First post on 3reef! Is this overstocking?

Ill be taking my friend's valentini which is very docile, it gets along with his clownfish, lawnmower blenny, 4 firefish goby and yellow tang.

 

This list would be OKAY. But keep in mind that the amount of rock is what houses the bacteria that form your biological filter. There will be SOME growth in the filter media but the majority of it is in your live rock. And filtration isnt the only limitation for high stocking. Saltwater has less capacity for Dissolved Oxygen.

 

pick 5-6 fish(not including the anthias or eel) from the list and buy them at a smaller size (not to small) so when you upgrade the'll be full grown.

 

Keep in mind that if you really want to keep a large bio load on your system, then you might want to really think about getting a protein skimmer that is rated for a larger aquarium then what you have. This will really help you out. From what I have read, 2 pounds per gallon of live rock and a good protein skimmer is the preferred method over the two Emperor filters that you mentioned. I believe the Emperor's have a bio wheel as well which can quickly turn into a nitrate factory, which will increase the likely hood of an algae breakout.

 

Here are my 2 cents, not looking at stocking levels, but rather esthetics:

- You've got no real "anchor fish" in the tank, being something that is the centerpiece of the tank. All the fish you've listed are relatively small and not the most graceful of swimmers.

- I would add one of the following to give you a fish with more presence in the tank and to act as a center piece

- Any of a number of Dwarf Angels (Flames are popular and colorful)
- A Japanese Swallowtail, Lamarc or Bellus Angel
- Any of a number of the easier Butterflies
- Any of a number of Tangs, but I would look at Purple, Orange Shoulder, Flamefin Tomini

- The beauty of Anthias is their schooling nature. Nothing looks as cool as a group of 5 or so Anthias hanging out together. Consider getting three or five Anthias. Bartletts are cool, I love my school of Purple Queens.

- I always consider Blennies to be almost "free fish" as it comes to loading. They don't take up much swim space and they aren't messy eaters. A lawnmower is one of the larger Blennies, though. Have you considered a Bicolor Blenny?

- A single Green Chromis will get lost in the mix. I'd nix that one. As a single, not a fish I'd spend the space on.

- The Valentini is cool, but if you get him then you can't really put shrimp or crabs in the tank, and I really like shrimp and crabs, especially because hermits can be a nice cleaning crew.

Were it me (and if you really want the clowns)...

- Japanese Swallowtail Angel
- 5 Bartlett's
- Blenny
- Your 2 clowns

If you don't really have to have the clowns, I would switch them out for a Firefish and Yellow Wrasse.

Why would I go this route?

- The color mix will be solid. You'll get yellow and blue from the Japanese Swallowtail, that will tie nicely with the yellow on the Bartlett's which then also bring in pink/purple. Those are your primary eye-catchers. Then you'd have the Blenny for the comedic value and either clowns or firefish/wrasse for a mix.

- The Bartlett's provide a natural feel to your tank with their numbers. I like having multiples of a type of fish when possible. You see this in the wild, so why not your tank?

- All of the above fish are community fish and won't cause any issues.

- All of the above fish are reef-safe. I know you said you want to go FOWLR, but at some point that will change This way if you decide to add a coral or two, you're not having to tear apart your tank to pull out that one non-reef-safe fish.

Anyway, I've typed a lot and may have gone way out of the bounds of what you want to do, but I thought I'd add my thoughts to the mix.

EDIT: This would be a stocking level for a 90, not a 65.