FAQs about Tang
Systems
Related Articles:
Surgeonfishes Use in Reef
Systems, The Surgeonfish
family, Acanthurus,
Ctenochaetus, Naso,
Paracanthurus, Zebrasoma , Prionurus, Surgeonfishes of
Hawai'i,
Related FAQs: Surgeons In General, Tang ID, Selection, Tang Behavior,
Compatibility, Feeding, Disease,
Given enough room period, Tangs are
fine to mix with cnidarians. Seriatopora caliendrum Ehrenberg 1834. Bird's Nest
Coral.
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Surgeonfishes: Tangs for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available
here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner |
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Kole Tang. Tang sel., sys. size 4/29/12
I was at my LFS the other day and I am setting up a 50 gallon aquarium
and I asked him if there was a Tang that I could keep in a 50
gallon aquarium.
He told me that I could keep a Kole Tang or a Powder Brown
<Mmm, no; not Acanthurus nigricans... a 50 gal. is too small>
or both if I got them when they were a size of a quarter.
<An exceedingly poor/small idea/size... No>
I currently have a 36 gallon corner tank with a Ocellaris Clown and a
McCosker's Wrasse. I had a Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma veliferum)
<... Needs MUCH more room>
but sold him to a guy who has a 210 gallon tank, I thought it was best
for him. I really like tangs, but since I live in a apartment I am
rather limited in my size of tank. Do you think there are any Tangs that
I could get?
<... this is posted/archived on WWM. Simply search and read there. Bob
Fenner>
Tank Size (and shape) and
Tangs 2/7/12
Hi Bob and Crew,
<Jacob>
First time questioner, long time reader!
<Ahh, you are a stranger here but once>
Quick question for you. I have a 20 month old system that
is well stocked both in coral and fish. Typical mixed reef
system with softies, LPS, and SPS on about 125 pounds of live
rock. Sump with mechanical filtration provided by a filter
sock, skimming provided by an Eshopps PSK-150, and a Phosban
reactor. Maintenance is typically 30 gallons of water
replaced every 10 days.
The tank houses among some smaller fish a blue jaw trigger,
Foxface Rabbitfish, Sailfin tang, blonde Naso
tang,
<These last two get very large... ultimately too big for this
volume, shape system>
and a powder brown tang.
My question is in regard to the concepts of minimum tank size and
fish of the tang variety. I have researched WWM extensively
and I found a few posts by Mr. Fenner in regard to the width of
the tank being much more concerning in terms of fish comfortably
than the depth. The issue of tank length however was not
discussed.
<Is at times and places>
My tank is a 36"x36"x27" deep
dimension cube with a total volume of 150 gallons
considering sump and displacement due to
sand/rock. My thoughts on this is that the tank
offers a circumference to swim around the tank from the bottom of
the front corner to the top of the opposite back corner of over
10 feet.
<Mmm, "the run"... length is more important... need
at least six feet...>
Fish in many long tanks are often viewed swimming back and
forth, where as in my deep dimension system, they are often
observed swimming around the perimeter of the tank and seldom
just back and forth.
<Yes>
Is this a good comparison in regard to the often anecdotal
information of minimum tank length for fish of the tang variety
or am I missing something?
<Mmm; again, the length is important for Acanthurids, other
similarly behaved species... to swim fast, linearly... for
exercise as well as to temporarily escape seeing, being seen by
others>
Often times its stated that these fish need a "back and
forth" swim length of 6', can the circumference of
swimming in a cube be considered applicable
to this requirement?
<Not really, no... I remember one of the original
"Shamus" (Orcinus orca, the "Killer" dolphin)
in the original (San Diego) Sea World... losing tone in the
muscles on one side of its body, from being in too-small a
pool... perishing... Have wondered at how much this loss was or
could be attributable to psychological input>
Sincerely,
Jake
<Bob Fenner>
Re: Help! There is something in my refugium - they
have tails! & pegging bommies
11/28/10
Hi again Mr. Fenner and all the wet web crew! I truly can't
say enough good things about your website! Try as I may - I could
not get a decent picture of the critters inhabiting my refugium.
They were too small.. However, in disconnecting my refugium for a
few days it did not occur to me right away that the water temp
would drop - when it did dawn on me - I looked for these
creatures and could no longer find them,
<Ahh, "they come and they go">
however all my pods, plants and algae did survive! I am going to
keep an eye out and in the future see if I can "catch"
one if they show up again.
In the meantime I have an established yellow tang in my 90
gallon. I will be upgrading within the next year to a larger
aquarium. Size will no longer be a problem!! Is there any minimum
tank size that you would recommend to allow me to keep my yellow
tang and add an Atlantic blue tang with no scuffles?
<125 plus... six foot long...>
Or would you recommend never having the two together. Also - this
may be a very simple and uninformed question (as most of my rock
is stackable) however - I did read on your website than when
creating "bommies" it is possible to drill your live
rock and peg it. What do you peg it with?
<Most anything chemically inert (like acrylic doweling) or not
chemically harmful>
Thanks,
Christine K
<Welcome! BobF>
Tanged and confused: Oversized fish, Flukes
10/20/2009
Hi there,
<Hello>
I bought a 55 gallon fish tank a little over a week ago. I bought
the whole set up from a man who had a 20 gallon refugium with
gravity feed hose and a protein skimmer (not sure on the name) My
test kits are kind of old so I have been taking the water to the
LFS to be tested and every time (3x's) it has been fine.
