Which fish first
 

I'm planning a new tank build looking around 200-300 gallons it will probly be fowlr and at least 8 feet long and 3 feet wide haven't decided on depth yet. My question is what order to introduce the fish? Currently have in my 90gallon
Small hippo
3 blue green chromis
Coral beauty
One spot fox face
Lawn mower blenny
Firefish
2 faulse clowns
Green mandarin

Want
Yellow tang
Powder blue
White cheek
orange shoulder
Blue throught trigger
And one large angle thinking red see regal

I'm planning on over skimming and since I build tanks could also change tank dimensions any advice durning my planning stage would be great
Thanks

Also would I be maxed out or could I possibly add more then the list

Powder blue and white cheek might kill each other

Even if I add at the same time? If I gotta choose white cheek it is

You should be fine if you add them at the same time.

You might want to rethink the orange shoulder tang. They get really mean when they mature and become rather colourless.

I agree about the orange shoulder but they are so nice looking as juvinals.

Ya I know but I think you will live to regret it.
You have a nice size tank so you have lots of options

Yellow, black ,purple, achilles, atlantic
Consider an acanthurus mata

A kole with bright yellow eyes is nice

What about a school of 3 yellows you think I'd have the room if I loose the orange shoulder

Absolutely 3 but not two

and add the kole it is a really cool fish if you think you might like her

So nice to see you giving some positive feedback about tangs Wayne :mrgreen:

Prarie, if you build the tank size you mentioned, you have lots of room for adding fish ...

Honestly, I'd think any fish added at any time would feel so lost in there (not like at home in a real reef, but) that any aggression would not be an issue
Bbllinks has a 300DD full of tangs and it's a very peaceful tank

Still, I'd suggest you stick with the obvious rules about who to add first, and how many of each family/sub etc to keep
Some are more aggressive than others, so do some web research and make your choices slowly

Also, the Yellow Eye Kole Tang mentioned is an awesome fish
I had one for a short time before selling him. It would fit in great in a tank your projected size

Liveaquaria.com is a good place to start for stocking suggestions, but it's not gospel
They also have a compatability chart you could utilize for any other choices regarding mixing all the fish we can buy

I have had tangs on my brain for the last few weeks. Tomorrow I pick up a kole, yellow and an Achilles. I am also picking up a black tang but I did not mention it to Prairie because he might want one too. I had to trade by first born to get it.

Don't worrie about me stealing your tangs yet!!! Still gotta build my tank first.lol
I was at the Lfs yesterday and now my list might have to change cause they had a small powder brown that was absolutely stunning and eating good I couldn't pass it up I had to get him. So now I have to get going on building my tank. What depth you guys think I should do would 20inch be deep enough for tangs?
Or should I go deeper? I like being able to reach the bottom.

Thank for the live aquaria info I've been looking there too just looking for people's experiences and other stocking ideas too. The more knowledge the better right.

Definately go with a depth you are comfortable with or you'll be kicking yourself later
With 3' width you're going to be on a step ladder anyway (to reach the back) so going a bit on the tall side may not matter
I'd be thinking about light penetration, coral placement and LR structures' sizes if I ever planned a tank this size

Maybe someone like Bblinks or The Grizz could give you some insight into dealing with a tank with those dimensions

It will be a pain getting to the back of the tank but cost to go higher is substantial. Plus I'm more concerned about swimming space for tangs there the reason for this build. I don't know if ill do corals as there are a few angels that I like too so probly be fowlr if there are any they will be softys or ill keep my 90 for the reef tank instead of changing it to a refugium.

My tank is 20 inches high and 33 inches off the ground (cabinet). I can reach the bottom without easily. Perfect!
It is 7 feet long so can accommodate most tangs.

How deep is your tank front to back?

It is 23 inches deep from front to back

I planned for a a tang tank so that is the reason for the seven feet. (two T-5 3' units)

I also keep coral and can reach down to the bottom easily to clean the bottom front of the glass.

Wayne

Doh, sorry Prarie
I forgot to take into account you are planning a FOWLR, so lighting won't matter much
I see you have another post about lighting for it
It will basically come down to your personal viewing as far as lighting goes and won't have anything to do with penetration, so NM as far as how tall you build it where lighting is concerned

Yeah I'm looking for a cheaper alternative since there will be no corals as of right now in this tank.

In that case, just use any fluorescent fixture you can find to cover the tank
A basic 8' 'garage/work area' fixture will do you just fine
The only drawback may be some algae issues due to the poor quality of light from 'basic' T8 bulbs
I prefer the 'daylight' bulbs for a bright/blueish-white light
Cool white, I think, are closer to 4100K
The 'warm' bulbs tend to be closer to yellow and have a much lower K value

Look into the Kelvin ratings of whatever bulbs you choose, if you decide on cheapos
4100K is not bad
For my office, I prefer 5000-6500K for their brightness, but my wife doesn't like the same as she finds them too 'stark' ?

Anything I've used in my office below 4100K is too yellow for me

Hope this helps you decide on what to use ... :smile:

The good news is, if you use a basic fixture, you can use hardware store bulbs, so you're not paying $25-35 each for T5s :twised:
And you can try a bunch for that kind of money :smile:

Also, you can get a diffuser to protect the fixture from spray
Man, I wish I had your dilemma
My used $1000 fixture still cost me $450 and I go through about $300/yr in bulbs

I'm useing a 400 w mh with my 90 now and I hate how hot it runs but love the colour and shimmer. The led strip lighting I'm thinking about adding to a typical t8 should hopefully give me a good spectrum of colour. Fingers crossed

So back to my main question I don't know when to add the trigger and angel should it be before or after the tangs?

regal angel, blue throat trigger, and yellow tangs in that order.
Regal angel is very suspect to environmental changes so you want to make sure the tank is as quite as possible when you introduce them into your tank so they have a chance to adapt and feed.
blue throat is timid at first also. Their temperament may change when they grow up.
yellow tang can be aggressive, especially to your other tangs, regardless their size.
There is, of course, an exception to the rule.

You think I can add regal and the trigger at the same time since ill probly be ordering online?

So I'm figuring out my budget for the build and am really liking the shallow rimless tanks. Dose any one see a problem with my stocking list if I were to go 96inch long by 36inch wide by 15inch deep ? Mainly the tang pros out there is that deep enough for them

96 long
15 from back to front
36ich bottom to top

or 15 from top to bottom 22 would look better tho
36 from back to front

Tangs like, need the length but a tank with a minimum 22 bottom to top would be better

It's 15 top to bottom and 36 front to back I could go 20inch top to bottom but was thinking rimless at 15 would look great I love the shallow tank look

FYI everyone since this is turning into a build thread I started a new one in the diy section

I took a tape and held it at 15 on my seven foot tank.
I think you will find 20 will look better. Pm me your email and I will send you a pic of mine and one with 5 in covered

And since it's turning into a build thread, why not ask a mod to move it from the diy section to the Tank Jounal section :wink:
Keep asking your questions in other threads, but post your progress in your new 'build thread' :smile:

Then we can all follow along with your progress, and you get to keep the clutter out of it

Good luck with the build and, btw, I like the idea of a 20"ish tall tank
15" is a bit shallow for tangs. But that's just my personal opinion

How do I ask a mod I'm not good at this computer junk why can't it be something I can build with my hands lol

Beside Log Out is Staff Contact
Pick one and send them a PM

Done thanks

End thread