Researching fish for new 180G

[Dargason]

Doesn't anyone have any suggestions? I'm curious myself, as I'll be setting up a 200 g very soon...

C'mon, surely there're a few fish that no self-respecting reef tank can do without? And some that you ought to get just to keep the algae under control?

 

[Carpentersreef]

Hi Ernie,

Here's a stock list of what I've got in my 180:

Foxface
Bicolor blennie
yellowhead jawfish (x2)
Kole Tang
Mandarin goby
6 Line wrasse
Flame Hawkfish
Tomatoe clowns (x2)
Bangaii Cardinals (x3)

I think I've reached the limit on how many fish I would like in my tank, the next thing is more LR (i've got about 220 lbs.), as I would like a mate for the mandarin. My favorite fish are the foxface, hawkfish, blennie and Kole tang. The tang was added second last and was only mildly agressive to the last fish, the hawkfish. The aggression lasted a week. Now everybody gets along. I would recommend ALL of the fish I have. The Kole tang seems to be the most sensitive to water quality. I'm not too fond of yellow tangs, too aggressive for my tastes. The powder blue I would probably get, but in a bigger system. Again, my own preference. I like them all, and almost everybody has a job in there. Foxface, blennie and tang are great herbivores. All have great personalities, except for the Bangaii's, they seem to be like little robots.

As for my corals and inverts:

Orange ball anemone
Bubbletip anemones (4 now, another split off last week)
2 nice acro colonies (1 pink and 1 brown)
Pectinia (lettuce)
Gorgonian
Tubastraea (black and orange sun polyps)
Turbinaria (vase)
Caulastrea (candy cane)
Goniopora
Platygyra (closed brain)
Trachyphyllia (green open brain)
Euphyllia (hammer)
Heliopora (blue)
Sarcophyton (leather)
Lobophytum (devil's hand)
Sinularia (leather)
Discosoma (red, blue and green shrooms)

Good luck with your setup!
Mitch

[ September 01, 2001: Message edited by: Carpentersreef ]

 

[esmithiii]

Once again, thanks Mitch!

Anyone know about compatibility of the tangs I listed?

E

 

[DonK]

The stocking for my 225 is:
regal angel
magnficient foxface
purple tang
copperband butterfly
"red-headed parrot" fairy wrasse
pair banggai
pair true percs
pair fridmani psuedochromis
pair yellow-shrimp goby

SPS, clams, and a ritteri (H magnifica) anemone

DonK

 

[esmithiii]

My 180 is set up (mostly) and is awaiting liverock. I expect to be ready for fish in 2 months, so I thought I would start researching fish now. This tank will have SPS and clams, as well as some LPS and softies. I want a couple of different tangs (now that my tank is big enough

) but was wondering about compatibility/heartiness. Here are some of my initial picks:

Yellow tang
Hippo tang
powder blue

several Cromis perhapse
percula (or false percula)

Any ideas/suggestions/warnings?

Ernie

 

[naesco]

Yes your tank is big enough to include tangs

I take it these are your first choice as if I were you I would first look at all the tangs that are available.
Have you considered the Sohol, Vlamingi, Kole? Do not consider the Clown as it is almost impossible to keep.
You will have no problems with the Yellow and Hippo. The Powder Blue is one of the most difficult to keep and if you are fortunate to get a healthy one you will be limited by further tangs as they are extremely territorial even in a tank your size. Consider a Powder Brown instead (not a gold rim tang)
Consider a small Vlamingi. Be careful though as you need to see blue spots ALL OVER its body.
Resist the urge to put more than one fish a month in your tank. The tang should be fat, free of tears, spots or blotches.
It should be alert(interested in you)and you should see it agressively feeding.
Pass on the fish if and choose another later if it does not meet the above specs.
As tangs are prone to ich you should feed garlic extract when you are adding them for a while.
All of the above are my opinions.
I keep, yellow, atlantic blue, sailfin, powder brown, vlamingi. I have not had success with powder blue or clowns.
If you proceed slowly tangs will be the most beautiful part of your tank. If you rush things, tangs tend to be problem fish.
Good Luck

 

[SPC]

E, I know you have been waiting to here what I have in my 180 before you make a decission

, 2 Perculas and 2 Banggais, next month I hope to add a barnacle Blenny rock which houses about 3 fish. Hope this helps

.
Steve

 

[esmithiii]

Are hippos aggressive towards other hippos? How hardy are the powder brown tangs?

Thanks

E

 

[Glenn]

AS I'm sure you're aware, you are going to have to balance hardiness & aggressivness.
For example, your chances of a Powder Blue surviving while the tank is young are slim to none. On the other hand, Purple Tangs can be tough as nails, but mean as a rattlesnake towards new tankmates.
It's been my experience w/ Tangs in larger systems that most of the "aggressive" species (Yellow, Purple, Pwdr Blue, Sohal) will act as a bully to new and smaller tankmates for a week or so. Then, they finnaly accept them and there is peace in the tank again.
Here's a couple of things that I have learned and have helped me:
A Purple Tang ussually will not pick on a much bigger new tankmate. A Powder Blue may harass new mates but ussually won't cut them. Yellow Tangs differ widely from fish to fish. Hippos are rather tolerant to new additions. A Kole wouldn't hurt a fly.
Tips: refrain from cleaning the glass a week before and a week after a new fish is put in. This give the older tangs something to do all day (graze) instead of being a bully.
If you can fashion a tank separator or way to isolate the new fish in the tank for a few days, this helps the existing fish to get used to its new tankmate.
Lastly, given the ich magnates that tangs are anyway, why not concentrate on the corals and smaller reef fish for the first year. Sure, go ahead and put in a Yellow, or Kole,
but what good does it do to try to force something thats not going to work for awhile anyway? Considering this and the price of Sohals, Purples, & Powder Blues, IMO the better part of valor is to wait at least a year.

 

[esmithiii]

Glenn (and others)

Thanks for the info. I plan on stocking the tank slowly over the next 18 months starting in about 3 months.

Questions: Are hippo tangs agressive towards other hippos?

E

 

[esmithiii]

Up up and away!

 

[davelin315]

I have found that they will chase each other around and spar a lot, but they won't damage each other. I have 2 in my 125, and would have liked to get more, but don't want to mess up the current balance.

 

[Mike&Pam]

I was in the same boat as you when I first started out, except, I have a 90 gal. I wanted all of those tangs. Well, I got the powder blue and an achilles which was not a good thing. I thought I had researched it but sometimes things just go wrong. The powder blue is one of the hardest to keep. He'll look great for about a week and then he'll have nonstop ick along with othe diseases. Of course this isn't true in all cases, but for beginners it is. You're tank is definitely big, but I would wait a while for the powder blue tang. At one time I had the powder blue, achilles, and blue (hippo?) tang. They all did not make it. It's a horrible thing to watch too because they just die slowly...a very painful thing to watch. Anyway, sorry to include too much of my own experience. Basically, be careful and patient with the tangs and maybe go with all these other fish that everyone is recommending. After waiting months for all the parasites to die off in my tank due to the tangs, I have been succeeding with an incredible looking true perc clown, three jawfish, a damsel (blue and yellow, only name i've heard was a "village damsel"), firefish, a coral beauty and a flame angel (the last two were just added almost a month ago so it's still a little early). Those are all incredible looking fish that you may want to consider. Anyway, good luck and let us know how it goes!

Mike