hmm questions...

[eva dailey]

I am new to this hobby and decided to get ready to start FOWLR as I am going to college soon and wanted something to keep me busy while in my new apartment... I can't take my boxer puppy :( so I decided that a fish tank would make a beautiful addition to my new space, as well as a fun and challenging activity :)

I have been studying for a while now and still have so many little questions but right now I am just trying to consider what I want in my tank... and then I can do the homework to decided if my choices are right and what I will need...

So my question: I would eventually love to house a percula clownfish,heniochus butterfly, longnose butterfly, purple tang, naso tang, hippo tang, flame anglefish, panther grouper, mandarin dragonet, sixline wrasse, royal gramma, and midas blenny

do you think these fish would do well together? and if so... how big would my tank need to be? Which fish should I introduce to the tank first to avoid conflict?
I am clueless and would love some feedback :)

[sufunk]

Well, a panther grouper gets over 18" long and a Naso tang can get almost as big. For a panther grouper, i'd say you are looking at about a 400g. Get rid of that and you could knock it down to about 180-240 at absolute minimum. Get rid of the Naso tang and then you could go 180g or maybe a little smaller.

The tangs and grouper are your biggest problem. I wouldn't start with a tank that big especially considering the cost. I'd say knock out the tangs/grouper and get the rest in like a 90g. MUCH more reasonable!

[SteveJakubiec]

I'd nix the panther grouper, seeing as how that'd munch on pretty much all of your smaller fish. Also the sixline might out compete the mandarin for the pods in your tank, and they are aggressive, I'd give you advice to look into some of the fairy wrasses, which sure are pretty.

Besides that I would think that you'd be looking at around a 180g+, just because of the Naso and Blue Tang, as they get quite large, and need lots of swimming room, without them, and just the purple w/ all your other stock you could easily get away with around a 120g.

Just my opinion, I'll be watching the thread incase you have any other questions, seeing as sometimes people just answer and leave.


Good Luck,
Steve

P.S. I recommend you join your local Reef/Marine Fish Club, as they can give you valuable information.

[eva dailey]

alright.... alright.... I had no idea that those tangs got that big though... My uncle had a FOWLR with a naso that was maybe four inches and he kept it in a 100 gal. I think... and i am pretty sure it wasn't the only tang. He might have moved it out when it got too big and sold it.

[seapug]

if you want to enjoy this hobby you're going to want to provide an environment that will keep your fish happy and healthy. You really need to revise the fish list....especially the grouper- tang factor. Buying a fish that gets too big for your system with the idea that you'll take it out when it gets too big is not realistic. Chances are they'll be dead before you get to that point. If they don't die before outgrowing the system you can have major inter-species aggression problems that can be a sad situation. Plus, catching a saltwater fish in a reef tank is not like netting a goldfish in a bowl-- unless you have a tank devoid of rocks, which is a pretty sad environment for a reef fish.

Do some research on the species you are interested in on the marine section of WetWebMedia.com. There's lots of great info there about basic are requirements of many types of fish, corals and invertebrates. Good luck.

[eva dailey]

so... if i want tangs in my tank what are some suggestions of some smaller ones? Or do they all get huge?

[sufunk]

Yellow, purple and koles are the only common ones coming to mind that would be ok in a tank smaller than 100g longterm.

[SteveJakubiec]

Yellow Tang
Tomini Tang
Chevron Tang
Purple Tang
Kole Tang
Two Spot Bristle Tooth Tang


Those are the tangs I would suggest for a 100g Plus, the Tomini, Chevron, and Kole, and Two Spot can be kept in a 75g. Preferably stick to one type of tang in each tank, for example. Don't keep two Purples, or a Purple and a Yellow as they're from the same family. Same w/ the Bristle Tooth Tangs (Tomini, Chevron, Kole, Two Spot), don't keep more than one per tank, unless the tank is gigantic.

-The Tomini, Chevron, and Kole are great at keeping the algae in your tank to a minimum.


-Steve

[otrlynn]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13102306#post13102306 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eva dailey
I am new to this hobby and decided to get ready to start FOWLR as I am going to college soon and wanted something to keep me busy while in my new apartment... I can't take my boxer puppy :( so I decided that a fish tank would make a beautiful addition to my new space, as well as a fun and challenging activity :)



Are you heading off to college or graduate school? I have several reasons for asking: How will you deal with taking care of the tank over vacations? Will you be in the same apartment for the next several years? You don't want to be taking down and re-setting up a reef tank very often. Having a friend take care of your tank can be disaster unless you have a very knowledgeable friend. This is an expensive hobby, much more so than freshwater--can you deal with that? It can also be a time-intensive hobby. If you are just heading off to college, I know as the Mom of a college sophomore that time management is one of the biggest challenges for a new college student. If you're a grad student, I guess you've got a handle on that.

Not really trying to discourage you, just to encourage you to think about the feasibility of a saltwater tank at this time in your life. Good luck in school!