Tang and CB or just a Tang?

DrBoxedWine · 04/24/2015, 08:46 AM

Hi everyone,

Steve's new fish thread is down at the moment, so hopefully some of you other experienced reefers have some thoughts on this.

I'm getting ready to make the final addition(s) to my 75g tank with 30g sump. So far, i have:

2 Occ Clowns
1 Firefish
1 Flamehawk
1 Bicolor Blenny

I have a nice RO skimmer that is way oversized for my tank (BRS rated at 120, RO rated at 150) and I run GFO. I change out the filter pads every 3 days or so and have a fuge that keeps nitrates undetectable (at this point, while the fish are all small, at least)

I've gotten the coral bug (and so has the Mrs.) so i plan on going pretty full into reef mode. I just had to remove my foxface because after a good first 6 months, he developed a taste for Zoas. I plan on going with a clam sometime in the future, and would really like to go heavy on the corals. Anyway, my favorite fish that can go in a 75g is a Kole tang so he's a must. What i'm also thinking of adding is a Coral Beauty.

What are people's thoughts on the Coral Beauty in addition to the Kole tang? Is this only going to work if i'm adding Noori on a daily basis to keep the fish from munching corals? Realistically, that'll be tough for me to keep up year in and year out (kids aren't that far into the future). Every 2-3 days? Yeah i can do that. I just started this tank in August, and while i had cichlids for a couple years prior, i'm learning to respect the learning curve of this side of the hobby. I don't want to set myself up for an overly difficult tank. I know i'll have many years to experiment and try more challenging setups as i gain more experience. Basically, is a CB going to make things significantly more difficult?

scooter31707 · 04/24/2015, 09:38 AM

If you are going to full reef mode I would recommend the Kole Tang or the Tomini Tang which actually grows a couple inches smaller than the Kole. The Coral Beauty might or might not nip at corals. Angels are hit or miss when it comes to this issue. You might read 100 post saying that their CB hasn't touched a thing, and as soon as you stick one into your tank it starts nipping.

Cujo13 · 04/24/2015, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scooter31707

If you are going to full reef mode I would recommend the Kole Tang or the Tomini Tang which actually grows a couple inches smaller than the Kole. The Coral Beauty might or might not nip at corals. Angels are hit or miss when it comes to this issue. You might read 100 post saying that their CB hasn't touched a thing, and as soon as you stick one into your tank it starts nipping.

+1. Also they can be rather bullish depending on the individual fish. I had one that was a saint and the other a terror.

billdogg · 04/24/2015, 11:02 AM

I think a Tomini would be a good choice as well. I have one in my 120 - it has colored up quite nicely and is a model citizen. A Coral Beauty might do ok, or perhaps a Flame Angel if you want more color

shred5 · 04/24/2015, 12:38 PM

That tang wont tolerate a angel if it is anything like mine.. Also Coral beauties are to risky anyway with corals or clams. There are much better angels..

This is something I just posted somewhere else:

The thing people dont get about Tangs is not that they can not be happy in a smaller tank it is how aggressive they become to other fish and how big of a territory they have in smaller tanks.

I have a kole in a 75 gallon and he is fat and healthy and happy. Problem is the other fish are not. He has claimed about a 1/3 of the tank as his and no other is allowed to cross it. So most of the fish are stuck with the corners of the tank. He is fine with the fish that came before him but most fish I add he will kill and allot of fish he is supposed to be cool with. I just added a bangii cardinal the other day and he destroyed him in about 10 minutes. I had no problem getting the cardinal out because he was so stressed I just reached in and grabbed him. An angel he wont even tolerate. He goes into this aggressive mode from time to time where he just bull rushes the other fish.. He doesn't hurt most the other fish he just scares them to death. Tangs are big and fast and they scare the other fish. You basically end up with fish that dont act like they should allot of the time..

You know the myth well its ok if he is the last fish added. Problem is no fish is ever the last fish added if you stay in the hobby long enough..

