Fish suggestions for 120

[jjordan1904]

Hi everybody
My reef tank is only a few months old and has a way to go but if all goes well I plan for it to be mostly sps and zoa dominate.

I have no clue what other fish to add to this. Right now all I have is a
Platinum white clown.
Diamond goby
Yellow tang
Xanthurus angel


Can't decide between Chevron, purple or Achilles tang.
Or if I should find different options all together

Suggestions would be great.

Thanks

 

[elagui]

Bump!! i will be upgrading to 120 as well so ill be interested in this.

 

[143MPCo]

Maybe my esteemed colleagues can lend a hand @eatbreakfast and @3FordFamily...

 

[eatbreakfast]

Your situation is an interesting one.

A yellow tang will have the most aggression towards a purple as they are both in the same genus.

Achilles tangs can have a lot of energy and can be bullies when full grown, so a 120 may not have enough space.

Chevron tang would be your best of the three options, but lose their bright juvenile coloration as they get older.

 

[jjordan1904]

Stupid question but what does BUMP mean? Sorry new here. Lol

 

[143MPCo]

Stupid question but what does BUMP mean? Sorry new here. Lol

"Thread bumping" is the act of posting in a thread, with the sole goal of getting it back to the top of the thread list. Some people thread bump because their thread wasn't noticed during a busy time, while others bump threads just because they want to.

 

[jjordan1904]

I can ditch the yellow tang if need be. I'd rather have a few rely nice fish versus a lot of average everyday fish.
I just don't really know where to start let alone end at.

Thanks again

 

[elagui]

@eatbreakfast i have a similar situation i will be upgrading to a 120 in a couple of months right now in my current tank i have a small blue tang (3in) 2 clownfish and a mandarin goby. i would love to add a couple of tangs if possible which would you recommend? also i have one specific fish which is like my dream fish but every where i read say its super difficult to keep but i would love to try that is a moorish idol whats your take on that? thanks for the info.

 

[eatbreakfast]

@eatbreakfast i have a similar situation i will be upgrading to a 120 in a couple of months right now in my current tank i have a small blue tang (3in) 2 clownfish and a mandarin goby. i would love to add a couple of tangs if possible which would you recommend? also i have one specific fish which is like my dream fish but every where i read say its super difficult to keep but i would love to try that is a moorish idol whats your take on that? thanks for the info.

Moorish idols can be difficult to get eating, but once they start to eat they can be pretty hardy. However, they will eat corals.

Though there are exceptions one tang per genus in that size tank works well.

Zebrasoma tangs will do well in a that size, as do those in the genus Ctenochaetus , and the smaller peaceful Acanthurus species.

Stay away from Achilles, clowns, and sohals, they are very active, big and aggressive. Powder blues can come in unhealthy and, once acclimated can be aggressive. Naso tangs will outgrow your tank.

 

[jjordan1904]

I've alway like the Moorish idols to but have heard the same.
What about wrasse? What's a really good reef safe colorful friendly wrasse? Or any other types aside from tangs.
So far eatbreakfeast I like your thoughts on the juvenile chevron

 

[4FordFamily]

I vote chevron. Even an adult chevron is a handsome addition.

That said, adding more than one zebrasoma tang at a time can work well.

Purple do tend to be aggressive - so if you add one I would not expect to be able to add other tangs later.

Powder blues are demon fish once established and are IMO the most aggressive tang by a large margin. Also not a good fish for beginners because most acanthurus tangs will require strict quarantine and treatment procedures. They also prefer larger, more established tanks.

Chevron will be happy in a 120 for quite awhile. Zebrasoma tangs do well in groups in my experience. Add at least two to your yellow and of slightly larger size than your current inhabitant and you should be fine. Sometimes adding much smaller specimens works well also because the resident feels less threatened but this has a greater chance of backfiring. I find that Zebrasoma tangs (purple, sailfin, black, dejsarini sailfin, yellow, scopas, gem, etc) tend to do very well in groups and even in pairs when added together preferably. They're also not very susceptible to parasites (relative to other tangs anyway). I've always loved the desjardini sailfin, purple, and yellow trio for my reef tanks.

Hippo tangs get very large but once established they can also be very disease resistant. I've observed maybe half of them succumb easily to parasites, and the other half get affected and then pull through to be bulletproof and relatively immune. In my experience they grow slower once they reach 3".

I would avoid idols they're very difficult.

I don't see any wrasse - a halichoeres genus wrasse would make a solid addition. Melanarus, vroliks, "yellow coris" are all very hardy and inexpensive members of this genus. If it were me I would throw in a flame hawk for the red color and personality as well.

 

[elagui]

whatabout any angels?

 

[4FordFamily]

Melanarus vroliks and "yellow coris" are not reef safe but this designation originates from the fact that they have been observed eating clean up crew - (snails and hermits) as they get larger. I've always found their company worth the annual CUC replacement cost.

Fairy wrasses are pretty but I find that they're more difficult than is led on by online resources - particularly for newly established tanks. I've had best luck adding 2-4 fairy wrasses at a time, mixed with flasher wrasse as well if you so please.

That said, your best chances for temperament and color and budget will be one of those halichoeres wrasse I mentioned. Others from this genus tend to either be very expensive, not as hardy, or more aggressive. These seem to be a great balance, IME IMO.

If you decide to get fairy wrasses, lubbocks are generally inexpensive and hardy. Mccoskers or carpenter flashers are as well, exquisite fairy are pretty hardy and when they turn to super males are absolutely gorgeous!

 

[4FordFamily]

whatabout any angels?

Angels are not reef safe. Some work better in reefs than others. I might avoid them altogether and seek your color and life from other genus.

Hardy angels that can occasionally exist in reef are coral beauty Angels (a centropyge angel) and flame. Flame are far less hardy than coral beauty, especially if you don't follow strict qt and treatment protocols but I kept them for over a decade without doing this. You win some you lose some with these guys. Your best bet is to find one locally from another hobbyist. That brings a problem - as most hobbyist getting rid of flame Angels are doing so because they eat coral. It's a catch 22

 

[elagui]

thanks for the info. just one last option is a trigger fish i hear the blue jaw trigger can be reef safe but might go after your cuc?

 

[reefbeard]

I've alway like the Moorish idols to but have heard the same.
What about wrasse? What's a really good reef safe colorful friendly wrasse? Or any other types aside from tangs.
So far eatbreakfeast I like your thoughts on the juvenile chevron

Halichoeres chrysus (Canary Wrasse) is a friendly reef wrasse for thought. Anthias, specifically Lyretail do well in a reef and are not particularly demanding. Male coloration is awesome.

 

[4FordFamily]

thanks for the info. just one last option is a trigger fish i hear the blue jaw trigger can be reef safe but might go after your cuc?

Not a big trigger guy myself - I like more color and patterns personally. I do hear they can be fine in a reef but you won't be able to keep shrimp. Most shrimp would be fine with halichoeres wrasse as long as they're not tiny.

 

[gmastr85]

I had a male blue jaw trigger for a while in my 120 and he was a model citizen. But its a chance you tank as some can be problematic towards corals and/or inverts.

No on the Angel they aren't reef safe...

I have a yellow tang and a sail-fin tang in my 120 now and they get along great. Both cool fish!

 

[jjordan1904]

Man I love reef2reef so far. I'm still new here but all I have to do is either browse or ask a question and everybody willing to throw there 2 cents in. Thanks again everybody for the great advice.

 

[mochaclownlover]

How about a black tang