Fish Stocking New tank

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rog2961

New member
Tank finished cycling about two weeks ago. One week ago I added a pair of clowns and they are doing well. I am looking forward to my next fish purchase but based off the research i've been doing, If I would like to have some corals, this significantly limits my choice of fish. I'd like to have some tangs at some point. From what i've read I can fit 2-3 tangs in my 6ft 155g. I didn't know If I should add them now or as the last set.

Besides that I love the angelfish but none of them are reef safe. I'd love to add a 2nd pair of black clowns but that's a big no no, mandarins aren't acceptable for my new tank as the pod population is nonexistant, theres a guy locally selling a 4" foxface that I was going to take a look at. Blue Spotted Jawfish was on my list.


I am trying to plan out my list in chunks as I'd primarily like to purchase fish online from divers den. In my opinion they have the lowest rate of diseased fishes. Due to the nature of online purchasing I would need to get 2-4 at a time for it to be worthwhile.
 
Sounds like a good plan. Foxface from my experience can be pretty docile, so it's not a bad fish to start. They do like to chew on the rocks, so I hope you have some Algae ready. They also get pretty big so you might want just the Foxface and a single Tang.
 
Lamarck angelfish are reef safe, but they are not as colorful as most angels. What type of tangs are you thinking of?
 
What types of tangs are you looking at and what future fish? I see mandarin/jawfish down the line - tangs wouldn't be aggressive to either of those.

The only (non-tang) fish I have seen certain tangs be aggressive towards are idols, rabbits, algae blennies, and the occasional angel. This is in no way exclusive, just my experience. You will notice they are all grazers, so the tang views the new fish as competition for food. If you select different fish for different ecological niches in the tank I think you will see less aggression.

Also, if you really like angels don't write them off. There are some "reef safeish" options put there. Do a lot of research on the types of corals you wish to keep then find a compatible angelfish. I would count the angel in a tang spot, you don't want to crowd the new tank right away. Good luck!
 
DopeCantWin said:
It would depend on the tangs, but why would you want to? That's bordering on too many to begin with and you probably don't have the algae capacity to make them happy.
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You don't need an algae issue for tangs to be happy. You will want to provide them with a clip or grazing block each day, though. It will stimulate natural grazing behavior, keep them busy, happy, and fed.
 
Rea17 said:
What types of tangs are you looking at and what future fish? I see mandarin/jawfish down the line - tangs wouldn't be aggressive to either of those.

The only (non-tang) fish I have seen certain tangs be aggressive towards are idols, rabbits, algae blennies, and the occasional angel. This is in no way exclusive, just my experience. You will notice they are all grazers, so the tang views the new fish as competition for food. If you select different fish for different ecological niches in the tank I think you will see less aggression.

Also, if you really like angels don't write them off. There are some "reef safeish" options put there. Do a lot of research on the types of corals you wish to keep then find a compatible angelfish. I would count the angel in a tang spot, you don't want to crowd the new tank right away. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I've seen them be aggressive toward wrasses, including fairy. Also some tangs will be very aggressive toward Blennies.
 
DopeCantWin said:
I've seen them be aggressive toward wrasses, including fairy. Also some tangs will be very aggressive toward Blennies.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I've never had issues with my tangs and wrasses. Good heads up! I have heard of Sohal tangs hating wrasses... But ime they are in a league of their own and not suitable for anything less than 300 gallons anyway.
 
The only one I am 100% sure on is a blue hippo, the one that gets ich very easily and will outgrow tanks fast. Other then that I'm leaning towards a naso, and the 3rd one is still undecided. I am running a turf scrubber at the moment so that could be a food source.
 
Those are a couple of tangs that get BIG... I wouldn't put either in a 155 (not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just personal experience). Make sure you quarantine and treat any new tang for ich and whatever else...

I used to really like hippos... I had a really bad experience with one that got very large and extremely aggressive. I had her in a 8' 240 at the time and I guess it just wasn't enough. She slashed my female clown and was barreling all around the tank scaring everyone during the daylight hours. I have heard similar stories and I can't in good faith recommend one to anyone, but everyone wants a "Dory" >:(

Check out the Ctenochaetus and Zebrasoma tangs. They stay relatively small and generally do well in more moderately sized tanks. Aggression can be an issue with the Zebrasomas. Be prepared to use an acclimation box and lights out method when introducing anyone new.
 
Rea17 said:
Those are a couple of tangs that get BIG... I wouldn't put either in a 155 (not trying to be a Debbie Downer, just personal experience). Make sure you quarantine and treat any new tang for ich and whatever else...

I used to really like hippos... I had a really bad experience with one that got very large and extremely aggressive. I had her in a 8' 240 at the time and I guess it just wasn't enough. She slashed my female clown and was barreling all around the tank scaring everyone during the daylight hours. I have heard similar stories and I can't in good faith recommend one to anyone, but everyone wants a "Dory" >:(

Check out the Ctenochaetus and Zebrasoma tangs. They stay relatively small and generally do well in more moderately sized tanks. Aggression can be an issue with the Zebrasomas. Be prepared to use an acclimation box and lights out method when introducing anyone new.
Click to expand...


haha this list keeps getting smaller at this rate i'll only have clowns in my tank! What would the growth rate on these be? For example If I buy a juvenile when its 1-1.5" big, Would we be talking 4-5 years where the size would become an issue? If this were the case it does fall in lines with my plans to get a much bigger tank.
 
rog2961 said:
haha this list keeps getting smaller at this rate i'll only have clowns in my tank! What would the growth rate on these be? For example If I buy a juvenile when its 1-1.5" big, Would we be talking 4-5 years where the size would become an issue? If this were the case it does fall in lines with my plans to get a much bigger tank.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. Tbh I have experienced very different growth rates. It all depends on how much you feed, conditions, etc. The smaller they are, the faster they will grow. Once they approach 5" or so it seems to slow down considerably. I would guess it would be around 3 years before you would need to start thinking about upgrading.
 
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