i need tang help ASAP

[AlexS!]

ok here are the specs; one 150 gallon tang tank. im placing an order this week and one in a few weeks, so i need to find out which ones will become territorial and should add last. i have 6 tangs i like, but am only getting 2-4 tangs, and here they are;
vlamingi
purple
desjardini
powder blue
regal tang
naso
(black- yah right)
well so pleaz help and give me any knowledge of these tangs u know about
!!! -alex

 

[Tremelle]

The purple and desjardinii are going to be the bad boys of the list. Those are the two to be added last. Any of the others you will have no problem as far as introduction order.

 

[Bodine]

A PBT and hippos can also be mean perhaps not as much as purples or sail fins.

Which ever you decided I would either add them all at the same time or add the smallest first and progress to the largest.

However I dont think I would try 4 in this size tank.

The meanest tang I ever had was a black.

 

[danmhippo]

I think 2 would be just fine, three is pushing it. Go with what Bodine said.

 

[naesco]

I have kept tangs for many years.
First let`s get rid of the tangs you cannot have.
The vlamingi grows very large extremely quickly . I have a vlamingi in a tank twice your size and it is going to the public aquarium soon. It needs 600 gallons plus IME.
The powder blue is almost impossible to keep even by experts. Some people do have success but IMO over 95 percent die within a year and take a few of their inhabitants with them. If you want problems get a powder blue. If they survive they are a mean aggressive fish.
The Naso grows large and is also difficult to keep unless you choose the perfect specimen IME.
A fish less than 3 inches or an adult sized fish should not even be considered as the former waste away over time and the latter very often refuse to eat. You must also see them eating aggressively. For these reasons never buy this fish online. This statement is almost true for tangs period.
I would chose a maximum of two tangs from the remainder. If one of them is a purple add it and the other tang at the same time otherwise smallest to largest.
Missing off your list is the powder brown (japonica only). It has orange on it. It is a beautiful and hardy fish but should not be purchased online.
The two tangs you choose should be plump, agressively eating, alert, clear eyes, no spots or tears. If not pass on the fish there will always be another.
Feed only garlic extract soaked food for 30 days as an ich preventative as all tangs are ich magnets.
The best source of info on tangs is www.wetwebmedia.com/tangs,.htm

 

[JohnD]

AlexS,

naesco is right on target. The link to wetweb is a fantastic resourse. I believe the auther on the web site, Bob Fenner, is Robert Fenner, the author of the Conscientious Marine Aquarist.

Unlike many board members, I have not had a lot of problems with my hippo/regal tang. "Leroy" is an eating machine and only got ich once when I moved his tank.

You didn't mention a yellow tang. Are you interested in one of those? IMHO they are a spectacular fish for a very good price.

 

[Anonymous]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by JohnD:
<strong>AlexS,

You didn't mention a yellow tang. Are you interested in one of those? IMHO they are a spectacular fish for a very good price.</strong><hr></blockquote>

IMO yellow tangs get overlooked for two reasons - they are common, and they often look rough and faded in the LFS.

When healthy they are spectacular. I fell in love with this fish when I was a kid and in my mind they still define "marine fish."

 

[alabrew]

FWIW, I have had a Purple and Desjardini together in my 90 gal for over 6 months. No real bad fighting since introduction. If I remember right, the Desjardini went in first.

Sometimes they swim together, sometimes they swim alone, and sometimes they swim at each other. They are just like brothers!.

 

[danmhippo]

Ugh.....Brothers fight to death over who gets the bigger room and who gets to use the game console.............

 

[Anonymous]

Could not have said it better than naesco.

 

[suckair]

I love tangs, I have a two yellow, and one purple on each of my large systems. I had to add them all at once and watch closley to see if they fight.. They are all buddies and get along great.. but some will fignt and others won't. They will bicker a little until things settle down. Just have to play it by ear and be ready to remove someone..

It can be done.. just have to be careful.. "I would not try it unless you are prepared to remove them!"

Randall

 

[whusband]

i totally agree w/ naesco and just want to add that you make sure you have your tank aquascaped in a manner that will allow them to hide completely from view. they certainly are ich magnets, as many of us have experienced, and a lot of their being prone to ich IMHO/E is related to stress.

many say to have a place for fish to hide is a good practice for all fish, but i think it is especially important for tangs. reefers will tell you to make sure you leave enough room in the front of the tank for your fish to have some swimming room. make sure you have enough room in back for them to hide

my Pacific Blue is my oldest fish and the most entertaining. he is fat and lazy. he used to sleep laying flat, sideways, wedged under a piece of rock just in front of a power head so the current would flow through his gills and he could stay absolutely still

[ April 27, 2002: Message edited by: huz ]</p>

 

[Minh Nguyen]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by AlexS:
<strong>vlamingi
purple
desjardini
powder blue
regal tang
naso
(black- yah right)
!!! -alex</strong><hr></blockquote>

vlamingi Don't add because ther get huge. No personal experience

powder blue Beautiful but not an easy tang to keep. Mine is beautiful and agressive. The boss of my tank

purple Agressive but easy to care for. Need to later or at the same time with other tangs

desjardini Don't add. They get large (max size of 15.7 inches per Scott Michael. No personal experience

regal tang OK tang but also one of the larger tang

naso Which one? Most of the Naso genus get huge (>18 inces)

Try for two or three tangs in your tank. Consider an Atlantic blue tang, YELLOW TANG, Whit cheek (Acanthurus nigricans) very similar to Powder brown tang but hardier, Mimic tang (Acanthurus pyroferus) a very beautiful yellow tang that turn into oliver green/yellow as an adult, or a Kole's tang

 

[EEreefer]

So, the "perfect SPS tank" is now a tang tank? Take it easy with these fish.
Vlamingi - Way, way too large.
Purple - Ok, but don't mix with another Zebrasoma.
Desjardini - Much too large even for my 225 gal.
Powder Blue - Pretty low success rate in the hobby.
Regal - Get tank raised if possible.
Naso - Much too large.

Try a Kole, very even tempered, unlike most tangs, and stays relatively small.

For a 150 I would try to stay with no more than a couple of the smaller ones, say a Purple and a Kole, or a Yellow and a Kole. JME.

 

[AlexS!]

i need to decide wether or not to do sps or tangs. i will need more lighting for sps but at the same token the tank is great for tangs! so well thats all thanxs guys