<I highly recommend you purchase your own test kits, less
moral fish stores will tell you that your water is fine to
encourage you to buy more animals.>
I am a little worried a because of the fish that this man had
kept in the tank. He had a Clown fish (about 3 in) a Sailfin Tang
(about 4 in)
<The Sailfin Tang needs to find a new home, way too big in the
long run, and likely too big now considering he has been in the
tank at least two years.>
these two he had had for about 2 years and then he had added more
recently (with in the last few weeks) a Blue Tang (1.5 in)
<Also way too large for this tank, although he fits in the tank
physically now, psychological stress can be caused by being kept
in such a small tank.>
As far as aggression goes they are all fine. The Blue Tang hides
often and the other two let her. Though I know I will need to
upgrade to a 150 gal or larger in the future or re-home one of
the Tangs, for now they seem to be doing fine.
<I would find them new homes ASAP and research stocking a 55G
aquarium on WetWebMedia.>
The problem I have seen is with the Blue Tang. I have seen
whitish circular spots on her and her belly is looked swollen.
She has also been scratching A LOT and so my hunt for a cause and
cure started. I have been reading up on your site for 2 days now
and it sounds like monogenetic Trematodes though I have been
overwhelmed by the amount of information out there. She swims
oddly (no other way to really say that) spends most of her time
hiding or at the top of the tank (often face down). She has been
eating and seems happy enough so that's a plus. I need help
in how best to treat this.
< I would recommend a Prazi treatment in a separate quarantine
tank, there are several products available commercially including
PraziPro, however there are other options for treatment, read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fshwrmidcuref.htm.>
Also because I bought this as a complete set up I do not have a
QT set up though I am going to set one up today. I am however
unsure as to how to set up a QT in one day'¦ maybe use
cycled water from my tank and add new salt water to my display?
Then use the sponge my in my refugium as a filter in my QT and
replace with another sponge though I do have a 5 gallon refugium
I could use (your thoughts on
this)?
<That sounds like an excellent start, make sure to provide
some flow, and during medications you use be sure to make sure
the water is adequately aerated, although the powerhead may take
care of that depending on the tank you set up. Just make sure to
pick up a test kit and continually test this
"quarantine" water and administer water changes as
needed.>
Am I off base in any way? Please point me in the right direction.
Thank you for your time.
<I think you have a good start to your research, and I would
highly recommend setting up a quarantine and treating your fish.
However, both of the tangs should be returned or gifted to
another aquarium keeper with a minimum of a 6ft tank for them to
be kept in.>
Sabrina
<Good luck,
Josh Solomon.>
Bioactive sand turning brown
Coral cleaning and Tangs sys 8/23/09
My nephew lives along the Texas coast and he went to a shell shop
and bought me some coral - it is not the common type that washes
up on the beach down there - which the common coral looks like
long fingers - this is white and very heavy and has more flat
type of "fingers", can I soak this and put this in my
55 gal salt water tank?
<I take it that this is just coral skeletons? If so it should
be fine.>
He also bought me a shell assortment of conchs and scallops what
do you think about these?
<Assuming they have not been treated with something they
should be ok, although they may start to dissolve with
time.>
Also I heard that tangs have to be in tanks in odd numbers either
one or three is this true? I'd like another tang but
don't want problems in my fish family
<I would not recommend any tangs for a 55, it's too small,
but tangs can usually be kept in any number as long as the tank
is big enough. This is not to say that multiple tangs always
works, aggression can be an issue any time you have more than
one, especially from the same family.>
Thanks for all your help
Cecilia Lester
Paris Texas
<Welcome>
<Chris>
Tangs in the Tank, sys.
12/20/2008 Hi Everyone, <Hello Julie.> You guys
have been great with the help I've needed these past 2 years.
<Thanks for your kind words.> My question is if it would be
possible to house a 4" Naso, 4" Thompson tang, and a
3" Gold-Rimmed Tang in a 5' (60inch) 110G Tank with only
a couple of other small inhabitants (such as a neon goby, yellow
clown goby, Firefish) for roughly two years? <Possible: Yes.
Desirable : No.> I already have the Naso and the Thompson, but
want the Gold-Rim Tang. There is only about 45lbs of LR to
accommodate length to length swimming. I am in the slow process
of building my project 520G tank (Already in possession, but need
time and money to buy everything else) so I want to see if these
tangs can co-exist in a 110 peacefully for the time being.
I'm also wondering how fast Naso's grow with 3 feedings
per day. I've had my Naso for 4 months and he was a small,
sickly 2.5-3" Naso that is now bigger, very full/fat in
width, and very active and healthy. <My simple advice is to
wait with the purchase of the Gold-Rim Tang until the 520 is
running and cycled. Then, you could buy the Gold-Rim and put it
in quarantine, and after the quarantine add all three to the big
tank together.> Thanks Julie. <Cheers, Marco.>
High Nitrate And Too Many Fish? - 08/26/08 I
have a 65 gallon tank, with 4 green Chromis, 1 blue
Chromis, a
sally lightfoot crab, numerous snails,2 Banggai cardinals, 2
clown fish, 1 yellow tang, <<This tank is
"marginal" in size for the Tang. These active roaming
fishes really need more space…and some species more than
others. For the Yellow Tang, a tank of more than 75g is
best>> plus 1 feather duster cluster, a bubble coral, a
colt coral, small brain coral, a bubble tip coral (very small),
spray polyp. <<…?>> My nitrates are high and my
pH a little low. <<Mmm…what is "high" and a
"little low" I wonder?>> I've done numerous
water changes, added tap water (no chlorine) to bring up pH,
<<What is your logic for adding the Tap water to raise the
pH? Do you live in an area that has a high pH? Have you tested/do
you know the pH of your Tap water? My Tap has a slightly acidic
pH (about 6.8); if yours is similar and you are adding the Tap
water to the system without buffers it will only serve to lower
your pH further. The unfiltered Tap water may be the source of
pollutants/Nitrates as well. Perhaps I do not understand what you
are trying to convey…perhaps if you provide more
information/a better explanation…>> and also added
"Cycle" to help balance. <<Why would you need to
do this? Is this a new/un-cycled system?>> Filters have
been cleaned as well. Nitrates are slowly coming down; Nitrite is
balanced as is calcium and ammonia. <<Again…need real
values…please. I hope "balanced" means Nitrite
and Ammonia are "zero!">> ph is starting to come
up. Have a little red algae from nitrate imbalance, have dealt
with this before. <<…>> Most of my fish are
still small, none fully grown. I have a blue tang waiting to come
but not until everything is balanced. <<Mmm, no…not
with the Yellow Tang…and not even in a 90g tank. The Blue
Tang requires even "more space" than the Yellow
Tang>> I am looking at a 90-100 gallon tank in the future,
<<The 10g difference means little here, but the extra
length of the 100g tank (5' vs. 4') would be of benefit
re the Tang>> no more fish but would like more corals.
