New Fish Question (Tang)

[scubasteve]

I currently have a 72gallon tank that has been established for close to a year and a half, with a bicolor dwarf angel, and three blue/green chromis. I'm convinced the bicolor has grown to full size , he's about 3-4 inches or so and hasn't grown in awhile. I'm going to add new fish and would like some feedback.

I would like to get one 'big' fish for the tank and was looking at buying a large yellow tang from liveaquaria (website says 3.5-6) inches. I was debating between the yellow tang and the blue tang, i'm leaning towards the yellow because a) it costs less for the bigger fish b) even though i like the looks of the blue better, i'm concerned if I buy a smaller one that it won't grow to the larger size I would like it to.

If I got the yellow tang, and later on got a clown and a goby, should I still be under the max fish load for my tank. Using the 2.5" to 10g rule, the fish I have now add up to about 6", the yellow tang would be ~6", and between the clown and goby I should be able to keep those under 5.5" left .

Opinions suggestions are welcomed, especially on any experiences with the two tangs i'm debating.
Thanks alot.

 

[StripesTheEel]

Sounds good to me..

But if you do go with that i'd add

Goby
Clown x2 (you could do a pair if you like)
Yellow Tang

Just so the smaller fish can establish their territory..

Good LUCK!

P.S. Blues are cool but should be 100gal +, otherwise they may become ich magnets.

 

[Fluff]

The fish list sounds fine, go for the yellow. But I agree with Stripes, add the tang last. Tangs can be aggressive and if added first, may harass any new fish added. Good luck.

 

[scubasteve]

ok thanks alot guys. I was thinking the same thing you mentioned about adding the tang last after seeing some other info on them being aggressive.Can you reccomend a cool looking goby, something colorful maybe?

 

[Fluff]

Oh, so many choices. I love the catalina, the yellow watchman is popular, diamonds are nice and these three are usually readily available. If your ordering online, the red banded ones are awesome. I believe Brenden has two of them in his reef, they are stunning. Twinspots are nice to look at and will sift your sand. The clown gobies are colorful. Ok, I'll quit. Most if not all of the gobies I've mentioned can be found on liveaquaria's website if you want to have a look.

 

[scubasteve]

ooh you right the catalina is pretty cool, it says 'moderate care level',are they pretty straight forward to keep?

 

[Fluff]

I have no personal experience with them, just always admired them. I would guess the "moderate" status would have to do with feeding and due to them liking a cooler tank temp. I'd just be sure it's eating before purchasing it.

 

[AMANIQU77]

By the way, if c. irritans is (believed to be) erradicated from the tank. Can a BHT still end up with ich due to stress? Or would they end up with more serious fungal or bacterial infections aside from c irritans? Thanks. I am just a bit curious myself.

 

[Brenden]

I would avoid the catalina. They will not do good unless your water temp is kept low with a chiller which would be bad for your other fish. This is a detail that liveaquaria does not focus on to keep the sells up. As Fluff said the banded high fin gobies are awesome. A option I would really consider as far as tangs go is the purple tang. Beautiful fish, get a small one. You should only have aggression issues if you have multiple tangs.

 

[scubasteve]

I still have time to order the tang, since that won't get ordered for a couple months probably. How difficult is a purple tang to keep? And would it have enough room to swim in my 72 gallon?

 

[Brenden]

Opps I was thinking you had a 100gal tank. Another fish I have that is a great addition is the convict tang. It has a neat personality. Gets along with everyone. Out of the 4 tangs I have it by far has the best personality. If you are not stuck on a tang and do not have small shrimp I would get a flame hawkfish. Best personality of any fish I have had.

 

[StripesTheEel]

they have the same requirements as YT's, should be fine..

 

[tecwzrd]

they have the same requirements as YT's, should be fine..

Purple tangs get larger than the yellow ones and needed more swimming room of about 100+gal. A 72 gal would be pushing it IMO. I'd stick with the yellow personally since they are easy to find locally. Just look closely to make sure it doesn’t have hlle before you purchase as it’s quite susceptible if kept in poor conditions.

 

[StripesTheEel]

The convict has the same requirements as the YT, thats what I meant..sorry

Flame Hawks are way cool, I have one, mad fish!

 

[tecwzrd]

Flame Hawks are way cool, I have one, mad fish!

Definitely one of the coolest personalities around. The one at my lfs just sits around on the bottom most of the time but loves to people watch. Put your hand near the top and he goes into a funny vertical dance Watching it interact with the other fish is quite comical as well.

 

[melosu58]

Ya`ll forgot the pink spotted goby. Ithink you should stay with the yellow till you get a bigger tank.