4' 120 Gallon Stocking List Advice

[CocoReef]

I am planning on upgrading to a 4' 120 gallon lps and softies tank and am looking for any advice on my planned stocking list.

2x Picasso Clowns
2x Banggai Cardinals
Longnose Hawkfish
Royal Gramma
Leopard Wrasse
Green Mandarin Goby
Spotted Mandarin Goby
Lawnmower Blenny
Yellow Watchman Goby
Foxface Rabbitfish
Yellow Tang
BTA
3x Fire Shrimp
10x Nassarius Snails
10x Trochus Snails
3x Emerald Crabs

Open to any feedback and curious on what the order to add these fish should be.

 

[Delloman]

I have a similar list in my tank I did one fire shimp one cleaner and 2 peppermint I also have a dimond.

 

[nereefpat]

That looks pretty good to me. It is quite a few fish. I would pick one mandarin.

Yellow tang absolutely last. Mandarin after a year.

These earlier:
2x Picasso Clowns
2x Banggai Cardinals
Royal Gramma
Leopard Wrasse
Watchman goby

These later:
Lawnmower
Foxface
Hawk

 

[flashsmith]

My fire shrimp is a freeloader. I've had him for 6 months. Laziest critter in my tank. Only comes out to eat. Kinda like my teenage son..

 

[ApoIsland]

I have a lot of the same in my 4’ 120.

The royal gramma, long nose hawk, leopard wrasse, yellow tang are great and will always be in any tank I own.

Im neutral on the Cardinal. I like that it’s a different shape but mine never ventures more than a couple inches away from his corner except for feeding time.

I regret purchasing the lawnmower and will take him out next time I move the tank. He does not eat any algae that any of the bristletooth tangs wont eat and they are much more attractive in my opinion. Probably contribute about the same bio load as well since my lawnmower is huge and always has a full belly.

other fish I have in the 120 that I also could not imagine a tank without:

Blue tang
Marine Beta
Canary Blenny
Fire fish

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I’m also building a 4’ 120 system. Your stock list looks good

only thing I’d be concerned with is having enough pods for that many pod eaters.

that and just be mindful of the order by which the fish will be introduced (I agree with yellow last)

 

[CocoReef]

I have a lot of the same in my 4’ 120.

The royal gramma, long nose hawk, leopard wrasse, yellow tang are great and will always be in any tank I own.

Im neutral on the Cardinal. I like that it’s a different shape but mine never ventures more than a couple inches away from his corner except for feeding time.

I regret purchasing the lawnmower and will take him out next time I move the tank. He does not eat any algae that any of the bristletooth tangs wont eat and they are much more attractive in my opinion. Probably contribute about the same bio load as well since my lawnmower is huge and always has a full belly.

other fish I have in the 120 that I also could not imagine a tank without:

Blue tang
Marine Beta
Canary Blenny
Fire fish

How does your blue tang do in your tank? I've heard mixed opinions about a 4' 120 being too small for them.
Thank you for the advice. I will replace the lawnmower with a blue tang and if the filtration can handle the bioload I will probably add a firefish later on.

 

[CocoReef]

I’m also building a 4’ 120 system. Your stock list looks good

only thing I’d be concerned with is having enough pods for that many pod eaters.

that and just be mindful of the order by which the fish will be introduced (I agree with yellow last)

I was planning on starting a pod colony in my sump early that way the population could grow before too many pod eaters are in the tank. Would that be sufficient in your opinion or is there a chance I will have to keep dosing as more get added?

 

[BeltedCoyote]

I was planning on starting a pod colony in my sump early that way the population could grow before too many pod eaters are in the tank. Would that be sufficient in your opinion or is there a chance I will have to keep dosing as more get added?

personally I’d still periodically dose more. And even then I don’t think I’ll go beyond 1 dedicated pod eater in my system. Just to be safe.

 

[CocoReef]

personally I’d still periodically dose more. And even then I don’t think I’ll go beyond 1 dedicated pod eater in my system. Just to be safe.

Okay, so only one mandarin in your opinion?

 

[ApoIsland]

How does your blue tang do in your tank? I've heard mixed opinions about a 4' 120 being too small for them.
Thank you for the advice. I will replace the lawnmower with a blue tang and if the filtration can handle the bioload I will probably add a firefish later on.

You don't need to worry about filtration for a fire fish . It eats about 5 small pieces of mysis shrimp per day and takes the smallest poops you will ever see.

