Tangs

[frankieboy]

Thanks Bruno yellow tang, powered blue, hippo tang. Keep them in mind so true percula clownfish will be ok, chromis reef blue green schooling fish or they are others what you think.

 

[brunoboarder2444]

anthias are pretty and school, also look through all the reef safe wrasses they come in every size and color

 

[frankieboy]

Thanks Bruno ill check does fish out, true percula clownfish is it ok with tangs. And what a good cleaner crew reef safe, Can I add to a fowlr.

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[brunoboarder2444]

Thanks Bruno ill check does fish out, true percula clownfish is it ok with tangs. And what a good cleaner crew reef safe, Can I add to a fowlr.

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a bunch of snails(turbos, cerith, dwarf cerith, nassarius, nerite), cleaner shrimps(scarlet, skunk, blood, etc), micro brittle stars and hermits(blue leg and scarlet legs do best and are safest) are the basics.....stay away from most larger crabs as they usually tend to cause problems....

i personally like emerald crabs they're great for bubble algae and other algaes but i know others have had issues before

coral banded shrimp are ok cleaners as well but dont always get along with other shrimp but in such a large tank should be fine

another shrimp with mixed reviews is true peppermint shrimp....they are very good at eating aipstasia but some have been known to pick at certain corals but i havent seen any that have...just keep well fed

conch snails can be very good on keeping sandbeds clean but can knock loose things on sand beds over

other good snails (sort of) would be fuzzy chitons and limpets

most people don't factor in fish as part of their clean up crew but if picked out the right way they can be fairly helpful....algae eating blennies can help keep algae growth in tanks down....another fish that can be helpful are fish that eat worms/flatworms etc just in case some ever make it into your tank, most wrasses will do the trick....aipstasia eating fish can be helpful as well however some fish will eat aipstasia exclusively or they will pick at coral polyps so its a gamble with them but people have success with certain filefish and butterflies as well as copperband butterflies

again look into these fish and do your research...also read up on other clean up crew members i listed as well since some will only target certain foods and will starve if food supply runs out so if they finish cleaning everything you may have to supplement their diet or train onto other prepared foods

 

[Awibrandy]

Frankie, you happen to like the very same tangs as I. I always introduce my tangs in 3s. This keeps them from attacking just 1 to the point of killing it. I will be keeping a Yellow, Powder Blue, and a Purple tang in my 6' 155 gal. bowfront. I will be introducing them all at the same time. Keep in mind that my tank has been running for many years now so I know my system can handle it. It is also best to keep tangs in odd numbers.

The anthias fish are quite lovely. You do have to feed them several times a day which can pollute your water so you have to do more maintenance in order to keep that water nice and clean for the inhabitants. Also, some are a bit delicate, and should be left to the more experienced reefers.
The pair of clowns is fine.
Do look at the "Reef Safe" wrasse, they are also beautiful fish. I plan to keep a few of those as well. Here again you need to research carefully as some may eat your shrimps, feather dusters, and so on.
CUC, Bruno has given you a nice list there. When it comes to CUC (clean up crew) I don't get to many. My way of thinking is that the amount of algae should dictate the amount of the CUC. For instance; for quite a few years I have had no algae so I kept a very small amount of cuc. I am now experiencing a bit of an issue with diatoms & a small amount of green hair algae on the pieces of rocks I got a month ago. So I have more of CUC then ever before.

 

[brunoboarder2444]

if awi has personally had a purple and yellow together she may know a little more than me but i figured they are both from the zebrasoma family so there is high odds on them fighting but its not a guarentee

 

[frankieboy]

Thanks awibrandy for advice. my plan to put three tangs at a time in tank just like you mentioned, after I qt them, cuc will be very little not to much stocked.

