Tang options

JodiI

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#1
Alright, I’m building a stock list for a new 230g build. Tank will be 6 feet long x 2 feet x 2 feet. Peninsula. I’m trying to decide what tangs I’m going to have. Let me know what you think about this list:

Currently have (non-negotiable additions):
Yellow tang
Powder blue

Dream fish (really want these):
White tail tang
Achilles tang
Pacific blue

Maybe: (will add if consensus is they’ll work)
Purple
Powder brown
Naso
Convict

Thoughts? Whatever the stock list is, I’m going to order all the tangs and add them all at the same time. So nobody will have the chance to pick a territory first.


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Haddonisreef

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#3
Powder blues are pricks imo if you mix the two together they will fight.
The white tail kole is a nice fish but pricy
Purple are nice to
 

JodiI

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#4
Whoops. Didn’t catch the autocorrect: “bask” should be Naso tang. Not sure why that changed.

I think the purple will get moved to the “must have” list. I’ve always loved them. And I know the white tail is expensive, but there are aspects of this system where I’m willing to spend the money. And that fish is definitely one of them.

The rest of these seem reasonable for such a long tank? The aquascaping is going to have “zones”, so I’m hoping that’ll help with dispersing the aggression. But I’ve always had tanks under 100g, so I don’t have any experience mixing this many tangs before.


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Haddonisreef

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#5
My Naso is kinda a peace keeper of the group I have a Naso, powder blue, blue eye kole,scopus, blue hippo, and a Lieutenant. All in a 210 and w exception of Pbt all get along fine
 

MuralReef

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#6
Pretty nice list of tangs. What other fish are you thinking?


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JodiI

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#7
Pretty nice list of tangs. What other fish are you thinking?


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Oh, you know I've got a google doc going.

Living document here

But the short story is I haven't gotten much past the tang planning stage.
 

Andrew_bram

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#8
I love convict tangs but after unsuccessfully trying to keep them I learned they are really hard to get to thrive. One of the local stores told me that for ever 6 or so they get in one is able to survive long-term.

Achilles love lots and lots of flow.

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JodiI

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I love convict tangs but after unsuccessfully trying to keep them I learned they are really hard to get to thrive. One of the local stores told me that for ever 6 or so they get in one is able to survive long-term.

Achilles love lots and lots of flow.

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Eh, I wasn't really sold on the convict. They look super cool in the wild in massive groups. I'll remove him from the list.

The plan for flow is up in the air, but is going to be strong. Probably 2 mp60's and a gyre on the back wall of the tank. So lots of flow on the overflow side (SPS) tapering off to medium flow on the far side (LPS). Would that be sufficient for the Achilles?
 

SynDen

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#10
I love Powder Black tangs aka white cheeks. The yellow black and white on them is very striking,
 

jda123

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#11
I would forget about the achilles - they need so much flow that you will kill your other fish spending more energy than they can eat. Your tanks will be skinny and unhealthy if constantly massive flow all of the time.

I have had PBT, Gold Rim and true Powder Brown in together. The secret to tanks is lots of hiding places* and lots of food - I mean enough food so that they get an inch fat and grow like 2 inches a year. Tangs are like the idiots on reality TV shows - they are otherwise good folks and calm and reasonable, but if you cram them into a tight situation, don't feed them and otherwise overstimulate them, they will turn into jerks.

Naso get huge, but if you are willing to give it away to a good home (for FREE) when it gets larger, then you can be a good steward for a while. If you are going to be a dick that has to get money for it and otherwise looking out for you instead of the fish, then skip it - these are the folks that make other folks want to ban saltwater imports. There is always a nice aquarium or dude with a huge tank that can house a large tang, but you have to be thinking of the fish first.

Lastly, get some real live rock from the ocean with some diverse microfauna. I do not QT nor do I have any disease. If ich or some other parasite decides to let go of the fish (typical lifecycle stuff), then it will not last long on the substrate where the microfauna will make a quick meal out of it. This is why established tank with real live rock have so much less disease. A tank started with sterile dry/dead rock and sterlie sand is just a petri dish for parasites and disease... you gotta have an "environment" where they diseases have to try fight for their lives too.

They need a good amount of meaty fare. Tangs are not herbivores, but are truly omnivores. Mysis will work just fine. If you just try and feed them nori or other greens, then they will lack for vitamin A & E and get HLLE. This also keeps them less aggressive. A quality pellet food with spirulina, ulva and other seaweeds is a great staple - New Life Spectrum or Formula II work great.

I have Chocolate (don't sleep on these beauties), Kole, Powder Brown, Yellow and Purple all getting along for at least 5 years.

* when I say hiding places, I mean like rock just stacked on top of it's self and not some "caves and arches" that humans design that are supposed to trick fish into thinking that they are safe and hidden. They need to be able to wiggle down into the middle and be totally hidden. Just staking larger live rock does this the best.
 

MuralReef

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#13
She knows a couple of someones!


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JodiI

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#14
She knows a couple of someones!


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I’ve no shortage of friends with ridiculously large tanks. Not even counting the new 8 foot monster going in at the school.

I spent a large portion of the afternoon looking at the Achilles more in depth. I think I could provide that fish with a lovely home, but the special needs, risks, price, and the fact that my husband doesn’t LOVE the fish means it’s probably not the best for us.

So here’s the updated list:

Currently have:
Yellow tang
Powder blue tang

Also getting:
Purple tang
Pacific blue
White tail tang
Naso tang
Sailfin tang
White cheek tang (if we can find one), otherwise powder brown


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MuralReef

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#15
Red Sea sailfin?


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quackenbush

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#17
I don't know how the PBlue and the PBrown will get along being so similar, but the Zebrasomas - yellow, purple, and sailfin seems like where you might run into problems depending on how they are introduced and settle in together. Zebrasomas seem to be the more aggressive of the tangs and don't always play nice with others.
 

Andrew_bram

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#18
In my larger tank I have 1 vlamingi, 1 powder blue,4 yellow, and 1 purple living harmoniously. Keep in mind you mileage may very. I do keep them pretty well fed which i am sure helps.

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quackenbush

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#19
I have a well fed Sailfin that rules the roost and is a bit of a dick about it. I've always heard of purples being dicks. So if you have an established yellow and introduce a purple, I could see trouble.
 

JodiI

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#20
I have a well fed Sailfin that rules the roost and is a bit of a dick about it. I've always heard of purples being dicks. So if you have an established yellow and introduce a purple, I could see trouble.
All tangs will be introduced at the same time for just that reason. PBlue and yellow are currently in a different tank, but will be brought over to the new tank at the same time as the rest of the tangs. So nobody will have a chance to get established and be the first.

I do plan to feed pretty heavily. Feeding is fun. Filtration is being designed to match.


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