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92g Fish, Corals and Other Invertebrates

By , About.com Guides

Many beginning reef aquarists wonder what they can put in their tanks that will work. Here is a livestock list of the corals, fish and invertebrates which have worked very well in a 92 gallon bow front aquarium.

The Tank Set Up

Photo by Debbie Hauter

The set up of this tank included:

  • 92g All-Glass Bow Front Tank
  • MegaFlow Sump Filter
  • ESU Coralife PC Lights
  • Hydor Koralia Powerheads

It should be noted here that virtually no water changes were performed in the over 2 years that the tank has been up and running. The nitrates we kept at or below 20 ppm by using the Long Term Nitrate Reduction method.

Mated Pair Japanese Swallowtail Angelfish

Species: Genicanthus melanospilos© Debbie and Stan Hauter
The Japanese Swallowtail Angelfish (Genicanthus melanospilos) is one of the few Angelfish which is truly reef safe. This is a very active Angelfish that is constantly on the move, and therefore requires plenty of room to swim around. Often a difficult shipper, but if a healthy specimen is obtained, it settles into aquarium life rather quickly.

Mated Pair Black & White False Percula Clownfish

Black & White Percula ClownfishStan & Debbie
The Black & White False Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris V.), while not considerd rare, is still quite unusual. These Clownfish will adopt the Green Carpet Anemone very easily.

Mated Pair Firefish Gobies

Photo by Kyron Cochran
The Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica) is very timid and will not come out of hiding unless it feels secure. The Firefish is also known to leap from a tank when startled, so a covered tank is best.

Yellow Tang

Steven Rhodes
The Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) is a herbivore, grazing on alga and other plant life. It is best kept in an aquarium that has good algae growth, where in turn they earn their keep by helping to keep the algae growth cropped. It will feed on Nori (dried or roasted seaweed), other green vegetable matter and vitamin enriched flakes and will nibble at dried shrimp and other...

Naso Tang

Photo by Art Whitkanack
The Naso Tang (Naso lituratus) is a very sturdy fish which, once adjusted to aquarium life, has great personality. It can be trained to eat food right out of your hands. It is one of the more aggressive Surgeonfish species when it comes to territorial disputes with other Surgeonfishes, especially of its own kind, but generally will get along with other fish tank mates and invertebrates.

Tiger Watchman Goby

Darryl Craig's Tiger Sleeper GobyPhoto by Darryl Craig
The Tiger Watchman Goby (Valencienna wardii) uses shallow burrows in the substrate as refuge, keeping the substrate well oxygenated. It is rarely aggressive towards other fish, however it is territorial, and will fight with others of the same species unless they are a mated pair.

Blue Leg Hermit Crab

Photo by Madelyn Catob
The Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (a.k.a. Blue Leg Hermit Crab) is a great addition to a saltwater aquarium because it eats many kinds of algae, including red slime algae (cyanobacteria).

Turbo Snails (Turbo fluctuosa)

Photo by Debbie Hauter
The algae eating, reef tank safe Turbo Snail (Turbo fluctuosa). Some of these snails offered for sale in the aquarium trade are collected in the subtropical waters of Mexico and do not long survive the warmer waters of most reef aquariums.

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