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Tang stocking suggestion.

JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I am planning the stocking of my 120G tank. I have two firefish(I hope they are in hiding), one pygmy angel, one clown fish, and one bi-color pseudochromis. I would like to stock two tangs. One being a blue hippo tang. Which of the following do you think would be the best choice as second fish. Considering temperament, price, heartiness, and size of tank.
1)Yellow Tang
2)Sailfin Tang, Desjardini (Red Sea Sailfin think they have better temperament)
3)Kole Tang
4)Bristletooth Tomini Tang
5)Convict Tang
6)Chevron Tang (not likely due to price)

Other fish would more then likely be on the small side. I don't plan on any other large fish. Most likely other fish would be jawfish, blenny, pygmy hawk fish, , or shrimp goby w/shrimp, and chalk bass or green chromis. Pleas note not all those fish maybe couple compatible ones. I just gave the list to understand my train of thought.

Any and all thoughts are welcome. If you can make an argument for some other tang not on the list feel free.
Thanks
James
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

your bi-color may be more aggressive and chasing the firefish. They both inhabit similar niches but perhaps if there is enough space/places to hide - the firefish are ok.

pseudos are a pit pugnacious though in general towards fish that are similar in size and shape (e.g. firefish).

can't comment much on the tangs - i'm sure any one of them will look great. In terms of price point though a yellow can't be beat and for most casual visitors (extended family etc) they don't know the difference between a $800 fish and a $30 one. Some will even say the $30 one is prettier. :) You know how it is - you stock on on all the LE corals and the one thing people key on is the $10 nemo.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I am sure the firefish are being badgered by the bicolor. I assumed I would have have the tank set up quicker when I got them from Justin. And I figured I would have enough room in a 120 for them. They ate well for a while but have been hiding lately.

I have had the clown and bicolor since I started SW about 4 years ago.
 
C

concept3

I have a Blue Hippo and a Yellow tang, and even though they get along 98% of the time (they are about the same size), sometimes I notice that the yellow gets his fin nipped off every now and then. I've never really had any of the other ones, but the two latter mentioned definitely provide a better color contrast with each other than the other ones against the blue tang.
 
R

REEFLECTIONS

the first fish i put in my tank was a "peaceful" pseudochromis.... the guy at the lfs told me it was a great community fish.... cut to the end of the story.... it was't much fun romoving half the rockwork to get that s.o.b. outta there. under certain circumstances... pseudochromis and peace cannot live in the same tank, cause sometimes the nervousness it causes other little fish will put even big fish on edge... go figure
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Thanks concept3. And I hear you loud and clear about the pseudochromis. It is original fish of ours and it has lived up to its reputation. I bought it same as you from Trop and it has done its share of damage. I am hoping with the larger tank it settles down.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I want to bump this up as I have my other tank up and running...I have a thread in TOT...hope it adds some extra piece to the puzzle....also I plan on using my old 24 G AP as QT tank going forward...will this be OK for tangs?
Thanks
James
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

JRWOHLER said:
I want to bump this up as I have my other tank up and running...I have a thread in TOT...hope it adds some extra piece to the puzzle....also I plan on using my old 24 G AP as QT tank going forward...will this be OK for tangs?
Thanks
James
Click to expand...

First of all - having a QT is great. a lot of people skip this step because they deem it "expensive"...which makes no sense when you consider how much money is being invested in the display.

obviously the bigger the better. Personally I think the 24 should be fine.
 
