Help me pick fish for my 180 gallon tank

General Saltwater Discussion
1

Help me pick out my fish for my new 180 gallon tank. I’m looking for reef-safe, easy to medium care fish, peaceful to moderate aggression, and any compatibility issues to be aware of. I have a shallow sand bed but plenty of rock work and room to swim.

I’d also love to hear any experiences you’ve had with the fish below:

Powder blue tang
Naso tang
Yellow tang
Blue hippo tang
Sailfin tang
Fairy Wrassee
Midas Blenny
Clown fish (currently own)
Royal gramma (currently own)
Coral beauty (currently own)
Blue chromis (currently own)
Fire fish
Yellow goby

Note: I don’t plan on adding all the tangs on this list due to heavy bioload.

2

Oh fun! With a tank that size, I’d think about utility fish too. Lawnmower blenny for algae, corris or Melanurus wrasse for pest control, and a sandsifting goby (if you don’t mind piles of sand all over).

I’m a sucker for sailfin tangs personally. I think they’re amazing when they’re all spread out. I know very little about tangs though, so that’s the extent of my advice there :slight_smile: You’ve got lots of varied colors on that list. Do you want a “centerpiece fish”? Maybe one of the high end wrasses or a harlequin tusk?

3

I’m partial to the lemon peel mimic tangs myself. The Naso is such a personable fish. They have a blonde version with a yellow dorsal fin. You’ll want a screened lid to prevent jumping wrasses- but they’re worth the work

I think the pyramid butterfly fish are incredible. Also the plankton eating angelfish - Japanese swallowtail angelfish. I’m also a big fan of anthias groups.

4

I agree with some anthias. Look into the fathead as they are nice and not to pricey. Also some flasher wrasse

5

I’d highly recommend a book by Scott Michael called “A Pocket Expert Guide to Marine Fishes” to help you select your fish. This is a great little book that provides a lot of useful information regarding about 500 species of fish that are relatively common in the hobby. It covers things like maximum size, habitat requirements, aggression, feeding, and ease of keeping as well as whether they are reef safe. I used to carry it with me when I went fish shopping to avoid making any stupid impulse purchases, and it probably saved me a lot of grief over the years.

Good luck, and have fun!

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