Am I ready for a tang?

[Waxxiemann]

Hi,

My 90 has been running for about 1 and a half months and has been very stable.

All the levels are at zero.

I have a 60 gallon sump. It has a refugium but it is not stocked yet (but running with a 5" DSB).

I am running an AquaC EV240 w/ a mag 18 so I am skimming the hell out of it and have had no algea probs as of yet.

There is about 23 LBS of live rock in the tank. I plan on adding about another 100 or so LBS.

I have an Ocellaris, a spider conch and about 15 other types of snails and thats it.

Is it ok to add a tang now? The only reason I ask is because I want to add so much more rock. I always make sure my rock is fully cured before I add it to the tank though.

Any advisement would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

[akbuuur]

i say end up with atleast 100 pounds (put some in the sump too) and go for it.... what tang are u looking to add?

[Waxxiemann]

what I meant to say was 15 other snails of various types, not 15 other types of snails.

[Waxxiemann]

I was thinking about either a powder brown or regal tang.

also, regarding the rock, I would prefer to have less and have a more open structure. It's just hard to gauge how much 120 lbs really is in the water you know? I agree with what you are saying. I figure I'll just fill it up until I;m happy with the structure and leave it at that.

[akbuuur]

at leaast put it in the sump/ fuge that way you dont see it but it still filters it out, i would go with the regal just cause i like em more :-) and they are usually not to agressive, id go for a small one i got mines off live aquaria, and i know shippings a pain but get a buncha people in one of your local saltwater groups together get peopel to order together over 225 bucks and youll get free shipping

[Waxxiemann]

They have some nice small ones at my LFS that came in 2 days ago, they all look very nice.

So you think I'll be ok with getting one now? I sure don't want to hurt the fish.

[akbuuur]

i work at a lfs and we had some in a week ago, make sure they are at the lfs for about at least a week, regals usually dont do well at LFS and i bought one from my store and he was loooking great and in a day he was gone, waste of 35 bucks(with my discount)

[Waxxiemann]

whoa. yeah, thats a good idea. I'll maybe wait and see what happens with them.

[akbuuur]

also how big are they? the ones taht are about the size of a quaarter arnt that good a size beacsue they come down with ich real easy and since your just starting ur system

[yoboyjdizz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7481916#post7481916 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Waxxiemann
I was thinking about either a powder brown or regal tang.

Your tank is to small for those tangs. Powder brown might work for a little while but i would add it last cause it won't allow any other fish in after its established. Other tangs i would look at is a kole , yellow , convict and maybe even a purple tang.

[Waxxiemann]

They have blue tangs varying in size from quarter size to about 4" long. They have powder browns varying in size from about 3"-5".

[Waxxiemann]

ok, this is good info. I get varying reports about the temprament of the powder browns.

[Waxxiemann]

The last thing I want is a fish that is going to be uncomfortable and freaking out all the time.

[akbuuur]

i couldnt tell you about powder browns i never had any experiance with them hippos are varying, but i dont agree that a 90 is too small for a hippo but everyone is entitled to tehir own opinion

[Waxxiemann]

it's funny because marine depot says at least 100 gallons and live aquaria says at least 70 gallons.

[akbuuur]

yea i was thinkin abotu that as well haha

[yoboyjdizz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7482167#post7482167 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Waxxiemann
it's funny because marine depot says at least 100 gallons and live aquaria says at least 70 gallons.

I would toss those out the window. People with experience with these fish all agree six feet tanks atleast and the bigger the better. For 4ft tank its usually kole or yellow tang. Yes you should be fine for about 2 years but you will then see its not enough room.

[Waxxiemann]

well, I'm going to the fish store tommorow to monitor the status of these above mentioned fish. They also have some sailfins and a Kole, powder blue, Chevy and of course some yellow and purple.

I will let you guys know what my thoughts are after I take a look.

Thank you for the help. I'll post some pics once I do decide what the heck I am doing.

Thanks again. =)

[akbuuur]

becareful of both yellow and purple they can be agressive to newcommers, i think koles are usually passive but dont quote me on it

[Waxxiemann]

are you keeping a tang in your 92 akbuuur?

[akbuuur]

have a 2 inch hippo

[Waxxiemann]

thats a little guy.