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[frankieboy]

Bruno you know your stuff, bin researching on tangs and deciding witch ones I want to stock that you mentioned. Also deciding on tank size as well, want to mix fish size if it can be done. I'm planning on buying a book marine fish handbook saw a few on amazon, haven't decide witch one to get cause one book is also for breeding , even doe I research online I google a lot. I understand hobby is costly but I want to setup right and once, for 17 years I did freshwater, I breed pink convicts they were in the chilid family of fish. What I know is good husbandry time and patience with hobby. Only thnk is I'm nervous on what to get and tank size to choose my mind is lost I wanted to do a 150 gallon tank but size of tangs when they become an adult size
I thought 180 gallon Like I researched about tangs. Thinking now why not go 20 gallons more to 200 gallons. Other think I'm nervous about is plumbing to setup sump refugium, I have a book called the reef aquarium volume 3 reading book to understand hobby. But its hard to decide any opinions suggestion advice Bruno please do and what you feel about my tank sizes.

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[brunoboarder2444]

Bruno you know your stuff, bin researching on tangs and deciding witch ones I want to stock that you mentioned. Also deciding on tank size as well, want to mix fish size if it can be done. I'm planning on buying a book marine fish handbook saw a few on amazon, haven't decide witch one to get cause one book is also for breeding , even doe I research online I google a lot. I understand hobby is costly but I want to setup right and once, for 17 years I did freshwater, I breed pink convicts they were in the chilid family of fish. What I know is good husbandry time and patience with hobby. Only thnk is I'm nervous on what to get and tank size to choose my mind is lost I wanted to do a 150 gallon tank but size of tangs when they become an adult size
I thought 180 gallon Like I researched about tangs. Thinking now why not go 20 gallons more to 200 gallons. Other think I'm nervous about is plumbing to setup sump refugium, I have a book called the reef aquarium volume 3 reading book to understand hobby. But its hard to decide any opinions suggestion advice Bruno please do and what you feel about my tank sizes.

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a 150 would be fine, 180 better, 200 sounds grand though...you could probably add in a couple other large fish with the 50 gallons more for a 200....just keep in consideration the cost of salt for water changes etc goes up the bigger your tank is and the larger the tank the more powerful the skimmer needed plus powerheads

if you are planning on doing mp's if you go longer than 6' you are either going to need a 3rd mp40 on the back glass or upgrade to 2 mp60s more than likely i could be wrong so if someone wants to chime in feel free

in all honesty the way i learned about most fish was reading other peoples build threads plus surfing through liveaquaria and every other online vender and whatever fish i liked i would just research more etc

 

[brunoboarder2444]

for sumps/refugiums just brows through other peoples DIYs and start trying to find a design you like best....when i finish mine ill post some pictures....im using a 90g for my 150 plus another small fuge as well probably

 

[frankieboy]

Thanks Bruno how many tangs you have stocked in your 150. And you think a 200 gallon is to big, I want to do 3 to 4 tangs like mentioned other day and I know to research they get big, I feel 150 would be to tight overstocked. I can be wrong, also want other fish with tangs so that's why tank size is hard to decide. Yes I will be going with mp40s, setting up build is driving me crazy hard to decide. Cause after fowlr I want to do a mixed reef, for tank I want canopy and stand, also what do you think about lighting t5 or leds, when I make final decision on tank I plan to buy equipment needed for setup. Protein skimmer, gfo reactor, mp40s powerheads, heater, refractometer, live rock, live sand, thermometer (digital have one already unused) ro/di unit storage container for top off 5 gallon bucket, also an ato resoviar with a float valve. So what do you think of my planning missing anything, and can i ask how long you bin in hobby.

Oh plan to buy lighting one time so after fowlr I start mixed reef I have it already what do you think about this too.

