Three tangs in a 5’

[nickng]

Small spats here or there with the hippo and foxface. No serious aggression or segregation with them. However, I'm convinced he would kill my lawnmower blenny if he could catch him. He has a bunch of hiding spots and seems to get enough to eat when he comes out. Thats what so strange to me as the blenny is nothing like a tang so it must be a grazing thing. I feed heavily and all eat a lot except the blenny only eats turf algae. My fish and snails don't seem to make much of a dent in my algae.

I have a similar situation, my white tail tang keeps chasing the diamond goby when the goby gets too near the rocks that my white tail grazes on.

So I’m getting a lot of don’t have two bristle tooth tangs to the tank but yet people here are also mixing multiple different types of tangs with success. Why just the bristle tooth being a problem? Also if I omitted the bristle tooth what would be a sub for it with a tomini and purple tang? Could I throw a yellow tang into that? Powder tangs?

i was advised by several people that different species? of tangs have a better chance of coexisting. 2 bristle tooth tangs may end up competing for the same rock surfaces for film algae. And some tangs like yellow tangs or naso/blonde tangs are generally less aggressive

 

[nickng]

Also was told that, it’s possible to put multiple more aggressive tangs ie blue, clown, powder brown if the tank is 6 to 7 feet and fishes added at nearly the same time. But be prepared to rehome when the clown or power blue gets older and as large as 8 inch size

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

So then talking about my 5’x2’ tank what would be the max amount of fish I can put in when speaking of large fish like tangs and rabbit fish. In terms of not being to cramped can I put 3 tangs in a tank and a fox face? If my tank has the room for it, what tangs would be ideal? I just looked into the powder blues and saw they only cap at 9” but in captivity I’m sure it’s slightly smaller. I for sure want a purple tang. To pretty to ignore. Already have a tomini. For sure getting a fox face. Just leave it there or if can push it what can be my substitute for tangs.

 

[kboogie]

My tank is 72” L x 36” W x 27”D and I have a Blue hippo, Naso, Yellow, Gem and a Powder blue and have had them together for years and years with no problems. The key is adding them at the same time although I did add the Gem and Powder blue much later but they stayed in an acclimation box for a few weeks before turning them loose. I added mirrors on the sides of my tank to just confuse the other tangs so they spent time fighting with their reflection and did not solely chase the new additions. All is well.

I agree.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So then talking about my 5’x2’ tank what would be the max amount of fish I can put in when speaking of large fish like tangs and rabbit fish. In terms of not being to cramped can I put 3 tangs in a tank and a fox face? If my tank has the room for it, what tangs would be ideal? I just looked into the powder blues and saw they only cap at 9” but in captivity I’m sure it’s slightly smaller. I for sure want a purple tang. To pretty to ignore. Already have a tomini. For sure getting a fox face. Just leave it there or if can push it what can be my substitute for tangs.

I'd leave it there in terms of tangs/rabbits.

 

[kboogie]

So then talking about my 5’x2’ tank what would be the max amount of fish I can put in when speaking of large fish like tangs and rabbit fish. In terms of not being to cramped can I put 3 tangs in a tank and a fox face? If my tank has the room for it, what tangs would be ideal? I just looked into the powder blues and saw they only cap at 9” but in captivity I’m sure it’s slightly smaller. I for sure want a purple tang. To pretty to ignore. Already have a tomini. For sure getting a fox face. Just leave it there or if can push it what can be my substitute for tangs.

In my personal experience across both personal and commercial setups (I was in the industry many, many, many years ago), you will hit your biological filtration limit well before you hit your physical space limit. There are two things I historically look at for biological filtration limits. The first is whether you are experiencing ammonia spikes. An ammonia spike on a fully cycled aquarium would be ammonia readings of 0.25 ppm or higher at any point, including 30 minutes after feeding. The second biological filtration limit is maintaining Nitrate levels in a FOWLER of under 25 ppm with weekly 25% water changes. You can overcome the nitrate level issue through alternative nutrient export systems like macro algae, algae scrubber, or denitrator ( I use a sulfur denitrator).

It is important to know that the physical space limit has many caveats. Some fish don't do well in more densely populated aquariums. Achilles Tangs, for example, don't like to be in densely populated aquariums. Since each fish is unique, some people get lucky, but in general, they don't like densely populated aquariums.

You can use the 1" of fish for every gallon of volume as a rule of thumb, but as you can see, that is not a hard a fast rule.

 

[skey44]

Pic from short side of tank. Forget the Coris and leopard wrasses, 2 Madagascar wrasses.

Yes, this is cool! Nice fish tank. Sorry tang police.

 

[mikeg18]

Sorry best I can do in a very bright room and the blues on.

