Tangs, Tangs, Tangs

Palani · 11-09-2005, 02:16 AM

Ok, I've got my tank up and going for a couple of weeks now. It is a 120 that is 6ft. long and has cycled and is now stablized. Right now I've got a school of yellow pyramid butterflies, black and white heniochuses, and one yellow longnose bf. They all eat like no tomarrow. I literally feed them at least several times a day with Omega 1 flake, pellet, and freeze dried plankton and once everyother day with frozen brine, mysis, plankton, and rofiters. I know I am feeding them a wee bit, but I've made this system for SPS so there is A LOT of flow. I'm guessing since I'm giving them exercise 24/7 they need to eat more like athletes.

Well now I'm looking for tangs to fill my tank up with. For those that don't know, I'm setting up a Hawaiian fish and invert tank with corals from all over the world. I've narrowed down my selection to 3-5 convict tangs, 2-3 BABY naso tangs, and 3 yellow tangs. I've read that these three are good to keep together. I'm looking for input from people that have had these tangs together or even singlely.

I'm running a PM skimmer that is suited for a 280(?) gallon tank, so that should not be a problem. From what I read the convict tangs don't get very large, only 4-5 inches max. I've got 3 yellows that came out of the same tank, they are doing well together so I'll keep them together. As for the nasos, they like to school together when they are small and live solitarily once they get large enough. So once that happens I'll be selling them for a realativly good price. Anyone interested? It will be probably a year till that happens.

I know I am thinking of putting a lot of fish. Some of you will have to say that my tank is a little too small for all of these fish and I should limit my fish #'s. This might be true, I just wanted to run this past all of you just to see how insane I am.

I'm looking at another couple of weeks until I put these fish in there so I have lots of time to change my plans.

I'm also looking for a "BIG" yellow butterfly. I'm not talking about the size of the fish but the length of the snout. One way to tell the difference is that the eye is totally black instead of half black and half white on the standard longnose. If anyone knows where I can get a pair of those I'll be happy to get them.

Pictures to come soon once I know how to play with my roomate's digi camera.

izzypop · 11-09-2005, 09:55 AM

With all those tangs go slow and q-tank them. You might end up with ich and no fish in your new tank.
I do like the idea of a Hawaii fish specific tank. I like those dime a dozen black reef trigger fish they have for some reason.

Palani · 11-09-2005, 05:01 PM

I want to introduce them all at the same time to reduce aggresion. I'm afraid if I was to q-tank them all in a 29 gallon just one will infect the rest in such a small area, and the small area will stress them out more since they do like to swim a lot. All of my other fish had ich when they came in, espscially when they were in that small qt tank.

ron popeil · 11-09-2005, 05:59 PM

i really dont think adding that many tangs to your tank is such a good idea. i think one of each will be pushing your bioload limits as is.

if you were insistant about groups of tangs, stick with just one species, either yellow or convict. and i think you should probably expect aggression among your group inevitably. in our tanks at work, even though its small, it doesnt assauge any aggression by having 6 to 8 yellow tangs.

i think youd be better off with just one of each. too much strain on your bioload and too much aggression.

Palani · 11-09-2005, 08:50 PM

Well, I'll be taking Colt's skimmer which his Adult Imperator Angel discinigrated with no loss in fish in his tank. All we saw left of him was a pile of bones when we moved the LR out of the way. You saw how many fish he had. But you're right, I'll just take some of the convicts instead of the yellows and take some naso(s).

Ranran · 11-09-2005, 09:37 PM

Wow you like your fish! just so you know convicts get up to 8+inches naso's get 18+inches. Your heniochuses get 10 inches and the pyramid BF get up to 7". Thats a lot of fish in a 120. Of course if you are buying them all small and just plan on dumping them when they get older you will be alright. I take it you are not planning on keeping any corals in the tank?

