Tangs for the memories!

[John Legend]

So my lovely wife got a 300 gallon saltwater tank for the office and my designer told me I should consider putting some Tangs in there. I'm kind of overwhelmed at how many types there are! LOL. If you were to start with Tangs, which type would you get and how many should I put in a 300g setup?

Also, and don't kill me for askin this - could I also put a small shark in there? I'm not talking Jaws lol, but like a small epaulette or cat shark? Luna and Miles think that would be so cool - and if I can make it work I'd love to do it.

Thank y'all for the advice!

-JL

 

[mellotang]

Your aquarium designer or interior designer recommends tangs?

Tangs need a stable environment, lots of water movement and food.

An aquarium full of artificial decorations is usually not a happy home for tangs. They are grazers by nature and they much prefer an oxygen rich aquarium with live rock and decent flow.

Hopefully your filtration is adequate to support them and the required diet. Many tangs without adequate filtration will pollute the water quickly resulting in an unhappy Luna n Miles.

All that being said, most tangs will do well in captivity when given the right environment and diet. They need a decent amount of algae based foods in addition to protein based snacks.

All tangs will battle, some are known to be extremely aggressive, Sohal and Clown are notorious bullies.

Tangs are susceptible to malnutrition, parasite, worms, and bacterial infection so be sure to get healthy animals and quarantine before they go in the 300 gallon.

 

[BuckChoklit]

in before the tang police lol. Cant wait to see the progress on your setup

 

[NYreefNoob]

achilles tang by far my favorite, but you have to watch mixing tangs as some are very dominate and territorial

 

[Timbo]

Lots of good info shared already on tangs. I would recommend picking out your favorite tang(s) and check compatibility and care requirements to make sure your set up is ideal for what you want to stock.

Not sure who your designer is but if they don’t specialize in saltwater aquariums I would recommend hiring one of the great vendors on this site to set up the tank, give advice on livestock, and secure healthy livestock.

You could add a small shark in 300g but it will outgrow the tank and they are also very messy eaters requiring adequate filtration. Might want to pass on the shark idea. How about an eel instead?

 

[reefman]

go with the most passive tangs 1st like bristletooth ones, like chevron,kole,convict,etc...

 

[Timfish]

I've always been partial to Purple, Yellow and Sailfin Tangs and a trio should work fine. And yes, a 300 gallon would be large enough for an epaulette that stayed under 2' but you need to be sure of the species as any species that gets larger will outgrow it. One reason not to get any shark is they are long lived so consideration has to be given to take care of it for decades and trying to rehome one liikely will be difficult. It's also best not to mix it with most other reef fish or keep in a reef system with corals.

 

[Albertstank]

I love a naso tang. I had one in a tank when I was younger. It's a crowd pleaser for sure.