 

[mikeg18]

Typically, it’s harder to mix similar shaped tangs ie powder blue, powder brown, achilles etc. so ideally, those should go in together. I often use a tank divider for one or two weeks when introducing a new specimen. Then when I release them when doing a large water changed, and move a couple of rocks around. Most acclamation boxes aren’t big enough for a tang to swim around, but I do use one for other fish.

Anyone thinking of a clown or Sohal I’d have a serious good plan to rehome him bc they are extremely difficult in community tanks. I tired a clown that was about 1/3 the size of my 8” PBT. Fine for literally one hour than all hell broke loose. Not fun to take apart a rock scape!

 

[Reef Wizard]

Sorry best I can do in a very bright room and the blues on.

What kind of rock is that?

 

[nickng]

Typically, it’s harder to mix similar shaped tangs ie powder blue, powder brown, achilles etc. so ideally, those should go in together. I often use a tank divider for one or two weeks when introducing a new specimen. Then when I release them when doing a large water changed, and move a couple of rocks around. Most acclamation boxes aren’t big enough for a tang to swim around, but I do use one for other fish.

Anyone thinking of a clown or Sohal I’d have a serious good plan to rehome him bc they are extremely difficult in community tanks. I tired a clown that was about 1/3 the size of my 8” PBT. Fine for literally one hour than all hell broke loose. Not fun to take apart a rock scape!

LFS put a 7 inch clown tang with a 14 inch emperor angel in their main display tank 10x3x3 with only one other large fish in it. Probably a total of ~ 3 large fishes and 2 small 4 inch ones. After a couple of months the clown fish started attacking the resident emperor angel and had to be moved into a separate tank.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all, I plan to make an actual fish stocking list and get opinions but wanted to ask this one up front. My ideal is to have a tomini tang, bristle tooth (havnt decided on witch one exactly) and a purple tang. I know aggression is key so when the tank gets built first off it’ll be a 60x24” tank. Plan to design the scape with three main island. Two islands on the left and right of the tank going I’d say 2/3-3/4 of the way up with tons of arches and swim through. Middle island will be more of a small cove for a higher light clam and easy sps but should also give a nice swim lane from one island to the other. My goal was to add all three at the same time and hopefully roughly the same size. What are the chances of success here? I’ve my lfs have all three of these in a 4’ Red Sea with not noticeable issues.

Doable. Assure you add the most aggressive ast and provide proper diet and hiding

 

[mikeg18]

LFS put a 7 inch clown tang with a 14 inch emperor angel in their main display tank 10x3x3 with only one other large fish in it. Probably a total of ~ 3 large fishes and 2 small 4 inch ones. After a couple of months the clown fish started attacking the resident emperor angel and had to be moved into a separate tank.

I believe it. Too bad they’re such beautiful fish

 

[OrionN]

You won’t have any problem especially if you add them small. If they of any size at all, I would add the purple last. Growing up together, they won’t have any problem.

 

[mikeg18]

What kind of rock is that?

Aquaroche dry rock. Looks good, but wouldn’t do it again. It’s taking me three years to get corals to grow.

 

[wrgoff]

I'd recommend only one of each kind of tang - tominis are a type of bristletooth tang. Why not a purple tang, a bristletooth, and a one spot foxface?

I like the foxfaces. The only issue I am having is getting one to my house still alive. I have order 3 over the last 2 years. All arrived DOA. Kind of frustrating. Last order (25 March 2025) I got a purple tang, two Royal Grammas, and a Foxface LO. Only the Foxface didn't make it to my house alive. I have ordered from several different websites, as local stores don't seem to carry them. The other 3 are thriving now that they are in my tank.

 

[Reef Wizard]

I like the foxfaces. The only issue I am having is getting one to my house still alive. I have order 3 over the last 2 years. All arrived DOA. Kind of frustrating. Last order (25 March 2025) I got a purple tang, two Royal Grammas, and a Foxface LO. Only the Foxface didn't make it to my house alive. I have ordered from several different websites, as local stores don't seem to carry them. The other 3 are thriving now that they are in my tank.

I got mine from Dr reef and hes been a big pig ever since. Tank boss currently

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

well my tank just arrived and got it to the house. currently faced with a dillema in how to get it into the room its going. Question for all you folks, do you think itll cause an integrity problem if i rotate and stand the tank up tall wise while resting it on a flat 4 wheel dolley to move it?

also, my lfs egged me to swap one bristle tooth for a chocolate tang, said in there experience itll be more peacfull then the powder blue or browns.

 

[kboogie]

Sorry best I can do in a very bright room and the blues on.

You make me so jealous! Everyone looks healthy and happy. The aquarium is so clean! There is lots of life and it doesn't look like a barren wasteland, the way my FOWLR looks.

I hope the "Tang Police" leave you alone because it is clear your little slice of the ocean is as well done as possible!

 

[ItouchedThebutt]

New tank is in baby!!