Help me out with new addition

[Shaummy]

Hey Folks,

Help me out here, I'm struggling with what I may be able to add to my tank at this point. I have a 90gal (4ft) tank with some live rock in it and it currently has a ~5in Emperor Angel, ~4in Rainbow Wrasse and a ~3in Picasso Trigger (who is a wuss )in it.

I had a Chevron Tang in the tank which I lost recently, I believe due to the angel and wrasse being a bully. I know that the angel will likely require a bigger tank or swapped out sometime in the future should it get really large.

So..that said, I struggle with what and how to put anything back into this tank due to the potential of immediate aggression against the newcomer.

Since the tank isn't huge, and some large fish already exist, do I go with some small aggressive fish like ...gasp... damsels or something like a Purple Tang which is supposed to be more aggressive than the Chevron I lost?

Do you think dottybacks, hawks or clowns could survive in this environment?

Any suggestions are welcome! Sorry for the long post

 

[sandwi54]

A 5" emperor angel is already too big for your 90g and that's where the problem is. Emperor angel needs at least an 8-foot, 250g. Being already 5" and in a small 90g, it is feeling very cramped and as a result gets aggressive, because it doesn't have enough room. You have to remove all of your fish as none of them is suitable for a 90g and get fish that fit your tank.

In the future I would suggest that you do more research on the animals you want to keep to make sure 90g can provide the long-term space requirement. FYI, a rainbow wrasse gets to 24" if you don't already know and require nothing less than a 10-foot, 500g tank. Picasso trigger requires a minimum of 6-foot, 125g too.

 

[Shaummy]

I could be over estimating the actual size of the angel at 5" and I do know it will outgrow the tank. The wrasse however will only get to ~6" according to my research (which you basically said I didn't do) so I'm not sure where you get 2 FEET versus 6 INCHES.

Maybe you got the wrong one in your research..I'm talking about the Thalassoma lucasanum.

In the future, I would suggest if all you wanted to do was bash me..I'd prefer that you just not respond and have a great day.

 

[randomfishguy85]

damsels have a bad rap in this hobby. Your set up is perfect for them in my opinion. Just be sur to pick ones that dont grow up and lose all the colour they once had. As far as a purple tang or anything larger that gets aggresive i would say it is a bad idea. It will just make your other fish more territorial. Sandwi54 is correct that you need a bigger tank, the emperor will only get meaner. The good thing about damsels is that they can escape danger better than larger fish because of thier size.

 

[dzfish17]

I could be over estimating the actual size of the angel at 5" and I do know it will outgrow the tank. The wrasse however will only get to ~6" according to my research (which you basically said I didn't do) so I'm not sure where you get 2 FEET versus 6 INCHES.

Maybe you got the wrong one in your research..I'm talking about the Thalassoma lucasanum.

In the future, I would suggest if all you wanted to do was bash me..I'd prefer that you just not respond and have a great day.

If you dont want people to "bash you", dont write "any suggestions are welcome" (first post). You asked for advice and what you got was the truth... so deal with it. You have to understand that most of the folks on here really only care about the health of the fish and not about your lack of knowledge. I agree that you should rehome the angel and buy fish more suited for your tank.

 

[anaya]

I'm gonna say perhaps you may want to try the damsel thing? At least with a bio-load such as yours they won't be adding much to it? But for all I know you're setup may be handling the load with ease. If that is the case I would be the guy to suggest one of the larger tougher clowns, like gold stripe maroon, or one from the clarkii family(the blue striped ones are stunning). If you wanna try to keep the current fish as long as possible I would think it to be best if you held off on another addition. But I say the gold stripe maroon is always awesome!

 

[Nanook]

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[mattsilvester]

A 5" emperor angel is already too big for your 90g and that's where the problem is. Emperor angel needs at least an 8-foot, 250g. Being already 5" and in a small 90g, it is feeling very cramped and as a result gets aggressive, because it doesn't have enough room. You have to remove all of your fish as none of them is suitable for a 90g and get fish that fit your tank.

x2 RE. Emporer.

Regardless of what you might add, the emporer needs to be in a bigger tank.

There is a reason why angelfish, as a family, have a reputation for being difficult to keep. It is because they tend to die more often that they live. More often that not, they die from being bullied, a common maladay such as ich, or "for some mysterious reason". The latter is probably the most commonly cited reason, and is in fact just a synonym for stress; something which angels are very susceptible to. He needs a bigger tank, now. At this size he should be undergoing his colour change. If he does get a bigger home he will be stunted, his colour pattern development retarded, and ultimately dead.

The wrasse should be ok in your tank. Thalasoma wrasse's are / can be spiteful beligerent creatures though - and the speed and agility makes them a formiddable beast.

Notwitstanding how to introduce new fish, and assuming you get rid of the emporer (or get a bigger tank, in which case you'll be posting about a new stocking list ), I would suggest a yellow tang would be a good choice - colourful and active, they are not whimps either. A small species of puffer might be an interesting choice too? There are a range of dwarf angels - flame angel is a good choice; again colourful and able to stand up for itself. A large species of clown such as a maroon, fire / tomato / clarkii.

Other opitions include hawkfish and gobies, which make a great addition to any tank.

I would suggest that you get rid of your emporer angel. Take out the wrasse for now, put him in your sump or in a small holding tank - it will be dificult to introduce anything new otherwise, as he will take on the alpha position once the emporer is gone. The select two of the fish choices I recommend above - my choice would be a flame angel and yellow tang. You could also add a hawkfish or larger, more robust goby. Then reintroduce the wrasse.