Powder Blue Tang and Achilles Tang together?

[Circa]

I like both of these tang equally and there has been a good thread going on about the powder blue whether people had a success with it or not. I Personally like the powder blue just as much as the achilles. But I know they are really similar species, can they be housed together in a 180g or 240g tank? Is that enough swimming space for the two guys or is that still to small?

Thanks guys,
Circa

 

[naesco]

With a tank that size you can keep many tangs.
As the other post shows Powder Blue tangs are almost impossible to keep although some have had sucess. Clown tangs are impossible.
Achilles are really iffy.
There is no point trying to establish a tank with very difficult species.
Once you have an established tank, call on those of us who also enjoy tangs for advise on how to best deal with the slow introduction of tang species with the least possible problems. Many of them co-exist.
They include the Vlamingi, Atlantic blue, yellow, sailfin, powder brown, kole, orange shoulder and Hippo.

 

[AF Founder]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Circa:
<STRONG>I like both of these tang equally and there has been a good thread going on about the powder blue whether people had a success with it or not. I Personally like the powder blue just as much as the achilles. But I know they are really similar species, can they be housed together in a 180g or 240g tank? Is that enough swimming space for the two guys or is that still to small?

Thanks guys,
Circa</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have a Powderblue and Achilles of about equal size together in the same tank. They fight most of the time, but because the tank is 10-feet long the Achilles basically rules the left side and the Powderblue the right side. They challange each other regularly. Body shapen not coloration intensifies interspecific aggression in fish. Bottom line, have at least a 10-foot tank to keep these two together.
Terry

 

[AF Founder]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Circa:
<STRONG>I like both of these tang equally and there has been a good thread going on about the powder blue whether people had a success with it or not. I Personally like the powder blue just as much as the achilles. But I know they are really similar species, can they be housed together in a 180g or 240g tank? Is that enough swimming space for the two guys or is that still to small?

Thanks guys,
Circa</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[http://wsphotofews.excite.com/030/3C/52/4T/Br76756.jpg]

 

[AF Founder]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Circa:
<STRONG>I like both of these tang equally and there has been a good thread going on about the powder blue whether people had a success with it or not. I Personally like the powder blue just as much as the achilles. But I know they are really similar species, can they be housed together in a 180g or 240g tank? Is that enough swimming space for the two guys or is that still to small?

Thanks guys,
Circa</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I meant to include photo of the two tangs, so here it is now

terry

 

[AF Founder]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Circa:
<STRONG>I like both of these tang equally and there has been a good thread going on about the powder blue whether people had a success with it or not. I Personally like the powder blue just as much as the achilles. But I know they are really similar species, can they be housed together in a 180g or 240g tank? Is that enough swimming space for the two guys or is that still to small?

Thanks guys,
Circa</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

One more try to resize it correctly,

 

[Circa]

Hey cool finally the pics worked! Boy your tangs look healthy. What kind of lighting do you have running is that mh lights?

So you so no less than a 10foot tank, how big is your tank? I was considering a 180g or 240g tank. So I may be able to accomidate the two tangs with the 8foot long tank. Maby a good idea would be to buy them at the same time and at the same size.

Btw you must have one huge tank, do you have a site or more info one what your tank is an what your fish load is?

Anymore comments?

 

[AF Founder]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Circa:
<STRONG>Hey cool finally the pics worked! Boy your tangs look healthy. What kind of lighting do you have running is that mh lights?

So you so no less than a 10foot tank, how big is your tank? I was considering a 180g or 240g tank. So I may be able to accomidate the two tangs with the 8foot long tank. Maby a good idea would be to buy them at the same time and at the same size.

Btw you must have one huge tank, do you have a site or more info one what your tank is an what your fish load is?

Anymore comments?</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The tank is illuminated by 6 Prism Pendants, with each having a 250w Iwaski 6500K and 2 10K power compacts. I never photograph with the MH lights on -- too much contrast -- only the power compacts on. You can find plenty of info on my tanks in my Outer Reef limits column for Aquarium Frontiers, and in quite a few magazine articles.
If I were you I would try the Powderblue; Achilles are much harder to keep, at least in my experience.
Terry

 

[radium]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by naesco:
<STRONG>Powder Blue tangs are almost impossible to keep although some have had sucess. Clown tangs are impossible. Achilles are really iffy.</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Powder blue tangs are nowhere near impossible to keep. As with most acanthurus tangs, you need plenty of room, very clean water, low stress, and the right diet. They are hardy once established.

I personally would not keep a powder blue tang in anything less than a six foot long tank. Eight to ten feet is better for an achilles.

I keep my powder blue tang with a sailfin tang in my six foot reef. They fight seldomly. I've noticed that the powder blue will get ich if the temperature changes too rapidly, but the ich will go away once the fish calms down if your tank is healthy and its fed correctly.

I've never tried to keep an achilles, as I feel I do not have a long enough tank to accomodate it. I would want a ten footer like the guy above before I'd attempt it.

 

[Iron]

The achilles and PB look almost the same shaped wise. I guess thats why my sailfin and achilles only fought for the first day. I'll tell my story on my achilles. My tank is only a puny 120g but my achilles was a gift from the beginning. I tell ppl not to buy me anything but my wife did. It is a 4" achilles my sailfin is 5" I has a perc and a manderine. They don't fight they graze. My achilles doesn't swim back and forth it stressed just slowley grazes all day. maybe cuz the tangs small. But I have alot of curent which they like 25x+ turnover. You see them in Hawaii In the surf. It's happy so far? or not showing signs of stress =ick pacing ect... when it starts to look stressed out if it ever does i know ppl with 8' tanks. They or i've been told they don't handle shipping both fish. This is why they are hard to keep. Mine both tangs never get ick. but i wouldn't recommend these 2 tangs in one tank as small as mine. AF has a 10' but he also has a clown and sohal?? Plus angels so it has alot of big fish?? What i've read on his tank before.it's not like there just 2 tangs. But he said they are still fight in 10'.

[ October 22, 2001: Message edited by: Iron ]

 

[Henry1]

Yes, PB and Archilles tangs can be kept together successfully.
IME and that of many other on this board, you get much better success by getting both of almost the same size and INTRODUCE THEM AT THE SAME TIME.
However, the challenge is more to keeping them from getting ick than fighting.
You need consistently good water quality.
Even with the introduction of a new piece of liverock can trigger off ick on them.
At time, the ick would disappear but not always.

I had kept both successfully for about 4 months in a 120G until it sprang a leak and all hell broke lose.

I am presently on a lookout to get both at the same time.

Cheers

[ October 22, 2001: Message edited by: Henry ]

 

[Circa]

Hey is good to hear a succes story, so ic can be done. But I think that I am not going to even attempt it unless I have a stable tank and it is almost fully established.