Which fish to keep for upgrade?

[SkyPapa]

I am upgrading to a 6 x 2 x 2 foot 180g from a 120g.
The 120 is a mixed reef, soft, lps and sps.
The new tank will be sps with some lps.

I have a 4 inch purple tang, 3 lyretails, a bartlet's, 2 chromis, a royal gramma, a coral beauty, a LMB, a small oscellaris, a firefish and a recently added one spot foxface.

I like the PT but it is an agressive fish.
It killed a CBB about 3 months ago that had been in the 120 for for 15 months with the PT. The 120 has obviously gotten too small for this fish.

I will keep the anthia and the royal gramma ( it's about 6 yo and sole survivor of a crash) and probably the firefish but I am indifferent about the others.

I would like to add more anthia and some fairy wrasses and maybe another or different tang..

I guess it mainly comes down to the PT.
Opinions?

 

[SMOOTHIE]

The CBB was the same body shape as the tang and is the reason he went after it in the smaller tank. It is a more delicate fish.
If you do plan on adding anything of similar shape I would add it before you transfer the other fish over.

 

[Sardaukar]

A 6' tank lets you move into the realm of the larger tangs, angels, butterflies and triggers. I'd either drop the purple tang or introduce it after other fish have been. Everything else should be fine with whatever else you add.

 

[SkyPapa]

Thanks folks.
While I'm not sure about butterfly and tang body similarities, I do like the idea of some butterflies.
I think pyramids seem to be the sps safe ones seen regularly (except another CBB IME) and while I haven't seen one in person, I don't care for the dark face I've seen in pics. But Snorvich thinks highly of them and I think he knows whereof he speaks.
So, I am going to find an LFS with one to see myself.

I have a 40G rubbermaid plumbed into my system for tempory fish storage for the move.
The tang would probably be OK by himself for a few weeks while I stock the tank and add him last.
Which tang to go with the PT in a 180 that will be good for a few years?

 

[jda]

You could try putting the purple in last, but I am not a believer in this method and would argue that eventually, the pattern will continue. I don't believe in the body shape theory either. Do you feed it enough? I have had about a dozen purples, and most of them have come to me from fellow reefers that thought that they were too aggressive. When I feed those babies adequately, they are not aggressive for me. It is easy to underfeed fish in a reef to keep nutrients down. A purple tang at 4" or so should be about 3/4 of an inch thick, or so.

Chocolate tangs are good tankmates and stay relatively small. Any of the bristletooths are good fish for home aquaria.

Is your coral beauty a coral nipper? If so, this might be a good chance to get rid of it. Every centro angel that I have ever owned has nipped at coral or clams - some of them I never even noticed until I saw the coral the day or two after it was gone.

 

[SkyPapa]

I feed 3 times daily for the anthias and use mysis, cyclopse, frozen veggie cubes and nori. All fish will eat any of it and all look good. The pt is maybe 5/8 inch thick

The coral beauty has left my sps and lps alone so far but I think he will go.

With your input I think the fish I'll keep are the anthia, the royal gramma, the firefish and the one spot.
Thanks.