C

chase33

I agree with a 24 being ok for a QT for those fish as long as they are not at their max size. Is your 120 a 6' or 4' long tank? I have a 4' long 120 and I have the following fish in it. Yellow Tang (about 5"), Sailfin Tang (about 3"), Gold Stripe Maroon Clown (about 2"), Melanurus Wrasse (about 3"), Royal Gramma (about 2"), and a Diamond Goby. I recently lost a 6-Line Wrasse and I also had a Coral Beauty Angel. Both of those just disappeared. Though the Sailfin was the first fish in the tank the Yellow chased it a little when it was added. This went on for a week or so. Now they just flare up at each other from time to time but they co-exist peacefully. The only real problem I had was with the wrasse's. The 6-line would chase the melanurus unmercifully for months. I'm surprised the Melanurus made it through. I recently lost the 6-line so the Melanursu now lives peacefully. I want to add a Tomini. It should be ok since it's a different body shape than the other two Tangs. It will probably be my next fish.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

The tank is a 4x2 tank same as yours. I am looking at buying the fish at Will's anniversary sale...for sure not full grown. Of course what he has in stock that day may determine what goes into the tank to some degree. I sort of assume he will be stocking up a bit for the day(hoping and praying ;)). I cleaned out the AP and will be filling it back up soon to get it ready. I had a firefish disappear before the move. There hasn't been much aggression now. I guess they have so much room relatively speaking. I am pretty happy with the rockwork too it has a lot more space within the rocks so while you don't see the fish all the time the really do appear happier(or maybe it is my imagination).
 
C

chase33

My 2 cents. Don't buy because someone has a sale or because it's all they have. Do the research and purchase the fish you want otherwise in the future you will wish you purchased that other fish and will be stuck with the one you purchased instead.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Sorry I wasn't suggesting I was just going to buy what he had on hand...of course it is hard to buy something he doesn't have. I am not 100% set on what fish I am going to buy. I know that we would like to get a hippo tang and probably another tang. At the same time I am trying to do my research now so I know what I want. If he doesn't have a particular fish then I won't just switch to a fish that isn't on my list, but I might say choose one of two or three on a list. Fantasy Fish draft ;). The sale is convenient because of the timing so we really are just waiting. It is sort of a forced patience at this point. Plus it gives me time to set up the QT tank and so on.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Thanks Chase I haven't read FantasyReef yet. I think I have visited the others a bunch. I guess I am just looking for personal experiences, though I understand all fish have individual personalities so you can get a nice angel or a tang that destroys everything.
 
C

chase33

Like I said in an earlier post above, I can speak about the two I have. My Sailfin and Yellow get along fine and for the most part the thought is you get two that have different body types/shapes and you should be ok. Good luck.
 
P

Patriot76

REEFLECTIONS said:
the first fish i put in my tank was a "peaceful" pseudochromis.... the guy at the lfs told me it was a great community fish.... cut to the end of the story.... it was't much fun romoving half the rockwork to get that s.o.b. outta there. under certain circumstances... pseudochromis and peace cannot live in the same tank, cause sometimes the nervousness it causes other little fish will put even big fish on edge... go figure
Click to expand...

i have a purple psuedo and he is a motel citizen.

i have a purple tang, yellow tang, & kole tang in my 180g. they co-exist peacefully with the exception of the occasionally flare up by the purple tang (biggest fish in the tank). i have had a kole tang in my previous tanks, and he wasnt really my top choice when i got my 180g. i was thinking more of purple, yellow, powder blue (or hippo). but i got the kole tang at a great price and at the time i needed some extra algae control, and he did his job very well. since then, he has been probably my fav fish. while his colors are not the most striking, his patterns are remarkable. and he has the best disposition and personality of all my fish. always out in the open. you might want to think about a kole tang.
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

I just wanted to post an article I found.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangshi.htm

I have my QT tank set up and ready to go.
We are still kicking around what fish we want to get. My wife really likes the Naso Tang. I am bit uncertain of the compatibility with the Hippo.

I would say our list looks like this.
1a Kole
1b Naso
2 Desjardinii
3 Tomini Tang
Thanks for the input from before.
James
 
B

BobCReef

While i like the Yellow tang (ok i'm a traditionalist) but as mentioned seems like all others pick on the Yellow. I personally like the purple tang and your sailfin being my second. Of course if money is no object there is always a gem tang, which for some reason was not on your list ;D
 
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