Third Tang

[Rob A]

"I plan on upgrading to a XXXgal in a few years" or "I plan on rehoming "
Almost never happens and the fish(s) suffer and eventually die.

Upgrade the tank First then start stocking.

 

[Louis Z]

You can always search on Facebook if you want a used tank , right now I see a rash of used large for sell . As prices hike and budgets get tighter people lose extra cash

 

[ReefGeezer]

I have a Blue and a Bristletooth Tang in my very mature 4' 90 Gallon. The Blue has grown to about 5". The Bristletooth is almost 4". I've considered adding a Yellow Tang. I have so far resisted the idea.

I am not a believer that Tangs are stressed in 4' tanks while they are small. I don't know where the size line is though. I do think that one day, maybe pretty soon, my Blue Tang will become stressed in the 4 footer and have to go to a new home. I do know that lack of space contributes to aggression. That's why I haven't added the Yellow Tang. I think that would cause stress from mutual aggression for all of the Tangs.

All that said, if you want to add a Tang, a Bristletooth would be the best of the choices. Yellow Eyed Kole Tangs are pretty Bristletooth Tangs. They are pricey now though.

 

[slythy]

I'm probably not a good benchmark but in my system

180g Display
Naso Blonde Tang
Powder Brown Tang
Yellow Tang
Gem Tang
White Tail Tang
Tomini Tang
Two Spot Tang
Blue Throat Trigger
Fox Face
2 Pink Streaks
2 Clowns
Orange-Back Fairy Wrasse
Stary Blenny
Blue Devil Damsel
Flame Angel

70g Frag system
Copperband Butterfly
Purple Tang
Convict Tang
Pink Streak
Lawn mower Blenny
Blue Devil Damsel

On paper it feels very very crowded but looking at the tank and how the rocks layed out everyone has their own sleeping space and they all swim together around feeding time. They arent small anymore but there is zero aggression in either tank. They are well fed and my phosphates prove that. I actually had a huge amount of aggression when it was just my Tomini and White Tail, then I added the two spot and the whole tank calmed down massively.

 

[Chessmanmark]

I agree with people above who recommended a bristle tooth.

Watch this video by Jake Adams who gives you some guidelines on how to make it work.

 

[Prijrco]

I really want tangs in my 170 gallon, but I'm worried about the tang police lol

 

[The Ugly Phase]

I really want tangs in my 170 gallon, but I'm worried about the tang police lol

why would you care what other people say about ur tank 170 gallon is plenty enough for a few tangs just be sensible with it

 

[Louis Z]

I really want tangs in my 170 gallon, but I'm worried about the tang police lol

I just think that you shouldn’t keep tangs in that size . But you can get a Epinephelus lanceolatus. .

 

[winzig]

I just think that you shouldn’t keep tangs in that size . But you can get a Epinephelus lanceolatus. .

170 gallon will house many different kinds of tang easily.

 

[pasadena_reef]

Acclimation box is key!
I have the same dimensions and stocked with a gem, yellow, hippo, two bristletooths and they get along fine, well fed, picked them up when they were all small, plenty of rocks to hide and sleep under, only time i observed aggression was when I added the bristletooth. Sat in the Acclimation box for two weeks followed by mirrors up against the tank

 

[Louis Z]

I have the same dimensions and stocked with a gem, yellow, hippo, two bristletooths and they

Do you mean the same dimensions as the OP?
Are the bristletooths the same species ?

 

[pasadena_reef]

I have the same dimensions and stocked with a gem, yellow, hippo, two bristletooths and they

Do you mean the same dimensions as the OP?
Are the bristletooths the same species ?

My dimensions are48x24x24

White tail
And blue eyed bristletooths

 

[MasterClassReefs]

I have a 4ftx2ftx2ft tank and currently have a blue hippo and a yellow tang. I'm looking for a 3rd tang to add. The yellow tang is pretty mellow since I added him after the blue tang so the blue tang is definitely boss of the tank. I was thinking of maybe adding a convict tang or a chocolate tang. I also like the look of scopas tangs but I don't know how the yellow would react to him. Any thoughts and ideas are welcome, hoping to spend $250 or less on the tang

Ime a blue "hippo" tang should not really be housed in tanks shorter than 6ft in length. That would be the minimum size for me. It gets cramped fast for a fast swimming species like that. Yellow tang could be okay in a system that size but will look rather large when grown out and the corals fill in. I wouldnt focus on more tangs if it were me. Smaller species would definitely fit the scape and do better long term in a tank this size.

 

[Bucrob]

This is what the stocking list currently looks like, thumbs up being what's in the tank as of now and anything that doesn't have a thumbs up I plan on adding. What "smaller" fish would work and what doesn't work?

 

[Bucrob]

Ime a blue "hippo" tang should not really be housed in tanks shorter than 6ft in length. That would be the minimum size for me. It gets cramped fast for a fast swimming species like that. Yellow tang could be okay in a system that size but will look rather large when grown out and the corals fill in. I wouldnt focus on more tangs if it were me. Smaller species would definitely fit the scape and do better long term in a tank this size.

I intend to upgrade to a 6ft tank within a year or two

 

[Ryan - Serious Reefs]

I was never asking if it was doable. I was simply asking for suggestions as to what tang would do best in the system. It is surely doable, there are plenty of documented examples of it being done for extended periods of time. I also plan on upgrading to a larger 6-8ft tank at some point but currently there is no need since all of the fish are still small. Also for a fox face, 75 gallons is required.

I also have a in sump UV sterilizer incase something does pop up however I am unconcerned for now since the blue tang is still only 2-3 inches or so.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone it’s just not what I was looking for being told that it was essentially undo able

I think there’s also room here to simply say, “Look guys, I understand this is hard, but I’m going to try it. Help me make it a success.” People attempt difficult things in reefing all the time and sometimes they pull it off.

