Best Choice Fish From the List

[sj miller guy]

Well I'm looking for a "show piece" fish for my 55. Right now all I have is a pajama cardinal, dragon goby, damsel, royal gamma, and kole tang.

I'm looking for something that is striking and eye catching. Also, seeing as I only have a 55 for now, I want something that is sizeable.

I'd like to stick with tangs and so far I have the choice of:

Powder Brown Tang
Blue Regal or Hippo Tang
White Cheek Tang

I'm not really sure which one would be the easiest to care for. I've read good and bad about them all.

The Powder Brown I like the appearance of the most but I know little about the care. The same with the white cheek tang.

Any info is appreciated.

[A sea K]

Bad news, IMO none of those tangs are appropriate for your tank.
Try one of the dwarf angels or a larger fairy wrasse. Plenty of flash and lots of options to choose from, not to mention much better suited to your tank.

[tropicalfishguy]

I have personally kept a blue hippo in a 55 for 2-3 yrs, no problems
what so ever. She is going into a larger tank now, thought, and it currently about 5 inches.

[Gary Majchrzak]

Originally posted by sj miller guy
Well I'm looking for a "show piece" fish for my 55. Right now all I have is a pajama cardinal, dragon goby, damsel, royal gamma, and kole tang.

I'm looking for something that is striking and eye catching. Also, seeing as I only have a 55 for now, I want something that is sizeable.

I'd like to stick with tangs and so far I have the choice of:

Powder Brown Tang
Blue Regal or Hippo Tang
White Cheek Tang

I'm not really sure which one would be the easiest to care for. I've read good and bad about them all.

The Powder Brown I like the appearance of the most but I know little about the care. The same with the white cheek tang.

Any info is appreciated.

You already have a Kole Tang in your 55.
I would not add another Tang.

[McCrary]

A nice wrasse would be a very good choice for your 55. As stated above, none of the tangs you recommended will do well in your tank.

[reefer_for_life]

maybe get a flame angel. my first salt tank was a 55 and the flame was my biggest fish in there. in my opinion flames look much better in smallish tanks than they do in big tanks. its the first thing people will notice about your tank, and they are beatiful fish. if you absolutely have to have one of those tangs i would go with the hippo, but wouldnt recommend it. the fish you listed are prone to ick and will be stressed in a 55.

[snommisbor]

Get a Lemonpeel Angel. They are bright yellow and would really stand out. Plus it is a good option to the Yellow Tang. It will bring that style to your tank.

[Gary Majchrzak]

Originally posted by snommisbor
Get a Lemonpeel Angel. They are bright yellow and would really stand out. Plus it is a good option to the Yellow Tang. It will bring that style to your tank.

Lemonpeel Angelfish are well known to be reef wreckers. This is possibly one of the worst Angelfish species to add to any reef aquarium.

[snommisbor]

Originally posted by Gary Majchrzak
Lemonpeel Angelfish are well known to be reef wreckers. This is possibly one of the worst Angelfish species to add to any reef aquarium.

Woops didnt realize this was a reef. Thought it was a FOWLR.

[fishyz]

If I were you, I would get a wrasse or a flame angel like others have already stated. A second tang in a 55 is not acceptable IMHO. I have a striped bristletooth tang(very similar to a kole) in a 90g, and I sometimes feel that my tank is not big enough for her. I would not get another tang until you know there is an upgrade very soon in the future(100g+) .

[Kiel'thalin]

You can try a Pyramid Butterfly (Hemitauricthys polylepis), dwarf angelfish or for a more reef safe choice get a Swallowtail Angel (or any Genicanthus angel). There are also the longfin bannerfish that could catch your eye. I would not put another tang in there. You are really pushing it adding another tang, they do not mix well in smaller tanks... Don't forget a single anthias could also look spectacular.

[sj miller guy]

Thanks for all the input.

I have read that multiple tangs don't mix well in smaller tanks but I as well as others have had two if not three together without problem. For example, my friend has a yellow, purple, and sohal in a 75 without a single problem. He also has many other fish also.


I'm looking to upgrade to at least a 75 within a few months so all should be well.