<<Okay>> Feed twice a day, cut down to once,
<<I do not advocate this…feed your fishes>>
tang ate my starfish so give a little a night now.
<<Good>> I changed and test every week, up until
now-no water problems. At present do I have too many fish?
<<Not "too many"…just an inappropriate
species for the current tank size (the Yellow Tang). Look
elsewhere for any water chemistry issues. Perhaps your salt
mix/mixing methodology, your source water (unfiltered Tap water),
or husbandry/maintenance practices are at fault here. But I can
only guess based on the dearth of information provided>>
Your help would be appreciated. <<Well Marilee, other than
the stocking question I'm not sure what you want help with. I
really don't have much info to go on, but here's a list
of links to look through. Have a good browse and feel free to
come back with more specific questions if needed::
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I2/Water_Makeup/makeup_water.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_2/cav2i4/RO_systems/reverse_osmosis.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water4maruse.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marphalk.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/marineMaint.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrientcontrol.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i4/Advances/Advances.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_3/cav3i3/Salt_Impressions/Salt_Impressions.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/water.htm Marilee <<Regards,
EricR>>
Tang families (sic, genera) and tank
size 2/19/08 Mr. Fenner, I would first like to
note that I have read several of your online publications
recently and found the detail to be of great value. Thank you for
your efforts in relaying information to marine hobbyists such as
myself. <A pleasure to share; a hope to relate information of
worth> I have a question about the various families of tangs
in relation to their suitable home aquarium size. I read through
your documentation on wetwebmedia.com and there are only a few
noted tank volumes recommended as a minimum for the families;
<Ah, genera> the Acanthurus, Ctenochaetus, and Zebrasoma
all note a guideline size starting at 50 gallons. I was wondering
if the data is current, <Mmm, not really is likely a
reasonable response. Having been a content provider in the trade
and hobby for... is it really more than forty years?... much of
my in-print work is woefully dated... and worse... extant w/o
this note> and if perhaps you had some additional
recommendations or adjusted recommendations for tank size for any
of the 5 major families on the site? <Well... for most small
species of Acanthurus, all the Bristlemouth and smaller Sailfin species,
really a fifty gallon volume that is otherwise not crowded...
will suffice... that is, with otherwise good maintenance,
nutrition... keep these species alive, healthy for something like
a "normal" average maximum life span... However... Some
Acanthurus get quite large (saw an absolutely gorgeous group of
five A. blochii yesterday diving off Crescent Bay/Manta Ray Cove
here on HI's Big Island... I do hope my video of them came
out... and I do wish I knew enough re editing, placing such on
this/these devices that I could immediately (if not sooner) share
this with you... But these were all more than a foot long body
length (more with their caudals)... These would need hundreds of
gallons... Naso and Prionurus species likewise need hundreds of
gallons... systems of at least a couple metres/six foot
"run"/length to be happy, grow, survive for any real
period of time... Oh, and Paracanthurus... should not be kept in
anything smaller than a 75... It should go w/o saying, but am
always aware that many less-sophisticated folk may read this...
that "bigger is better" for sure... behaviorally and
physiologically with these and all other fish groups.> There
are several message boards that I frequent, of which they all
have a group of people who state that the minimum tank size for
most tangs would be something with a 6' length, and nothing
smaller than a 75 or even 90 gallon for Zebrasomas or
Ctenochaetus. Is there any data that supports specific sizes for
these tangs? <Mmm, anecdotal experience mostly... There are
historical, institutional longevity records for some species...
but these are almost always kept in vastly larger systems... But
I've kept, personally can account for the most popular
species care in the stated volumes by our and other service
companies...> I only ask out of curiosity, personally, I have
a 180g tank and have been in the hobby for a couple years, but
would much prefer to gather all the data that I can as a
reference. Thank you for your time, it is much appreciated. Alex Liffick <Thank you for your interest, asking. I do ask in turn
that when you have confidence, time, that you consider joining
our WWM Crew in aiding others. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Potty Trained Tang? 01/30/2008 Hello Crew,
Chris here. <<Hello Chris, Andrew today>> Long time
no email! I consider that a good thing because it means that
I'm not having any problems or I'm finding all my answers
on the site. My one question today is on tang behavior. I've
had my Kole Tang for about five months now. He seems to have the
habit of using the exact same spot to go to the bathroom. He goes
in between a piece of live rock and the corner of the tank. To
the point that there is a pile of "stuff" building up
in the corner. I looked through the tang behavior FAQs but
didn't see anything on the subject. Doesn't seem to be
causing any problems, I always vacuum some out on water changes.
