100g stocking feedback

[cedwards04]

I am looking to stock a 100g mixed reef. 48x24x20. I want fish #1 to be utilitarian and #2 to add color and movement to the tank. I am a little unsure how many fish I can house, so I'm going to list my wishlist in order of importance to me. I am looking for suggestions of good or bad choices as well as any you may think I would find useful. I based my tang selections off of a chart I found discussing tank dimensions/volume recommendations. With the exception of the blue hippo tang, which I know I will likely need to rehome in a few years, but my daughter really wants one and understands we cant keep it forever also. I have reefing buddies who can take it.

Hippo tang
Kole tang
One spot Fox face
Tailspot blenny
Melanarus wrasse
Rainfords goby
Mimic tang
Purple tang
Purple dottyback (wife's only request).
Mandarin goby (I know the tank needs to mature for a long time first. I'm also concerned the wrasse may keep the pod population to small, looking for advice here).

 

[Aardvark1134]

4 tangs in a 4 ft tank? Including a blue tang? I very much don't reccomend that

 

[cedwards04]

That's why I'm asking before buying. As I stated in the post, I do not know how many I can have, I listed the ones I am interested in that are supposedly safe in my tank size.

 

[Aardvark1134]

live aquaria has pretty good tank size guides. The blue tang can get 1 ft long and is reccomended for a 180Gallon or bigger.

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+330&pcatid=330

I would reccomend not putting that in a 100G tank

 

[cedwards04]

live aquaria has pretty good tank size guides. The blue tang can get 1 ft long and is reccomended for a 180Gallon or bigger.

https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+2971+330&pcatid=330

I would reccomend not putting that in a 100G tank

I already said I know the blue hippo tang will need to be rehomed, and stated I have a plan for that.

 

[Zack K]

So 4 tangs in a 100 gallon is aggressive but can definitely be done, especially if you plan on upgrading or rehoming them. The wrasse and the Mandarin will compete for pods but of you have a steady supply of them over a long enough time you should be okay. A refugium will help with that. Maybe replace one of the tangs with a butterfly or a few more wrasse?

 

[X-37B]

You will get 100 different opinions. Is this a reef or fish only tank as it makes a difference.
My 120 has 1 convict tang 1 yellow wrasse 1 clown 1 pajama cardinal 1 lawnmower blenny and 6 blue green chromis. This is max for my taste once all have grown.
I dont recommend putting over size fish in tanks and rehoming them but thats just me.
I would pic one tang even if its the hippo, they can out grow the system pretty quick.
That would leave you with plenty of other fish choices imo.

 

[cedwards04]

I guess nobody actually reads posts anymore as most of everyone's questions and concerns were address in the original post haha.

As stated in the first sentence, it is a mixed reef, not a fish only.

To be clear, I am not listing fish saying this is what I plan to put in there. I'm listing fish I am interested in, and asking what combination of those fish would be a good idea. The only fish I definitely want to add is the blue hippo tang, and that is why I have a plan to rehome it in the future. I plan to buy it really small, and rehome in a year or 2.

 

[X-37B]

I guess nobody actually reads posts anymore as most of everyone's questions and concerns were address in the original post haha.

As stated in the first sentence, it is a mixed reef, not a fish only.

To be clear, I am not listing fish saying this is what I plan to put in there. I'm listing fish I am interested in, and asking what combination of those fish would be a good idea. The only fish I definitely want to add is the blue hippo tang, and that is why I have a plan to rehome it in the future. I plan to buy it really small, and rehome in a year or 2.

Sorry missed it. I would still only put 1 tang and all the rest.

 

[Aardvark1134]

Let me respond to that part directly. I think putting a fish your kid really really wants in a tank you know is too small to keep it in just to give it away in a year after they get really attached to it is not a good idea. Let me give you an alternative plan...
The difference between heavy stocking an existing 100G tank for a full reef and the cost of making it a 150 with medium stocking(new tank stand and little more light) and then selling the 100G is maybe a 25% overall cost difference and a 6 ft 150 would let you keep the fish she really wants long term. While it's possible the 25% more cost may be a budget breaker for you...if it's not I would strongly consider something like this.

 

[cedwards04]

Let me respond to that part directly. I think putting a fish your kid really really wants in a tank you know is too small to keep it in just to give it away in a year after they get really attached to it is not a good idea. Let me give you an alternative plan...
The difference between heavy stocking an existing 100G tank for a full reef and the cost of making it a 150 with medium stocking(new tank stand and little more light) and then selling the 100G is maybe a 25% overall cost difference and a 6 ft 150 would let you keep the fish she really wants long term. While it's possible the 25% more cost may be a budget breaker for you...if it's not I would strongly consider something like this.

It's not about budget at all. It's about space. I cannot physically fit anything larger than a 4ft tank. I've done the research on the hippo tang, and know what has to be done, as does my daughter. I appreciate your concern about her getting attached, but she fully understands. She wants the fish, I want the fish, plenty of people house them in smaller tanks for many years before moving them to a larger tank. This is fairly common practice by a ton of people in the hobby. May not be the ideal situation, but it is certainly acceptable.

If I need to cut the other tangs from the list, then so be it. I did enough research to know that I needed to only have 1 of a species in the tank, but could not find any info at all giving an indication as to how many could be in there provided they were different species. This is what lead me to make the post and try to get better educated. I have never been big on fish. I'm more of a coral guy, but I understand the need for fish in a reef tank.

 

[Zack K]

What about 1 tang a school of anthias?

 

[cedwards04]

I really want fish that help out maintenance wise, which is what I liked about the tangs. Algae eaters. I work out of town a lot, most of the time without notice. Anthias are beautiful fish, but require feeding several times a day. I just simply cannot provide proper care for them at this time.

