New Clown Tang in my 73.5" 150g

[exsequor]

So I picked up a 3" clown tang that my LFS ordered in for me, and I picked him up three days after they got him.

Did a 60 minute acclimation last night, and did my evening feeding (with high quality garlic soaked flakes) and he ate like a pig. He's also been picking on the algae like the yellow.

The yellow is the only fish that has been an ******* to him, but he's able to out swim him, and he'll hide in a number of caves in which the yellow cannot physically reach him.

I am wondering if I should be excited by the fact my clown tang is already eating flake foods, or if that's pretty normal, and it's the keeping the fish long term (multiple years) that is the "expert" part about the fish.


This tank was built around this fish, to a degree. I chose a 12,000L/hr return pump for the trigger systems ruby 36 elite sump.

Among other things I am running a 36w UV, and 4x 5,000L/hr circulation heads connected to turn off and on every 10 minutes for random circulation.

Fish I already had:

6" yellow tang
7" marine betta
4.5" soldierfish
3.5" hawkfish
4" blenny
x2 1.5" cardinalfish
x3 2" chromis
x1 3" dalmation molly

Salinity 1.025
Phosphate 0.0 - .001

I'm running some real nice GSP, zoas, kenya tree, candy cane coral, and some other very easy corals like mushrooms.

 

[Dmorty217]

Eating already is good but doesn't mean your in the clear. They are sensitive to water quality changes, especially Oxygen levels. I will warn you that the clown will reach a 5-6" size and start killing all other tank inhabitants, he will also start attacking you when your hand goes in the tank. Clown tangs need their own systems period

 

[exsequor]

Good to know. I don't believe that that will happen in my tank, but if it does, I have plenty of other "real estate" for him. I'm running 1,078 gallons at the house right now between 14 tanks and some of their sumps.

The cool thing is, in addition to all of this, I also own two granite shops with a combined 4,300 inside sq ft (45,000 sq ft of yard, too). Anyway, I've got an empty room that I can convert into a 12x12x16' fish room / store.

I should be good in those regards. I think the harder part will be seeing if he makes it, fate, wise.

2nd day and he's doing good, he's eating good. Fed frozen brine & squid and he was chowing down like all the rest of his tank mates.

 

[exsequor]

Is there something I'm supposed to have to provide oxygen besides a high end sump, a large refugium that the light runs 24/7 on, a high end DC return pump, and a pretty decent DIY wavemaker system?

Right now, I assume my oxygen is coming from my refugium, skimmer, and from the fact that my base turn over from my return pump is 24.8x, and up to 68x when all the wavemakers are powered up.

 

[BigBlueTang]

If you end up making that fish room, please give me a call. I'd love to help.

I wouldn't keep a clown tang. I dove with them this summer, and the amount of space those guys cover in 5 minutes is ridiculous. Just a thought.

 

[exsequor]

It's going to happen at some point this winter, after I finish the fish room in my garage. I just finished setting up a 175g rotomold cylinder for ro/di storage, with a output tube for filling buckets and jugs, and then another output tube that leads to a pump that fills a couple 50g containers that store seawater.


My house is in OCC (Old Colorado City), and the shop where the future fish room will be is just a couple miles north of downtown CS.

No doubt man I'll take some help anytime. I'll let you know when it's going down, when I start buying parts for the build.

I'm going to go take a look at a custom 96" glass tank in parker today, guy only wants $250-300 cash, so it may be the perfect set up for the clown as he grows. The tank holds around 235g

 

[exsequor]

If you end up making that fish room, please give me a call. I'd love to help.

I wouldn't keep a clown tang. I dove with them this summer, and the amount of space those guys cover in 5 minutes is ridiculous. Just a thought.

Oh and dude, he is so fast. The only fish in the tank "faster" then him is the soldierfish, and that's just in quick spurts, not the long 6' jet-like swims the clown tang already emparks upon across the tank.

Man you got to dive with them?? Fiji, Maldives, or Vanuatu area?

How large were the ones you dived with, and how do they behave towards each other in nature?

 

[Anthony357]

clown tangs are awesome!

 

[BigBlueTang]

Oh and dude, he is so fast. The only fish in the tank "faster" then him is the soldierfish, and that's just in quick spurts, not the long 6' jet-like swims the clown tang already emparks upon across the tank.

Man you got to dive with them?? Fiji, Maldives, or Vanuatu area?

How large were the ones you dived with, and how do they behave towards each other in nature?

