Hey Tang police, come and get me!

New&no clue

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I want to add one more tang to my tank, either a Powder Blue tang or an Achilles. I have a 180-gallon tank with the following fish

Two clowns
Nine anthias
clown goby
watchman goby
starry blenny
fairy wrasse
melanurus wrasse
coral beauty
mandarin
yellow tang
purple tang
hippo tang

First off, would one more tang work in this tank, and second which would be the better one?
 

Mr Cypher

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It's a mixed reef with three MP 40s at 75% reef crest and 2700gph return pump.
I'm not an expert by any means at all but I have done a lot of research on Achilles (dreaming lol) and from what I've found they love high flow but looks kind you got that covered, tank looks awsome BTW
 
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New&no clue

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I'm not an expert by any means at all but I have done a lot of research on Achilles (dreaming lol) and from what I've found they love high flow but looks kind you got that covered, tank looks awsome BTW
Achilles would be the dream. However, I think they are at 180 min tank size, and I would prefer to get something that isn't going to outgrow the tank right away. The Blue powder is a 125 gallon so seems it may be happier long term in this tank.
 

4FordFamily

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It can be done. I would say it's not normally a good idea to stock that many tangs and it's possible your current tangs reject any new that you add. Of the two you chose, powder blue would work better. That said, I am known for overstocking and my 180 has an achilles (which when he outgrows will go to my 500G).

One thing though to keep in mind is that if you do not quarantine or prophylactical treat your fish -- things are well now -- add a powder blue or achilles and you'll be adding a "sitting duck" with far less ability to fight off low level parasite levels in their currently that do not impact your existing fish. Once the new acanthurus tang is added, you'll likely see spots within a week on it, and then with such a willing host the population of parasites will explode which will start to wear down your other fish and you will likely lose at a minimum the new acanthurus tang, but perhaps even existing fish that are living in harmony now.

I've done this dozens of times throughout the years with very little success. Now that my tanks don't have these parasites and I either quarantine or pay the premium for fully quarantined fish -- my acanthurus tangs (and all of my fish) are thriving -- including my powder blue and achilles.

As far as real estate - it may work. As for tang aggression -- it's a risk. As for disease -- it's a big risk. Just my .02.
 

Mr Cypher

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Achilles would be the dream. However, I think they are at 180 min tank size, and I would prefer to get something that isn't going to outgrow the tank right away. The Blue powder is a 125 gallon so seems it may be happier long term in
plus seems like you can never find a youg Achilles (small) from a reputable source good luck im jelly the wife wouldn't let me get bigger than a 120 gal tank so gotta wait a few years
 
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New&no clue

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It can be done. I would say it's not normally a good idea to stock that many tangs and it's possible your current tangs reject any new that you add. Of the two you chose, powder blue would work better. That said, I am known for overstocking and my 180 has an achilles (which when he outgrows will go to my 500G).

One thing though to keep in mind is that if you do not quarantine or prophylactical treat your fish -- things are well now -- add a powder blue or achilles and you'll be adding a "sitting duck" with far less ability to fight off low level parasite levels in their currently that do not impact your existing fish. Once the new acanthurus tang is added, you'll likely see spots within a week on it, and then with such a willing host the population of parasites will explode which will start to wear down your other fish and you will likely lose at a minimum the new acanthurus tang, but perhaps even existing fish that are living in harmony now.

I've done this dozens of times throughout the years with very little success. Now that my tanks don't have these parasites and I either quarantine or pay the premium for fully quarantined fish -- my acanthurus tangs (and all of my fish) are thriving -- including my powder blue and achilles.

As far as real estate - it may work. As for tang aggression -- it's a risk. As for disease -- it's a big risk. Just my .02.

While I would love the Achilles, it seems the best bet would be to wait for the next tank upgrade and add it to a larger tank. However, for adding a powder blue, are you saying disease is a big risk in general, or just if not quarantined properly?

I quarantine all small fish myself. For larger fish, I either buy directly from TSM or a local reefer has a QT system where he will purchase fish for you and quarantine them for an additional cost.

Aggression between the existing tangs and the new tang has been my biggest worry.
 
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plus seems like you can never find a youg Achilles (small) from a reputable source good luck im jelly the wife wouldn't let me get bigger than a 120 gal tank so gotta wait a few years

That's why it's good to be the wife ;)
 

4FordFamily

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While I would love the Achilles, it seems the best bet would be to wait for the next tank upgrade and add it to a larger tank. However, for adding a powder blue, are you saying disease is a big risk in general, or just if not quarantined properly?

I quarantine all small fish myself. For larger fish, I either buy directly from TSM or a local reefer has a QT system where he will purchase fish for you and quarantine them for an additional cost.

Aggression between the existing tangs and the new tang has been my biggest worry.
Hello,

TSM is where I buy my fish that I don't QT myself (they do a great job). I'm saying if you have parasites in the tank because not everything wet was QT'd prior -- you'll quickly find out upon adding an acanthus tang - particularly a powder blue or Achilles. The tang aggression is often curbed by multiple additions but not sure I'd add more tangs to that mix ha!
 

kzenoni

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I’ve got the following in a 350 gallon and added an Achilles yesterday. So far they are just working out the pecking order. The gem was added two weeks ago and all is fine .

10 inch sailfin
6 inch purple
2- 4 inch purples
6 inch chevron
9 inch hippo
Added 5 inch gem and 4 inch Achilles
 
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New&no clue

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Sorry, but what is TSM?

online fish store
 

Yellow Coris Wrasse

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I would pick the powder blue over the Achilles, as others have mentioned above. I had a similar situation earlier this year when I wanted to add a powder blue as the “last“ tang to an established tank with 3 settled tangs. I purchased mine from Marine Collectors. It took them a few months to find a powder blue that was the right size, and then go through their quarantine process. Once I had the new fish, I left him in an acclimation box for almost two weeks. This made a huge difference in minimizing the aggression.

If you do not have one already, I would invest in a good acclimation box. Good luck!
 

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