Starting a new tank need help !!

[Dryliis]

Hi !! i'm totally new to saltwater aquarium, and i'm fond of the Blue tang fishes, it is my dream to have a saltwater aquarium with those fish inside, but i don't know anything about how to start a saltwater aquarium, maybe you could explain how to start it ? thank you !!

also if you have any recommendation of what equipment should i buy let me know !! thank you

 

[griss]

Tangs require large tanks and having multiple tangs in a tank can lead to aggression issues.

There is no ONE way to do things right in this hobby. So, you've given us a pretty open-ended question Let's start with what size tank you have room for and we'll go from there.

 

[Deberber]

Hi Dryliis, its a great hobby to get into and everyone does it a bit different. If you have a local reef store, I'd start there and ask staff for a few starter tips as well. As for blue tangs, definitely need a large system, of at least, bare minimum 150 gallon with as much swimming room as possible, ideally though 200, as they can grow quite large. Easier to maintain long run than smaller tanks, but start-up costs are going to be much more.

If you don't want to go that large, you can always look at some smaller tang options like Kole or Tomini tangs, less colorful but still a beautiful tangs in their own right!

Generally speaking equipment, make sure filtration is adequate, with a tank that size you're going to have separate sump tank with all the filtration parts (for the blue tang tank probably looking at a separate 70-100 gallon sump tank), powerheads for water movement, and if you want corals there are some great threads out their for lighting.

If you are looking for smaller scale their are some great other fish alternatives to tangs though that we'd be more than happy to share.

 

[Tturtudau]

Hi,
I'm new as well, so can give you my thoughts. If you do not have time to read all the below my advice is to start small and gradually build bigger tanks until you reach your goal. Smaller tanks are easier to manage. You can always sell or upgrade your setup along the way.

The types of criters you want will decide the aquarium setup you will need (how big and how advanced). There are three basic questions you need to answer before starting to plan entering the hobby:
Do you want a fish tank, o coral tank or mixed?
Do you have room & funds to have a large setup or not (again depending on the requirements of the fish/coral)
How much time you want to dedicate to the hobby

What you plan to keep inside: larger / multiple fish will dictate a bigger tank. Tangs are large fish so you will need a large tank with a sump and strong filtration both mechanical and bilogical. Smaller fish, coral only can go nano 10-20g and even below.
Size: there is always a trade-off between size and stability (and equipment). I've seen coral only nano tanks with minimal setup. You cannot get away with this if you have a large tank.
I have a 30L nano tank. At this size the running costs are very very low. I buy rodi water do not need a rodi setup. I can easily restart the tank in one day if it crashes, including cleaning, new sand new rocks etc. Trade-off is I need to check it often ...if something dies, the water quality can be affected quickly. Larger aquariums need lots of sand, live rock. Larger more powerful multiple lights. Stronger filtration, multiple powerheads. Sump is a must. Most likely rodi filter as you will need a lot of water. Changing 10% of water weekly is costly as you need a lot of salt.
The time: this is a tricky one. Smaller tanks require less time to set up, less time to change water but require you to spend more time on checking parameters. Large tanks require a lot of initial time but are more forgiving if something is not working well due to larger volume of water.

 

[Gledfordjr]

Hello, I have a 190 gallon tank (78 x 24 x 24) and I’m trying to figure out what to add and when. Here are the list of fish we are interested in getting. please let me know if these are good together or not and how many of each would work. And what order should I add them to the tank

Coral Beauty Angelfish (1)

• Flame Angelfish (1)

• Clownfish (2)

• Anthias (School 6-12)

• Diamond Watchman Goby (1)

• Yellow Watchman Goby (1)

• Firefish Goby (1)

• Blonde Naso Tang (1)

• Regal Blue Tang (1)

• Sailfin Tang (1)

• Royal Gramma (2 to 3 female per one male)

• Green Chromis (1)

• Powder Blue Tang (1) add last to tank

Thanks!

 

[Reefing102]

You may have issues with having two dwarf angels in the same tank.

The tangs I would add last. Not sure if there’s really an order for those.

Not sure if the watchman and diamond gobies will get along. Otherwise I think you should be good.

 

[griss]

You may have issues with having two dwarf angels in the same tank.

The tangs I would add last. Not sure if there’s really an order for those.

Not sure if the watchman and diamond gobies will get along. Otherwise I think you should be good.

Agree.

 

[T Diddy]

As @reefing102 said, adding the tangs last (and simultaneously) should minimize any out of control aggression. They’ll still sort out their own pecking order, but aren’t likely to kill each other. As for the watchman and diamond goby, the same principle applies. If the aquarium is large enough, and I think it is in this case, they’ll probably tolerate each other as long as they respect each other’s boundaries.

 

[Gledfordjr]

Thanks

 

[Gledfordjr]

Hi,
I'm new as well, so can give you my thoughts. If you do not have time to read all the below my advice is to start small and gradually build bigger tanks until you reach your goal. Smaller tanks are easier to manage. You can always sell or upgrade your setup along the way.

The types of criters you want will decide the aquarium setup you will need (how big and how advanced). There are three basic questions you need to answer before starting to plan entering the hobby:
Do you want a fish tank, o coral tank or mixed?
Do you have room & funds to have a large setup or not (again depending on the requirements of the fish/coral)
How much time you want to dedicate to the hobby

What you plan to keep inside: larger / multiple fish will dictate a bigger tank. Tangs are large fish so you will need a large tank with a sump and strong filtration both mechanical and bilogical. Smaller fish, coral only can go nano 10-20g and even below.
Size: there is always a trade-off between size and stability (and equipment). I've seen coral only nano tanks with minimal setup. You cannot get away with this if you have a large tank.
I have a 30L nano tank. At this size the running costs are very very low. I buy rodi water do not need a rodi setup. I can easily restart the tank in one day if it crashes, including cleaning, new sand new rocks etc. Trade-off is I need to check it often ...if something dies, the water quality can be affected quickly. Larger aquariums need lots of sand, live rock. Larger more powerful multiple lights. Stronger filtration, multiple powerheads. Sump is a must. Most likely rodi filter as you will need a lot of water. Changing 10% of water weekly is costly as you need a lot of salt.
The time: this is a tricky one. Smaller tanks require less time to set up, less time to change water but require you to spend more time on checking parameters. Large tanks require a lot of initial time but are more forgiving if something is not working well due to larger volume of water.

Great info

 

[five.five-six]

Hello, I have a 190 gallon tank (78 x 24 x 24) and I’m trying to figure out what to add and when. Here are the list of fish we are interested in getting. please let me know if these are good together or not and how many of each would work. And what order should I add them to the tank

Coral Beauty Angelfish (1)

• Flame Angelfish (1)

• Clownfish (2)

• Anthias (School 6-12)

• Diamond Watchman Goby (1)

• Yellow Watchman Goby (1)

• Firefish Goby (1)

• Blonde Naso Tang (1)

• Regal Blue Tang (1)

• Sailfin Tang (1)

• Royal Gramma (2 to 3 female per one male)

• Green Chromis (1)

• Powder Blue Tang (1) add last to tank

Thanks!

IMO, add all the tangs at the same time. YMMV

Once they pick out their territories, adding a new tang is going to be disruptive

The PBT is a rough one, they are very sensitive to ick and aggressive AF. They end up fighting which leads to stress which leads to compermised immune systems.


PBT are a gorgious fish, can be worth the effort.