Australia, Great Barrier Reef

I saw little spurts of aggression. Most of them were large 12"+, and due to my excessive research on this forum, I made sure to not get too close. The place where I saw them the most is hard to explain. Think of like a 40 foot wall of rock, and then there is about 5 feet from the top of the wall of rock to the surface. Turbulent as hell in that 5 foot area. Crazy water movement. Mostly saw them there. Hundreds of them. Aggression wasn't very apparent, and they seemed more interested in keeping all the massive parrotfish away from them. But other than that, mostly kept together and grazed.

 

[scooter31707]

tank is too small. eventually he is going to be the only fish in the tank.

 

[GimpyFin]

Clowns are cool fish, but I have to agree with a couple of the others. Clowns and Sohals can be holy terrors when they get bigger. I'd just be prepared for the possibility that he'll turn on your existing fish. Especially in a 150g tank.

 

[exsequor]

Australia, Great Barrier Reef

I saw little spurts of aggression. Most of them were large 12"+, and due to my excessive research on this forum, I made sure to not get too close. The place where I saw them the most is hard to explain. Think of like a 40 foot wall of rock, and then there is about 5 feet from the top of the wall of rock to the surface. Turbulent as hell in that 5 foot area. Crazy water movement. Mostly saw them there. Hundreds of them. Aggression wasn't very apparent, and they seemed more interested in keeping all the massive parrotfish away from them. But other than that, mostly kept together and grazed.

Ah man that's awesome. It's cool to hear it described like that. I've lived on the Pacfic for a number of years in CA, and visited the Atlantic and Carribbean, and got to snorkel in FL & Caribbean, but I've NEVER scuba dived. That's bad ***. How long have you been diving for?

Man that's so cool, they LOVE current. So I found me the perfect final tank for this clown if he makes it (which so far, so good *knocks on wood*).

I found a 84"L x 24"W x 22"H 220g custom tank with stand, real nice trigger sump and then a direct plumbed trigger refugium, it's got nice dual drilled overflows and returns and it's just wonderful proportions for a tank.

He wants $300. Price so low because the tank likely weighs 800 pounds. He said he used 6 guys to move it, but I'm banking on using 4 or 5. I have a 16' trailer with a ramp When we move it down the 58 miles from N. Parker to the shop, I'll just unload it and move it to its final location inside where the fish room is going to be with my forklift.

The tough part will be getting it through the door way, through the garage, and onto the trailer at the sellers house. You don't happen to ever be in the S. Aurora/N. Parker area very often, do you, BigBlue?

 

[scooter31707]

Still too small

 

[BigBlueTang]

I've only been diving for 6 months. I'm only 16 so getting my cert this early was great! I go pro'd all of our dives and am currently editing it. I'll make a thread with pictures and the edited copy soon enough
Not really during the schoolyear. I could maybe get up there during weekends, but it's kind of a pain in the *** from Boulder.


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[m0nkie]

congrat on the Clown tang! one of my favorite fish.

don't get too comfortable with it though. If you start seeing missing fish, take the big boy out. they go 1 minute peaceful 1 minute kill everybody

 

[BigBlueTang]

congrat on the Clown tang! one of my favorite fish.

don't get too comfortable with it though. If you start seeing missing fish, take the big boy out. they go 1 minute peaceful 1 minute kill everybody

What he said..

As much as I am super excited for this build, I would highly recommend not getting one of these guys. A fish better left in the ocean. Sohal's too. Another guy who lives in Westminster who I am good friends with is setting up a 700 gallon, and I think a sohal can go in a tank like that.. But anything smaller than that is a crapshoot. I would highly highly recommend getting a show fish like an Achilles Tang. A much better choice IMO..

 

[scooter31707]

What he said..

As much as I am super excited for this build, I would highly recommend not getting one of these guys. A fish better left in the ocean. Sohal's too. Another guy who lives in Westminster who I am good friends with is setting up a 700 gallon, and I think a sohal can go in a tank like that.. But anything smaller than that is a crapshoot. I would highly highly recommend getting a show fish like an Achilles Tang. A much better choice IMO..

I wouldn't do the Achilles neither, not in a 150.

 

[BigBlueTang]

He said he's getting a 7' 220. That should be plenty.


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[scooter31707]

got it. I agree.

 

[exsequor]

Here's some pictures of the Clown Tang from the other day. I have video too. Anyway to post video on here without putting it on Youtube?