[A sea K]

Originally posted by sj miller guy
Thanks for all the input.

I have read that multiple tangs don't mix well in smaller tanks but I as well as others have had two if not three together without problem. For example, my friend has a yellow, purple, and sohal in a 75 without a single problem. He also has many other fish also.


I'm looking to upgrade to at least a 75 within a few months so all should be well.

In that case then I have the perfect solution.
Put ALL of them in your 55. I see no problem with this, and will elliminate which one to choose.

[wrasseguy2]

ok sj just do what u want because it looks like you are going to anyway...man you do not need to add another tang...but u and your friend got it all figured out any ways and that 75 u are upgrading to still would be small...i really hate to see how many tangs u are going to cram in that one...i would get a fairy or flasher wrasse

[Gary Majchrzak]

Originally posted by sj miller guy
a yellow, purple, and sohal in a 75 without a single problem.

anyone that knows about fish will immediately realize these fishes haven't been together very long. A full grown Sohal will take up almost half the length of a 75.

[snorvich]

The poster does not really care for the health and safety of his animals; he intends to do what he wishes. I go with A sea K and say to put all of them in and see what remains.

[sj miller guy]

I am really amazed at the backlash from this site. I post what people have done and had success with and I get criticized about it.

For everyone's information, I do care greatly for the wellfare of my animals. I have three dogs all of which I adopted as well as a cat. The safety and care of my animals are always at the forefront of my mind.

For all of you who think that you know how I do things in my personal life, keep on judging. For people that have a more open mind, keep listening and helping.

[Kiel'thalin]

The Powder Brown and White cheek are not a easy fish to keep happy (not hardy selections). All three are ich magnets with the regal being the leader in that category. They all get very large in size and require suitable tanks. I can tell you a tang is not a show piece fish. What is you want to hear? You expect people to agree with the tang idea? It is very frustrating to see this type of discussion happen all the time. There is no solid answer, I would value all the experience and knowledge that is given here, it won't steer you wrong. I think that is the purpose of the sticky "What tang for my 30g".

[sj miller guy]

Originally posted by Kiel'thalin
The Powder Brown and White cheek are not a easy fish to keep happy (not hardy selections). All three are ich magnets with the regal being the leader in that category. They all get very large in size and require suitable tanks. I can tell you a tang is not a show piece fish. What is you want to hear? You expect people to agree with the tang idea? It is very frustrating to see this type of discussion happen all the time. There is no solid answer, I would value all the experience and knowledge that is given here, it won't steer you wrong. I think that is the purpose of the sticky "What tang for my 30g".

I appreciate your and all others information first off. Secondly, you say that a "tang is not a showpiece fish", but to me they are my favorites. I was hoping to have two at the most, but apparently that is not a good idea.

I value you all the information here greatly. Lord knows you all have more knowledge than I do simply because you've been doing it so much longer. What I don't appreciate is being jumped all over after one post and having not even been to the fish store to purchase anything. It reminds me of narrow sighted people that don't wait before they jump to make a rash decision about someone. As far as they were all concerned, I had already been to the fish store and bought every single tang I could find. I just don't understand that.

I've been on forums for over ten years. Some of which I had a huge knowledge base and some to which I haven't. Each and every time I sought to help someone through constructive criticism and knowledge rather than slandering them on their threads. I guess I expect the same from everyone on a forum.

Thank you for those that informed me, I do greatly appreciate it.

[McCrary]

Tangs are very active fish, which is the reason that people tend to give them plenty of swimming space. Many tangs are also aggressive and don't do well when placed with other tangs unless in very large tanks. Even a 75 gallon tank would not be of sufficient size to diffuse aggression between two tangs, unless they were very carefully picked. There will always be time to add fish later and you will almost certainly upgrade in the future. Get used to the 55 and keep the bioload (number of fish in the tank) low, it will help to keep the rest healthy. Patience is the key to success in this hobby and although its hard, it may be wise to resist the impulse to add any other fish. Keep reading and continue to ask questions, keep an open mind and don't worry if a critical comment comes your way. Good luck

[sj miller guy]

I think that states it best. Thank you very much for your guidance on this issue, I appreciate it also.