4' x 2' tank is plenty of room until they get a little bit over 5 inches which takes quite a while. Got him very small and was great for a long time. After about 6 or 7 years he developed an appetite for my favorite zoa. I have about 20 different types of zoa and he only nibbles on one, but it's my favorite and largest colony so he has been banished to the sump pending sale. I just recently got another very small one so I guess you can technically say I have two blue tangs in my system...although I'm not sure the new one counts as it's less than an inch.

 

[ApoIsland]

Also with tangs and a rabbit fish you probably won't need any snails for the rocks. Only need to stock a couple snails for the sand if you really want to. My only clean up crew in the 120g is one coral banded shrimp, one snail and two hermit crabs just because I like they way the look and act. And I haven't seen the snail in a very long time....

 

[i cant think]

I wouldn’t do the YT since 1. They can get to 1’+ and 2. They are aggressive. A better option for that tank size is the Ctenochaetus genus, all of them except the Chevron and Striateds will fit in that tank size.
Also my other issue with a Foxface and YT in the same tank that size is they compete for the same foods (GHA & Macros).

 

[CocoReef]

I wouldn’t do the YT since 1. They can get to 1’+ and 2. They are aggressive. A better option for that tank size is the Ctenochaetus genus, all of them except the Chevron and Striateds will fit in that tank size.
Also my other issue with a Foxface and YT in the same tank that size is they compete for the same foods (GHA & Macros).

I've done a fair amount of research and I've never seen anything about a YT growing that big. Are you sure about that information? Im not worried about the aggression. Ive seen some people have issues between their YTs and foxfaces and others have great success in tanks this size but if there is an aggression issue I can take either one to my lfs.

 

[ApoIsland]

I wouldn’t do the YT since 1. They can get to 1’+ and 2. They are aggressive. A better option for that tank size is the Ctenochaetus genus, all of them except the Chevron and Striateds will fit in that tank size.
Also my other issue with a Foxface and YT in the same tank that size is they compete for the same foods (GHA & Macros).

I have seen thousands of YT over the years in the ocean and never has one even been remotely close to 1'.

Hundreds more in commercial aquariums throughout the world and none of those are more than 6-7''.

I'm guessing maybe 1 in a million YT get to be more than 6 or 7 inches in a home aquarium.

 

[i cant think]

I have seen thousands of YT over the years in the ocean and never has one even been remotely close to 1'.

Hundreds more in commercial aquariums throughout the world and none of those are more than 6-7''.

I'm guessing maybe 1 in a million YT get to be more than 6 or 7 inches in a home aquarium.

I still don’t trust them - I know you have never seen a 1’ YT however it’s possible AND they are highly active. They don’t swim like Ctenochaetus tangs supposedly do (I even don’t believe Ctenochaetus swim just at one spot). Still, a 6-7” tang Thats active is just cruel IMHO. I still recommend against it but always will (I hate YTs anyway because of aggression, it’s highly underestimated on tangs how aggressive many can get). I’m not trying to say “Don’t” I’m just giving you a warning, it won’t be happy in a 4’x2’x2’ long term and will eventually want Atleast 6’ of swimroom.

I mean, the easiest way to see how a small tank can affect the max size of fish is with Zebrasoma desjardini. These are KNOWN to get 16” but very few exceed 12” in captivity, I’d rather have a 500g+ tank with a beautiful 16” or close to that desjardini in then a 8’ 200g tank with a 1’ desjardini.

IME, The YT’s aggression is basically the Scopas tang but yellow. They can be nasty when they want to be and they will be in a small tank. Pacing will most likely start in a 4’ tank. Purple Tangs are similar (Close cousins to the YTs) and are known to get similar sizes. Some people say their Purples look huge in a 8’ tank and that’s with a 7” fish. Imagine the same scenario but with a yellow tang and in a 4’ tank. It just seems cruel, after watching these guys in the wild it feels wrong putting an active tang (Zebrasoma, Acanthurus, Naso) in a 4’ tank. These guys spend their whole day travelling along the reefs and in captivity they can’t do that. I’m not trying to be Tang police but it’s just a word of advice - My .02% basically.

