yellow tang + rant

[mark the shark]

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering what you guys thought about getting a yellow tang in a 260 litre (68 US gallons) reef?

I am buying my first fish this weekend or next:

These are the fish I would like/am thinking of:

yellow tang
firefish (possibly a pair)
royal gramma or dottyback
purple firefish
clown (common) again maybe 2.
midas blenny
flame dwarf angel

The two sources I have read state I should really only keep a yellow tang if my tank is either 150 US gallons, or the other, 79 US gallons: have any of you had success or failure with a yellow tang in a smaller volume of water than 79Gal?

My LFS usually sells juvenile fish, ive never seen a y.tang longer than 3" there. I know they can grow to 8" in the wild generally about 6" in captivity.

I don't want to buy one and it be stressed or outgrow my tank.

Also, if anyone has experience with adding a tang as a first fish please let me know as I'm not sure what to expect regarding it's sometimes terrotorial nature.

Just so you know my tank is cycled and I have a CUC:
15 nassarius
4 cerith
1 mexican turbo snail (about a one ince foot)
2 sand sifting snails ( I can't remember the name tbh, begins with T)
1 turbo (king terry - he's like, 3 maybe 4 inches accross the bottom)
2 hermits
2 cleaner shrimp

Next pay cheque I'm gonna add a few more snails hopefully get some trochus, around 12 and another 10-15 nassarius.

Anyways I would appreciate your thoughts on the tang, my fish choices and also any suggestions to my CUC

cheers


* i have a hang on refugium with LR rubble and chaeto in and at some point I plan on adding a small sump and adding the santa monica algae growing idea. I have T5 lighting one white one blue bulb, I have an aqua medic skimmer but tbh I don't need it, my refugium has a built on skimmer with an airstone which does the job. my water turnover is about 12 times an hour.

* * I've been battling hair algae for ages and have been too worried about adding new inhabitants since I went on holiday and a starfish died and consequently polluted my tank and killed everything, but i thought **** it and re-stocked my cleanup crew (without a starfish lol) and everything is going well at the moment.

 

[zoalover34]

If it were me i would add the tang last and the clowns last .. The tank is abit small for a tang and it will more than likely outgrow it in a few years.. I would go with 1 pair of firefish (i like the purple more) but then again its really up to you what you put in your tank.. If you plan on keeping any corals i would skip the flame angle b/c they are known to nip at corals.. good luck on what ever you chose to do

 

[quaddity]

If the tank is at least 4 feet long you should be ok with a yellow tang. I kept one in a 55 gallon for years until I sold the fish out of it and drained the tank for a move. It was fat and happy.

 

[mark the shark]

thanks fellas.

I was thinking I will probably get a bigger tank in a few years so I could probably get a small tang and then when I get a bigger system there would be more room to accomodate it (and other larger fish )

Thanks for the heads up about putting it in first, could of been a disaster everytimne I tried to add a new fish.

I completely missed wrasse from my fish 'shortlist' I really like exquisite, purplehead parrots, filamented flasher, leopard and the cleaner wrasse. Obviously I wouldn't get all of them though.

 

[Lorna]

I think you would probably be okay but that stocking list will push the limits of your size tank.....Tangs are messy and produce quite a bit of waste so you will want to ensure you have a good skimmer and do regular water changes if you do go that route. I have one in my 75 and he was one of the first fish *I didn't know better at the time* He has harrassed all additions to the tank since.

I would skip the wrasses especially the exquisite, purple head parrots, leopard and cleaner wrasses as they are either difficult to keep as they don't take well to prepared foods or they get too big. If you are set on a wrasse then give up on some of the fish you listed such as the dottyback (other than the orchid some are aggressive) the firefis etc....and get a nice flasher wrasse....

 

[mark the shark]

thanks for the in

 

[mark the shark]

thanks for the input Lorna, just out of interest how badly does the tang harrass new fish?

the list I posted is more of a shortlist rather than what I actually plan on getting. These are fish I like and I need to work out what combination is right, I want a really peaceful reef so I want to make sure there are no blatent clashes (firefish and purple firefish for example).

Thanks for the wrasse input i really like the flashers. Do you have any wrasse?

by the way Quaditty my tank is exactly 4 feet long

 

[Joe Fish]

I have a tang in a 65 and it's been a great fish. I have yet to see it harass any of my other fish. Lorna is right on them being messy though...

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I had an exquisite wrasse with a royal gramma, firefish, clown, and pygmy angel in a 45g. No problems whatsoever with compatability. The wrasse ate fine (but you should make sure that any wild-caught fish is eating before you buy it), until he jumped out of the tank. I now have another fairy wrasse, also gets along fine. I don't see the fairy or flasher wrasses being a problem with firefish or common clowns, depending on the dottyback you might have an issue there but if you add it after and stick to one of the more peaceful species it should be fine. I agree to skip leopard or cleaner wrasses - too difficult and cleaners shouldn't be taken from the wild.

 

[Lorna]

The only harrassing my yellow tang did was corner new arrivals and push them around.....he still has issues sometimes with my foxface but the generally hang out together for the most part. I had a great little evasive or secretive wrasse which was a great fish until it ate my shrimp and then decided to carpet surf......I now have a 6 line which is a tad aggressive in one tank and a yellow coris wrasse in the other.....I do like the coris which doesn't nip anything and is a great color along with the pygmy angel, one dark blue with yellow and the other bright yellow.....nice combination.....

 

[mark the shark]

thanks for the input guys I have the unfortunate position of not knowing anyone who keeps SW.
edit: really appreciate the compatibility comment capslock.

I got my first fish, not the most attractive fish but I got an algae/lawnmower blenny. It's shy, eats algae which helps and of course non terrotorial, perfect for my tank woo! got some green mushrooms too which are suprisingly flurescent looking.


I wont be adding to my tank until January so in the meantime I will make my fish plan, which I can imagine will take me hours!

Joefish: what else do you have in your tank? is it completely stocked?

Lorna the yellow coris wrasse look quality.
i wasnt sure what it was so looked it up, i just found the 'yellow tail coris wrasse' which also looks amazing!

is the yellow wrasse in the same tank as the yellow tang??

 

[Lorna]

no they are not together....the coris is in my 29g as the 6 line won't allow any other wrasse type fish into the 75g......quite aggressive this fellow.

the coris is all yellow.....I think that yellow tail is amazing color I have never seen one so don't know anything about them in particular...

 

[Lorna]

oh and a correction...it really isn't a yellow coris wrasse but should actually be called a Canary Wrasse.....that yellow tail will grow to in excess of 14" long ....way too big for a 65g tank....sorry....pretty fish though...

 

[mark the shark]

yeah its a shame for me but good news for the fish i suppose, they would sell like crazy if they were smaller.