Just wanted to get your opinion on the behavior. <<Very
common indeed. However this points out one issue which does need
addressing and that is flow. If the tang is leaving packages
behind and they are just staying there where left, it means that
you have a real lack of flow in this area. Detritus should not be
allowed to settle in the tank, rather held in the water column to
be removed>> <<Thanks for the question, have a great
day. A Nixon>>
Powder Blue tang... mis-placed tangs
1/12/2008 Hi, I have a powder blue tang that I recently
purchased about three weeks ago. I made sure he was acclimated
but I don't have a QT, which I am getting soon,
<Yikes...> he was fine until now that he began to show
vertical white markings on the sides of his body and a big bump
in the center of his stomach!!! <Mmm, a pic would be helpful
here. Do know that Tangs do have "bumpy stomachs"... do
accumulate triturating material ("sand") that aids in
maceration/digestion...> Now I made a huge mistake when I
bought these fish since I am still a rooky in salt water
aquariums, but now I am wondering what can I do to help him? I
read all day during work, and let me tell you what a wonderful
job you guys do. My 55 gal <Too small for this species...>
fish tank includes two clown fish, a yellow tang and the blue
powder tang. <... ditto> Also I have about 80 lbs of life
rock, a Bak Pak protein skimmer/filter. Please help. <You need
to "go back a few steps"... re/assess your situation,
make a plan... I'd return or give away at least both the
"powder" tangs here. Read re their Systems, Health on
WWM... and re the use of Spectrum Thera... but there is no way
the present mix you have will work. Bob Fenner>
Aggression in Marine Tank; Overcrowded - 5/14/07
Hello WWM crew, <Hi.> I have recently added a gold stripe
maroon pair to my 55 gallon tank. (other inhabitants include a
Kole tang, a valentini puffer, and a couple of damsels I used
when cycling the tank,) <...I trust you know there are better
ways to cycle your aquarium than with live animals? And
personally I don't like to see Kole tangs in anything less
than a 75.> my problem is that when I came home today I
noticed that the larger clown had some damage to some of its
fins, should I presume that this was caused by the puffer
<Would be a prime suspect yes...you have a lot of
"scrappy" fish in a relatively confined water
volume.> and if it was is this normal. <Puffers are
notorious fin nippers.> will the clowns damaged fins grow
back, <With pristine water quality and a good diet, yes.
However, she needs to be separated from the aggressor.> and
should I get rid of the puffer. <...If he/she is the
aggressor.> also I would like to add a yellow tang to my tank
<Too large for your tank, which overcrowded as it is. And you
also run into compatibility issues with the Kole tang...which is
more confined than it should be as well.> of course this will
be after I get rid off the damsels. <Would be a good idea
anyway.> would the yellow tang be a problem with these fish.
<Yes.> thank you <Adam J.>
Purple Tang Care. Tangling With Tang Husbandry
Issues! - 04/20/07 Dear Crew <Scott F. your Crew
member tonight!> I appreciate all the sage advice I have
received over the years from the Crew and come to you once again
for some guidance. <We're glad to be here!> I have
perused the FAQs on WWM and other sites relating to the Purple
Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) and am still a little concerned about
my ability to provide a suitable home for one of these gorgeous
fish. <I'm really happy that you are concerned...So
important to consider many angles of husbandry when contemplating
keeping any animal! Good for you!> The concern relates to
aquarium size. Some of the posts regarding their care
stated the specimen in question was being housed in a "46
Bowfront" or "in my 50 gallon reef
tank". Advice was proffered regarding nutritional
needs, HLLE treatment, etc with no admonishment regarding the
size of these aquariums. I have seen recommended
minimum aquarium sizes ranging for 20 gallons (which I would
never consider!) to 100 gallons (which I am unable to
provide). I feel confident in identifying a healthy
specimen; am aware of, and can provide, their nutritional needs;
prepared to treat HLLE should it ever come to that; and have the
experience and motivation to provide the stable environment they
need. <All good to hear> The question (bet you
thought I would never get there :-)) Do you feel I
have a MORE than reasonable chance of providing a suitable
environment in a 36x18x18 (50G) aquarium with approximately 75
lbs of live rock arranged with swimming room and hiding
places? <Well, to be honest, I'd be hesitant
to recommend any Tang, including Zebrasoma species, in anything
less than a 6 foot long tank. These fishes, although certainly
not the largest of the Tangs, require significant amounts of
physical space. They are active fishes, that are accustomed to
foraging over large areas in the wild. To "rat hole" a
fish of this nature into a tank that doesn't afford a lot of
room to maneuver is really a sort of cruel fate, IMO. Kind of
like having to spend the rest of your life in your living
room...sort of comfortable- for a while. Also, these active
fishes consume a great deal of food, and larger water volumes
also offer better dissolution of the copious amounts of metabolic
waste products that these grazers produce. You sound like a very
conscientious aquarist, so I know that you'll understand and
appreciate my admonition about space and Tangs.> His/her tank
mates would be a couple of shrimp (Lysmata ...) and perhaps one
of the Red Sea Dottybacks or flasher wrasses. I have
room for one more tank and it is definitely limited to a 36"
footprint. What do you think of the probability of
providing a long term home for one of these fish given this
scenario? Caveats? Regards, Barry <Again, Barry- if
anyone could provide great care for this fish, you'd be the
one! It's just that the space requirement is so critical for
long-term success with these fishes. Do consider continuing to
work with smaller fishes, or those that have lesser space
requirements. On the other hand, if you can bear to sacrifice
some of your other aquariums (you do have several, right?), you
might be able to create one larger system that could better
accommodate such fishes...food for thought, anyways! Best of luck
to you! Regards, Scott F.>
Schooling PB Tangs
8/25/06 Bob, <Scott> Re - this statement - "On the
issue of how many, one is the magic number for all but the more
huge (thousands of gallons) systems." My client
has a strong affinity for the Powder Blue over all other
tangs. Would his 1300g (8x8x30) <Neat... but man oh
man... not easy to work in!> be large enough to keep a small
school in your opinion? <Mmm, yes> And if so, how many
would you keep? <Three> It's a very, very
decked out system and will be peaceful and understocked (by
normal aquarium standards). They would be the fish
showpiece of the aquarium, next to only a Naso Tang. Scott
<Could try five, but I'd go with three... that are
super-clean... at least thoroughly dipped/bathed... Am sure you
know the route. Bob Fenner>
Insomniac Tang 7/26/06 Hi guys, your
thoughts on this would be appreciated. I have a blue Atlantic
tang, which I collected about three years ago at about 1.5".