[Asuran]

after a while in a 4ft tank and you see how little time it takes for it to swim from one end to the other you will have an itch to upgrade to a 6ft tank... my PBT did that to me... i just have to set it up now :D but your 90 should be fine till you get the itch to upgrade

[akbuuur]

itch to upgrade
AHHAAHH thats hilairous i had that bout 2 montsh ago

[Waxxiemann]

I got the itch before I even had water in my tank! I am going to upgrade as soon as this tank is full. Try explaining that to my girlfriend though .... :hmm4: :blown:

[SpaceAce]

Who isnt ready for a tang???

Let that tank mature to at least 3 months, 6 months is even better. Get a sump refugium to keep water parameters steady and work out a good maintenance routine. That all equal pure water and stability, stability, stability... then ad the dificult tangs.

[Waxxiemann]

All I need to add in my fuge is a light and some marco of some sort. I haven't quite figured out what to put in there yet.

[jjmatti]

My powder brown is a great looking fish and in good health but is one really freaking aggressive and dominate fish. Make sure if you add him to make him the last fish you add.

[Waxxiemann]

What fish would you guys add if you were me? A wrasse maybe? I'm lost now.

[akbuuur]

what do you have right now?

[Waxxiemann]

an ocellaris clown. thats it. oh, and a spider conch .... and a bunch of snails.

[akbuuur]

any damsel is fine or a coral beauty... ur systems been up for 2 months right?

[akbuuur]

nvm its 1.5 months but if your system is stable then a coral beauty should be fine

[Waxxiemann]

Won't a coral beauty eat and destroy any corals I want to add down the road?

[akbuuur]

they usualy pick at xenia and zoos(if they pick at all) which grow fast enough

[Waxxiemann]

I want to keep mostly hard corals anyway

[Waxxiemann]

What about clams ?

[Waxxiemann]

I don;t know if I really want to keep a pygmy angel. Any other good ideas ?

[gvibes]

I would really get a lot more live rock before buying any more fish.

[Waxxiemann]

that makes sense. Is it because it stresses out the fish when I am adding more rock all the time? That was kind of my root question. It got off track a little.

[ambaratur]

You might want to read this thread:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=739380

Good information about keeping tangs.

[CrystalAZ]

Have you put together any type of stocking list or fish-wish list?

You really want to put your fish into the tank in order from least to most aggressive. Otherwise you'll end up with territorial fish that won't be kind to newcomers, and newcomers who are timid and like to hide.

I would not make a tang the next addition, personally.

I'd definitely get a mate for your ocellaris (so much more fun in pairs!).

Fairy wrasses are good choices (assuming you have a covered tank as they are jumpers). See Bronco's thread in the Reef Fishes forum for a variety of types.

The angels are iffy. Some behave and some don't.

Anthias are colorful and high energy swimmers (although some are easier to care for than others).

Blue or green chromis stay out in the open and add a lot of activity to the reef.

Royal grammas are colorful and have interesting personalities (they do tend to hide sometimes though).

There are a lot of choices out there and I'd put together some type of plan before moving on to the next fish. Finishing the rock first may be desirable - although I'd still go ahead and get another clown now. :)

Crystal

[Waxxiemann]

wrasses (I would like to have lots of wrasses)
1 tang
some anthias

thats my wish list, so that works out good. so maybe a fairy wrasse or another ocellaris is a good next step?

[Waxxiemann]

I would also like a rabbit like a Lo or magnificent. I also like the snowflake or starry blenny. I also like firefish goby's.

I guess I should have thought that through more. :confused:

[Waxxiemann]

I would rather have lots of small fish than a few big ones.

[CrystalAZ]

Ok, so based on that list, I'd add another ocellaris first, if you want one.

Then the firefish and/or blenny(I think - not familiar with that particular type).

Then the wrasses (most of them are pretty tame).

Then anthias (depending on the type you want)

Lastly the rabbit and/or tang. Depending on how many other fish you add, I may only get one or the other as they are messy guys. I would also stick to the smaller types of tangs, like yellow and kole.

I personally like the yellow because they swim in and out of rocks rather than back and forth across the tank, so they seem more calm to watch, not like they are trying to escape (at least this is true of my yellow).

Crystal

[Waxxiemann]

Crystal,

Thank you for helping out this newbie :D

I'm going to the LFS after work. I'll let you guys know what I get (probably another ocellaris).

[akbuuur]

make sure he is way smaller than the femal