 

[fishman1069]

Why not just go reef from the start? I understand you are nervous but we are all here to help. There are some things you gotta learn by doing it. You can read and read and read but until you have hands on experience, the reading means squat. Just jump in already lol I would get the biggest tank money and space will allow. Upgrading is a pain in the ass and trust me, you are gonna want to upgrade. Good luck with whatever you decide. Happy reefing

 

[lnevo]

Why not just go reef from the start? I understand you are nervous but we are all here to help. There are some things you gotta learn by doing it. You can read and read and read but until you have hands on experience, the reading means squat. Just jump in already lol I would get the biggest tank money and space will allow. Upgrading is a pain in the ass and trust me, you are gonna want to upgrade. Good luck with whatever you decide. Happy reefing

+1 frankie!! It seems you have a good grasp on the major concepts and you have a basic equipment stocking plan. I would go with the 180. A slight bit bigger than your original 150 without going overboard. Remeber as you get bigger you will need more of everything...more coral, more fish, more food, more salt, more equipment, more rocks, more sand...price starts to go up exponentially.

I would start your tank as a mixed reef. You can add some easy corals as soon as you are cycled. At this point get a tank, stand and sump at minimum and work on your plumbing. Once thats out of the way, you can get your cycle started and start adding equipment. You wont need lights, skimmer, gfo, etc until you are into the cycle anyway.

You do want to choose your sump/skimmer combo to make sure you will have enough room for it but otherwise, i think you have enough info and resources here to get started.

 

[brunoboarder2444]

my plan is 3 tangs and a trigger and maybe one other sort of large fish for a 150....buy lighting once, you'll be better off....whenever you get set up, stable, and the hang of it with a FOWLR let me know and ill see what kind of goodies i have to spare

 

[frankieboy]

Fishman1069 I was thinking of going reef right of the bat, I thought get comfortable with fowlr for a little then reef. So what do you think about 200g tank 6 feet long cause I was planning 150g but tangs can get big. And do you feel about mixed sizes of fish, stocking list is not steady yet, yellow tang and true percula clownfish is top of list. Any comments advice suggestion please do. thanks

 

[fishman1069]

A typical 180 is 72" x 24" 24". If you wanna stay at the six foot length, i wouldnt go any bigger. The tank will only get taller with more gallons and tall tanks are a p.i.t.a. If you can go longer, like 7' , that would be even better for tangs. I would worry more about the size tank, sump and equipment you want. Get that stuff and start cycling. You will have pleanty of time waiting for the cycle to plan your livestock

 

[frankieboy]

Thanks fishman1069 so go with a standard 180g tank, and what do you think about mixing fish sizes, Medium and small fish, any good cuc you can Suggest for a reef setup. thanks

Lol soon ill go to aquarium village to look at tanks or Manhattan aquarium again thanks for all your opinions I keepl all you said in mind.
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[frankieboy]

Thanks inveno for advice, buy tank and sump, so buy other equipment later after tank is cycled. Or can I buy all at once keep them on the side till tank is cycled, mp40s how many needed for flow in a 180g tank. 3 inch sand bed ok, my refugium will be macro algae cheato what do you suggest sandbed or lr in
Sump,I will post build when I start, thanks

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[brunoboarder2444]

Thanks fishman1069 so go with a standard 180g tank, and what do you think about mixing fish sizes, Medium and small fish, any good cuc you can Suggest for a reef setup. thanks

Lol soon ill go to aquarium village to look at tanks or Manhattan aquarium again thanks for all your opinions I keepl all you said in mind.
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its worth the ride to go shop for fish/inverts to go to max reefs....if you're picking up a few fish especially the savings will be more than the tolls...another tip buy rock from other members its much cheaper and fully cured

for a 180 a minimum of 2 mp40s....one on each side, a small powerhead or two behind rocks cant hurt but not necessary

...you could do 3 one on each side and one center back or even 4 one on each side and the other two evenly spread on back glass but for now stick with 2 mp40s and add if you feel you need more

...sand bed in the fuge....rocks will get detritus stuck between and cause high nitrates....you could have some but mostly just a deep sand bed in fuge

 

[frankieboy]

Thanks Bruno for suggestion ill keep that store in mind, and ill go with 2 mp40s thanks, cause you bin very helpful all that you suggested advice given will make me ready for setup.

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