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Help me narrow down my stock


Keithw283
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This is for my 180G. dimensions are 6' x 2' x 2'. I know that I can't have all these tangs obviously but these are fish I am interested in and need to narrow the list down. Could use some help from you guys and also any input you can give me. 

Yellow Tang
Blue Tang
Purple Tang
Powder Brown Tang
Copperband butterfly (I've seen people keep these in reef tanks. Love this fish but I'd rather not have something that will eat all my corals. Anyone have success with this in a reef tank?)
Black and white Ocellaris clown
regular Ocellaris clown
Green Chromis (how many?)
Lyretail Anthias (how many? I know you shouldn't have more than one male)
Bartlett Anthias (How many? I have read that Anthias do best in a species specific tank but I've seen tons of people put them in with other fish. any input on this?)
Bicolor Dottyback
Green Mandarin (way down the road once my tank is more established)
Foxface (definitely want this one. seems like it's pretty easy to keep in reefs as long as you keep it well fed)
six line (love the activity of this fish but not something I have to have)
watchman goby and pistol shrimp

The two clowns and the foxface are the only ones I want for sure. Do you guys think 3 of those tangs would be too much for that size tank? Maybe Blue, Yellow and Powder Brown? Or Blue, Purple and Powder Brown? I think the Purple and Yellow would really look good together in the tank and I've seen people do it but I'm just worried that since they are both zebrasomas that they wouldn't get along. Whatever tangs I get will all be added as juveniles, at the same time and will be the last fish added.

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When I first started reading this I was worried about the purple and yellow also, but like you said you see it done.  I would expect the purple to be your problem and add it last, being ready to take action if necessary.  I have read the more crowded the tank the better your chances.  As to some of your others it seems like I always read the chromis dwindle down to one or two, I personally would skip them.  I have a 6 line that is awesome but I know many say it is a bully.  Mine is in a tank with a clown pair and a Eibli angel with no problems at all.  I also would look for a single kind of anthias.  Like you said 1 male and keep an odd number total.  I'm really wanting to try some of these too but my biggest tank is a 90 and I don't think I have room to be successful. In a 180 I would look at 5 or 7 because they would be the main attraction for me while everyone else looked at the tangs.  2 pairs of clowns should be ok and the pistol/goby combo is really interesting to watch.  A mandarin shouldn't be a problem at all amd the Dottyback will probably stake out a territory and force everyone on the smaller sideout of it, but you should have plenty of room for that.  They are a much more agressive fish than the 6 line IMO.

Copperband and foxface I don't have any experience with or reading to comment, someone will chip in with an opinion!

All of this is also variable depending on the individual fish's personality, so even the best laid out plan may not work exactly like you think, and species that shouldn't work can!

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I'm just doing one pair of clowns. they are both ocellaris so it should be fine. As for the chromis, not only have I read that but also have experienced it lol. I started with 5 and ended with 3 but I watched this guys youtube series with his tank over the span of 10 months and it had 9 chromis in it each time. I was thinking that maybe having bigger and more active tank mates would make them less likely to fight but I can skip them. I would probably just skip the dottyback as well. I had a sixline in my old tank with no issues. I gotta have the powder brown and blue tang. Just have to choose between purple and yellow. Unless anyone here has 4 tangs in a 180 with success. Then maybe I could try it. I could always re-home one of the tangs if it seems to be too much as they grow.

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copperband butterflys will eat nems, tube worms, inverts and feather dusters. i have not really noticed any killing coral

with the tangs, i would recommend 4 algae clips with nori on them at all times. people dont realize how much this curves aggression and qt all of them as powder browns are ich magnets

lyretails- get the ones out of fiji. you can just get one male and a couple females (never keep 2 males)

chromis-skip em

bicolor dotty-up to you but they can be mean little guys, i would get a tank raised one

mandarin-definitely have a fuge big enough to support this fish before buying

bartlett- imo, i would choose between the bartlett and the lyretails as they may not play well together (i like the male lyre tails better)

foxface- go for it! i would make it one of the latter additions though

 

sidenote: you could always swap one or two of the tangs out for some smaller tangs (flamefin, yellow eye cole, tomini, etc)

 

Edited by euphylin me
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