Palani · 11-10-2005, 03:08 AM

Oh I am keeping corals in the tank. The pyramid bf is supposed to be reef safe. The heniochuses I am afraid, once they get big enough, will nibble on my SPS. Yes all of my fish are small so far, and I plan on keeping the start up fish to be small. I know the naso will get big, but I like my schools of fish. Not to mention, you will have a higher survival rate. This is the new way of how I'm acclimating my fish. So far I have a 100% survival rate ever since I have tried this new technique.

LittleFishBoy · 11-13-2005, 02:56 PM

The fish seem small enough for now. I say have at it, and post some pics when you do.

H20cooled · 11-13-2005, 03:29 PM

If you are trying to make this an SPS tank, you will have WAY too much of a bio load with that many fish. Even with a larger skimmer it will not be able to keep up with that load, now maybe if it was say a 200 or 300 gallon tank and a skimmer designed for a 500 gallon tank. Maybe you should think about this being a softy tank, but you are still going to have to do A LOT of water changes and over skimming to keep up...

Rich

AHBrit · 11-13-2005, 03:34 PM

I wouldnt have that many fish even in my 300.
I think you should at least halve your list.

To Randy's point... you're going to struggle with Corals with all the bioload.
The bioload is too high for your skimmer.
If you inroduce them all at once you're going to have a huge Ammonia spike no matter how much rock you have in your tank.

Gaidin · 11-13-2005, 04:33 PM

I concur with all the rest of the doctors....

too many fish and too high of a bioload for that size of a tank especially when you are trying to keep SPS. I had 6 tangs in my 180 and found my bioload was extremely high. and skimmer was a dual beckett about 36 inches high... running over 2000gph through it. I have since decided to lower my bioload.

LittleFishBoy · 11-13-2005, 11:23 PM

True, with all the SPS that will happen, but lets remember that he is going with small fish, and not big ones.

Palani, I take it you will eventually trade them in, or put them elsewhere? Once they get too big i mean? Or maybe youre planning on moving your corals elsewhere eventually? If so, then I really don't see much of an issue. On the other hand, if youre looking for permanancy, I would agree with them, and you should probably lighten your load.

H20cooled · 11-14-2005, 12:04 AM

If with these fish being small they are all heavy eater and very heavy on waste. With an SPS system you want to have very LOW bioload and nutriet levels, I know this from my own tank. Once I started feeding a lot less, over skimming, and not over stocking my SPS have never looked better.

Also another thing. How easy is it to trade in LARGE fish like this?

Gaidin · 11-14-2005, 01:35 AM

ok so far we know its a 120g tank. You already have a "school" of butterflies, multiple heniochuses, and one yellow long nose butterfly. you are also feeding heavily, (which by the way you mentioned feeding heavily with flake and pellet, i would recommend staying away from these since the binders tend to have a high level of phosphates). Now you want to add 3-5 convict tangs, 2-3 nasos and 3 yellow tangs not to mention the pair of the "big" yellow butterflies. Even as babies this is ALOT of fish. With the heavy feeding and the large amount of waste being produced your SPS corals are not going to be doing well. So you might take this into consideration as your decide what fish you want to keep. Maybe just a Hawaiian Species tank would be nice.

Palani · 11-14-2005, 10:56 PM

Ok, I'm back again. Just to let you guys know I'm looking to trade the standard longnose bf's for the Big longnose bf's. I have 3 small heniochuses about 2"-3" in length and 5 yellow pyramid bf's at 4"-5". I'm looking to get rid of 2 of the biggest yellow pyramids. As for tangs I'm might be thinking of getting 2 small nasos and trade one in once they get big enough. And also get 2 small convit tangs. I'm ditching the yellow tangs, I have too much yellow fish. So the proposal is as such:

3 heniochuses
3 yellow pyramid bf's
2 small nasos -> 1 large naso
2 convit tangs
1 flame angel
1 potters angel
2 Big longnose bf's

Or Maybe I can set up a Hawaiian fish only tank? I can put the pyramids and heniochuses in there. One day.

What you guys think now?