He is housed in a 180 FOWLR and has since grown to about 6",
in excellent health. No unusual tankmates. During the
day, he is a normal swimmer and grazer and not abnormally
skittish, a typical tang. At night, though, he drives
me crazy. The tank is lit with 4 moonlight LEDs. <Likely the
cause of trouble here> Mr. Tang, unlike his tankmates, does
not rest. Instead, he swims rapidly back and forth. Over - and
over- and over- for hours. I have yet to see him rest, except
during daylight, and then not much. He seems none the worse for
this, which he has been doing for years. I have kept more
than a few tangs, but have never seen this behavior; I
have come to the conclusion that there is nothing amiss I can fix
- but I would welcome any comments. Thanks, Steve.
<I would turn down if not off these night-time lights... This
fish "sleeps" during nighttime hours... not getting
rest due to the lack of periodicity... Bob Fenner>
Tangling
With Tangs 4/28/06 Hi crew, <Scott F. your
Crew member tonight> Thanks for your awesome work!
<You're quite welcome! We're thrilled to bring it to
you!> I have read many of you FAQs about Tangs, and the
opinions given by the crew were some times different. I have read
answer from Bob Fenner saying that a small hippo tang (2-3 inch)
could do well for a while in a tank as small as a 55gal and other
answer from the crew saying that this fish should not be put in a
tank smaller than 75gal. <Really a question that has lots of
possible answers, because there are a lot of possible variations-
such as tankmates, filtration capabilities, husbandry techniques
employed, etc.> I have a 65 gal tank( the 3 feet long model)
and would like to put a small tang Hippo, Yellow, Kole or other).
I would take it small, around 2 inch. Is it a bad idea? Which one
should be my best bet? Thank you very much for your help Steve
<Well, Steve, I have a personal rule that I would not keep any
tang in a tank less than feet in length, and I wouldn't even
consider more than one in anything less than six feet in length.
Sure, you could start a very young Tang in a smaller tank, but
only if you have a much larger aquarium to move it to in the near
future. Too many people start keeping these fishes in smaller
tanks, with the noble intention of "moving them up" to
a larger tank in the near future. Unfortunately, the reality is
that the larger tank is not always available (due to a variety of
factors, such as economics, etc.), and the fish is doomed to
spend the rest of its life in a tank that is too small for it to
leave anything close to a normal life span. If you do have a
larger tank available, I'd opt for the Yellow or
the Kole, myself, as they could do very well in a 6 foot, 150
gallon tank in the long run. The Hippo reaches a very large size,
and requires a large tank, IMO (like 240 gallons or more) to be
happy in the long run. As you are gathering from my response,
Tang husbandry is not to be entered into lightly. I commend you
for doing the research ahead of time, before taking the plunge. I
wish you luck! Regards, Scott F.>
Too Much Tang Flesh? - 03/11/06 Just a quick question.
<<Ok>> Am I overstocked? <<Short
answer...yes.>> I have 4 tangs- A powder blue, scopas,
large 5-inch sailfin and a blue tang, also have a 4-inch
checkerboard wrasse, coral beauty, royal Gramma, 2 clowns, Longnose Hawkfish and a sixline wrasse. To me this
sounds like a lot of fish. <<It is...and some get
big.>> They are all happy with no fighting in my 135
gallon. I have a 55 gallon refugium and a 40 gallon
sump all connected. There's about 200 pounds of
live rock and various clams and inverts? What do you
think? <<Easy for me to say I know...but you should find
other/better homes for the Sailfin, Powder blue, and Blue
tangs. The Sailfin can reach 18" in length, and
depending on which "Blue" tang you have...Paracanthurus
hepatus can grow to a very "beefy" 14-inches while
Acanthurus coeruleus can reach about 17-inches...as for the
Powder blue, potential is 24-inches. But, it is very
likely none of these fish will ever reach maturity/these sizes
before succumbing to social/psychological/developmental
retardation issues from being kept/grown in a "too
small" system. Mature sizes aside, it's my
opinion that tangs as a whole need much more space than most any
other commonly available aquarium fish of comparable
dimension.>> I was hoping to add a couple of bottom
dwelling gobies. <<Remove the tangs and all sorts of
options open up. I think tangs are beautiful and
amazing fish and I understand their attraction, but I feel many,
if not most, are unsuitable for the average home
aquarium.>> thanks a lot tb <<Very
welcome. Regards, EricR>>
Talkin' bout my
setup... pent. with three Acanthurids 2/26/06 Hi
all. I love your site and appreciate all the help you
do for me and everybody else. I just want to run my
setup by you because my Hippo tang has been rubbing on the rocks
and I just see want to see what I can do to make a better life
for my fish. I have a 60 gal. corner tank that's
2' x 2' x 2'with the front corner knocked
off that has been running for 2 years (I have had it
for one). So it is diamond shaped when viewed from
above. It is a reef tank. With Florida live
rock. I'm not sure of the exact weight of my
live rock but it takes up 1/3 of the volume of the tank. There is
an under gravel filter with 2 risers coming up I'm scared to
take out The fish are: 1 - 2" Yellow
tang 1 -2.5" Hawkfish 1 -2.5 Blue damsel 1 -1.5"
Clarkia clown 1 -1.5" Hippo tang (I got a month ago) 1 -
3" Naso tang (i got 5 days ago) <... this last is not
suitable for this sized, shaped system... Even the other two
Acanthurids can become problematical here> Inverts are Fire
shrimp Brittle star Astrea snails Blue leg hermits There are a
Hammer coral ( that is 8 inches from the light) and Green Button
polyps and some Pink Xenia. I have an Aqua-c Remora skimmer with
the MaxiJet 1200 power head. A Jebo 110w pc light.
