Can I fit all of these fish in a 240 gallon

[If on Aqua]

I am currently planning to buy a Red Sea Reefer 3xl(240g) reef tank and I would like to have the following fish. Would you consider it overstocked?
1 Naso tang
1 orange shouldered tang
1 gem tang
2 purple tangs
4 yellow tangs
1 blue hippo tang
1 emperor angelfish
3 coral beauty angelfish
1 blue throat trigger
1 copperband butterflyfish
1 one spot foxface
1 marine betta
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 candy basslet
1 flame hawkfish
12 dispar anthias
1 yellow watchman goby
2 yellow clown goby
1 high fin red banded goby
2 zebra barred dartfish
2 neon gobies
1 midas blennies
1 blue spotted jawfish
1 blue spot puffer
1 valentini puffer
2 mandarin dragonets
1 melanurus wrasse
1 pink streaked wrasse
1 dwarf moray eel

 

[Zionas]

This is a pretty big list for a 240. I’ll go over the species one by one:

Naso Tang- I wouldn’t put these in anything but very large, huge tanks. They get too big and active for the average / above average tank.

Orange Shoulder Tang- I am not sure about this one but they’re not a small Acanthurus either, I’d check to see how big they get in captivity.

Gem Tang- Will be fine.

Yellow Tangs- Will be fine and I’ve seen two kept together successfully, but there’s also a chance they’ll fight and we are not sure whether Tangs change sex. I’d ask.

Purple Tang- Will be fine but on average more aggressive than the other two. I’d ask.

Blue Hippo Tang- Maybe, but they also have the potential to get large and are active. I’d ask.

Emperor Angel- I’ve seen some get pretty large, I’m not sure a 240 is enough long term. I’d ask. Instead, look into medium sized angels like Regals, Goldflakes, Majestic, Blue Line etc. Regals are perhaps the slowest growers and you could do a pair IMO.

Coral Beauties- A trio would be great. Get them small from Biota.

Blue Throat Trigger- Should be fine.

CBB- Should be fine but I’d be wary with that many Tangs.

OSFF- Should be fine.

Marine Betta- Should be fine, give it a nice cave and rockwork with hiding spots.

Ocellaris Clowns- Should be fine.

Candy Basslet- Should be fine. Beautiful fish BTW but I think they do better with peaceful and not too many large and active fish.

Flame Hawkfish- Should be fine.

Dispar Anthias- I’m not sure if they tend to kill each other off or turn all male, but 12 is too many even in a 240 IMO.

YWG- Should be fine. A 240 should give it enough space to stay away from the Hawkfish.

2 YCGs- Should be fine.

Hi-Fin Goby- Should be fine.

2 Zebra Dartfish- Should be fine but I don’t like having such skittish fish in a tank full of Tangs and other larger fish.

2 Neon Gobies- Should be fine.

The rest of your list looks fine IMO. The main problem in my view is the size and aggression of the larger Tangs and the Emperor Angel, which I’d swap out for a pair of Regals.

You have to remember even a 3XL is a large but far from a huge tank and there’s still plenty of Tangs and other large fish I wouldn’t have in an 80” x26” footprint.

I am also not a believer in swapping out fish when they get too large, so I’d stick with fish you can keep for their duration of their lifespans.

Pick two of your favorite Zebrasoma Tangs at most (even then, ask). Look into smaller Acanthurus and Ctenochaetus.

What kind of tank do you want to see? One that’s fast-paced or one that’s slower and more leisurely? If you want the latter a large group of Tangs probably wouldn’t suit your needs that well.

 

[If on Aqua]

Thanks for your advice! I appreciate it

 

[Zionas]

You’re welcome! Don’t take everything I say as gospel though, there’s far more experienced members here. Good luck with your setup. The only problem I see is probably a bit too many large Tangs and some other fish that I feel a 240 is too small for long-term, other than that I would make sure the more peaceful fish like your gobies, the butterfly, the Dartfish, the basslet and some other smaller fish be comfortable before putting in your larger and more active swimmers. Your Foxface will be somewhat skittish for a larger fish also but with its spines it should be able to stand up for itself.

As for the Dwarf Moray, I’m not sure how predatory they are compared to the larger Morays so I’d check if it would be a problem with your smaller gobies and other bite-sized fish so check up on that one with other members.

 

[If on Aqua]

Ok thanks

 

[Forty-Two]

I would say wayyyy too much for a 240.

6 Tangs is a whole lot of food and waste, nevermind all of the other fish you want to put in there.

I think for that size of tank Id do max 3 tangs, and not much more. Plus there will be an issue with the Purple and Yellow together, nevermind the Gem tang. I think they are all of the same subspecies (Yellow and Purple are for sure, but also possibly Gem).

and then the list from there is imo way too large.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Just make sure you have proper filtration to support this huge bio load.

 

[Jekyl]

I'd worry more about individual hiding places. Each fish needs its own area to be safe and sleep. If planning to use NSA then cut that number by half or more.

