Tang Gang: to grow or not

SaracensRugby

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Ok, just upgraded to a 7x3x2, 315 gallon tank. Brook wiped out some fish, so back to replenishing the group. Currently have a bigger purple and yellow tang, with a Fox face. Purple and yellow are buddies and hang out together. I am going to add 10 Lyretail anthias and a Christmas wrasse, and then want to start on completing tang gang once all those fish are through QT. So thoughts on the below, adding them all at once to diffuse aggression:

blond naso
Desjardini sailfin
Blue (dori)
White cheek

I had a smaller yellow eye kole previously ina 125 gallon, and Mr Purple and Mr Yellow left him alone.

I see these fish all in tanks of similar size, just seeing if there is something I haven’t thought of or should do/not do. I understand white cheeks can be pricks. I will also be adding more fish down the road, but these are my initial 1st year adds.
Thanks!
 

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Ok, just upgraded to a 7x3x2, 315 gallon tank. Brook wiped out some fish, so back to replenishing the group. Currently have a bigger purple and yellow tang, with a Fox face. Purple and yellow are buddies and hang out together. I am going to add 10 Lyretail anthias and a Christmas wrasse, and then want to start on completing tang gang once all those fish are through QT. So thoughts on the below, adding them all at once to diffuse aggression:

blond naso
Desjardini sailfin
Blue (dori)
White cheek

I had a smaller yellow eye kole previously ina 125 gallon, and Mr Purple and Mr Yellow left him alone.

I see these fish all in tanks of similar size, just seeing if there is something I haven’t thought of or should do/not do. I understand white cheeks can be pricks. I will also be adding more fish down the road, but these are my initial 1st year adds.
Thanks!
Drop the Naso, these get large and will outgrow the tank eventually. You can keep them as juveniles up until they outgrow the tank but then you’d need to try and find a new home for him. The Desjardini and Hippo will work however the desjardini may also need to have a larger tank eventually (Your current two Zebras may not like a third either). The others look alright, I’d maybe try to sneak an Achilles or Goldrim into the mix depending on how risky you feel.
 

LosReef

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I'd avoid the Sailfin since you already have 2 happy Zebrasomas. That's not an easy accomplishment. Adding a 3rd is a big gamble. Nasos are the best and I think a 300gal is big enough. Just don't over load your tank with rocks. They need swimming space.

The best way to introduce new tangs are by size. Bigger new fish get lower aggression towards them. It's always good if you can catch your aggressive fish, change a few rocks for territory change and add back in together. Smaller fish first. Always use an acclimation box to see their reactions and allow the new fish to see a couple feedings in the box cause tangs go crazy during feeding.

Here are my tangs in my 310. 8ft x 2ft x 30inT
Blonde Naso
Regular Naso
Pale Lipped tang
Black Scopas
Koi Scopas
Yellow Tang
Whitetail Bristletooth
 
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SaracensRugby

SaracensRugby

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Thanks to you both. I kinda figured the sailfin might be a stretch given the genus; its funny the purple chased the crap out of the yellow at the beginning in my 125, but then in QT when I got a patch of brook, the yellow was beating up on the purple (yellow is smaller). Now, because they have so much real estate and not a ton of fish, they are literally best buds. Will have to debate on the Naso, I know that one will outgrow my tank at some point. I really like a white cheek or powder brown, but everything I read is those are real ******s.
 

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Thanks to you both. I kinda figured the sailfin might be a stretch given the genus; its funny the purple chased the crap out of the yellow at the beginning in my 125, but then in QT when I got a patch of brook, the yellow was beating up on the purple (yellow is smaller). Now, because they have so much real estate and not a ton of fish, they are literally best buds. Will have to debate on the Naso, I know that one will outgrow my tank at some point. I really like a white cheek or powder brown, but everything I read is those are real ******s.
I find that White Cheeks (Acanthurus nigricans) are the most peaceful of the “Powder” Tang complex. One would get on just fine with the tangs you want and have. You’re also more likely to be successful with adding other fish outside of tangs - I have had this be the case with several Gold Rims.
 

