how many tangs can i put in a 180?

[greennd79]

right now i have a blue hippo,kole tang and a yellow tang can i put 1 more? and what should i put with them?

[myerst2]

I would say you have one too many tangs as is. IMO a 180 can hold two smaller tangs realistically. Still I think two may be too many for a 180. When dealing with tangs, they are for the most part very active swimmers who constantly graze on algae. Having 3 much less 4 in the confines of a 180 is rather cruel if you think of each species smallest adult size having to compete for such a small pasture to graze. Can it be done? Yes, but the fish will be be stressed wether you perceive them to be stressed or not. Tim

[JasonColtsFan]

I had wondered if it was ok to but a yellow with a powder brown... in a 180... I wasnt sure about two from the things I had read... how are your 3 getting along how big are they...
I would think not... but I am still new

[Tangwich]

I completely agree with Tim aka Myerst2. Especially when you take into consideration how big that Blue Hippo tang will grow to be. I have a Yellow Belly Blue Tang that's fat and healthy and starting to outgrow even my 225g. But to answer your question, I would have to say that no you probably shouldn't add another tang in your tank. Just my .02 of course...

[IFbettas]

In my 180 I have 3 tangs, a yellow, sailfin, and young naso. They all swim around together, and don't seemed stressed at all. I'm sure the naso will probably need a bigger tank eventually, but until then he is my favorite fish. I would say it could work out to put another in, but it wouldn't be wise.

[greennd79]

thanks guys i guess i wont then maybe a school of anthias will finish off my tank

[rob1991]

my friend has a 180 reef tank with 11 tangs their huge too...so im sure ur fine!

[chrisstie]

I hope rob is kidding :(

[cwoods8]

I say add as many as you want........."dedicated to the Tang Police"......

[chrisstie]

I don't mean to sound like the tang police but I don't think you could fit 11 dinnerplates end to end in a 180 and have room for them all, not to mention how dirty that water must get.. thats a lot of excrement.

I just don't most people have much of a chance to see full grown tangs before they buy the ones they take home to their tanks. Even yellow tangs get bigger than my own head eventually.. heck thats a lot of $ in nori too

[MattL]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/DoNotFeedTroll.svg/200px-DoNotFeedTroll.svg.png

That being said, I think it depends greatly on which tangs you plan to keep. I think three is about the limit, and you are being responsible for asking.

I think there are some tangs that you could slip in as a fourth.

The Kole tang is reported to be a 7" (max) species. Yellow tangs rarely grow more than 8", and Hippo tangs can get quite large (12"). these are all reported maximum sizes.

Convict tangs and two-spot bristeltooths are all reported to be 8" or less. Tominis and chevrons are reported to be not much more than 6".

I'm not sure introducing these would work well, but I'm just saying that not all tangs exceed 8" in length, especially in captivity, and some tangs stick more to the rockwork.

There are plenty of tangs that are easy to keep, and can be kept in 6ft tanks. They just happen to be much less common than the tangs we usually see in the LFSs.

Matt:cool:

[savethereef]

me i have a 180g Penninsula tank. I have a total of 5 tangs.

Yellow tang 4 inch
hippo tang 4 inch
vlamingi tang 5 inch
Red Sea Sail Fin 5 inch
Sohal tang 6 inches

and another 6 small fish like clowns, damsels, etc.

My skimmer is an ATI BM250

It all depends how your tank is set up me i have all my rock in the middle and have lots of swimming space for the fish. also many hidding places with in the middle and holes for them to dart in and out of. all my fish get along see my video below.
I dont think the sohal was in there when i shot the video

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/combiemaster/th_MVI_1758.jpg (http://s16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/combiemaster/?action=view&current=MVI_1758.flv)

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/combiemaster/IMG_1551.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/combiemaster/IMG_1550.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/combiemaster/IMG_1546.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/combiemaster/IMG_1544.jpg

[MattL]

I agree.

Tank setup is an important feature as well.

That's a beautiful Sohal tang:)

Matt:cool:

[savethereef]

Yeah as long as the set up gives them lots of swimming room and you have good nutrient export you can be ok. i will be upgrading to a 225 penninsula soon also so its going to be wider.

check out this site www.reefvideos.com look at carls tank he has more tangs than me and his tank is 4 feet shorter but he has the most awsome aquascaper i have ever seen.

[MattL]

Yeah, that's amazing aquascaping, but I wouldn't recommend keeping all those tangs in that tank long term.

Yes, it is a very large 4ft tank, and except for the Achilles, the tangs are small.

But as he alluded to, he feels the Achilles is already stressed. Pacing is a sign of stress. And very few people could ever replicate that rick work.

They seem kind of cramped to me, and I would not be surprised if he is going to have problems down the road.

So while it is a beautiful tank, I don't even think the owner would want others replicating his stocking. Those tangs need a 6ft tank.

Matt:cool: