Fish List - Possible New Additions

[IndyMatt]

Okay I have a 90 gallon tank and that has the following fish in it:

1. Two False Percula Clowns
2. Midas Blenny
3. Tomini Tang

I had a Royal Gramma and Three Chromis. I wanted to reduce the bioload so I could add a Scribbled Foxface (Signatus Doliatus) to help with hair algae and bryopsis (there is not a ton mind you but enough to annoy the poo out of me). I have always wanted a Mandarin and want to add one of these as well.

My tank parameters have always been good, 0 for everything including Nitrates and Phosphates (the algae could be soaking this up). I have a 5-6" sand bed and about 110lbs of rock between my fuge and main tank.

I have a 55 gallon tank setup as the tank/fuge. Plumbed in with the main tank and sump/fuge is a twenty gallon frag tank. It sits on a shelf above the sump/fuge. If I had to guess I would say total water volume is about 140 gallons.

I am doing weekly 20 gallon water changes using RODI water to make the fresh saltwater using Tropic Marin Pro. I have a ASM G2 with the meshwheel that is pulling out about two cups of nasty nasty skimmate every couple of days. I have decent flow with a closed loop that is about 1400 GPH, Koralia One 400GPH, and Koralia Two 600 GPH, with the Mag 7 Return pump putting out about 500 GPH. I also have a MJ 600 in the frag tank with a hydor flow on it with a Mag 5 feeding the water to it.

I wrote all of this out to give a clear picture of my system to see if I can add two fish a scribbled foxface and a mandarin. The tank has been up for 10 months now.

So what are your thoughts?

 

[leebca]

Understandably, you'll probably not like my response.

The 90 gallon display, although attached to other containers giving a much larger volume of water is not large enough for the Tomini Tang.

Tomini Tangs grow fairly fast and are very large tangs. They are, more and more, coming through the system and made available to the aquarist, but in reality, they are not a fish to be put into any aquarium less than 6 feet long and preferably at least 8 feet long. "Cute" small specimens are very attractive, I admit, but not really good for most of the home aquarist trade. They are Tangs that roam the oceans, covering 25+ miles per day.

The quantity of live rock in the display is what makes for Mandarin food and feeding. I would suggest you train the Mandarin on other offered foods before you introduce it into the display. Another reason to perform a good quarantine process. If not, you'll need a total of at least 100 pounds of live rock in the display tank for the Mandarin.

The Rabbitfishes are, like the Tangs, to be kept in aquariums of long length. The 90 is not suitable for a Rabbitfish over 4 inches in length and it will get that long in a very short period of time.

On the positive side. . .Your system has an above average potential for offering to house a high fish bio load. But that characteristic doesn't compensate or mean that the fish's other needs are being met. That is, space. The fishes you are interested in require more space, especially length, and more live rock. For that display tank you should focus on fishes that require little space, and in that display you can put quite a bio load of fishes.

The only concern I'd have with regards to the system is the activity of the skimmer. The skimmer should be ranked to be suitable to work on a 250 to 350 gallon aquarium. You want to size the skimmer to the volume of the system, rather than the display tank. Before you add any more fish you want to be sure the skimmer is sized correctly for the system.

Good luck!

 

[IndyMatt]

Not a problem, Leebca. I thought the Tomini Tang was similar to a Kole tang that it didn't need the larger tanks? Liveaquaria says that minimum tank sie is 70 gallons:

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=334

It also states that they get up to a max of 6" are other Tangs quite a bit larger than these? Although these sites are not the best to judge by. They also say the same thing for the Foxface Lo as well.

With the meshwheel on the G2 it is producing close to twice as much bubbles as it was with the needlewheel. I know on RC people have seen that much of an increase when they added the meshwheel.

 

[IndyMatt]

I hope I didn't scare you off Leebca! I understand about the Tang. I have been thinking about and have decided to either sell him to someone in my club or take him to the LFS for credit. He is a great looking fish but just too big for the 90. I might get some Fairy Wrasses instead. I did get three Bartlett Anthias last night at a LFS near me. Was this a big no no? I asked on RC and they said it would be fine.

 

[leebca]

Writing is a difficult medium to communicate in. My silence was not meaningful.

I just thought you disagreed and that's your privilege. Anyway. . .I"m glad you wrote again. I just realized I had made an error. When you wrote (and I wrote) Tomini (Ctenochaetus tominiensis) I was thinking Vlamingi. Funny. I would have recognized its common name! I apologize for my error. You were writing about the Bristletooth Tang and I was writing about the "Big-Nose" Unicorn. My only excuse is that I was food poisoned at the time, in bed for 36 hours with both ends 'going' and dashed off my response too quickly. Sorry. The Big-Nose can attain lengths of 22 inches.

To get back to your original post. . .The Tomini is in fact a fish that maxes out at about 6" However the Tangs are best suited for a 6+ foot long aquarium.

I like the Anthias, although I usually don't recommend them to hobbyists because they should be fed often. They can be trained to twice a day, but they seem to live longer and healthier lives when they are fed 4 or more times a day. In the wild they can be 'clocked' to eating once or twice every minute during daylight hours. They fit your aquarium. I hope you use a quarantine system. It's worth it in the long run.

I like the idea of trading out the Tangs for the Fairy Wrasse(s). With enough rock work that should be an impressive display.

 

[IndyMatt]

Yeah, he is getting really territorial! He has been flaring his fins at the Anthias. They are eating flake and I fed New Spectrum pellets and they ate them readily. I will be feeding them for now twice a day. I am planning on purchasing an auto feeder and have it feed around noon while I am here at work.

The tank has about 90 or more pounds of rock in it right now. Besides Fairy Wrasses what would be a colorful peaceful showpiece? I was thinking of getting a Flame Dwarf Angel but they can nip corals and clams (which I have both).

 

[leebca]

Almost any dwarf Angel is a candidate that is reef safe. The clam will be a temptation for many fishes, even ones that are kept well fed.

Many of the Gobies will work out okay. Just check their detailed information and search the Internet for details. Same goes for other Wrasses but with the Fairy, you'll have to skip the rest in this group. The Hawkfishes will work with the reef tank, but may not take kindly to other fishes. If you do settle on a smallish Hawkfish, add it last. Dottybacks and some smallish Seabasses are a good choice too.

I usually refrain from recommending fishes since there is such a large number to choose from and it's more or less a personal choice.