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Here's a visual that I think is similar to what you're thinking. I'd go for a deeper tank than tall next time.

They're all bigger fish so I limit my scape. Need a good cave for every tang at minimum. That'll decrease aggression. I don't think it's over sticked but I would like to go bigger. Lol

 

LosReef

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Nice! Looks like you have room to me. Just make sure you put plenty of bio bricks/media in the sump to supplement the lack of live rock. I like Caribsea Shapes for easy structures. They stack easily. A naso will just sleep in the back behind the structures. That's what both of mine do. I dose Microbacter7 weekly also to help with new nutrient loads.
 
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SaracensRugby

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Thx for advice on cultures. I have a 50 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank with 50lbs of live rock from Tampa bay with a couple types of macro (soon to be mangroves too) and another 150 gallon stock tank connected to that and display with maybe 100lbs of rock that has been cycled with traditional cycling route, and then with fish in there. Hoping all of that minimizes the ugly phases for me….famous last words.
 

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SaracensRugby

SaracensRugby

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I think your list looks good personally other than the blue hippo.

Can't for the life of me figure out why people keep those ick magnets.


That tank is plenty big for the sailfin and the naso for a long time.
Aren’t white cheek and their blue/brown cousins ich magnets too?
 

Lost in the Sauce

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Aren’t white cheek and their blue/brown cousins ich magnets too?
Some say that yes. From what I have gathered, white cheeks are the least susceptible of that gaggle. The plus side is You can clean them of ick. I have personally seen two and heard of quite a few other hippos that go through 30 days of copper and start popping ick immediately. I can't speak authoritatively to the biology, But I believe they carry it differently.
 

Lost in the Sauce

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Gotcha. Well I don’t want that, having Brook blow through a few months ago has me very gun shy of bugs. Hence two QT tanks and 45 days of qt for all fish now.
I got ROCKED by velvet early last year. Changed my entire outlook on qt and taking it seriously. I have a white cheek, I won't touch another hippo.
 

MnFish1

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I'd avoid the Sailfin since you already have 2 happy Zebrasomas. That's not an easy accomplishment. Adding a 3rd is a big gamble. Nasos are the best and I think a 300gal is big enough. Just don't over load your tank with rocks. They need swimming space.

The best way to introduce new tangs are by size. Bigger new fish get lower aggression towards them. It's always good if you can catch your aggressive fish, change a few rocks for territory change and add back in together. Smaller fish first. Always use an acclimation box to see their reactions and allow the new fish to see a couple feedings in the box cause tangs go crazy during feeding.

Here are my tangs in my 310. 8ft x 2ft x 30inT
Blonde Naso
Regular Naso
Pale Lipped tang
Black Scopas
Koi Scopas
Yellow Tang
Whitetail Bristletooth
Just a quick question. If you add the biggest fish first, followed by the smaller ones, aren't you kind of negating your opinion. (i.e. your last fish added will be she smallest? Later in your post you say add smaller fish first - so I'm confused - probably just mis-reading? Can you share a picture of your tank
 

MnFish1

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Some say that yes. From what I have gathered, white cheeks are the least susceptible of that gaggle. The plus side is You can clean them of ick. I have personally seen two and heard of quite a few other hippos that go through 30 days of copper and start popping ick immediately. I can't speak authoritatively to the biology, But I believe they carry it differently.
Thats possible - The more likely possibility is too short of a fallow period - or inadequate dosing of copper IMHO. There are lots of comments out there that its the slime coat (which is thinner) - yet some studies from the natural incidence of Ich (in vietnam) - show certain tangs to have less infection than other fish. The conventional wisdom, though, with the exception of a couple editorials, that tangs are more susceptible.
 

thelonereefer1

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Here's a visual that I think is similar to what you're thinking. I'd go for a deeper tank than tall next time.

They're all bigger fish so I limit my scape. Need a good cave for every tang at minimum. That'll decrease aggression. I don't think it's over sticked but I would like to go bigger. Lol


Beautiful tank. How big would you say your nasos are?
 
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