fish stocking question

[kpatterson]

My reef is now 1.5 years running. It's a 200 gallon Oceanic RR with a 150 gal fuge and 150 gal sump. I have not added any new livestock except some clean-up crew replacements in several months. I want to add another fish from my list, but I have a few questions for you guys before I decide what to do.
Currently I have:
4 blue-green chromis
2 ocellaris clowns
1 six-line wrasse

All of my corals are softies or LPS due to my PC lighting setup (MH coming soon!) SPS are in my future.

Here's what I want to add in the future:
Spotted Mandarin
Purple Tang
Sailfin Tang
Kole Tang
(tang police be kind!)

I have a couple of curlyque anemones I need to remove before I will add the mandarin.

Here are the questions:

1. I want to add the Kole Tang this week. Do you think that is OK with the current inhabitants and the future ones?
2. Could I also add a yellow tang to this list if I add the purple and yellow together last?
3. Could I add a lawnmower blenny to my list? When should it be added?
4. Any suggestions from anyone about the order to add these fish or any other fish I could consider?
5. Are there ant triggers that are reef safe that I could consider? I love the Niger trigger. Is that a possibility?

Thanks for any information you can give!

[Ray1214]

I want to add the Kole Tang this week. Do you think that is OK with the current inhabitants and the future ones?

I have found Kole's not as hardy as other tangs. I am assuming you know how to take care of it already. I don't see see why not. I lost mine in the move, but he was a pleasure to have and very easy to keep.

Could I also add a yellow tang to this list if I add the purple and yellow together last?

Don't know if I would try it. But I have seen people make it work. I am not a fan of the purple tang since a lot of them seem to develop HLL disease. I like Yellow tangs as oppose to Purple. If I want multiple tangs, it is conventional wisdom to add them together though, so you are on the right track as near as I can figure. Just don't know if they will turn on each other though.

Could I add a lawnmower blenny to my list? When should it be added?

I think Whenever. I would make sure with the vegatarians you are adding to keep sheets of nori available. The later you do it though I think it will have a tendency to hide more. The earlier, probably going to be more bolder.

Any suggestions from anyone about the order to add these fish or any other fish I could consider?

I would caution about the Mandarin. The six lined and the mandarin will probably be in direct competition with the food source. Your tank seems big enough to support both, but I like to make sure mine will eat mysis at the very least for those lean times and keep a refugium to feed mine in the good times.

Are there ant triggers that are reef safe that I could consider? I love the Niger trigger. Is that a possibility?

Supposidly some reefers kept Picasso triggers. However mine would have ate all my peppermints and my pistol shrimp in short order. Not sure about what corals they would go after, I am assuming shrooms and sps, but I wouldn't do it.

HTH

Ray

[Pamsreef]

I have a purple and yellow tang together in a 200 and they get along but watch each other alot. Never had a kole or sailfin so I can't speak for them. I totally agree with Ray that seaweed in a must for tangs. I certainly couldn't criticize for the number of tangs in a tank (I have 5). They all get along and are super fat & healthy.

A lawnmower should do fine anytime. I wouldn't try a trigger. It would probably be hard to get out if it didn't behave.

Good luck!

Pam

[Ray1214]

My Sailfin is one of the hardiest Tangs I ever kept. I kept a Sohol Tang in a 40 gal Breeder but after about a year, I traded him to someone for another fish. I figured he outgrew the tank at that time. One of the prettiest fish only tanks that I have viewed (had a few shrooms I think), the guy somehow got about 10 Yellow tangs in what I would guessitmate had to be a 400 gallon tall tank. It was kinda narrow but really tall and wide. It may have been bigger as I suck in figuring dimensions but He had 10 tangs and like 5 of those look down fish (big silver dishplates) and a bamboo shark at the bottom. They seem to get along just fine. I think he added all of those fish in groups. The tangs at one time, the look downs at one time and the shark. He had some corals but he said they were all incidentals from the live rock. Actually now that I think about it, I think it was 800 gallons.

Ray

[kpatterson]

Thanks Ray and Pam. I figured the trigger was a long shot. I've heard several people having them with no problems, but I'd rather be safe. Plus it gives me a reason to set up a FO tank in the future!
I knew the six-line and the mandarin would be competing for pods which is why I've got the 150 gal fuge going. I've still got tons of pods in the main display after having the six-line for 9 months or so (only had the fuge up and running for a month now). I've got several things to remove from the tank before I can add the mandarin (anemones and some HUGE elephant ear/hairy mushrooms). Probably will be smart and get this stuff out before a LMB is added as well.
I have heard that people have not had too many problems in larger tanks with a purple and yellow tang together as long as they were added simultaneously. So if I added the tangs in this order, will I 'hopefully' be ok? kole, sailfin, purple + yellow? I'm going to try and add the LMB and mandarin between the kole and the sailfin.

Thanks for your responses!

[Pamsreef]

Ideally it would probably be best to add the purple and yellow at the same time and I would try to get them fairly small (3"). I had my yellow 2+ years before the purple and hadn't planned on getting a purple until a local hobbiest was breaking down his tank the next day and it was going back to the fish store. He wanted him/her to go to a good home and convinced me to try it. The first few day were iffy but everything worked out.

I really like tangs and anyone who has seen my tank can speak for how fat and healthy they are. I have a yellow, purple, hippo, powder brown and chevron (I've had a couple for 4 years). Used to have a vlamingi but it outgrew my tank really fast so he now resides in a 500. FYI, some tangs really grow big fast and some grow to a certain size and stop (not really sure why). Anyway, tangs are my favorite. Would have one of every kind but it's not possible.

Enough of my rambling, Have fun picking out a tang!

Pam