Tang Introduction Plan for Tank Upgrade

[CoralDanimal]

Hello!

I'm planning out a tank upgrade and I'd love the community's help to plan the fish aspect of it. I currently have a Red Sea Reefer 425 (88 gallon display) - 47" (L) x 22.6" (W) x 22" (H) - and I'll be upgrading to a Red Sea Reefer-S 850 (180 gallon display) - 71" (L) x 25.6" (H) x 26.75" (D).

Right now I have:

• 1 Kole Tang (love this fish)
• 1 captive-bred Yellow Tang
• 1 Yellow Coris Wrasse
• 1 Female Leopard Wrasse
• 1 Cleaner Wrasse
• 2 captive-bred, mated clownfish

I love the utilitarian nature of tangs and generally love them as fish too, but I also know how big most of them get in the wild and I want to be mindful of this. I'm not asking to add any of the larger tangs (Sohal, Achilles, Powder Blue, etc.), but I'm curious which tangs I could add from a species-level aggression standpoint. My understanding is that if I added a Scopas Tang to my existing tank, for example, the Yellow and Scopas would be aggressive towards each other since they're both Zebrasoma tangs. Similar thinking would suggest that if I added a Squaretail or Two Spot Bristletooth tang, that it would be a problem with my Kole tang since they're all Ctenochaetus tangs. Does this mean I should go for a smaller one of the Acanthurus tangs such as the Convict tang? Or should I instead introduce 1-2 more captive-bred, juvenile Yellow Tangs and hope my existing Yellow Tang schools with them?

The reason I'm asking is that when the move to the new tank happens, it's my best shot at resetting any existing territories or territorial behavior. My current Yellow Tang and Kole Tang get along very well. Knowing what fish I want to include in the upgrade allows me to QT whatever new fish I plan to get a few months in advance to minimize the risk of introducing parasites/disease.

 

[Oldreefer44]

I have a 180 and have a powder blue, yellow, purple and Bristletooth without any issues because, I believe, they were all added at the same time and were roughly the same size at the time.

 

[Dave1993]

Achilles and powder blue don't get that big

 

[Dave1993]

pretty sure the scopas tang gets bigger than these 2

 

[i cant think]

Most of the Acanthurus tangs get large and active. Convicts are one where people get them due to their small size but actually they’re one of the most active swimming tangs in that genus.

if it was up to me, I would leave it at just those two tangs and go for other fish like butterflies and angels. Tangs are nice but eventually you’ll likely find you’ll slowly fade out of liking them. Again, this is my personal opinion as I’ve had a tank full of tangs and very few actually beat the colours of the angels and butterflies.

 

[CoralDanimal]

I have a 180 and have a powder blue, yellow, purple and Bristletooth without any issues because, I believe, they were all added at the same time and were roughly the same size at the time.

That's definitely encouraging news. Here's to hoping my situation is similar. Regardless of what I do, I'll likely put mirrors on the tanks (I've heard it helps with tang aggression) and heavily feed to mitigate any food-related aggression.

Achilles and powder blue don't get that big

pretty sure the scopas tang gets bigger than these 2

I've been using Live Aquaria's site as a resource for sizing. Here's what they have in terms of adult sizing:

• Achilles: 8.5 inches
• Powder Blue: 9 inches
• Scopas: 12 inches

You're right! I had no idea Scopas got this large. I know swimming pattern is also a factor in terms of tank sizing and that's they recommend Achilles to have a larger tank than Powder Blue's because Achilles are typically found in surge zones with heavy flow.

Most of the Acanthurus tangs get large and active. Convicts are one where people get them due to their small size but actually they’re one of the most active swimming tangs in that genus.

if it was up to me, I would leave it at just those two tangs and go for other fish like butterflies and angels. Tangs are nice but eventually you’ll likely find you’ll slowly fade out of liking them. Again, this is my personal opinion as I’ve had a tank full of tangs and very few actually beat the colours of the angels and butterflies.

Ah good to know. The reason I'm focused on tangs as opposed to butterflies and angels is 1.) the more algae grazers I have, the better and 2.) my coral collection is mostly SPS and I'm definitely hesitant to put in any fish that chomp on SPS polyp

 

[i cant think]

That's definitely encouraging news. Here's to hoping my situation is similar. Regardless of what I do, I'll likely put mirrors on the tanks (I've heard it helps with tang aggression) and heavily feed to mitigate any food-related aggression.



I've been using Live Aquaria's site as a resource for sizing. Here's what they have in terms of adult sizing:

• Achilles: 8.5 inches
• Powder Blue: 9 inches
• Scopas: 12 inches

You're right! I had no idea Scopas got this large. I know swimming pattern is also a factor in terms of tank sizing and that's they recommend Achilles to have a larger tank than Powder Blue's because Achilles are typically found in surge zones with heavy flow.


Ah good to know. The reason I'm focused on tangs as opposed to butterflies and angels is 1.) the more algae grazers I have, the better and 2.) my coral collection is mostly SPS and I'm definitely hesitant to put in any fish that chomp on SPS polyp

Generally angels and butterflies don’t nip on SPS. I’ve actually found more of the fish we class as reef safe to be coral munchers. My Lineatus used to love dining on SPS (he doesn’t seem to do it now he has more territory). I’ve also found Tangs to be a relatively bad grazer once you get outside of Ctenochaetus. Once they like nori they tend to avoid other algae.

I personally have a butterfly and an angel in my mixed reef and neither have been bad so far. Yes I’ve had Zoa’s vanish however I have other RSWC fish such as a Foxface.