With an actinic and regular bulb in there. An over
flow box going down to my sump with a 2 month old, Bob Goemans
style plenum sump. Built exactly to his
specifications. With Chaeto macro algae. How long
should I run the light for on the sump? <Ten, twelve hours...
have it overlap your main tank> Will
my Wal Mart light strip work?
<Yes> I run my PhosGuard in there too. I have a canister
filter with the unbleached cotton fabric inside that I use to
just to filter the water. I clean the filter every
week. I have a Jebo 300 w heater. I had a
problem with micro bubbles so I built a bubble trap in the tank.
Inside the bubble trap is some Caulerpa prolifera. For
circulation I have a small power head that pumps around 250 gph.
Water parameters are: (tested with red sea kit) Sal. .023 Temp 82
Ph 8.0 Alk says high? <Hello back to it> No3 2.5
ppm No2 .025 Amm. 0 Po4 1 ppm (down from 2. am working on that)
<Good> Cal.460 I was using the Calmax by WM research 2 part
cal/alk buffer till it ran out. I just got the Sea
Chem Reef complete , calcium ,plus, builder this week and did my
first dose of those, to their specifications. Am
trying to get my already growing coralline algae to grow faster.
I do 5 gal. a week water changes and I vacuum the gravel with
water changes too. i use a heater to make up my water and i
aerate the tap water for 24 hours. then i use Sea Buffer from
Aquarium systems to raise the ph and i use Instant Ocean salt.
There is not any algae problems. Just some coralline algae and
light, dark green algae on the glass that my sponge scrubber wont
get off. Is the razor scraper ok to use on the glass?
<Yes... all but the Naso being there is okay to mighty fine...
the Paracanthurus will scratch a bit (it's their nature)... I
would trade out the Naso. Bob Fenner>
Just for Fun! Tank Pictures - 01/05/2006 http://www.professionaldocs.com/Reef/Reef_0001.wmv
Guise Veilleux <Thanks for sharing with everyone. Looks good,
but I've got two things for you. The 75 is too small for the
tangs ultimately. Also, I think you have some dietary issues to
address. The Yellow Tang appears a bit washed out and the Blue
Tang is showing some HLLE. Otherwise great pics. Thanks again for
sharing. - Josh>
Re: Another Large Fish in Too Small of a
Tank 11/26/05 (That Took a While to Answer!) 12/3/05
Ted, Thanks for the advice, it is well noted, I will wait until
my next tank is up and running (greater than 210 gal) Thanks
again, Bryan <<Thank you. The Purple and the Naso will both
appreciate the larger accommodations. Good luck with the larger
system - Ted>>
Surgeon Fish and Shrimp - Too Little Water Volume
10/25/05 I have a 20 gallon tank that has been up and running
for over a year and a half. Most people say that the tank will
never last but I am already propagating the corals that I have in
the tank. <Glad to hear of your success. I understand why you
may have met some opposition when setting this tank up, tanks
this small are usually quite unstable but with discipline you can
make it work.> I would like to add maybe a shrimp or a lobster
but I am afraid to since I have heard that my clown surgeon
<Grows much too large for this system.> will eat them
if they molt. <A shrimp (depending on the species) would
make a good inhabitant for this tank, the tang will generally
leave them alone. The lobster however is not such a good idea.
Most will not only outgrow your given tank but will eat smaller
fish and possibly harm sessile inverts.> My tank stock
is as follows: one 3" clown surgeonfish <He needs to be
moved to a larger system as soon as possible.> two Ocellaris
clowns two green star polyp coral (they were one but I propagated
them) Orange Button Polyps Blue striped mushrooms (propagated
throughout tank) Spiny Gorgonian hermits turbo snails Pencil
Urchin powerhead, protein skimmer, Coralife 24 inch light Is it
ok to add a shrimp (maybe peppermint or fire) or a lobster?
<The fire shrimp (Lysmata debelius) is probably the best
choice, Adam J.>
Re: Surgeon Fish and Shrimp - Too Little Water Volume
Follow-up 10/25/05 I have another question concerning the
Clown Surgeonfish. Will he be okay with a Regal Blue Tang in a 55
gallon FOWLR tank? <Generally speaking the Clown Tang
(Acanthurus lineatus) is quite aggressive and will be intolerant
of other tang species, and unfortunately a 55-gallon is
insufficient to house this one tang let alone another. So I would
advise against it.> If so... will he begin to change colors in
that tank or does he need to be around full-grown before he
changes colors? <If we are talking about the same species
(Acanthurus lineatus) I'm not sure what color change you are
speaking of. Even the small juveniles I have observed have
relatively the same amount of color as the adults, sometimes the
horizontal lines are not as defined but generally appearance is
the same, Adam J.>
Tangs, Territory - 09/13/05 A bit of a history and a
plea "LET ME KEEP THE TANGS" <<Mmm...>> The
system is four feet in length, and is 55 gallons with 60lbs of
live rock and live sand, the N02, N03, NH3, P04, all negative or
minimal, pH 8.2, SG 1.015 <<Yikes! This needs to
come up... 1.024-1.025 please>>. The tank is 8
months old, and gets 15 gallon water changes every 3 weeks, using
Deionized water, and the only livestock I had in the tank before
the tangs and the Koran were 2 small clowns (1.25inches) and a
three striped damsel (bout 2 inches). I am getting
vibes from the response that I got from you guys is that it was
not a good idea to buy the tangs or the Koran, (BTW the tangs are
about 1-1.5inches, and the Koran is about 2 .5 inches).
