tang question

[anthonys51]

what tang do you gus think works the best for a 57 rimless mixed reef tank

i know people say tangs need a big tank, but my friend has a red sea purple tang and tomini tang and his tank is a 90 high, only 4 feet long and he has had them over 5 years and there both very big

i would like your advise on the best one to get as a small baby. i understand he might outgrow the tank

small hippo tank
small yellow tang
small kole eye tang
small squaretail bristletooth
any other you might think

[Jade5051]

If you are going to do a tang in a smaller tank then you want to stick to the bristletooth genus. This includes the kole, tomini, squaretail, two spot, and white tail. I wanna say there is one more that I'm leaving out but I can't think of it off the top of my head.

[Jade5051]

I found it! Stripped tang.

[anthonys51]

i saw a kole tang in the lfs 30 long and he told me its been there for years. i know its bot the best but can it be done and if so do i need to do anything special.

[Jade5051]

Your friends tangs may be doing fine in that 90g. But, you need to see them in a larger more appropriate tank to really understand just how different they are when they have the right environment.

[anthonys51]

his tangs hide a lot in the rocks. especially the tomnini tang . really only see them a lot when they feed, is this what people are talking about

[Jade5051]

Tangs are usually very active swimmers. Mine is a pansy and will hide when I approach the tank. Outside of that he owns the tank.

[anthonys51]

so would you put a kole tang in a 57 gallon. also if not what would you put in there . i want an active swimmer with lots of color. i have 2 oc clowns, dottyback fairy wrasse and longspine cards. also was think of adding 4 pj cards. lfs has them 4 for 32 and there nice size

[CStrickland]

Pj cardinals are pretty mellow, they just kinda float around so they might not be a great choice for your active fish. There's lots of fish that will fit the bill, but none of the tangs are ok for your tank.
Personally, I wouldn't do more than 6 or 7 fish in there altogether so depending how many longspines you have you might be close to full. Liveaquaria.com has a lot of info on the personalities and needs of the fish they sell, I use their site to learn about what I might want to buy even if I don't get it from them and they have good pics too.

Its a good idea to get a list together of all the fish you want to have so that you can plan how to add them, the most aggressive should go in last. If you get a list together, there's a sticky in here called "check your purchases" where you can get really expert advice about whether they will all get along together.

[anthonys51]

thanks, but i find its sometimes so hard to find those fish in the fish store. maybe its because i want the hard to find fish, lol also Steve did tell me not to get a tang, just wasnt hearing him lol guess i hear him now

[CStrickland]

Yeah, its great that you're asking here before you buy though. A lot of people in your sitch just grab whatever's on sale and get jacked up.

[Jade5051]

It's really about tank length. Fish want surface area. They don't care so much about up and down they are more interested in side to side room. The bristletooth tang really require a tank that is the 4 foot long. It would be no question if your tank was a standard 75. You give the length and width to move around but your tank is slightly smaller so a tang is probably not the best option. If you want active swimmers look at some Dwarf Angels and wrasses.

[anthonys51]

Aren't the dwarf angels not reef safe. Is there one species that you find is more reef safe then others

[Martini5788]

Aren't the dwarf angels not reef safe. Is there one species that you find is more reef safe then others


There is a huge thread about Angels. Search the thread to end all angel threads

[anthonys51]

Thanks

[christopher7]

+1 for LiveAquaria as a good resource for livestock info. They have their fish organized into categories and you can filter appropriate fish by criteria such as minimum tanks size, temperament, reef safe or not, etc.

[Dkuhlmann]

The most "reef safe" angel is the Cherub angel. Others that have been kept with little to no issues are the Coral Beauty and the Flame Angel. My personal choice is the Cherub angel.

[hotelbravo]

I have a very active flame angel. No corals eaten by him ever.

[anthonys51]

thanks. think i might pick up a flame instead of the kole tang. cam 2 d wafts live in the same tank or will they fight

[hotelbravo]

I've seen it done if you add them at the same time

[anthonys51]

have a question, my rocks are pretty clean of algae. should i wait to i get more, the tank is only 2 weeks old. wait stop the presses its a tank move. old tank was moved with everything to new tank, mini cycle is over, lol i heard the angels have to be well feed so they dont pick. or do i just have to feed them more,

[Martini5788]

Yes wait atleast 6 months

[Jade5051]

Make sure you QT. you'll want to set a bare pvc QT tank up now and get it cycled. It will take at least 6 weeks from today to get a fish in and out of the QT and into the DT.

[Jade5051]

IMO you don't have to wait. I'd feed algae sheets even if there is plenty of algae in the tank.

[anthonys51]

with the algae sheet. do you just put a full one and in and replace when done. never feed those before. i am assuming you clap them on the side of the tank

[Martini5788]

They have clips for them. Search veggie clip and you should find one. But the angel will need to be the final addition to the tank as it will be the most aggressive fish so add everything else first. Angel last.

[anthonys51]

thanks. that little cute cherub angel is a terror. who would of thought lol

[Jade5051]

Mated clownfish are the most vicious animals I've ever seen! But, ya angelfish last. Cherub probably a little nicer than the other options like a flame.

[gemini8npg]

I agree with the bristletooth suggestion. I had a Tomini in a 446 and he did just fine. I really wouldn't suggest anything larger however.

[anthonys51]

whats a 446

[Martini5788]

I think they meant 46, as in 46 gallon.

[uncleL]

Go to a korean store and get the Sushi Roasted Nori Seaweed 40 sheets for about $6 rubber band it to a rock

[anthonys51]

when i first read your comment thought you where joking. the korean nori seaweed is the same as you buy in fishstores. good to know

[Martini5788]

I order mine off amazon. 100+ sheets for $10. There is no reason to buy the stuff in petsmart.

[Virtue]

I'd get a tiny hippo tang and just remove him in 6-7 months when its too big. Nothing wrong with that, I've found that they have a better survival rate in smaller tanks when they're tiny anyway. You'll definitely need a nori clip though.

[Martini5788]

I'd get a tiny hippo tang and just remove him in 6-7 months when its too big. Nothing wrong with that, I've found that they have a better survival rate in smaller tanks when they're tiny anyway. You'll definitely need a nori clip though.


I did that. I'll admit it. He was gone in a month and a half. Don't do that. Please don't do that. I learned my lesson. Never again.

[gone fishin]

I order mine off amazon. 100+ sheets for $10. There is no reason to buy the stuff in petsmart.

I always forget to look on amazon.

[Martini5788]

Amazon and I are bff's. I love Amazon so much I can't come up with a better word to describe our relationship.