please help critique my stocking list for large fowlr

[clekchau]

dimensions are 96"L x 48"W x 30" high

after much deliberation this is my final stocking list:

8" xmas island imperator
5" blueface angel
5" asfur angel
5" annularis angel
5" yellow tang (already have)
4" blue hippo tang
4" sohal tang
5" vlamingii tang
5" harlequin tusk australia
5" surge wrasse
3" clown trigger
8" df puffer (already have)

tank is in place, waiting skimmer and plumbing, should be ready to start beginning to mid january. please give input, thanks

[clekchau]

wow no comments, i must be doing something right, i guess i'll get more comments once i post pics of the tank set up

[XtrmCHoPZ]

Sounds great. Very similar to what I want in my 300. You have some excellent fish in that list.

[rnelson]

clekchau,

Nice list, some of my favorites in there....the only thing that I see is maybe an angel or two extra.....they can be territorial with each other.....the sohal tang can sometimes get mean also, although I had one for about 6 months that didn't give me too much trouble.

Your tank sounds very similar to the one I just ordered, only yours is 30" tall and mine is only 24".

Pics please when you get it all set up!

[clekchau]

thanks for the input guys, my concerns are exactly what you stated

- too many angels
- aggression regarding sohal tang
- aggression regarding clown trigger

i read from bob fenner that long as the sohal is the boss, things should be ok, should i go ahead and get a large sohal so he would be the boss? like 8"?

i could take out the annularis and replace him with a red sea sailfin or dussumieri or even both and have 3 angels of varying sizes, introduced at the same time to minimize aggression.

argh i can't make up my mind

[rnelson]

Yeah, I'd take one of the angels off the list.....like I said, I had no troubles with my Sohal, but I may have gotten lucky....

I've had a couple of clown triggers also and didn't have any problems with them.....they were both about 4".....didn't have them in the tank at the same time though.....the worst trigger I've had is the one I still have, a Picasso......he's really mean, stripped all the skin off a blue-head wrasse one time (in QT).

[clekchau]

yeah it seems triggers are hit and miss, i know someone with a docile undulate that is over 7 inches long cohabitating with butterflies and i know another guy with a 4 inch niger that is an absolute terror. i'm just going to get a 3", introduce him last and hope for the best.

[XtrmCHoPZ]

I have an 8" clown trigger thats been with me for almost 3 yrs. Exceptional behavior! he isnt nearly as bad as everyone makes them seem. My two angels are FAR worse! They are very territorial!

Heres my stok list for my 300:

8" clown trigger-have already
7" red coris wrasse-have " "
5" harlequin tusk-have
7" annularis angel-have
8" blueface angel -have
( possibly 8-9" french angel)
11-12" golden puffer-have
8" panda puffer-have
10" blonde naso tang-have
1.5' snowflake moray eel-have
1' zebra moray eel-have

***would really like a small school of yellow tangs 3-4?
would they work in this setup?

[clekchau]

wow xtrmchopz, sounds like a nice tank, any pictures?

i tried a school of 6 yellow tangs once in a 240 and it didn't work out, they schooled sometimes, othertimes they were fighting, so needless to say i didn't have any luck.

[XtrmCHoPZ]

Its not up and running yet. Im very frustrated I wish it was up already! Trust me! I still have to finish the custom stand for the tank. I have all the filtration and all those fish already. Some of them are temporarily in my 125 g and some are being baby sat by an LFS. Hopefully everything will be up and running by the 1st of January. Ill get pics up ASAP.

[XtrmCHoPZ]

Oh yeh! I wanted to mention that the ONLY fish, or type of fish I should say, that my clown trigger has EVER gone after is majestic angels! I dont know whats with them but every time I tried to introduce one into the tank he got his a$$ kicked!!! Other than that my clown trigger has truly been a great specimen. He regularly gets bossed around by my blueface and annularis, they even nip at him sometimes when theyre being really territorial. The trigger just swims right by them and takes it. Sometimes I think he tries to **** the angels off on purpose. I know he could f$#% them up in a second if he really wanted to though. I feel as if he "plays" wit them.

[clekchau]

do you think a blueface and annularis are a bad match? do they fight? i'm thinking of limiting my tank to a show size xmas island imperator, 5 inch asfur and 4 inch blueface and scratching the annularis off of my list.

[nickiwit]

I have had most of the fish on your list. I think your list is okay except for I would only keep three of the angels and I think the sohal might pick on your puffer.

I had a blueface and annularis together. They fought a little nothing too bad. They were added at the same time. I think the emperor will be the bully. I had a 8 inch one for 4 years before we sold it. It was way too mean. I had a small sohal for awhile but had to get rid of it because it was picking on a large porcupine puffer. I think the small clown trigger will be fine. I had a huge surge wrasse. It was a model citizen.

[clekchau]

thanks nickiwit, i also live in the dfw metroplex, did you get your fish from a lfs?

[nickiwit]

I recognize your name from DFWMAS. I am also setting up a large tank beginning of January. I get most of my fish from a lfs. I bought my annularis, blueface, and majestic from someone off DFWMAS. I also traded my emperor for a 12 inch Vlamingi from someone off DFWMAS.

[XtrmCHoPZ]

No I dont think theyre a bad match at all. They dont harm each other. All they do is chase each other every so often over territory, but its nothing bad at all. They dont nip eachothers fins at all, although te blueface grunts at the annularis.

[justgeorge]

That's gotta be what, over 500 gallons? With that much room it should help on the aggression. We want pics!

[clekchau]

a little shy of 600.

i'm thinking of replacing the sohal with a powder blue and the annularis with a dussumieri tang. the new list would be:

orange tail imperator
asfur angel
blueface angel
yellow tang
blue tang
vlamingii
dussumieri
pblue
c trigger
surge wrasse
tusk australian
df puffer

[rnelson]

clekchau,

Better....you might want to rethink the Powder Blue though...they are beautiful but are hard to keep ich-free. My LFS has tried to keep them for years with no success.....they have no problems with a multitude of other tangs, but not the PB....

I think an Orange-Shoulder tang is a nice addition....you don't see too many of them....if you went with one, be aware that they are a bright yellow before getting their mature colors/pattern.

A Chevron tang is nice also, very stunning colors.....I had one a long time ago.....

Good list though!

[clekchau]

i don't really like the look of an orange shoulder or an adult chevron (juveniles are beautiful. i might just try the sohal and see how he/she does

[rnelson]

Gotcha......

Like I said earlier, my Sohal didn't bother any tankmates....seems like my Purple Tangs chased HIM at first. The Sohal DID like to pace the tank though.....you've got a good tank for him!