Powder Blue's

[DA Mini reefs]

Anyone kept a POWDER BLUE TANG long term in a 75g reef tank. I have 1blue damsel, 1maroon clown, 1coral beauty at the moment. I would like to add a powder blue as well. I don't have any [tang type] algae in my tank at all and DON'T want to cultivate any. No NO3,PO4, Ca.420, Alk.120ppm. Any help would be great.
David

 

[RicardoMiozzo]

Don´t put this fish in your tank. It´s devoid of algae and too small for an Acanthurus. They need vast space to swim.

 

[danmhippo]

Ditto, please stay away from this fish.

 

[johns120]

I thought I was safe with my PB. It had been in the LFS for 3 weeks-some places will even charge more for fish that they have had for such a long time-claiming that the fish has been quarantined and used to tank conditions. His new home was a 120 gallon with only an Orchid Dottyback. He was fed Seaweed Selects and a variety of vitamin enriched bs and mysis shrimp. My PB perished after being apparently healthy for 6 months.

 

[DA Mini reefs]

Thank's Guy's,
I'm from Aus.[down under], no one here seems to have kept a PB at all, let alone kept one long term. I really like this fish, BUT after your replys I won't take the chance. What about a Yellow tang if I feed him on Nori + other food??, and he's about the same size as the other fish I have [3in.] long??
David

 

[naesco]

You got excellent advice telling you NO to a powder blue tang.
Choose the yellow instead. Make sure that it is plump, clear eyes, no red streaks and no tears or spots. If not pass on the fish as there will always be another. Feed only garlic extract soaked food for thirty days as an ich preventative.

 

[JohnD]

DA - you were very wise to consult this board before purchasing the PB tang. Folks here give great advice.

IMHO the yellow tang will be a great addition to your tank.

Do yourself a BIG favor, get Scott Michael's Marine Fishes 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species. The book is worth it's weight in gold. Scott recommends at least a 75 gallon (284 liter) tank for a yellow tang and plenty of vegatable matter for grazing.

HTH

 

[esmithiii]

Read this poll:

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... +blue+poll

Ernie

 

[Minh Nguyen]

My friend, Outerbank, have a PBT for about 20 months in a 280 g tank. I have a PBT in my 400 g tank for a little over 1 year now. Both tangs are doing very well. I have to say that PBT is one of the more dificult tang to keep, but also one of the most beautiful.

Minh

 

[MandarinFish]

Thanks for checking and doing the right thing.

I failed with a powder blue in a tank move. Some time later, I got one from a guy tearing down his tank.... it was spunky, aggressive, fat, and healthy. Didn't make it a week; it had no competition for food even.

I got a final one for my 135 at a reputable store with good dealers. It was dark blue, so it was healthy though small. It faded in color one day to a very pale blue, then I went back to it's usual diet that it was happy with and it regained it's dark color. It has been fine since - I've had it about a month.

This will be my final PBT, though, whether this one lives a long time or not. 1 out of 3 is not good, and these were from other reefers. And my 1 won't be counted a success until it survives past 6 months at least.

Minh is a veteran referring to 3-400 gallon tanks. Minh keeps Achilles tangs sucessfully, which no one else can seem to do (I've met maybe 2 on the boards total who have).

Go with the yellow. They're from Hawaii, stronger, healthier, and better suited for aquarium life.

Ultimately you should get a bigger tank though.

 

[John Eccles]

I had a powder blue in a 80g at one time. Had no problem feeding, and I don't have a lot of algae in my tank. I would feed him Emerald entree twice a day, and throw some blanched spinach tied to a rock every other day or so. He died when I got a little nuts cleaning my tank and upset my cycle. The first to get white spot, the first to die. But I consider dying at 4months to my own stupidity isn't bad,

 

[playfair]

And my 1 won't be counted a success until it survives past 6 months at least.

Ah, common! This fish lives over 10 years in the wild!
I recently lost my Yellow tang of 3 years, 5 months, 2 days for NO apparent reason that I can find, and I feel guilty as heck... I surely don't consider this a "success".

 

[L.Foley]

I belive, and so do many others, that the powder blue, powder brown, clown, convict, and achilles surgeon fish need a large tank, with extreme water motion. They are found in very strong wave motion in the wild, especially the achilles, clown, and convicts.
I've had a clown tang, A.lineatus, in my home reef for almost a year now, and he's extremely healthy. But my tank is also 350gal, with 2 35 gal, calson surge devices, that create currents that sometimes peak at 3ft/sec.

FWIW,
Leland Foley
Mainstream Aquatics