 

[JumboShrimp]

All of those fish are beautiful— but I also suggest that you make some tough choices and ‘thin the herd’ quite a bit. You’ll still love your tank.

 

[nereefpat]

Advisers, keep in mind a Reefer 3XL isn't a standard 8x2x2 240 gallon. The system is 240 gallons, with the display dimensions a little bigger than a standard 6x2x2 180.

 

[Zionas]

I can see why people like Tangs, but having several of them really isn’t the most interesting thing to me and 8/10 tanks of decent size end up with some kind of Tang gang. I much prefer other families of fish, especially angels, but yeah I think an Emperor would get too big for your footprint considering you’re getting several other large fish. If you go with a pair of a “medium” large angels, not only will you get a species that fits better long term in these dimensions, but having a pair of them is far more interesting IMO.

I understand you probably don’t want to give space for a standard 240, but TBH the footprint of some of the tanks out there is pretty atrocious given the volume they’re trying to achieve. For me an 8 x 2 x 2 is THE 240, once we get above 8’ the situation gets more complicated as the majority of people stop at 8’ in length, so say for a 300 my ideal dimensions would be 8’ x 2.5’ x 2’ (never got the buzz with taller tanks), but yeah a Reefer 3XL (which technically amounts to 223 gallons for the DT) at 80” x 26” x 26” aren’t ideal dimensions for me when it comes to a tank nearing the 240 range. I’d want at the very least 7’ in length.

You could consider 84” x 28” x 24” or 90” x 26” x 24” which would put you closer to 240 gallons filled, while having a better footprint than the 3XL.

I really admire people who can pull off a decent sized harem of Anthias, it comes down to species selection and not insisting on getting a male from the get go but rather waiting for one to change. Even in the species that tend to do better in groups over time, I think a single male would have a hard time leading more than 3-4 females and this is for smaller species. If there’s too many females, the chances of a second male emerging become higher, which leads to lots of unnecessary aggression and stress as the original male will most likely not tolerate the transitioning or newly changed one. In the wild there’s enough coral density and room for more than one male to tolerate each other, chasing each other away from their respective territories, but unless the tank is huge, I wouldn’t risk too large a group and have one or more males emerge after an original has transitioned.

 

[If on Aqua]

Well I will just buy a 300 gal maybe and have all these fishes

 

[Zionas]

Bigger is better. Not saying I think I can handle a huge tank but yes a 300 definitely will let you fit more of these fish you want.

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

I am currently planning to buy a Red Sea Reefer 3xl(240g) reef tank and I would like to have the following fish. Would you consider it overstocked?
1 Naso tang
1 orange shouldered tang
1 gem tang
2 purple tangs
4 yellow tangs
1 blue hippo tang
1 emperor angelfish
3 coral beauty angelfish
1 blue throat trigger
1 copperband butterflyfish
1 one spot foxface
1 marine betta
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 candy basslet
1 flame hawkfish
12 dispar anthias
1 yellow watchman goby
2 yellow clown goby
1 high fin red banded goby
2 zebra barred dartfish
2 neon gobies
1 midas blennies
1 blue spotted jawfish
1 blue spot puffer
1 valentini puffer
2 mandarin dragonets
1 melanurus wrasse
1 pink streaked wrasse
1 dwarf moray eel

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

The biggest thing when it comes to a lot of fish is do you have a good amount of filtration to filter out all the detritus that will be generated in the tank. The more filtration you have the better. If you have enough filtration media to handle it, then iI think it should be fine. You will also want to consider that the fish's mature size will ultimately be, because you will start running out of room as they grow. I don't know if I would trust the eel with some of the smaller fish unless you are planning to have it feed on what is going to be in there.

 

[Drummingbaker2010]

This is a pretty big list for a 240. I’ll go over the species one by one:

Naso Tang- I wouldn’t put these in anything but very large, huge tanks. They get too big and active for the average / above average tank.

Orange Shoulder Tang- I am not sure about this one but they’re not a small Acanthurus either, I’d check to see how big they get in captivity.

Gem Tang- Will be fine.

Yellow Tangs- Will be fine and I’ve seen two kept together successfully, but there’s also a chance they’ll fight and we are not sure whether Tangs change sex. I’d ask.

Purple Tang- Will be fine but on average more aggressive than the other two. I’d ask.

Blue Hippo Tang- Maybe, but they also have the potential to get large and are active. I’d ask.

Emperor Angel- I’ve seen some get pretty large, I’m not sure a 240 is enough long term. I’d ask. Instead, look into medium sized angels like Regals, Goldflakes, Majestic, Blue Line etc. Regals are perhaps the slowest growers and you could do a pair IMO.

Coral Beauties- A trio would be great. Get them small from Biota.

Blue Throat Trigger- Should be fine.

CBB- Should be fine but I’d be wary with that many Tangs.

OSFF- Should be fine.

Marine Betta- Should be fine, give it a nice cave and rockwork with hiding spots.

Ocellaris Clowns- Should be fine.

Candy Basslet- Should be fine. Beautiful fish BTW but I think they do better with peaceful and not too many large and active fish.