 

[CocoReef]

I still don’t trust them - I know you have never seen a 1’ YT however it’s possible AND they are highly active. They don’t swim like Ctenochaetus tangs supposedly do (I even don’t believe Ctenochaetus swim just at one spot). Still, a 6-7” tang Thats active is just cruel IMHO. I still recommend against it but always will (I hate YTs anyway because of aggression, it’s highly underestimated on tangs how aggressive many can get). I’m not trying to say “Don’t” I’m just giving you a warning, it won’t be happy in a 4’x2’x2’ long term and will eventually want Atleast 6’ of swimroom.

I have read tons of people having healthy and successful YTs in a 4x2x2. However, I agree its inhumane to force a tang to live in an environment that it is too big for. But 4' should be plenty of room while its young and if it outgrows the tank then I have no problem taking it back to the lfs. It is also going to be the only tang in the tank even though Ive also read people keeping multiple in a 120 successfully.

 

[CocoReef]

I still don’t trust them - I know you have never seen a 1’ YT however it’s possible AND they are highly active. They don’t swim like Ctenochaetus tangs supposedly do (I even don’t believe Ctenochaetus swim just at one spot). Still, a 6-7” tang Thats active is just cruel IMHO. I still recommend against it but always will (I hate YTs anyway because of aggression, it’s highly underestimated on tangs how aggressive many can get). I’m not trying to say “Don’t” I’m just giving you a warning, it won’t be happy in a 4’x2’x2’ long term and will eventually want Atleast 6’ of swimroom.

I mean, the easiest way to see how a small tank can affect the max size of fish is with Zebrasoma desjardini. These are KNOWN to get 16” but very few exceed 12” in captivity, I’d rather have a 500g+ tank with a beautiful 16” or close to that desjardini in then a 8’ 200g tank with a 1’ desjardini.

IME, The YT’s aggression is basically the Scopas tang but yellow. They can be nasty when they want to be and they will be in a small tank. Pacing will most likely start in a 4’ tank. Purple Tangs are similar (Close cousins to the YTs) and are known to get similar sizes. Some people say their Purples look huge in a 8’ tank and that’s with a 7” fish. Imagine the same scenario but with a yellow tang and in a 4’ tank. It just seems cruel, after watching these guys in the wild it feels wrong putting an active tang (Zebrasoma, Acanthurus, Naso) in a 4’ tank. These guys spend their whole day travelling along the reefs and in captivity they can’t do that. I’m not trying to be Tang police but it’s just a word of advice - My .02% basically.

I also agree with the last paragraph you wrote but if you think about any fish, no tank size will ever compare to their ability to roam and grow when in the wild.

 

[ApoIsland]

I still don’t trust them - I know you have never seen a 1’ YT however it’s possible AND they are highly active. They don’t swim like Ctenochaetus tangs supposedly do (I even don’t believe Ctenochaetus swim just at one spot). Still, a 6-7” tang Thats active is just cruel IMHO. I still recommend against it but always will (I hate YTs anyway because of aggression, it’s highly underestimated on tangs how aggressive many can get). I’m not trying to say “Don’t” I’m just giving you a warning, it won’t be happy in a 4’x2’x2’ long term and will eventually want Atleast 6’ of swimroom.

I mean, the easiest way to see how a small tank can affect the max size of fish is with Zebrasoma desjardini. These are KNOWN to get 16” but very few exceed 12” in captivity, I’d rather have a 500g+ tank with a beautiful 16” or close to that desjardini in then a 8’ 200g tank with a 1’ desjardini.

IME, The YT’s aggression is basically the Scopas tang but yellow. They can be nasty when they want to be and they will be in a small tank. Pacing will most likely start in a 4’ tank. Purple Tangs are similar (Close cousins to the YTs) and are known to get similar sizes. Some people say their Purples look huge in a 8’ tank and that’s with a 7” fish. Imagine the same scenario but with a yellow tang and in a 4’ tank. It just seems cruel, after watching these guys in the wild it feels wrong putting an active tang (Zebrasoma, Acanthurus, Naso) in a 4’ tank. These guys spend their whole day travelling along the reefs and in captivity they can’t do that. I’m not trying to be Tang police but it’s just a word of advice - My .02% basically.

I respect your opinion and I agree a 6 inch tang in a 4 foot tank would not be appropriate. Very rarely will a yellow tang get that size in a home aquarium no matter how big the tank is so I prefer to give advice based on the vast majority rather than the very small minority of experiences. I have been to a lot of houses and a lot of public aquariums, and the vast majority I have seen are 5'' or less and perfect for a 120g tank.

