These type of fish together?

[Miss.Mindy]

Hi! I'm planning on starting a saltwater tank. I'm an expert in freshwater fish and how to operate a tank. I am wondering if clownfish, Yellow Tang, Mandarin Dragonet, and Banggai Cardinal can cohabit. I want 2 clownfish. I read they should be kept in even numbers or I would get 3. Do Yellow Tang need to be kept in groups or pairs to be happy? What about Yellow Tang, Banggai cardinals, and Mandarin Dragonets? Do they need to be kept in groups/pairs?
I know I need anemones, and reefs for the clownfish. How big of a aquarium do you think I would need to house these fish? If a 75 gallon big enough, and does it need to be a long one? I just want a happy aquarium to give them the best life I can.

 

[Gtinnel]

Those fish should be fine together. Only get one yellow tang and no more than 2 clownfish. The mandarin needs to be a single fish too unless you get a male and female.
I'm less common with cardinalfish but from what I know they do fine in larger groups.

An anemone is not required to keep clownfish happy, and a 75 should be fine for those fish. The only fish that is even getting close to being too big for that tank is the yellow tang and it should be fine in a 75 but I personally wouldn't put it in anything smaller.

 

[Tnops]

Hi! I'm planning on starting a saltwater tank. I'm an expert in freshwater fish and how to operate a tank. I am wondering if clownfish, Yellow Tang, Mandarin Dragonet, and Banggai Cardinal can cohabit. I want 2 clownfish. I read they should be kept in even numbers or I would get 3. Do Yellow Tang need to be kept in groups or pairs to be happy? What about Yellow Tang, Banggai cardinals, and Mandarin Dragonets? Do they need to be kept in groups/pairs?
I know I need anemones, and reefs for the clownfish. How big of a aquarium do you think I would need to house these fish? If a 75 gallon big enough, and does it need to be a long one? I just want a happy aquarium to give them the best life I can.

I'm no expert so take my answers with a grain of salt but I've researched a bit. Yes the species you listed can all be kept in the same tank. You can only have a max of 2 clownfish in a standard aquarium as they will pair and kill any other clownfish in the tank. The mandarin would need a very established aquarium with lots of copepods for it to feed on. This can be achieved by buying copepods or growing them out in a refugium which is a lot cheaper. Cardinals can be kept in pairs but does better in groups. A yellow tang would need at least a 90 gallon tank as stated on Live Aquaria and I don't think tangs can be kept in numbers in a tank that size. Anemones are optional

 

[adittam]

Hi! I'm planning on starting a saltwater tank. I'm an expert in freshwater fish and how to operate a tank. I am wondering if clownfish, Yellow Tang, Mandarin Dragonet, and Banggai Cardinal can cohabit. I want 2 clownfish. I read they should be kept in even numbers or I would get 3. Do Yellow Tang need to be kept in groups or pairs to be happy? What about Yellow Tang, Banggai cardinals, and Mandarin Dragonets? Do they need to be kept in groups/pairs?
I know I need anemones, and reefs for the clownfish. How big of a aquarium do you think I would need to house these fish? If a 75 gallon big enough, and does it need to be a long one? I just want a happy aquarium to give them the best life I can.

As others have stated, a 75 gallon is doable for a yellow tang, but borderline too small. If you think you want to keep multiple tangs, I would recommend going up to a 125 gallon if you have space for it in your home, as it is 6 feet long instead of 4.

Horizontal swimming space is more important for tangs than strict water volume because they really like to swim. I am in the process of upgrading to a 80 gallon lagoon (shallow) style tank, with a 48" long x 24" wide x 16" tall shape, because I also want to keep a yellow tang. I learned that the extra width (24" instead of 18") would be more beneficial to them than the extra height of a 75 or 90 gallon tank.

 

[Miss.Mindy]

Thanks guys! Maybe I won't get a yellow Tang then. I want them all to be as happy as they can be. Don't want him to feel like he is in a prison cell. Any other suggestions to replace him then? That will go well w the others in a 75 gallon? I want colorful fish.

 

[adittam]

Thanks guys! Maybe I won't get a yellow Tang then. I want them all to be as happy as they can be. Don't want him to feel like he is in a prison cell. Any other suggestions to replace him then? That will go well w the others in a 75 gallon? I want colorful fish.

I would echo what someone else mentioned about anemones being optional. Many clownfish, especially captive bred ones, couldn't care less if there is an anemone for them or not.

As far as other fish go, your choices depend on a lot on if you plan on keeping corals or not, as there are some species that will eat coral (also known as "not reef safe)...

 

[Gtinnel]

Thanks guys! Maybe I won't get a yellow Tang then. I want them all to be as happy as they can be. Don't want him to feel like he is in a prison cell. Any other suggestions to replace him then? That will go well w the others in a 75 gallon? I want colorful fish.

The melanurus wrasse has always been a favorite of mine. They're brightly colored, fairly cheap, and also eat some common pests in the tank. Just make sure your tank has plenty of microfauna because it and the mandarin will both use it as at least a partial food source.
If you are specifically looking for a yellow fish there is a yellow coris wrasse that you could get instead that is similar to the melanurus, just not as attractive IMO.

For either of these fish you would need sand in the tank. They both bury under the sand at night or when startled.

 

[adittam]

Thanks guys! Maybe I won't get a yellow Tang then. I want them all to be as happy as they can be. Don't want him to feel like he is in a prison cell. Any other suggestions to replace him then? That will go well w the others in a 75 gallon? I want colorful fish.

One suggestion I have would be a tang from the Ctenochaetus (Bristletooth) genus. They are the smallest genus of tangs, would be very comfortable in a 75 gallon tank, and are still gorgeous, active fish.

A few options:
Ctenochaetus binotatus (Two Spot Bristletooth Tang)
Ctenochaetus tominiensis (Bristletooth Tomini Tang)
Ctenochaetus truncatus (Squaretail Bristletooth Tang)

 

[LaloJ]

A yellow tang can hold up well at 75 gallons so don't worry, but it should be the only tang, you should also know that he will be the boss of the tank, so naturally there will be a bit of aggression to the other fish if you decide to add first the YT, that's of course if you don't mind paying current prices to get one. Although if you have a chance to get a bigger tank, go for it.

 

[blaxsun]

Yes. You don’t need anemones for the clownfish, nor pairs for the cardinals. I have 3x Clownfish that are perfectly content without any anemones and a single cardinal that just slowly cruises around.

 

[CookieRdReef]

The melanurus wrasse has always been a favorite of mine. They're brightly colored, fairly cheap, and also eat some common pests in the tank. Just make sure your tank has plenty of microfauna because it and the mandarin will both use it as at least a partial food source.
If you are specifically looking for a yellow fish there is a yellow coris wrasse that you could get instead that is similar to the melanurus, just not as attractive IMO.

For either of these fish you would need sand in the tank. They both bury under the sand at night or

 

[CookieRdReef]

Melanrus wrasse are great but hunt for pods all day which would not be good for a dragonette. Mandarin look awesome but are not considered an easy fish to keep unless you have access to old live rock or restock pods frequently. Or get lucky and get a hardy one that eats frozen.

 

[Squidward]

Thanks guys! Maybe I won't get a yellow Tang then. I want them all to be as happy as they can be. Don't want him to feel like he is in a prison cell. Any other suggestions to replace him then? That will go well w the others in a 75 gallon? I want colorful fish.

Bicolor angel. It has a beautiful yellow and blue combination.