The sad part is when it goes poorly, an animal(s) dies.

The challenge with the “I’ve done it” or “I saw someone else do it” argument is that it’s technically true. But many of those successes are either luck (1in 10), or the result of someone who spent time identifying the challenges and building a plan to manage them. The people who approach it that way can actually have pretty high success rates.

Adding a third tang right now is a low-percentage move my guess is something like a 75% chance that aggression eventually results in mortality, either between the tangs or redirected toward another fish. With tangs there’s also a real risk of an stress-induced ich outbreak during the process.

If I were going to attempt it, it would look something like this:

• A bristletooth tang is a good choice. They stay fairly small and their body shape and feeding behavior are different than most other tangs.

• Multiple weeks in an acclimation box would be mandatory. That single move probably increases the chances of success tenfold. Here’s a video showing how to make one, and a link where you can watch it for free.

• Commit to managing food aggression long term. Make food abundant and constantly available. Seaweed Extreme pellets on an auto feeder, nori sheets in multiple spots, AF Vege Clips, etc. Be ready to up your filtration or water change game to accommodate.

None of this guarantees success, but if you’re going to try a low-percentage move, stacking the odds in your favor is really the only way it works. I bet you switch from 75% failure to 75% success rates with those things alone.

One of the things about seeing what good looks like is you can now choose between doing it or saying "not worth it" and moving on to something else.

 

[MasterClassReefs]

Ime a blue "hippo" tang should not really be housed in tanks shorter than 6ft in length. That would be the minimum size for me. It gets cramped fast for a fast swimming species like that. Yellow tang could be okay in a system that size but will look rather large when grown out and the corals fill in. I wouldnt focus on more tangs if it were me. Smaller species would definitely fit the scape and do better long term in a tank this size.

I intend to upgrade to a 6ft tank within a year or two

I hope it works out for the upgrade. I would wait personally on the blue tang til the upgrade. The rest isnt bad. More than one pair of clowns can get testy so keep an eye on that. If looking for a fish that will work on algae a lawnmower blenny is underrated imo but do have an attitude to consider.

 

[Bucrob]

I think there’s also room here to simply say, “Look guys, I understand this is hard, but I’m going to try it. Help me make it a success.” People attempt difficult things in reefing all the time and sometimes they pull it off.

The sad part is when it goes poorly, an animal(s) dies.

The challenge with the “I’ve done it” or “I saw someone else do it” argument is that it’s technically true. But many of those successes are either luck (1in 10), or the result of someone who spent time identifying the challenges and building a plan to manage them. The people who approach it that way can actually have pretty high success rates.

Adding a third tang right now is a low-percentage move my guess is something like a 75% chance that aggression eventually results in mortality, either between the tangs or redirected toward another fish. With tangs there’s also a real risk of an stress-induced ich outbreak during the process.

If I were going to attempt it, it would look something like this:

• A bristletooth tang is a good choice. They stay fairly small and their body shape and feeding behavior are different than most other tangs.

• Multiple weeks in an acclimation box would be mandatory. That single move probably increases the chances of success tenfold. Here’s a video showing how to make one, and a link where you can watch it for free.

• Commit to managing food aggression long term. Make food abundant and constantly available. Seaweed Extreme pellets on an auto feeder, nori sheets in multiple spots, AF Vege Clips, etc. Be ready to up your filtration or water change game to accommodate.

None of this guarantees success, but if you’re going to try a low-percentage move, stacking the odds in your favor is really the only way it works. I bet you switch from 75% failure to 75% success rates with those things alone.

One of the things about seeing what good looks like is you can now choose between doing it or saying "not worth it" and moving on to something else.

Not gonna lie... this looks like chatgpt

 

[Bucrob]

I think there’s also room here to simply say, “Look guys, I understand this is hard, but I’m going to try it. Help me make it a success.” People attempt difficult things in reefing all the time and sometimes they pull it off.

The sad part is when it goes poorly, an animal(s) dies.

The challenge with the “I’ve done it” or “I saw someone else do it” argument is that it’s technically true. But many of those successes are either luck (1in 10), or the result of someone who spent time identifying the challenges and building a plan to manage them. The people who approach it that way can actually have pretty high success rates.

Adding a third tang right now is a low-percentage move my guess is something like a 75% chance that aggression eventually results in mortality, either between the tangs or redirected toward another fish. With tangs there’s also a real risk of an stress-induced ich outbreak during the process.

If I were going to attempt it, it would look something like this:

• A bristletooth tang is a good choice. They stay fairly small and their body shape and feeding behavior are different than most other tangs.

• Multiple weeks in an acclimation box would be mandatory. That single move probably increases the chances of success tenfold. Here’s a video showing how to make one, and a link where you can watch it for free.

• Commit to managing food aggression long term. Make food abundant and constantly available. Seaweed Extreme pellets on an auto feeder, nori sheets in multiple spots, AF Vege Clips, etc. Be ready to up your filtration or water change game to accommodate.

None of this guarantees success, but if you’re going to try a low-percentage move, stacking the odds in your favor is really the only way it works. I bet you switch from 75% failure to 75% success rates with those things alone.

One of the things about seeing what good looks like is you can now choose between doing it or saying "not worth it" and moving on to something else.

Never mind, I guess you're just a scholar... came back as 0% ai detected

 

[Bucrob]

I hope it works out for the upgrade. I would wait personally on the blue tang til the upgrade. The rest isnt bad. More than one pair of clowns can get testy so keep an eye on that. If looking for a fish that will work on algae a lawnmower blenny is underrated imo but do have an attitude to consider.

Not really looking for any other algae control. I primarily like wrasses, would I be able to add anymore wrasses to the system?