I have a 125g. The tang was 3-3.5", it was going in the large tank. The cube was temporary. Sorry misuse the last post. I had a small 2" regal and a pair of mandarins, a PJ cardinal, the goby, and powder blue tang. With the sand flip, I lost the female mandarin and the powder tang. The emerald crab got the regal, so now its a PJ, male mandarin, and the goby. Then my clean up guys, 3 shrimp, urchin, and emerald crab. Then I have a rock nem, button polyp colony, orange duster polyp colony, kryptonite candy cane, yellow chloral polyp colony and a frag, candy apple ZOA frag, torch, huge 6 head frogspawn, and some Kenya trees. That's everything in the cube. All except for the emerald and possibly the goby will be transitioning to the 125. I got the tangs because they were good specimens and I want them on my large tank. I had planned on just letting them hang out until the 125 was ready for them. But now I will just wait to replace them once the tank is ready. They should have been fine for a few weeks. I had no idea the goby would cause the issue he did and I thought the emerald crab was fine in a reef. I will definitely rethink what inverts go into my large tank. The plan for the cube is a dwarf lion, red knobby star and a purple reef lobster. Now the emerald will stay and possibly the goby. I am still not sure about the coral band shrimp either. He took nips at fish before, so I may just leave him or move him to my clown's nano. I read a lot before getting what I have but I never saw anything other than the goby making messes around the base rock. I didn't see or know to look for issues with them flipping sand and causing nitrate spikes or with emerald crabs deciding to eat fish. Since all of this happened, I have found other reef keepers having sand everywhere with the sand sifting gobies and issues with emeralds getting a taste for fish. The emerald went from about the size of a 50cent piece to about 3" across in a matter of 5 months. So, he has been well fed. My tank inhabitants had been happy until the addition of the goby. I never saw any issues out of the emerald until the tang incident. Expensive lessons and definitely disheartening. I am not giving up, just going to do a lot more research before I add anything to either tank. I need to seriously consider what I would rather have. And I love inverts, but the fish are more important. As for the goby, I wanted something to clean sand and I thought he was a good idea. He might be fine in the larger tank, I may try him in there and if he doesn't work out, put him back in the cube or post him for another member to try. As for now, no further purchases until my large tank is ready for fish. I will post my want list and get advice before adding anything going forward. Obviously everyone has preferences and not all creatures behave the same so with anything we add, we are taking a chance. But I did these guys a disservice by not researching as thoroughly as I should have apparently. Any further advice or experience is always much appreciated. I consider myself new to the hobby still, my cube was my first tank and I have only had it a year. So I know I have a lot of learning and research ahead. Thanks for the comments and help!! I am so greatful for dfwmas, I wish I had joined much earlier. Thanks guys!!!
that's a good size as long as the tangs aren't really big. I like the powder blues but can't have one with my purple, the regals are crazy fish and fun to watch and I have a naso that I really enjoy, it's a pig! Good luck!