New Reefer — Right track? & advice

[Brandondavidson]

Hello all! 
I’ve recently set up a 6 gallon cube with the intent to get a couple fish/CUC later this week. I’m new to reefing but have a solid background with freshwater aquariums (like apples and oranges I’ve heard haha). My tank has been running for 6 days now; structure in the tank includes Arag Alive sand, 2/3 CaribSea Life Rock, and 1/3 live rock from an awesome coral-specializing LFS from one of their long-established tanks. I’ve got some hitchhikers from their rock (asterina stars, brittle star, bristle worms, some copepods) and they are still alive and well so I must have the most basic of basic baseline things down right? lol 
Hardware consists of a HOB AquaClear 50, 50W adjustable heater (I have it set to 81°) very small adjustable flow circulation pump, and a NICREW A30 Reef LED light. I was actually impressed with the quality of the light for the price and rented a PAR meter from a LFS to determine PAR around my tank under the various intensities of the light (~80-230 range depending on light’s intensity setting/placement which doesn’t seem too shabby of a range for a little cube!)

I dosed with Dr. Tim’s 1 day after filling the tank + ghost fed a small amount of mysis and did the same again on the 4th day. Everything has pretty much gone as planned (2 ammonia bumps then nitrite bump then nitrate bump). Tested a few hours ago and ammonia is at 0, nitrite back down to 0, and nitrate at about 5. pH has hovered around 8-8.2 since I first started the tank. Alkalinity sitting around an 8 according to my testing — LFS tested it at 8.6 yesterday (I trust their test more). LFS tested phosphate at 0. Salinity has been relatively steady at 1.026-1.027 according to my refractometer. Fortunately the only parameter issue I’ve ran into so far is low magnesium (1110 as tested by LFS yesterday). I started dosing with RedSea foundation Magnesium C a couple hours later and also dosed earlier today and it seems to be ticking up (~1200). I have also been topping off with RODI on a near daily basis. I did a 10% water change tonight to get into the habit of it and also so as to prepare for the hopeful homecoming of some CUC/fish this week. I do not want to get ahead of myself because I have definitely done my best to internalize the importance of patience when it comes to reef tanks, especially smaller ones, but, aside from the magnesium, it seems like everything is going quite well. Does anyone have any recommendations, insights, warnings, cautionary tales or ‘green lights?’ Do you think the tank is ready for fish this week? I’m extremely excited with how everything is coming along and if everything remains stable I plan to add some soft/LPS corals a couple weeks after I get the fish (so long as the low magnesium is fixed and all else remains good). 

As far as stock goes I plan on getting a pair of babyy clowns (maybe orange storm or gladiator or percula), yellow watchman, and a tiger pistol shrimp. For CUC I was thinking a blue legged hermit, a scarlet hermit, and a nassarius snail and cerith snail. I plan on upgrading my tank/selling the clowns once they grow too large for this setup. What do you guys think of this stock list? 
For corals, my top 6 frags that I plan to start with are zoas, a discosoma shroom, a Duncan, pulsing Xenia, Acan, and sympodium or GSP (can’t decide between these two). I plan on doing a Duncan first followed by 1-2 zoas, sympodium/GSP, then Xenia, then mushroom & Acan. What do you think of this wishlist? 

Thankfully I have built a relationship with the owners of two LFS that specialize in corals and they have advised me and given me awesome advice in the weeks leading up to starting the tank and during it’s time running. They have beautiful tanks, healthy corals, and healthy fish and I plan to keep consulting them through this process and definitely plan to buy my fish and corals from them. 

Thank you guys so much in advance for any advice you have and I’m so happy to begin this amazing hobby.

[ZTW]

Hi there. I think the things that you want to stock it with is great. The only thing is that that may be too many fish in a tank that small. I would go with one clownfish to start off with. Then look into one more fish. It's the clown fish gets too big then I would rehome it or upgrade to a bigger tank. There are some other good fish for a tank that size. Neon goby, clown goby, green banded goby, Wheeler's shrimp goby and hi fin red banded goby. Are you able to send a picture?

[OakenGoby]

Consider adding corals before fish, don’t chase numbers, magnesium tests are not very accurate, just some thoughts.