Just a warning on a tang in that size tank...

DrBoxedWine · 04/24/2015, 04:14 PM

Thanks everyone!

04/24/2015, 08:46 AM	#1
DrBoxedWine Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 899	Tang and CB or just a Tang? Hi everyone, Steve's new fish thread is down at the moment, so hopefully some of you other experienced reefers have some thoughts on this. I'm getting ready to make the final addition(s) to my 75g tank with 30g sump. So far, i have: 2 Occ Clowns 1 Firefish 1 Flamehawk 1 Bicolor Blenny I have a nice RO skimmer that is way oversized for my tank (BRS rated at 120, RO rated at 150) and I run GFO. I change out the filter pads every 3 days or so and have a fuge that keeps nitrates undetectable (at this point, while the fish are all small, at least) I've gotten the coral bug (and so has the Mrs.) so i plan on going pretty full into reef mode. I just had to remove my foxface because after a good first 6 months, he developed a taste for Zoas. I plan on going with a clam sometime in the future, and would really like to go heavy on the corals. Anyway, my favorite fish that can go in a 75g is a Kole tang so he's a must. What i'm also thinking of adding is a Coral Beauty. What are people's thoughts on the Coral Beauty in addition to the Kole tang? Is this only going to work if i'm adding Noori on a daily basis to keep the fish from munching corals? Realistically, that'll be tough for me to keep up year in and year out (kids aren't that far into the future). Every 2-3 days? Yeah i can do that. I just started this tank in August, and while i had cichlids for a couple years prior, i'm learning to respect the learning curve of this side of the hobby. I don't want to set myself up for an overly difficult tank. I know i'll have many years to experiment and try more challenging setups as i gain more experience. Basically, is a CB going to make things significantly more difficult?

04/24/2015, 11:02 AM	#4
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I think a Tomini would be a good choice as well. I have one in my 120 - it has colored up quite nicely and is a model citizen. A Coral Beauty might do ok, or perhaps a Flame Angel if you want more color __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

04/24/2015, 12:38 PM	#5
shred5 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Waukesha , WI Posts: 4,998	That tang wont tolerate a angel if it is anything like mine.. Also Coral beauties are to risky anyway with corals or clams. There are much better angels.. This is something I just posted somewhere else: The thing people dont get about Tangs is not that they can not be happy in a smaller tank it is how aggressive they become to other fish and how big of a territory they have in smaller tanks. I have a kole in a 75 gallon and he is fat and healthy and happy. Problem is the other fish are not. He has claimed about a 1/3 of the tank as his and no other is allowed to cross it. So most of the fish are stuck with the corners of the tank. He is fine with the fish that came before him but most fish I add he will kill and allot of fish he is supposed to be cool with. I just added a bangii cardinal the other day and he destroyed him in about 10 minutes. I had no problem getting the cardinal out because he was so stressed I just reached in and grabbed him. An angel he wont even tolerate. He goes into this aggressive mode from time to time where he just bull rushes the other fish.. He doesn't hurt most the other fish he just scares them to death. Tangs are big and fast and they scare the other fish. You basically end up with fish that dont act like they should allot of the time.. You know the myth well its ok if he is the last fish added. Problem is no fish is ever the last fish added if you stay in the hobby long enough.. Just a warning on a tang in that size tank... __________________ David Polzin Last edited by shred5; 04/24/2015 at 12:44 PM.

04/24/2015, 09:38 AM	#2
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	If you are going to full reef mode I would recommend the Kole Tang or the Tomini Tang which actually grows a couple inches smaller than the Kole. The Coral Beauty might or might not nip at corals. Angels are hit or miss when it comes to this issue. You might read 100 post saying that their CB hasn't touched a thing, and as soon as you stick one into your tank it starts nipping.

04/24/2015, 04:14 PM	#6
DrBoxedWine Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 899	Thanks everyone!