can I do about 8 bangai in a 180g fowlr?

[geaux xman]

I have about 4 tangs and 3 angels. I was looking for a small group of fish.

Bought 5 from LA on sale and they ate mysis right out the bag. A while back I bought 2 larger ones from LFS and one died after 3 days.

I was wondering if a group of 8 could thrive in a 180g?

Would like to decide before tomm so I can get them ship for Fri.

If I need to lighten the load later on, I can transfer them to my 72g or 33g.

 

[pwoller]

You should be fine with that sized tank.

 

[edandsandy]

I "had" four in a 375g reef tank. The males "will"'chase each other and fight. They will need plenty of rock work to help escape from the chase.

 

[Lavoisier]

A downside to Bangai is their short life cycle--if I remember correctly it is 3-4 years max.

 

[Andrew17030]

From everything I have read, they will be fine as juveniles. When the dominant two pair off, the others will either be killed by the pair or kill a member of the same sex within the pair to gain mating rights. I have seen more than two in a tank, but, longterm might not workout.

 

[lhm nole]

In the end you will end up with a mated pair all others will be taken out

 

[altolamprologus]

A person on a breeding forum has kept a spawning group of bangaiis in a 150 gallon for at least a year now. Here's a quote directly from the thread:

"The notion that you cannot keep a group together, I would call bust. I have seen very little aggression, and much like is witnessed in a natural setting, the group keeps a pretty calm order. I will be posting my opinions regarding the last year of effort, but for the time being, I think it is safe to say that groups can be kept, as long as there is enough space, hiding places and they are not introduced as paired adults."

So to answer your question directly, yes, a group of 8 can be kept in a 180 gallon so long as there is enough rockwork to break up the line of sight between brooding males and the rest of the group, and all fish are introduced as juvis.