More large fish or no?

[Gjedde]

I have a 60x28x20 mixed reef. I currently have two large fish, a blue jaw trigger 3.5” and a chocolate tang 4”. Will be adding a convict tang as my last fish eventually.

Currently have clowns, a damsel, and a hawkfish as smaller fish. Will eventually add a goby or two, jaw fish, mandarin, and half a dozen wrasses.

I prefer to have a very active tank and am curious to hear whether or not you think i would be maxed out for larger fish? If i were to add another large fish it would be one of the following:
Scopas tang
Longnose butterfly ( possible issue with chocolate tang due to similar color?)
Hihat drum
Pyramid butterfly

Thoughts?

 

[braaap]

I'd have alot more lol. But I'm a fan of "overstocking" with good filtration.

 

[Gjedde]

I'd have alot more lol. But I'm a fan of "overstocking" with good filtration.

Yea, ive got a large sump full of live rockand skimmer. Bi-weekly 35 gallon waterchanges.

 

[braaap]

Yea, ive got a large sump full of live rockand skimmer. Bi-weekly 35 gallon waterchanges.

I know your tank is only a couple months old. So I would add fish but I would give it a couple more months to stabilize first.

Something that will really help is a tub of Seachem Matrix in the sump. It is SUPER porous and all the good bacteria lives in it.

 

[Gjedde]

All the rock is atleast 3 years old so i am not really worried about overloading the system. Thinking of adding 2-3 fish every 4-8 weeks.

 

[fish_collector]

Chocolate tang is a dream fish, I don't see them very often. I want one now because you talked about them lol.

 

[Gjedde]

Chocolate tang is a dream fish, I don't see them very often. I want one now because you talked about them lol.

Absolutely, its a stunner for sure!

 

[littlefoxx]

To be honest I wouldnt add any more big fish with the measurements of the tank, not much room for them to spread out especially as adults. My two cents

 

[Gjedde]

To be honest I wouldnt add any more big fish with the measurements of the tank, not much room for them to spread out especially as adults. My two cents

Thats sorta what i was thinking. I think it is right on the verge, especially only being a 5’ tank. I think it will depend on how aggressive the current tang is once the tank is fully stocked. Im thinking if anything maybe a scopas tang.

 

[littlefoxx]

Thats sorta what i was thinking. I think it is right on the verge, especially only being a 5’ tank. I think it will depend on how aggressive the current tang is once the tank is fully stocked. Im thinking if anything maybe a scopas tang.

I recently learned those are actually big and mean fish! @Fish Styx I think was talking about them in another thread?

 

[Gjedde]

Yea, just looked on LA. 1’ fish is a definite nope. Perhaps the high-hat drum. A very cool fish that ive had before. If i dont go with that then ill not add anything larger. The drum fills the niche of an active swimmer but primarily in the lower column of the tank.

 

[Gjedde]

Not sure why i was under the impression that scopas would be fine in a “smaller tank”.

 

[Fish Styx]

Sorry for the delay, I was a bit tired up. I'd say you're probably good on larger fish. At least no more tangs. Unfortunately, that Scopas will get too large for your size tank. As for the Convict, that's a hard no-go. The Chocolate should be the only Acanthurus sp. you keep in that footprint. Now, normally I would say that a four footer would be an inappropriate exhibit for that, too; but your saving grace is that 28" width (nice tank, btw).

It is a common misconception that Convicts are docile as far as tangs go. That is patently false. Among the smaller Acanthurus sp. they are second only to PBTs as far as aggression goes, IMO. Now, understanding that all fish are individuals, there may be exceptions. However, in my experience, when that convict turns about 5 years old it will become a little jerk. A loveable one, but a jerk none-the-less.

I think that in that size enclosure, it will eventually kill the more docile Chocolate, or stress it to the point of disease.

If you are set on another tang, I think you could get away with a @Biota_Marine yellow tang, or one of the smaller Ctenochaetus sp. such as a kole or Tomini.

As for the others you mentioned, I will defer to someone else's judgement as those are out of my wheelhouse.

I hope you found this helpful. If not, you get what you pay for, and since this advice was free, no refunds or exchanges. :cool:

Sorry for any egregious grammatical errors or typos. Please see my policy on refunds & exchanges.

Happy reefing.

 

[fish_collector]

I know "they" say some tangs get quite large, but it does seem that some of the tangs that are reported to get large never attain the proportions that go with the species. I rarely ever see large scopas tangs, but perhaps it's because I've just never seen a truly large one?? MIne is in a 4' tank with a smaller convict, a hippo and a vlamingi. They currently all get along well. I do have some plans for a large tank in the upcoming year or so, so I'm not too worried about it yet. It's not the tangs that are my concern though, it's the rock beauty that has the type A personality. I'm not a fish hoarder I promise lol.

 

[Fish Styx]

I'm not a fish hoarder I promise lol.

Aren't we all, though?

 

[fish_collector]

Absolutely, its a stunner for sure!

Yes a stunning fish and yours hasn't turned colors yet! There's a member of my local club that has one and OMG it's such a beautiful fish.

 

[Gjedde]

Now, normally I would say that a four footer would be an inappropriate exhibit for that, too; but your saving grace is that 28" width (nice tank, btw)..

The tank is a 5 footer, that doesnt make a difference in your mind? I really didnt think that two tangs would be too much for that sized tank. Im kind of meh oh yellow tangs, oh well. I suppose ill do a bit more reading and consult a few more oracles. Haha.

 

[Gjedde]

This was the resource i had been using for tang aggression. He had put convicts near the bottom of the list in terms of aggression interestingly enough. Big part of the reason i had chosen a convict .

Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating

Tangs tang aggression mean nasty evil injured stab surgeonfish killing killed kill beat hide hiding why help remove sump new addition

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Fish Styx]

The tank is a 5 footer, that doesnt make a difference in your mind? I really didnt think that two tangs would be too much for that sized tank. Im kind of meh oh yellow tangs, oh well. I suppose ill do a bit more reading and consult a few more oracles. Haha.

My mistake,for whatever reason I had it in my head that it was a 4'. It does, actually. Especially combined with the width. It's doable, but you will likely still see some aggression. The same would be true in a six footer, too, so...

The chief concern is them (Convict and Chocolate) having their own little territories and enough room to swim, as they are both very active. It sounds like you do. Keep them well fed and you should be okay.

 

[Fish Styx]

This was the resource i had been using for tang aggression. He had put convicts near the bottom of the list in terms of aggression interestingly enough. Big part of the reason i had chosen a convict .

Tang Aggression - Understanding and Combating

Tangs tang aggression mean nasty evil injured stab surgeonfish killing killed kill beat hide hiding why help remove sump new addition

www.reef2reef.com

No offense to the OP, as I have deep respect for him. However, I disagree with the ordering in that list. It is anecdotal, however, and as the OP stated, it is based on his experience.