Minimum size for tangs is usualy around a 75 gallon for the smaller species since they are very active movers and require lots of space. The stock list is going to be heavy with those numbers, so my suggestion is to figure out what fish you want first off. Go visit some stores and just look at fish. It helps if they have more fleshed out reef tanks and not just overcrowded stock tanks to figure out the normal behavior of the fish.
Some suggestions:
- Get metal halide or T5 lighting if you're going to go reef. Anything else and you'll eventualy want to upgrade. My pick is for
MH.
- Get a reef ready (pre drilled) tank. This will mean getting a sump too, but a sump can be as cheap as a 20 gallon tank. Don't get a wet/dry filter. If you do, then remove all the bioballs and turn it into a sump
- Get a skimmer. One that sits in sump or under the tank (feeding from the sump).
- Do get plenty of live or live+base (or even live+dead) rock.
- Figure out how you are going to get water movement in your tank (closed loop? powerheads?)
- Stop by here with an equipment list before buying anything. There is a suprising amount of junk out there, but luckily a good amount of quality products. Get some second and third and fourth opinions on equipment.
- Don't buy Odyssea/Aquatraders/Jebo lights. Fires are bad, even if you saved a lot of money on your lighting. Saving money on your car insurance is ok though.
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55g reef, 2x250W 10k
MH + 2x96W
PC actninc, 10g sump, AquaC Urchin skimmer, 65lbs
LR
xenia, mushrooms, wels. open brain, fungia radiata (orange), green eyed zoos
flame angel, mated pair of false perc, 6-line, firefish
20gH electric yellow cichlid
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