hardiest tang?

[beerbaron]

hello i have a 75 gal reef tank, and i am looking for the hardiest tang that could have sufficient room in this tank. i will definatly be expanding this tank within 2 years, but i dont want to buy a fish assuming i will because you never know. so if a 75 is to small for any tang, tang police unleash :lol: . but if any tang will b ok, what is the hardiest. and i guess for future reference, what would be the hardiest tang for, say, a 180 gal tank. i have heard that Sohal tangs are the hardiest, but require giant tanks(bigger than i will ever have).
assuming a tang of some sort fits this discription;
I have a cleaner shrimp in the tank, will that eliminate the need to worry about ick?
i have a 20 gal fuge packed with caulerpa, will that keep him fed(besides for suppliments and such)

if i am missing something stupid let me know b/c i havent thoroughly researched them yet, and i plan on doing so after i have the choices narrowed down.

thanx a bunch
BB

 

[danmhippo]

I have a chevron that has been with me for 5 years, survived through high temp spike, followed by high ammonia and nitrite. Survived through 2 moves and countless number of stupid mistakes. Chevron may be b*tchy at times, but most tangs are like that.

 

[beerbaron]

cool he would b ok in a 75 i guess?

 

[Anonymous]

I think the yellow tang is the only one recommended for a 75.
Way back in the dark ages when I didn't know any better (ten years ago) I kept a YT in a 30L without any diease. I freed the fish into Pearl Harbor when I left Hawaii, so I bet it's happier if still alive.
But anyway, I think a YT in a 75 is okay. Pretty hardy fish if fed right.

 

[Anonymous]

Another good one would be a Kole tang, also called the yellow-eyed tang.

 

[beerbaron]

EXCELLENT keep it coming. how about the caulerpa, and cleaner shrimp. how picky of eaters are these various tangs? what food do you reccomend?

 

[Anonymous]

I second the yellow recommendation - when healthy they are beautiful, nothing like the pale stressed ones you see at the LFS.

For food, they like veggies and lots of them. Nori sheets, formula 2, spirulina flakes, etc. They will also eat just about anything that is offered for their tankmates, but need the veggies for good health.

 

[Anonymous]

Do a search for tang and feeding.
I think Steve Nichols, SPC, and Naesco all chimed in on at least one thread out there telling folks what and how to feed a tang.

For starters, I'd feed tangs in the Zebrasoma genus a diet of seaweed and occasional meaty shreds. That means vitamin fortified nori and some good meaty stuff like shreds of table shrimp, oysters, squid, mysis shrimp... etc.

Check out posts on using garlic to keep ich away.

 

[tanzy]

I've had my purple tang go through thick and thin with me. Very much alive. Even eats chopped garlic neat! 2 years and still going strong. Never sick and always ready to chomp seaweed. Just hope it would stop thinking its a clown and quit messing with them.

 

[Anemone]

Agree with Tanzy, a Red Sea Purple Tang can be darned near bullet-proof.

As far as a general recommendation, I'd tend to try and say with the sailfin-type tangs for a 75 gallon tank, as versus the teardrop-shaped, made for speed tangs. Not that you can't keep eith in a 75, but longer-term, I think a sailfin-type would be a better choice.

Kevin

 

[MandarinFish]

Yellow tangs and sailfins.

Yellow tangs are very inexpensive, you can get them VERY small (I saw 2 totally adorable, quarter-sized ones with great big eyes at a local store yesterday).

YT's are from Hawaii, which does not have cyanide and blast fishing.

They are rock-solid hardy and will only harass similar fish and featherdusters (be forewarned).

BUT they do get BIG. The same store that sells the teeny cuties also has one in a 1000 gallon display that can't be less than a foot long, maybe a foot and a half. It is massive.

It would hate a 75. They all would. But with a small one, you have some time to plan for a bigger tank. I have to do the same with a butterfly that will need a larger tank ultimately.

"You're out there somewhere Beer Baron, and I'll find you..."

 

[reefland]

Yellow tang or purple tang would get my vote. Purple tang is likely 4 to 5 times the price of a yellow tang however. IMO, the yellow eats a wider range of foods and algaes.

I would suggest staying away from Yellow Eye / Kole tangs as I think they are on the sensitive side. When something goes wrong they are typically the first to die.

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/besttgsreefs.htm has the best on the web information I have seen. There are several links that can be traversed from there. http://www.fishbase.org/search.cfm also has some good information.

 

[Anonymous]

Think a 75 is to small for a purple or sailfin.

I'd go with a yellow unless you know your going to get a larger tank or don't mind removing the fish when it grows to large.

I had a purple in my 75 for over a year. Beautiful fish for sure. He became more and more beligerent as he grew. I traded him back to the LFS. I hated to do it, but it was best.

I hope the LFS didn't sell him so someone with a 29G :roll:

Louey

 

[tanzy]

My LFS owner(not that I trust him) told me that purple tangs are more aggressive than yellow tangs. Is that true? I mean aggressive as in that they will then to hassle other fish more than a yellow in the same environment.

 

[beerbaron]

MandarinFish.... NOOOOOO.... YOOOUU....... WONN'TTT.....

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


ok so it seems the best choice would be a yellow tang. i do have feather dusters, but i am not that attatched. will they also attack the mini ones that came on the LR? i was leaning towards the kole/yellow eye tang, but reefland stated that they are usually the more sensitive of the bunch. has anyone else had this experience?

also, what tangs are considered to be in the sailfin group.

 

[danmhippo]

Sailfin group: Yellow tang, Red sea Purple Tang, Indian Sailfin Tang....etc.

 

[MandarinFish]

Sink the featherdusters in the DSB to the point where only the crown is sticking out.

The featherduster sheath is what the yellow and desjardine tangs will pick at.

If the sheath is in the substrate, they may not think to harass the poor dusters.

You can also take your dusters back to the store or give 'em to a buddy. Probably much nicer than dooming them.

My Desjardine was the worst at harassing the poor things. My yellows are actually pretty good. Of course, my butterfly ate the last one anyway, so I feel a lot of guilt myself.

"Yes I will"

 

[beerbaron]

yea ill probably just get the yellow, and give the feather d. to a friend. so no yellow eye i guess. its a shame thier pretty cool looking

hey mandarin where did ya get that pic?
oh and noooooo......

 

[MandarinFish]

tangs, but no tanks

Tangs are great fish, but get to be massive... even the yellows. I've seen purples the size of a frisbee.

It really makes you want to upsize and upgrade your tank to accomodate them.

They can be hardy - just be really careful not to overdo it on the brineshrimp or krill, as it can kill them. It happened to mine. :sad:

I got the Rex Banner from http://infomesh.net/sbp/?TheSimpsons

I loved that episode myself, and also appreciate how you got my back when that one choda told me to get out of the hobby when I encouraged responsible reefing.

Too bad you're not in the Bay Area. We could sit down and enjoy some reef while looking at a reef tank.

Discus Stu was talking to YOU.