I have had mine for close to 10 years and it is still appears to be a bit less than 5''. It does give hell to other new tangs on occasion when I swap them out (not every time), but that only lasts for a an hour or two if it does happen.

 

[i cant think]

I respect your opinion and I agree a 6 inch tang in a 4 foot tank would not be appropriate. Very rarely will a yellow tang get that size in a home aquarium no matter how big the tank is so I prefer to give advice based on the vast majority rather than the very small minority of experiences. I have been to a lot of houses and a lot of public aquariums, and the vast majority I have seen are 5'' or less and perfect for a 120g tank.

I have had mine for close to 10 years and it is still appears to be a bit less than 5''. It does give hell to other new tangs on occasion when I swap them out (not every time), but that only lasts for a an hour or two if it does happen.

It can take decades to get to max size yes (As in they live for 40+ years in the wild) so it will eventually get to 7” but it may take years. I’ve never kept these tangs but I had to put them in the 4’x2’x2’ holding tank in my LFS and even then they were aggressive. I got in quite a few 4-5” yellow tangs and they got to 6” and looked giant (You have to remember their dorsal fins aren’t like the Acanthurus tangs - They get big). Also - The small yellow tangs that are the size of a dime grow a lot quicker than say a 5” tang.

I also agree with the last paragraph you wrote but if you think about any fish, no tank size will ever compare to their ability to roam and grow when in the wild.

I know that but the biggest tank you can get would Atleast get close to that ability - I saw a 4” YT in a 5’ tank and trust me, that thing did not look small when it had its fins out. Also, other tang or not they will be aggressive to anything new (Or even old). As soon as aggression gets too bad and pacing begins, you’ll know it’s time for the tang to be removed. I know people have had Achilles and the harder tangs in 4’ tanks and had success but that’s hard to get unless you’re prepared for the ich to battle - In smaller tanks tangs get ich much faster.

I have read tons of people having healthy and successful YTs in a 4x2x2. However, I agree its inhumane to force a tang to live in an environment that it is too big for. But 4' should be plenty of room while its young and if it outgrows the tank then I have no problem taking it back to the lfs. It is also going to be the only tang in the tank even though Ive also read people keeping multiple in a 120 successfully.

Usually that 120 is a 5’ display tank which is why people tend to have Success having multiple (Although, I don’t recommend it because that’s 3 7” active fish in a 5’ tank, almost 2’ taken by YT). If you stick to the thought of one yellow (And don’t start mixing Zebrasomas) yes you could keep one until it gets to 4” but I still wouldn’t put a tang from the larger families in a tank less than 6’ because of how much they truly use that space.
You can get away with things like clownfish because they don’t claim a 10’x10’ square in pairs, they usually claim a 3”x3” square. Tangs claim everything and anything so just be warned, peaceful fish with a tang tend to go wrong so if you find a fish you like then go for that however, the Foxface and tang will go after the same food and compete which tends to go wrong in small tanks. Basically, algae eaters with an elongated snout go after the same algae’s but I have my algae eaters working out because they don’t chew the same algae (One goes for macro & GHA - Foxface, the other goes for film algae - Twin Spot Bristletooth). Bristletooths are alright in 4’ tanks because in the wild they don’t spend hours along a reef, they just swim in patches which is often why they do better in a 4’ tank than an active “demon” like the YTs.
I say demon because when they get too big for that tang aggression gets too much, they will murder and they will do it no matter what, even if they were added last they will still murder the fish when they’re too big for the tank (As the fish grows, so does their territory). The easiest way to stop the murder is get rid of the fish just before it gets to max size or, get rid of it just as the small bits of aggression begin.

Blue tang
Marine Beta
Canary Blenny
Fire fish

I’m sorry, what?
If that’s Paracanthurus Hepatus you’re talking about, then I have an issue - That tank is half of their minimum tank size. With this fish I don’t care if it’s the size of a dime, it grows FAST to get to 1’. It’s also active, one of the biggest ich magnets in that family and gets to 1’. Even people with an 8’ tank have these guys and it still looks big in that size tank.
If you mean Acanthurus coeruleus then I’d still say you’re 2’ off what it really needs, these guys are also fast growers (Not as fast as P. Hepatus) but they will get big, their in the most aggressive genus which just tells you what they will become. Again - I’m just giving my .02% of experience (I have done a similar mistake with P. Hepatus before - 10 years ago).