<<The tangs can grow to more than 12 inches (and a very
robust and active/nervous fish as well) and the angel to 18
inches. I can only imagine the developmental
retardation you will be subjecting these fish too in this size
system.>> I am not sure if you mean to say get rid of the
new guys because they are difficult to keep, or because the
damsel will kill them? <<The damsels you have are VERY
aggressive and quite capable of doing serious harm to the
juvenile tangs and angel. The difficulty in keeping
the "new guys" comes from the fact they are entirely
unsuitable for your tank.>> I would rather get rid of the
damsel than the tangs or Koran. (Any ideas on how to catch a
three stripped damsel?) <<a small barbless fish hook and 2
lb monofilament...seriously.>>, and if you don't think
I should keep the tangs or Koran regardless of getting rid of the
damsel <<That's what I think...>>, if I can, what
species would you recommend? <<Your tank is really too
small for any tang in my opinion...as for angels, one of the
dwarf or pygmy angels (Centropyge sp.) would be a good
candidate.>> Because the LFS said these would work just
fine together. <<(Sigh!) I have no
doubt...>> Thanks for all your help. -josh- <<Josh,
there are many beautiful fish in the trade that are more suitable
for your system...enjoy the hunt... Regards, EricR>>
Yellow Tang Blues? (Selecting and Caring For Z. flavescens)
8/24/05 Good Day! <Hello there! Scott F. at your service
today!> I have a small (45 gallon) reef set-up. It's been
up and running very successfully for 3 years now. I have a
question - I have several fish that have lived very peacefully
and apparently healthy for most of the 3 years. I vary the food
given, since some of the fish are herbivores (Yellow
Tang/Zebrasoma flavescens & Hippo Tang/Paracanthurus hepatus)
and some are carnivores (Percula Clownfish/Amphiprion ocellaris).
I feed dried Omega One flake, frozen brine, Emerald Entr? &
Mysis shrimp (not all at once...lol) All of the fish seem healthy
but I've lost several Zebrasoma flavescens over the past few
years. The Hippo tang is doing well as are all of the other fish.
The Yellow tang appears healthy until I find it dead or almost
dead. I figure it must be the diet since I can see no parasitic
clues and all of the other fish are doing well. I feed sparingly
once to twice per day and all of the fish seem to eat
voraciously. I say sparingly since I know the uneaten food will
feed all of the unwanted items in my tank. Any clues to what
I'm doing/not doing? Thanks for the assistance. J.T. Craddock
<Well, before we look at the possible causes of your bad luck
with the Yellow Tangs, I have to get up on the soapbox for a
minute. I'm sure that you are aware, but the P. hepatus Tang
will require much larger quarters in the very near future if it
is to live anything close to a natural lifespan. These fish can
and will get quite large, and they require very large amounts of
physical space to live a long, healthy life. I'm sure that a
larger tank is in the future, right? Anyways...off the soapbox
and on to the problem! I think that there are a few potential
issues here. First, these fishes are often subject to shipping
traumas. The majority of the Yellow Tangs collected for the trade
come from the best source, Hawaii, and are collected well and
shipped quickly. Yellow Tangs from other sources don't always
fare as well. These fishes need to eat constantly, and typically,
by the time they reach the LFS, they are already quite deprived
of food. When selecting specimens from the LFS, be sure to choose
fish that are not showing signs of malnutrition, pinched-in
stomachs, faded color, red marks on the fins, etc. Additionally,
make sure that you employ a quarantine regimen for all new fish,
particularly Tangs. Not only does the quarantine period give you
the opportunity to observe the fishes for signs of infections and
to treat them before introduction to your display-it gives your
new fish the chance to eat and recover from their journey to the
LFS. These fishes are voracious consumers of algae, and should
have a regular "supply" of algal-based foods available
constantly. You should utilize fresh macroalgae, such as
Gracilaria parvispora ("Ogo"). You can order Gracilaria
from e-tailers such as my favorite, IndoPacific Sea Farms
(www.ipsf.com). Last, but not least, make sure that you maintain
very high water quality at all times. Employ aggressive protein
skimming, regular, frequent water changes, and common sense
husbandry practices. Hopefully, these tips will point you in the
right direction. It really sounds like you're doing things
right...just consider a larger tank down the line! Good luck!
Regards, Scott F.>
A Tale Of Two Tangs (In Too Small A
Tank) - 08/15/05 I have a 55 gallon tank. The
order I got my fish were: blue hippo tang now 3 inches, solon
fairy wrasse now 4 inches, yellow tang now 6 inches, flame angel
now 5 inches, and flame Hawkfish now 4 inches. <<You're
overstocked my friend.>> I had originally gotten the yellow
tang because the blue tang was constantly pestering the fairy
wrasse. Nothing aggressive, but just following him
almost as if trying to school and the wrasse wanted no part of
this. The problem I'm having is that the yellow
tang has taken over the tank. He is constantly going
after the flame angel using his tail to back him into a
corner. He has already intimidated the other fish to
be in constant hiding. When I put him in a lee's
fish net breeder to see if a "time out" would work the
other fish became more active. But once released he
went back to his aggressive ways. He was in the
isolation breeder for a week. Is there anything else I
can do to calm him down or is he just too big and dominant for
the size tank and fish in it? <<BINGO! The Hippo
Tang will quickly outgrow (to 12") this tank as
well. Neither tang is suitable for this tank in the
long term...do see about swapping them with your LFS for store
credit and research/purchase fish more suitable to spending a
lifetime in your system.>> Thanks for your help
<<Regards, EricR>>
Tang Space 7/26/05 Hi Guys.
