Greenbird Wrasse and Yellow Tang

[titus24]

After I'm completed maturing my tank with damsels, I'm considering placing a GreenBird wrasse and a Yellow Tang as my first REAL fish. I know they are both territorial, so I've heard its a good idea to introduce them at the same time. Will this cause a problem down the line when I introduce other, less territorial fish?
I have a 50 gal tank with about 45 lbs of live rock.

 

[lefty]

This could cause some problems. You usually want to try and add the least aggressive fish first and go from there. But, if you do end up getting the most aggressive first, you can try and prevent the aggression by rearranging the rockwork prior to the addition of the new fish. This will disorient your current fish and their territories, making them less likely to hurt the new addition.
-lefty

 

[rubberduck]

i think the tang needs to go in as one of the first fish so its acclimation goes smooth without stress

 

[bseth90]

I had them both at the same time. I added the bird wrasse and then the yellow. I had to sell the bird wrasse back to the lfs since they are not reef friendly. If you get one..forget about shrimp or crabs he was an excellent hunter. Good luck.

 

[titus24]

Thanks for the help. Im not planning on any shrimps or crabs, so i think it sounds relataively safe to put them both in together. As for cleaner fish, since I can't put in any inverts, do you have any recommendations for a non invert cleaning crew?

 

[bseth90]

I just used my skimmer and some chemicals to remove the dead matter and waste matter. Can't think of the name at the moment. I only did this for a few months though and then changed my mind.

 

[ophiura]

I think you may find that both of those fish will be quite cramped in that size tank after a (potentially) short while...especially if you intend to add other fish.
I also shy away from adding these fish to such a young tank...especially a tang. Personally, they would not be my first fish in there. What other fish are you planning on adding? Maybe there is a different schedule possible....

 

[titus24]

I've always wanted a Greenbird Wrasse since I first saw one. I would also like a dogface puffer at some point, but hadn't even thought about putting him in this early. Besides that, I've just been concentrating on the greenbird and the yellow tang. I share the tank, so other people will be helping to decide what fish enter the tank as well, and im not quite sure what else they had in mind.

 

[ophiura]

I would seriously sit down and put together a wish list, then do research, and then add...because IMO a greenbird, yellow tang and dogface are pretty much maxing out that tank as it is...and of course they are not all that compatible with many fish. It could just get ugly down the road if the wish list isn't sorted out in advance.
A 55g tank is really quite small, I am afraid. Not much room for the two fish let alone many others.

 

[titus24]

The Tang, Wrasse and Puffer, are gonig to be the main fish in the tank. Any other fish added will be small and I will make sure they are compatible with these 3 to prevent any problems. I'd be perfectly fine having these 3 fish be the main, large fish in the tank and maybe have a few other smaller fish just to fill the tank. I don't plan on having more than 6 or 7 fish...