reading & it seems the more I do, the more confused I get. :

I know we want a few corals, a cleanup crew & a few fish (We have to get the obligatory clownfish & regal tang for the kiddies). My questions are: What type and number of corals, cleanup crew & fish should we plan for? Which ones get along? And finally, in what order do we add them?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

Welcome Julie!! As for starter corals, mushrooms, xenia, green star polyps, yellow polyps, frogspawn, hammer, torch are all picks. Zoas and paly's are hardy too (zoanthids and palythoas).

If you're more confused with the more you read, then it means you're almost reading enough! Keep reading and everything will fall into place. Ask questions and be willing to take advice. Nobody here will knowingly give you bad info. I had an especially hard time understanding all the nuances of lighting. After a while though, you read so much that finally, a light goes on.

During your cycle period, you have nothing but time to research. Now is the time to work on avoiding mistakes, as opposed to running into them.

Good luck!!

 

the type of corals are up to you, the amount of coral is also up to do you if you don't mind the matinence you can fill the tank up with them. the clean up, go to ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - Home they will make you a custom crew great prices too. the fish i say maybe 8 at most if you decide to go heaviely coral(really it depends on the size of the fish).
the order to add them is cleaners, fish, coral. really the most important thing is to add the cleaners first. the fish and coral are interchangeable, but i think you should add the fish first because they would cause the biggest changes to you parameters

 

First thing you should add is a yellow tailed damsel. Add this as soon as the tank is set up and you have the correct params and temp, as you will need something alive in there to kick start the cycle. They are also a fairly fun and hardy fish. They are also about the cheapest fish, should something go wrong right away and you lose it.
As far as good beginner fish, I belive there is a thread here that is spot on. Clowns, yellow tailed damsels, blennies, tangs, they are all good, hardy, easy to keep fish that are reef safe. DO NOT make the rookie mistake I did and get an anemone early on for those clowns
As far as corals go, green star polyps, mushrooms, different types of zoa's are all easy types of corals to care for and fairly hardy as well.
Inverts are fun too! Make sure to get cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, and some snails. They are neat to watch and will help keep the tank clean. A skunk (cleaner) shrimp will be on a tang constantly cleaning it, its neat to observe.
As you move along, lighting, water quality, and age of tank will dictate what you should and shouldnt keep.
And if you see something you like but arent sure about, ask here! Everyone on here is very friendly and will share advice, its the best reef forum on the web!

 

Welcome. +1 to reading and reading. It really does start to click the more you read this site.

So . . . I guess you trust your LFS then?

 

if they are getting live rock they won't need a fish to start the cycle because there should be plenty of die off from the rock. also you make a good point DO NOT get a anemone for the first year

 

While your tank is cycling that will give you time to research different fish and corals. Then once you have learned about the coral & fish you will know what and how many you want. The best advice is to go slow!!

 

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it!

 

One more thing Julie: Have you considered base rock instead of live rock? Its much cheaper, and you wont run the risk of bringing in any problematic hitch-hikers.

 

You are right at the beginning and have the power to do this right. I am jealous. I made soooooo many mistakes and came out smelling like roses. I got lucky. The anenome recommendation is absolutely correct. One dead anenome will finish off a tank.

Also, Packleader has a reaaaaal good point on the base rock. Save money and believe me, the color that the base rock lacks will come in time. No time at all in fact once your tank starts to mature. You have the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars here.

Die off from the LR that you do put in will indeed start the cycle, but I would get a yellow tail damsel anyway. You've spent all this money. You might as well have a fish to look at. And IMO, it is a keeper damsel. I really like the colors on that fish.

Now, you need to plan out exactly what you want. First, you're going with corals, that will determine what kind of fish you get. Then the fish you get will determine what kind of inverts you can have. For example, if you want a hawkfish, you are not going to have those small hermits and snails very long. Yum Yum. So sit down at the computer and plan it out.

Once you have the fish you want in your tank, there is going to be an order you put them in. The more aggressive and territorial fish you put in last. This is important. There may be some fish you will need to put in at the same time. Just figure out a population you want and investigate possible incompatabilities. If you have a question about it, someone on the forum has done it most likely.

And books are good, but reading these threads is sooooo much better for fine tuning. Even if it does not apply to you, it will someday. Make it a habit to go through a few threads a day especially during the cycling period to increase your knowledge base. Read things under ASAP to get an idea of what kind of emergencies you may come across. I just put one up there tonight. I had an hour to get advise and act and I was not disappointed with the feedback.

You need a ground probe in your tank, and a GCFI. That is right off the bat. Water and electricity don't mix. Don't mess around with it.

That's all I can think of for now. Have fun. I'm glad you found this place from the word go.

Peace.......John.