Attention tang police / or my insane re-introduction to reef tanks

[gp2]

Sorry about the length. Some quick background. I have about 30 years experience in fishkeeping, have bred many kinds of freshwater fish, had a large fishroom and managed several pet stores (many years ago), ...but I have not had an actual salt tank since the early to mid 80's. I got out of saltwater because I felt it was an environmental crime at the time especially with the kind of losses we were experiencing at a commercial level. IME almost all of the fish collected then were cyanided. Anyways, on to my post.

My beloved lungfish died after 20 years and the wife suggested a salt tank. Sweet I say! Couple of weeks of shopping and I find a beauty of a tank on CL. Guy is getting out of the hobby, tank is mature, will help break it down fill it back up with the same water, rocks, sand, fish, etc.. Good to go. Tank is 36" long 54 maybe 65 gallon, something like that. Tank has a HUGE anemone with a HUGE clown fish, 3 large adult tangs: Hippo, red sea sailfin, and purple, some small wrasses, various corals (mostly soft), filled with LR, and a small cleanup crew. It does have a 15 gallon sump, decent protein skimmer, and a good light fixture (4 T5 with 250 watt MH x2.) OK, maybe 2 weeks later go to the LFS, wife wants more fish. Spend about an hour talking to the guys, buy a book and a good set of test kits along with some fish (coral beauty, a goby that carpet surfed and a small wrasse.) Oh, at this point I have never heard of a QT by the way.

Weird, nitrates are off the chart. Start doing water changes. Go buy a RODI unit which the book (the conscientious marine aquariust) suggests. At this point, I am starting to realize how utterly screwed I am (or more correctly my fish are.) At this point I find this forum, start doing massive water changes (50% every 2-3 days), stop sleeping all that much, and am now learning that marine ich is nowhere near the benign disease that freshwater ich is. I cannot get the nitrates to go down one iota and now ammonia is starting to register. set up a 65 gallon tank (corner bow front type) and start hypo in it. In goes the snow covered hipo and purple tang and the coral beauty. The other fish look OK. Build a refugium and continue massive water changes. Nitrates start dropping and then go to zero. Tangs clear up and are eating like pigs, but the coral beauty dies

So cannot have this continue, find a 4x3x2' cube (about 200 gallon) with great equipment on the forums and buy it/set it up. So 2 months later I have 3 tanks LOL. Now my question is about the tangs: What would you do and why? I like the sailfin, wife likes the hipo. However I am open to almost any solution. I could put 1,2 or all 3 in the large DT. Would prefer to sell at least 1 and keep my bioload down as much as possible. My understanding is that tangs essentially have the highest bioload of the commonly kept species. Part of me wants to sell all 3, once I am sure they are in as good as shape as I can make them. Otherwise I will move the hipo and purple into the 200 gallon when they clear hypo and start the rest of the fish in hypo from the smaller tank.

Thanks in advance for reading my late night ramblings

[gp2]

obtw I have no idea why my signature with my tank info doesn't post

[lordofthereef]

I think you would be fine with those tangs in a 200g. As far as bioload, they probably are higher on the totem pole of mostly herbivorous fish, but any carnivore is going to blow their bioload out of the water. Are you planning on this being a fish only?

[gp2]

Originally Posted by lordofthereef

I think you would be fine with those tangs in a 200g. As far as bioload, they probably are higher on the totem pole of mostly herbivorous fish, but any carnivore is going to blow their bioload out of the water. Are you planning on this being a fish only?

no, it will be a reef with mostly LPS, and maybe some SPS

[Pickupman66]

IMO, you will be fine with those guys in the 200. However, it calculates out to 180 gallons. FWIW, I have a Sohal, a Naso and a Purple in my 180 tank. all are doing quite well. best of luck getting back into the hobby. With tangs, it is best to ahve a really good skimmer to remove their poop. they can be downright messy little buggers.

[Palting]

Welcome to salt water and RC!

I have a reef 150 gal maturring at several months, and I have 4 tangs: a purple, a naso, a tennenti, and a hipo. Large poop is right. But, so long as you have good flow, that poop disintegrates readily into the water column and drains to the sump, mechanical filters and skimmer. So, I would say you'd be OK with your current tangs.

Did I read your post right? You had an Ich covered hipo, QT'ed and treated only the tangs? Do a search, tons of info and controversy on Ich here at the forum. IMO, all the fish that were in the same tank as the Ich hipo have Ich, all the fish that subsequently went into that same tank have Ich. With all your available tanks, I would treat all your fish in hypo for at least 4 weeks, and keep your latest tank with all the rock, substrate and any coral/inverts you have fishless for 6 weeks. As an alternative, if you do not yet have any inverts, you can do hypo on your current 180/200 with the fish and rocks and substrate for 4-6 weeks, and do QT and treat all future fish to prevent Ich recrrence.

[gp2]

Originally Posted by Palting

Welcome to salt water and RC!

I have a reef 150 gal maturring at several months, and I have 4 tangs: a purple, a naso, a tennenti, and a hipo. Large poop is right. But, so long as you have good flow, that poop disintegrates readily into the water column and drains to the sump, mechanical filters and skimmer. So, I would say you'd be OK with your current tangs.

Did I read your post right? You had an Ich covered hipo, QT'ed and treated only the tangs? Do a search, tons of info and controversy on Ich here at the forum. IMO, all the fish that were in the same tank as the Ich hipo have Ich, all the fish that subsequently went into that same tank have Ich. With all your available tanks, I would treat all your fish in hypo for at least 4 weeks, and keep your latest tank with all the rock, substrate and any coral/inverts you have fishless for 6 weeks. As an alternative, if you do not yet have any inverts, you can do hypo on your current 180/200 with the fish and rocks and substrate for 4-6 weeks, and do QT and treat all future fish to prevent Ich recrrence.

yes, I am treating in stages. ie I moved the worst into the QT tank from the 50ish gallon with the plan to move them into the larger DT. The remaining fish have absolutely no signs of ich, but if I do move them into the larger DT (or they show any signs) they will also need to go in the BB tank for hypo. I was worried if I dumped that many fish into the hospital tank I would lose them all due to ammonia, etc..

[gp2]

Originally Posted by Pickupman66

IMO, you will be fine with those guys in the 200. However, it calculates out to 180 gallons. FWIW, I have a Sohal, a Naso and a Purple in my 180 tank. all are doing quite well. best of luck getting back into the hobby. With tangs, it is best to ahve a really good skimmer to remove their poop. they can be downright messy little buggers.

yes, sorry, I was rounding We may have the same tank, mine is a glasscages. Your fish on your avatar are awsome, I will peruse your build thread when I get some time

[Sk8r]

Corals are themselves a filter, so they're help with the fish load, not a further burden: also, they'll necessitate keeping the water in good balance, which also helps the fish.

[isildursbane]

What would you do and why? I like the sailfin, wife likes the hipo. However I am open to almost any solution.

I would keep the Red Sea Sailfin and the Purple tangs and try to find the Hippo another home. Just what I would do because i'm not a fan of the hippo.

Sorry about the ordeal you went through and the loss of your coral beauty. Keep us posted on your progress and feel free to ramble anytime. And remember there are no "noob" questions. So ask away and we will be glad to help.

[Ethan_W]

if all 3 get along together then i would keep them all and it should be fine on the bioload of a 180g. the only problem i could possibly see would be with the purple tang picking on the other fish. but if he is nice then i would keep him