Tang list?

[Forester]

Hi, I am in the process of planning my first saltwater tank. It will be a 125 gallon reef, and I am starting to put together a list of fish to research.

Question is, is there a list of reef compatible tangs that somebody has put together somewhere? It seems that there are so many different varieties and I don't really want to buy one and then 2 months later see a variety that I missed and maybe was the one that I liked the best.

I would like to pick the tang and then build the rest of the tank around it, so I really want to pick the right one from the start. Any ideas?

[Fishboy93]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=739380

This may help...

[Forester]

Thanks, just what I was looking for. Is that all of the most commonly available tangs?

[leveldrummer]

you can get away with quite a few tangs in a tank your size. but some tangs get very big, and some are quite aggresive to each other. check out any of the online type stores (liveaquaria.com, marinedepotlive.com) and pick out a few that you think you like, come back and let us know which ones, and we can go from there.

[Forester]

Well, I have been looking for several hours now and here are a few that I think I like.

1) Sohal Tang - Maybe too big for the tank I am going to get? Plus difficult
to find? I have never seen one in person.
2) Achilles Tang (favorite)- Difficult to find and seemingly very difficult to
keep alive.
3) Naso or naso blonde tang.
4) Sailfin Tang.
5) Clown Tang.

The 125 I want to get is 72" long so there should be plenty of swimming room and I only want to put 1 tang in there.

Anybody kept these before, and are any of them more resistant to Lateral line disease or Ich? I know how important it is to keep clean water so the chance for LLD should be minimized anyway.

I want to put it in with a community of other fish, if those other fish are important then I could list the others that I am thinking about.

[leveldrummer]

i think the last 3 on the list are good candidates, some get rather large. but with only one, you might squeeze by, which do you think you like the best? (i believe from reading, clown tangs can have a bit of an attitude, but im not sure)

[Forester]

I am having a really tough time choosing between the sailfin and naso tangs. Would it be too much tang in that tank to keep both of them? They are in different genus if that makes any difference.

[leveldrummer]

i think you would be ok, both might grow too large for a 125, the both get really big, so have a way out if that happens (someone with a larger tank, or a lfs that will buy them back or something)

i have a sailfin in a 120, and it will very likly need a new home in a year. but i have no experience with naso's, other than thinking they are very pretty.

[Forester]

Argh, too many neat fish and not enough room to put them all. Maybe I should just go for a 180 gallon tank and be good to go with both. It would only be an extra 200 bucks for the tank if I bought it new. Hmm, is it worth the 200 bucks plus cost for even more live rock and a bigger fuge, bigger stand, more lighting...? Need to think on this a bit more.

Thanks for the input.
Marcus

[Reefneck]

It really depends on how well you maintain the tank. I have a 120G with a Sailfin, Naso,Regal & Powder Blue all thriving and loving life. The sailfin will grow to almost 18 inches but we are talking 5 years out. With proper maintenance, Proper filtration, Proper food and a good eye for problems it is a thriving tank with some happy animals.

[leveldrummer]

Originally Posted by Forester

Argh, too many neat fish and not enough room to put them all. Maybe I should just go for a 180 gallon tank and be good to go with both. It would only be an extra 200 bucks for the tank if I bought it new. Hmm, is it worth the 200 bucks plus cost for even more live rock and a bigger fuge, bigger stand, more lighting...? Need to think on this a bit more.

Thanks for the input.
Marcus

dont think of the extra cost of setting up a bigger tank! think of the extra cost of setting up the smaller tank, then realizing you should have set up the larger one, and haveing to get everything all over again!!! now THATS alot of money!! go for the 180 if you can, and put the last 3 tangs on the list in there easy.

[Forester]

Originally Posted by leveldrummer

dont think of the extra cost of setting up a bigger tank! think of the extra cost of setting up the smaller tank, then realizing you should have set up the larger one, and haveing to get everything all over again!!! now THATS alot of money!! go for the 180 if you can, and put the last 3 tangs on the list in there easy.

You have a very good point there, and one that I normally try to live by. So you convinced me, I will go for the 180 after all. That opens up the possibilities for some other fish then.

Thanks for the input. I am sure I will have many more questions as I keep doing more research.

[Fishfirst]

I'd start with the sailfin... and later try the achilles... remember to quarentine all your fish and you'll do fine with both of these fish

[TheOldSalt]

Yes, good point- tangs have a common nickname- "Ick magnets," and it's not for nothing.

Sohal- big, expensive, and MEAN as hell.

Achilles- not a reef fish, but an open water fish which visits reefs occasionally. Not a good tang for any but a huge aquarium, but if you can get a good one which eats well and doesn't constantly run into the glass, then it's a nice fish. Scrappy with other tangs, but not very territorial, being a pelagic.

Nasos- get very very big, but are well-tempered and a bit less ick-prone than the other tangs, which still isn't good.