Tang advice

Oh, and it is "taboo" because we as moderators are weary of the deplorable stocking practices promoted by many, and the frequency with which other opinions are shouted down with "tang police". I have seen too many stocking questions with the only advice offered by a poster is some inane "tang police" reference. As a result, that phrase won't be allowed here.
 
Sorry...

Length of tank plays a big part in what fish can go into it...

so it is kind of important.

Like I said a bristletooth tang would work best. Small Zebrasomas are also okay. Yellow, scopas, purple, gem, NOT sailfins.

No need to get mad at people though. FYI, most "75 gallon" tanks are 48x18x18. So in the future I would not refer to yours or hers? as a 75 gallon.

But now you know the best tangs for your tank, bristletooth or small zebrasomas.
 
A scopas, a bristletooth like a kole, or even one of the mimic tangs would be OK. IME you are going to have an easier time with a tang in a smallish tank if you follow two rules: add the tang as one of the last fish, and make sure the other tank inhabitants are planktivores, and not "rock pickers" that the tang will view as competition. HTH
 
SDguy said:
A scopas, a bristletooth like a kole, or even one of the mimic tangs would be OK. IME you are going to have an easier time with a tang in a smallish tank if you follow two rules: add the tang as one of the last fish, and make sure the other tank inhabitants are planktivores, and not "rock pickers" that the tang will view as competition. HTH
Click to expand...

I agree with Peter. I have had best luck with bristletooths.
 
Thanks all for the advice. I didn't mean to post "angrily", just bothers me because even though I didn't join until a little while ago, I've been reading this forum for years (literally years.. I shut down my freshwater tanks 2 years ago in the hopes of going saltwater and have watched these forums as a means of understanding the pitfalls and problems) and I see threads turn on tone all the time. When they do, the original question gets lost, and I can't imagine the OP ever gets the answer they need.. So I was hoping to answer the tank size questions quickly and move on..
I will keep scopas and bristletooth, on my list for further research and look further at convict .. I'm still wary of any of the Tangs because I want the fish to be happy, not just "be ok".. I know the LFS will take it back if I really see a fall in attitude, I'm just concerned that by that time I will be "attached" to the fish.. There's an 8 in hippo at the LFS that they took back recently... poor guy is in a 40b and can just barely turn around. They are actively looking to rehome him, and doing the best the can for him.. but I don't want that to be what happens to MY fish..
 
BrianD said:
Oh, and it is "taboo" because we as moderators are weary of the deplorable stocking practices promoted by many, and the frequency with which other opinions are shouted down with "tang police". I have seen too many stocking questions with the only advice offered by a poster is some inane "tang police" reference. As a result, that phrase won't be allowed here.
Click to expand...
I have to admit even after taking a long break from this part of the forum, upon my return I've already lost patience twice. So if the phrase that shall not be named bothers y'all, I shall respect that. And further, I also get now that "they" don't need an easy all-encompassing term to help them dismiss good advice. :)
 
spieszak said:
Thanks all for the advice. I didn't mean to post "angrily", just bothers me because even though I didn't join until a little while ago, I've been reading this forum for years (literally years.. I shut down my freshwater tanks 2 years ago in the hopes of going saltwater and have watched these forums as a means of understanding the pitfalls and problems) and I see threads turn on tone all the time. When they do, the original question gets lost, and I can't imagine the OP ever gets the answer they need.. So I was hoping to answer the tank size questions quickly and move on..
I will keep scopas and bristletooth, on my list for further research and look further at convict .. I'm still wary of any of the Tangs because I want the fish to be happy, not just "be ok".. I know the LFS will take it back if I really see a fall in attitude, I'm just concerned that by that time I will be "attached" to the fish.. There's an 8 in hippo at the LFS that they took back recently... poor guy is in a 40b and can just barely turn around. They are actively looking to rehome him, and doing the best the can for him.. but I don't want that to be what happens to MY fish..
Click to expand...

I commend you on your forward thinking. Maybe if you told us a little about your system, and plans for it, we could suggest some tang alternatives :)
 
