Could use some advice on Tangs in a Tub + Quarantine

[ichthyogeek]

I could use some Tang Advice, as well as some stocking advice for a tub Idea I'm playing around with! The tub is 36"x24"x13", or around 50 gallons (3'x2'1'/231). It's a lot smaller than I previously thought (4'x3'x2'), so my initial stocking plan might not be ideal. This was the initial stocking plan:

• 1x Dwarf Lionfish (preferably D. biocellatus, followed by P. sphex, and D. zebra)
• 1x yellow tang
• 1x convict tang
• 1x kole/tomini tang (highly negotiable, less preferred than convict tang, but would still like)
• 1x harlequin tuskfish
• 2x pelagic spawning species (something like flame or Lamarck's Angels)

Given that the tub is a foot shorter than expected, I'll mark out the pelagic spawning species. I plan to have 2-3 planting baskets in the tub filled with macroalgae (Sargassum for sure, probably also Ulva and Chaetomorpha) "floating" at the top of the tub (inaccessible to fish), and 1-2 mangrove propagules as well. Some sort of cover as well for the fish, maybe as a structure to support the planting baskets? I'm thinking maybe some sort of "bookshelf" made out of shelf rock designed specifically for the slim profiles of the fish I'd like to keep. If no tangs or herbivorous fish, I was thinking of a "seagrass meadow" with Caulerpa prolifera instead. This is the updated stocking list, ranked in order of fish I'd most like to keep

1. Dwarf Lionfish
2. Yellow Tang AND Convict Tang (tied)
3. Kole/Tomini Tang
4. Harlequin Tuskfish

Tang Question 1: Initially, I thought the tub had a surface area on par with a 180 gallon (4'x3' = 12 square feet = 6'x2'). Now, the surface area has halved to a "measly" 6 square feet instead. Liveaquaria recommends for the yellow tang and convict tang to be in 100/125 gallon aquariums, which have a footprint of 6'x1.5' = 9 square feet. I know that tangs need a lot of swimming room. Assuming biofiltration will be superior (macroalgae filter + attached to larger system + biofiltration in the larger system), and open swimming space is maximized, is the lack of an extra 3 square feet a deal killer for the tangs? The last time I kept a yellow tang, I was 12 and told to feed it lettuce in a 10 gallon tank...I'd prefer to not mess it up this time.

Tang Question 2: Assuming I can get the yellow and convict tang (and maybe a kole/tomini tang), would a 20L/29 be an adequate quarantine tank? I prefer to go with a prophylactic treatment strategy instead of a reactionary one, so the fish would go through a TTM with praziquantel and metronidazole to treat for flukes, ich, velvet, brooklynella, black ich, and internal parasites/infections, followed by prazi and metro to round out the treatment cycle, with freshwater dips in between each transfer to fully account for tomites. And a full bleaching (.5 cup bleach/5 gallons) for all used equipment...

 

[lapin]

Tang police, any thoughts, like way too small ect........???