Your opinions on stocking

[AdamHorton]

Hi.

Here was my original plan, and then I'll get into the changes I've been thinking about (and before you ask, I'm not getting rid of the damsels. Sorry)

150G with 30G sump/refuge
250 lbs LR and 75 lbs LS used as biological filtration (did a fishless cycle and that completed successfully at least 4 months ago)
Reef is in its future, though that may be a very distant future
20 Red Algae Hermit crabs (they managed to kill all of the snails I put in there)
1 or 2 Peppermint Shrimp
1 Cave Goby
1 Two-Spot Goby
1 Mandarin fish
1 Firefish Goby
1 Green Clown Goby
1 Bi-Color Blenny
4 Bangai Cardinals

In separate QTs I have right now:
5 damsels (1 Sergeant Major, I've heard they get bigger)
1 Yellow Tang

EDIT -- I forgot to add that when it comes time for corals, I'd like to get one or two clowns bonded to an anemone, but of course that's off into the future. -- EDIT

I had a Powder Blue Tang in the QT with the yellow tang, but he died this past week. The original plan was to have two tangs, and I still want that. However, I want to get hyposalinity treatment started on the QT with the yellow tang soon, and so if I get another tang, I want to have it by the end of this week. Today we'll be going by the last LFS on my list to see if they have anything that fits for us (that can be difficult, since my g/f has to say that the fish isn't "ugly" before it can go in this tank). More than likely, though, that won't happen.

So, I'm weighing some other options here, and I'd like your input.

First option: ordering a tang online. I've never ordered a fish and had it shipped before. It would be sharing the QT with the yellow tang once it arrives, so is this a good idea? If so, where are good places to order from?

Second option: a different type of fish (meaning the only tang is the yellow I already have). Most of the time when people post threads like this, everybody tells them they're already overstocked, but I think I'm fairly understocked at the moment. If I have options for a different type of fish, what are your suggestions?

Thanks for your help.

 

[AdamHorton]

The fish store didn't have anything that looked healthy enough to take home. We're looking at a Desjardin Sailfin Tang or a Clown Tang (from liveaquaria.com). Haven't seen much about either of these fish or liveaquaria around here. Are there any opinions?

 

[austinsdad]

Never heard of anyone having any luck with the clown tang. From my memory, they need very high water flow. I'd steer away from that one. Lot's more than "normal" fish. IMO, you can do 2 or 3 tangs in a 150. The desjardin looks like an option, but I'd consider a bristletooth for the 3rd tang - or the second. Thought about the Naso for the second? I think you've got room 3 tangs since the gobies, mandarin, and blenny don't take up too much room at all. My 2 cents.

 

[AdamHorton]

I'd love a Naso tang, I'll have to see if it passes the "ugly" test. I know the Desjardin does, but I worry about bristlenose tangs passing :-\. That's a shame because there are a few that I really like. I assume QTing three tangs together in a 20G tank isn't such a great idea. That's the main reason I'm only trying for two, is that I don't have a way to QT all three together.

Between a (blonde) naso tang and a desjardin sailfin tang, which would be preferable, if either?

 

[austinsdad]

QT the smaller choice alone, then the next largest sized, and then the larger (make it the yellow) last? of course, maybe the rearrange the rock routine if needed somewhere in that sequence?

I like the naso over the desjardin. Plus it give you a tank in another family than the yellow.

Bristlenose "passing"???? I'll need to find a pic of my threesome. Purple, yellow, and bristlenose.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I wouldn't let your self-imposed requirement of quarantining the two tangs together skew your stocking decision. If you can't find the fish you really want now, just treat the one tang with hypo like you're planning and deal with getting the other fish after treatment is over. It just seems like things that get rushed for reasons like this tend to not go the way you want them.

 

[AdamHorton]

OK, so say I have one or two tangs in my display tank that are doing just fine, and also there may be other fish who are about as aggressive. After QTing a new tang, what can I do to help ensure that it won't get bullied to death and would eventually get along with the other tangs?

I'm asking because the only solution I can think of at the moment is to stock the tank with all of the tangs together, and stock the tank starting with the least aggressive fish to the most aggressive fish. That's what I've done so far, but if it's possible to do things a different way I'm all ears.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I'll just repeat Ray's advice...

QT the smaller choice alone, then the next largest sized, and then the larger (make it the yellow) last? of course, maybe the rearrange the rock routine if needed somewhere in that sequence?

I know what you're trying to do, but I'm just saying is it more important to stick to the plan of putting all the tangs in at once, or more important to get the fish you want. I can't really decide that for you. But I know I often get hung up on "the plan", and kind of forget what it is I'm trying to end up with. The rush to get a tang in the quarantine tank before the end of the week just kind of reminded me of one of those situations.

 

[AdamHorton]

Update - after looking for a little over a week, I couldn't find anything suitable to QT with the yellow tang. I decided to stop waiting on the hyposalinity treatment and go ahead with it. Hopefully in the future I can find another tang or maybe something else, but now my focus is to get all of the QT-ed fish into the display tank. Thanks for your help,