I will probably end up doing a really small blue hippo tang, and a yellow eye kole tang. From what I have read, kole tangs are fantastic utilitarian fish, and they are recommended for as small as 75g tanks. I feel like those 2 should be fine for a while and eventually I will move the hippo out.

Aside from the tangs, what are the thoughts on my other mentioned fish? The one spot fox face, tailspot blenny, rainfords goby, and melanarus wrasse? These fish going to be ok?

 

[Aardvark1134]

OK will try to be helpful with what you want here.
If you put the blue tang in there I would make it the only tang in the tank.
A pair of clowns would go well with it. Maybe a yellow wrasse or flame angel if you trust it to not eat your corals. plus 2-3 more fish that are colorful, non-agressive and as you put it helpful.

Please keep in mind several things about tangs: they are agressive to anything that eats the same stuff, especially in smaller tanks, most are ich magnets meaning the more of them you have the harder they are to keep healthy, and they grow like weeds. So if you put Dory in the tank I would reccomend all your other fish not be tangs. And since tangs are normally strong enough to be added last...if you do get rid of the older blue tang you could add a new tiny one the same day.

 

[X-37B]

I really want fish that help out maintenance wise, which is what I liked about the tangs. Algae eaters. I work out of town a lot, most of the time without notice. Anthias are beautiful fish, but require feeding several times a day. I just simply cannot provide proper care for them at this time.

I will probably end up doing a really small blue hippo tang, and a yellow eye kole tang. From what I have read, kole tangs are fantastic utilitarian fish, and they are recommended for as small as 75g tanks. I feel like those 2 should be fine for a while and eventually I will move the hippo out.

Aside from the tangs, what are the thoughts on my other mentioned fish? The one spot fox face, tailspot blenny, rainfords goby, and melanarus wrasse? These fish going to be ok?

Everthing but the foxface is ok. They get to big for that tank in a hurry imo.

 

[Pbh-reef]

Most of what I would say has been said. You might be good with a purple and Kole tang together, imho, but a hippo may best as the only tang. I do think a kole would be likely ok even with a hippo, individual fish personality becomes a factor. Getting a group of dither fish like antias or more peaceful damsels like a group of azures can help decrease aggression. The other issue with tangs is they poop a lot, so it can be a challenge to balance nutrients with tangs in medium size tanks. Consider nutrient exports like a larger skimmer or fuge or filter roller if you do want multiple tangs. Purples tends to be more aggressive than Yellow and scopas tangs btw, so a purple may be an issue

See if you can get your wife to be ok with an orchid dottyback or better yet a black capped basslet. Both are darker purple than the purple dottyback but much more peaceful, especially the basslet. I would be worried about a purple dottyback in the same tank as a mandarin

 

[cedwards04]

Most of what I would say has been said. You might get away with a purple and Kole tang together, imho, but a hippo may best as the only tang.

See if you can get your wife to be ok with an orchid dottyback or better yet a black capped basslet. Both are darker purple than the purple dottyback but much more peaceful, especially the basslet. I would be worried about a purple dottyback in the same tank as a mandarin

I'll check into your suggestions, thank you.

 

[Pbh-reef]

I'll check into your suggestions, thank you.

I edited what I wrote in an effort to be more helpful btw

 

[cedwards04]

Your point about the tangs and nutrient levels is actually another reason I was considering them. I struggle to keep nutrients up. Currently having to dose them. Trying to find a more balanced approach.

As a disclaimer, I am actually looking to restock this tank. I failed to qt inverts/corals the first go around and got ich which killed almost all of my fish. All I have left is a clownfish pair. I pulled all fish at the first sign of it and medicated with cupramine. Unfortunately it was too late for them. Planning to do things much differently this time (everything wet is getting qt, inverts/corals going in fishless frag tank for 76 days before going into the display). Tank is going fallow, so I am trying to plan ahead for when it is time to add new fish again. It was previously stocked with a small hippo tang, clownfish pair, tomini tang, and a neon dottyback. Had to dose nitrates to keep them above 0.

Thanks for being helpful. I am still learning a lot.

 

[FindingPonyo]

I am looking to stock a 100g mixed reef. 48x24x20. I want fish #1 to be utilitarian and #2 to add color and movement to the tank. I am a little unsure how many fish I can house, so I'm going to list my wishlist in order of importance to me. I am looking for suggestions of good or bad choices as well as any you may think I would find useful. I based my tang selections off of a chart I found discussing tank dimensions/volume recommendations. With the exception of the blue hippo tang, which I know I will likely need to rehome in a few years, but my daughter really wants one and understands we cant keep it forever also. I have reefing buddies who can take it.

Hippo tang
Kole tang
One spot Fox face
Tailspot blenny
Melanarus wrasse
Rainfords goby
Mimic tang
Purple tang
Purple dottyback (wife's only request).
Mandarin goby (I know the tank needs to mature for a long time first. I'm also concerned the wrasse may keep the pod population to small, looking for advice here).

If I were you I wouldn’t focus on the amount. 100 gallons is pretty generous so you can house most any fish (within reason of course). You might want to get more of a variety. Also yellow tang is a very easy tang to take care of. Although with the enormous equipment that has to be used for a 100 gallon be prepared to buy them as sub adults. If you buy a baby blue tang it will easily get sucked into the pump or filter. With tangs, be prepared to not house to many because they will really fill up the tank. For a 100gallon I would say a maximum of 6 tangs. Snails are also important for a big tank, so i would say you should not only get fish but also get nassarius snails (sand sifters). You could get a 6 lined wrasse, and scooter, lawnmower, watchman goby. But if you have a 100gallon, you could get a snowflake eel, they are fun to keep and very cute! Good luck