Best Tang for a 120

[ReeferReefer]

Have you looked at the pyramid butterfly? They are yellow and a really nice reef safe fish. Mine was really nice and very peaceful.

I have never considered butterfly fish since I have heard about their difficulties.

Are they more hardy than other varieties?

 

[RtomKinMad]

I have never considered butterfly fish since I have heard about their difficulties.

Are they more hardy than other varieties?

More so than the heni and the copperband but if you get a copperband that is eating then it is good also. My pyramids always ate well and were healthy. I lost due to velvet but lost the whole tank. Personable fish. Kind of expensive around 100$ not as common as yellow tang but very enjoyable fish. I really like the copperband if you could find one already eating and disease free. I have seen people keep multiple pyramid butterflies in one reef. I think tank recommended. I saw some reefers posted that they eat Xenia and 4fordfamily said once no butterfly is reef safe but I think this one is the most recommended for a reef. ca1core has a group of them in his reef. Some look dirty and some very stricking. Just another option for you. There’s an old thread on this fish you could read if you are considering it. The yellow fish sure are pretty in a reef. How about regal angel. Might be ok for your size, reef safe more than most and very very pretty.

 

[ReeferReefer]

More so than the heni and the copperband but if you get a copperband that is eating then it is good also. My pyramids always ate well and were healthy. I lost due to velvet but lost the whole tank. Personable fish. Kind of expensive around 100$ not as common as yellow tang but very enjoyable fish. I really like the copperband if you could find one already eating and disease free. I have seen people keep multiple pyramid butterflies in one reef. I think tank recommended. I saw some reefers posted that they eat Xenia and 4fordfamily said once no butterfly is reef safe but I think this one is the most recommended for a reef. ca1core has a group of them in his reef. Some look dirty and some very stricking. Just another option for you. There’s an old thread on this fish you could read if you are considering it. The yellow fish sure are pretty in a reef. How about regal angel. Might be ok for your size, reef safe more than most and very very pretty.

After looking at them a bit they are really charming fish. I'll keep it on my short list. I tend to look for already established fish from my local reef club so I'll keep my eye open.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Hands-down, the Yellow Eyed Kole Tang. Read (search) other threads and you’ll see why so many people (myself included) have returned a Yellow Tang to the LFS, for a Kole Tang! Best wishes.

 

[RtomKinMad]

After looking at them a bit they are really charming fish. I'll keep it on my short list. I tend to look for already established fish from my local reef club so I'll keep my eye open.

Cool! Let us know what your able to find. Do people give the fish away taking down tanks ? Or sell them? How does that work for you? There’s someone in wi trying to sell a bow system 360 gal tank and the fish but wants a ridiculous amount for the fish and not budging on price. Hasn’t sold any. I’m worried where his fish will go if he just gives up and takes the tank down. Has some really nice fish! Morrish Idiol even. I don’t really want or need anymore fish not enough room and working on some disease issues myself right now. Have a Sohal with hole in head ? Don’t know how that happened haven’t added new fish for over a year and just happened all of a sudden. Also have a harlequin tusk in quarantine from same tank with really bad fin rot also for no reason. Going to treat all fish with general cure in a 300gal tank and tusk is getting furan and Prazipro. I would love a scribble angel and another regal- but probably won’t happen! If I do run into another pyramid butterfly and my quarantine is empty I would get on again. Have you asked 4fordfamily about the yellow? He’s a tang expert. Helped me a lot with my tang issues and his suggestions worked so far.

 

[BenitaSolo]

I have a 6’ 120g tank with a Powder blue X gold rim hybrid and a yellow. Both for over a year now. Everyone does well. Other inhabitants: Golden dwarf moray, pair of skunk clowns, leopard wrasse and I’m sure another fish I am forgetting.
3.5” yellow
5.25” pb x gr

 

[Jesterrace]

Hands-down, the Yellow Eyed Kole Tang. Read (search) other threads and you’ll see why so many people (myself included) have returned a Yellow Tang to the LFS, for a Kole Tang! Best wishes.

Yup, another one who returned his Yellow Tang to the LFS here.

 

[RtomKinMad]

Yup, another one who returned his Yellow Tang to the LFS here.

Doesn’t Hawaii want us to leave them in the ocean anyway? I guess I got lucky with mine. Is it a problem with other tangs or other fish in general? My Caribbean blue in the other hand is meaner than the Sohal!

 

[Jesterrace]

Doesn’t Hawaii want us to leave them in the ocean anyway? I guess I got lucky with mine. Is it a problem with other tangs or other fish in general? My Caribbean blue in the other hand is meaner than the Sohal!