The tank is a non standard 75 gal, 5 foot long, 18 high, 18 wide. Total volume would actually probably 85 for that, but I keep a water line lower than the absolute top.. because of the circulation of the water.. This isn't a problem with my other two tanks because they are open top, where are this one has a top molded in for bracing, more like other acrylics. Currently is has two simple power heads for water movement, and is running with two HOB filters (the "wet dry" ones with the bio wheels (recycle)) until I get the overflow and fuge setup. 50 pounds of Marco setup in two islands, plus about 10 or 15 pounds LR from one of the other tanks. It's currently housing a cleaner shrimp (he was nipping my nem to death) and 3 chromis to get it off and going. The fuge will be a 40b, and I haven't decided on the skimmer yet.. I'm not skimming on it now because the bioload is so low.. and because I want to give the pods a chance to build up with some extra nutrients in the system.. (I need to get the overflow and skimmer in soon to ensure I'm not building up stuff in the rock, I know) The tank has been through a diatom bloom, and a green algea bloom (both small, and small water changes got kept it under control) I change about 5 gallons a week now.. haven't seen the need to do more. RO/DI water from the start.
The chromis eat a variety of frozen that I "melt" in tank water spiked with phytofeast, which is what I feed my other tanks. (More like tank, the 30 cube just has a RBTA in it now, growing out and acclimating so it mostly just gets cyclopeeze and some phtyo here and there) The tank also houses a mushroom rock and a zoa colony, just because I couldn't take all the white :-) Lighting is two dual bulb T5 fixtures, each running one actinic and one 10k. If I decide on more sps/lps rather than just the misc mushrooms and the zoas (high in the tank), I'd add more light. I'm looking at this tank as being more FOWLR but not completely if that makes sense..
I'm taking my time with the tank, and researching fish.. I don't know that I'll be going with a tang.. I don't know that I'm ruling one out either.... The tank is very much a work in progress.. and something other than a tang may catch my fancy long before its time to stock something that needs a mature tank. I like to research though, and have this stuff "in my back pocket" for when I walk into the LFS and see that "have to have it" fish....
 
OK, great info... I was suspecting a FOWLR type tank...wanted to be sure. Sounds like you have nice open rockwork (two islands). What gph are the two powerheads? You mention overflow and fuge... does this mean you will have a sump too? I'd get the skimmer sooner than later, and phase out the biowheel filters, which can produce more nitrate than desired.

While my tang suggestions would be fine, you could also look into dwarf angels and certain butterfly fish, considering your limited coral selection.
 
Fuge/sump - The plan is to partition the 40b so its kinda a combo.. I have a second 40b, and an old 55 though so it was thinking of eventually using the second 40b/55 for sump, and keeping the original 40b as fuge which is why I referred to it that way.. I don't have a second overflow yet, and I don't have return pumps yet.. I'm researching all the plumbing stuff still.. much scarier than fish selection IMHO, because this whole overflow thing just brings the idea of a swimming pool in my living room to the front of my mind. I have a nice open stand (wrought iron), and given that I don't pull the trigger on the 48x48x30 glass cages tank, I hope to plumb all the tanks together.. I have to get one working with an overflow first though to build confidence in the lack of flooding, and I'm holding off pulling the trigger on that until I have a few days off so I can be home for the pool party.

The power heads are rated for 50gal tanks, one high right, one low left. I can see decent flow without dead spots when I feed... may have to ratchet that up or adjust as things get added, moved in the tank though..
 
Are you able to supply us a picture? Plumbing all tanks together would make me nervous. Can you tell us your plan for that? And I endorse Peter's suggestion to move a skimmer to the top of the list.
 
75.jpg


Crappy pic, and its a month or more old... but here's the pick.

As for the skimmer.. soon.. but I don't want to buy a HOB.. so I think I have to get the overflow set up first.. right?
 
As for plumbing them together, my plan is not much of a plan yet.. I'm considering running pex, but I'm having trouble with figuring out flow.. because I can T in and out, (or tree) and check valve, but figuring out how to keep volume consistent just throws the whole thing into a loop.

Sorry about size of the pic.. I don't have anything handy to resize..
 
One thing from your picture -- I would get rid of the air stone -- going to (( and can already see it )) cause a lot of salt creep.
 
The airstone goes when the skimmer and overflow come in...it makes me more comfortable about oxygenation for now tho.. probably not needed, but it makes me "feel" better..
 
spieszak said:
The airstone goes when the skimmer and overflow come in...it makes me more comfortable about oxygenation for now tho.. probably not needed, but it makes me "feel" better..
Click to expand...

While I agree with Peter's air stone elimination you need to be sensitive to changes in SG with the salt creep.

And I like your aquascaping.
 
I keep an eye on SG.. the creep isn't as bad as it looks.. What you can see is on a old florescent hood that I didn't care enough to clean often enough..but I'll pull the airstone.. and thanks on the aqua-scaping. I could be happier with it.. but seems the only way that would happen would be if it were in someone else's tank.. if that happened I might Love it. :-)
 
Go with one of the smaller bristletooth tangs, the Tomini is the most beautiful IMO and stays fairly small. That is a very interesting size for a tank but I like the dimentions.
 
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