Flame Hawkfish- Should be fine.

Dispar Anthias- I’m not sure if they tend to kill each other off or turn all male, but 12 is too many even in a 240 IMO.

YWG- Should be fine. A 240 should give it enough space to stay away from the Hawkfish.

2 YCGs- Should be fine.

Hi-Fin Goby- Should be fine.

2 Zebra Dartfish- Should be fine but I don’t like having such skittish fish in a tank full of Tangs and other larger fish.

2 Neon Gobies- Should be fine.

The rest of your list looks fine IMO. The main problem in my view is the size and aggression of the larger Tangs and the Emperor Angel, which I’d swap out for a pair of Regals.

You have to remember even a 3XL is a large but far from a huge tank and there’s still plenty of Tangs and other large fish I wouldn’t have in an 80” x26” footprint.

I am also not a believer in swapping out fish when they get too large, so I’d stick with fish you can keep for their duration of their lifespans.

Pick two of your favorite Zebrasoma Tangs at most (even then, ask). Look into smaller Acanthurus and Ctenochaetus.

What kind of tank do you want to see? One that’s fast-paced or one that’s slower and more leisurely? If you want the latter a large group of Tangs probably wouldn’t suit your needs that well.

going back and looking at the list a little closer, I think you might be ok. Just make sure you have plenty of filter media to be able to handle it, or your chemical balance will be out of balance pretty fast.

 

[Jeffcb]

That's a lot of fish, 43 fish.

I have a 3XL900 fowlr. 2 large angels, 6 tangs, Fox face and various others for a total of 21 fish. It seems very full.
43 fish in a 900ltr would be way overstocked. Need to think about trimming that list some.

 

[stovenut]

From my experience, as someone who always overstocks his large reef tanks, you will get to a point where you have a certain number and size of fish in your tank and each time you add fish, you will experience a fish loss.

Say you have 7 tangs and want to add another tang... it will mess with the territorial balance and the tangs will adjust the pecking order and territory. A tang or fish occupying other space will end up stuck to a powerhead in less than 48 hours.

If you add all your large fish (tangs and rabbits) around the same time, when they are all the same small size, they can grow into the tank together.

But even so, as you add other fish beyond what the tank can accommodate, you will experience fish loss that compensates for the new addition.

For best success feed your overstocked reef at least 4 times per day including an auto feeder and nori. I feed smaller servings 5 times per day so all my fish eat well and little goes uneaten.

The best coral food is quality fish food pooped out by big healthy beautiful fish.

 

[PatW]

I am currently planning to buy a Red Sea Reefer 3xl(240g) reef tank and I would like to have the following fish. Would you consider it overstocked?
1 Naso tang
1 orange shouldered tang
1 gem tang
2 purple tangs
4 yellow tangs
1 blue hippo tang
1 emperor angelfish
3 coral beauty angelfish
1 blue throat trigger
1 copperband butterflyfish
1 one spot foxface
1 marine betta
2 ocellaris clownfish
1 candy basslet
1 flame hawkfish
12 dispar anthias
1 yellow watchman goby
2 yellow clown goby
1 high fin red banded goby
2 zebra barred dartfish
2 neon gobies
1 midas blennies
1 blue spotted jawfish
1 blue spot puffer
1 valentini puffer
2 mandarin dragonets
1 melanurus wrasse
1 pink streaked wrasse
1 dwarf moray eel

Big list.

I dive, tangs like room and lots of it. Your naso and orange shoulder tangs probably need a 10’ tank.

Gem, purple and yellow tangs. All are fine but 7 of them is a mob. I would pare that down to 3 at most.

Hippo tang, a big tang so probably not especially with everyone else.

I would suggest substituting a Ctenochaetus tang. There are quite a few species and they do well in smaller tanks.

A fox face should be OK. But tangs and fox faces are big fish that poop quite a bit. So you want to keep the numbers down because of bio load.

Basslets, hawkfish, dartfish, and the gobies are smaller fish with less impact. Puffers tend to not be reef safe and they can nip chunks out of fins of other fish. With so many fish, I would give a pass.

Jawfish, like coarse gravel and a depth of it. It is a specialized situation, I would give it a pass, They are better for a biome kind of tank.

Dragonets - these guys love lots a live food and everything else eats live food. They do best in a specialized set up. I think you are planning on too big of a crowd.

Anthias - I tried these guys and they murdered each other until one remained and it died of loneliness and I have a 300 gallon. You might have better luck. You can get a mix of reef safe wrasses and they fill the same niche and I have had them in together and get along just fine.

Three dwarf angels in a small tank is probably too much. I would say one. Or a pair maybe if you can get one.

An emperor angel. A big fish. I scuba dive and I see French Angels, Queen Angels and Grey Angels pretty often. They almost always live in pairs. And a pair occupies about an acre of reef. So these are big tank critters.

Moray - another critter that should have the tank designed around it. Not really a community tank animal.

 

[DavidinGA]

Holy crap that's too many