Hawaii lifted the ban several months ago (as a matter of fact, mine was part of the first batch issued to my LFS after it was lifted). They just made the collection methods more stringent (which was a good idea IMHO). As for the former butthead in my tank? He was the only tang in my tank and was a complete jerk to my coral beauty (who by the way was with him in the same holding tank at my LFS for several weeks, and they were both added at the same time). The Tang was great for about a month and only had a Coral Beauty, Melanurus Wrasse and a Pajama Cardinalfish as tankmates in a 90 gallon tank. He and the CB even shared a long tunnel cave together. Then one day after about a month I noticed a chunk of lower fin missing from my CB and he would periodically display what looked like white scratch marks on his body. A couple of days later I saw the Yellow Tang flare up his fins and back up to the CB and slap it with it's tail scalpel and then a "white scratch" would appear. He did also some shadow and intimidation type behavior towards my melanurus wrasse (although he never hit him with his tail, the melanurus made sure he let the tang know on the first day he was not afraid to bite his tail if he got too big of an attitude). Strangely enough he never bothered the Pajama Cardinal. Either way the Coral Beauty was the one fish that the family unanimously voted to add to our tank, so clearly the YT had to go and he got the boot. Replaced him with a One Spot Foxface and have been much happier with him.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Yep. Replaced mine with the Yellow Eyed Kole Tang for the ‘Tang’ effect, and a One Spot Foxface for the ‘Yellow’ effect. Both get along fine, and both devour algae. (A dwarf Bi-Color Angels will also give you some great Yellow in your tank.) Best wishes!

 

[RtomKinMad]

Hawaii lifted the ban several months ago (as a matter of fact, mine was part of the first batch issued to my LFS after it was lifted). They just made the collection methods more stringent (which was a good idea IMHO). As for the former butthead in my tank? He was the only tang in my tank and was a complete jerk to my coral beauty (who by the way was with him in the same holding tank at my LFS for several weeks, and they were both added at the same time). The Tang was great for about a month and only had a Coral Beauty, Melanurus Wrasse and a Pajama Cardinalfish as tankmates in a 90 gallon tank. He and the CB even shared a long tunnel cave together. Then one day after about a month I noticed a chunk of lower fin missing from my CB and he would periodically display what looked like white scratch marks on his body. A couple of days later I saw the Yellow Tang flare up his fins and back up to the CB and slap it with it's tail scalpel and then a "white scratch" would appear. He did also some shadow and intimidation type behavior towards my melanurus wrasse (although he never hit him with his tail, the melanurus made sure he let the tang know on the first day he was not afraid to bite his tail if he got too big of an attitude). Strangely enough he never bothered the Pajama Cardinal. Either way the Coral Beauty was the one fish that the family unanimously voted to add to our tank, so clearly the YT had to go and he got the boot. Replaced him with a One Spot Foxface and have been much happier with him.

Thanks for the Hawaii update, I’ve haven’t kept up much. Hearing a lot about naughty yellow tangs though. Sounds like you made a good choice for your tank. I’m realizing fish are very individual and have different personalities. So I guess we have to go on a case to case basis. Glad the LFS took it back.

 

[RtomKinMad]

Yep. Replaced mine with the Yellow Eyed Kole Tang for the ‘Tang’ effect, and a One Spot Foxface for the ‘Yellow’ effect. Both get along fine, and both devour algae. (A dwarf Bi-Color Angels will also give you some great Yellow in your tank.) Best wishes!

The yellow eyed kole sounds like a really nice option for many people and many tanks! Good idea! I have a blue eyed kole and tomini in different tanks they didn’t like each other in a 300gal. Tomini went into a 93 cube. Which is working well.

 

[67chevellemalibu2]

SOB Yellow Tangs. Had to get rid of mine too

 

[ReeferReefer]

SOB Yellow Tangs. Had to get rid of mine too

Seems like that can be bullies. It's crazy how much more aggressive marine fish are than fresh.

 

[67chevellemalibu2]

A freshwater tank is way easier than a saltwater and less stressful, but the fish don’t look as cool.

 

[67chevellemalibu2]

Freshwater fish are a lot cheaper, too!

 

[ReeferReefer]

A freshwater tank is way easier than a saltwater and less stressful, but the fish don’t look as cool.

It was actually the colorful fish that brought me to saltwater, not the corals. Lol

 

[Jesterrace]

Same here, the corals are merely a bonus for me. I don't get the corals first, fish as an afterthought crowd, to me they just don't provide enough life to the tank to carry it on it's own. As for the comparisons between saltwater and freshwater? Yup, the colors and more exotic nature of reef fish definitely pulled me in. I took a look at lists ranking the 10 most colorful freshwater fish for aquariums and the 10 most colorful saltwater fish for aquariums and it was almost a joke by comparison. There are some cool looking freshwater fish (ie Electric Blue Cichlid, Discus, Neon Dwarf Gourami, Endlers), but the colors are still muted compared to many saltwater fish. Freshwater simply has no answer for my Blue Star Leopard Wrasse, Melanurus Wrasse, One Spot Foxface or Coral Beauty Dwarf Angel. The only fish in my tank that is semi-comparable is my Pajama Cardinalfish.

 

[Jesterrace]

Freshwater fish are a lot cheaper, too!

In general, yes, but those with Discus Tanks definitely have spent more on their fish than I have on my saltwater fish. My One Spot Foxface at $45 is my most expensive fish. Discus on the other hand start around $70 each. I use that as an example because Discus are on of the few fish that IMHO come close to matching the color and beauty of saltwater fish.

 

[ReeferReefer]

Would doing a 120 tall work better? It's 60x24x18.

Not sure if it's too narrow for a good aqua scape though. 5 feet might be better for some larger tangs?