<Hey, Mike G with you this morning> I appreciate your help
in the past and I now have a new question which I couldn't
find on your frequently asked questions area. <It's always
good to add to the site's content.> My largest salt water
tank is 400 gallons and has been up and running for almost 7
months. I have immaculate filtration, keep a close eye on water
parameters, a great protein skimmer, uv sterilizer, 400 pounds of
live rock and 300 pounds of live sand. <Sounds very nice.>
I currently have 2, 5" yellow tangs, one 6" hippo, one
4" sailfin, and one 5" Atlantic blue tang, a
5"lunare wrasse, a 4" red Coris wrasse, a
5"harlequin tusk, a 6" queen angel a 5" blue chin
trigger and a 5"niger trigger. <This could be a problem
when they increase in size/territoriality> I've had a
3" purple tang ( I ordered a 5" one but he
was in such great shape and eats like a horse that I couldn't
pass him up) in my 55 gallon quarantine for the last 2 weeks and
in 2 more weeks would like to make him the last fish in this
system as many of these guys get really big and I am sensitive to
overcrowding. <Right.> The tang mix I have currently is
very good with all of them being gradually introduced, and only
marginal occasional picking at each other. Do you think with a
system this large, ( 8 feet long, 3 feet wide and 2 1/2 feet high
acrylic) and close monitoring I can add the purple to
the mix. <Possibly.> If not my only other humane option
(size wise) is to put him in the "murderous" tank with
a 7" clown trigger, a 7" aggressive passer angel, a
8" miniatus, a 12" Gymnothorax fimbriatus, and
a 20" snowflake eel, which are the
only inhabitants in a 120 gallon tank which mirrors the 400 in
every aspect (i.e., ratio of rock, sand and filtration per
gallon). I could keep him in the 55 for a while and grow him as I
also have a 29 gallon hospital tank, but the 55 is
bare bottom with no rock sand or algae except what I feed him and
I feel sorry for the guy to be kept in these bare conditions any
longer than necessary. <I'd give the 400 a
try. At the first sign of a problem, remove him. Obviously
there's nowhere else you can put him, so returning him would
be a valid option at that point. Let's hope it does not come
to that.> I love my fish and spend a lot of time watching and
enjoying them and I like to get your advice from time to time as
you have never steered me wrong in the past. Thanks in advance
for your help. <Not a problem. Good luck! Mike G>
Small Tank, No Tang - 07/13/2005 Hi, <Hello.> I
have a 37g tank with an arrow crab, a clarkii clown, a bubble tip
anemone, 2 damsels, and a cardinal. Can I add a yellow
tang? <I would strongly urge against any tang in
this relatively small system. Tangs not only get
large-ish, but absolutely require a great deal of swimming
space....> If not, what other semi-large fish can I get?
<Assuming this is a standard sized 37g tank (e.g., rather
tall, not very deep front-to-back), I would not add any more fish
to this system, and especially not a sizeable
fish. Honestly, even were the tank a
"better" shape (short, long, and deep), I would still
not stock the tank any further. There's just not a
lot of room for error.> Thanks, Bryan Cochran <Wishing you
and your fishes well, -Sabrina>
Blue Tang...Or...How To Overstock A 29 Gal. - 05/29/05
I have a 29gal reef tank that houses 2 percula clowns, a sixline
wrasse and five green Chromis. Corals include candies, a red
brain, several buttons polyps and mushrooms. <<You're
pushing the stocking limits on this tank...might want to consider
reducing the Chromis to three.>> Lighting consists of a 65
watt true actinic blue and a 65 watt 10000k day lamp. My question
pertains to a blue tang. I know my tank is way too small to house
a tang <<Then follow your gut and don't get
one.>> but I want one so badly that I have made a deal with
my LFS that I will buy a small one and trade it in when it
becomes too big for another small tang. I would then keep doing
this until I get a larger tank. Is this a stupid idea?
<<Well since you ask <G>, I think this is a dreadful
idea. Putting aside whether the LFS will remember/honor any such
bargain...or whether you will "know" when the tang is
"too big" (likely will die from stress long
before)...what you are/will be putting the fish through is just
dreadful. These fish are large, robust, and active...they need
room to SWIM and GROW. You will be subjecting this fish to a
stunted and greatly shortened life, please do reconsider. I
couldn't recommend this fish if your tank was three times the
size.>> Will this harm the fish or tang? <<The whole
tank will suffer in the long term. Regards, Eric R.>>
Acanthurus japonicus system Resending with original as
requested. Granted the A. japonicus may not be well suited
for 55 gallon 48" long. Will a 120 gallon that is 48"
long still be too small? <Should work out about right. Bob
Fenner>
Difference in spines Yellow Tangs Hi, A few months ago,
I found an article on the web that said the size and bright white
color of the spine at the base of the Yellow Tang's tail
indicated the sex (of course, I can't find it now). Is that
fact true (or is there anything that indicates the sex)?
<I think this is not factual... have dived with large Yellows
(in Hawai'i) and seen individuals (about plate size) that
appeared to be "full of eggs"... their caudal peduncle
spines are not different in color> If so, we may change our
plans to add a Hippo and add a smaller second/female Yellow
instead (if it is true, ours is a male). We have not been
able to quite decide if even our 6 foot tank is indeed big enough
to keep a hippo happy as an adult. <It is> It sounds like
they like to swim distances and the Yellows are more
grazers? <I do agree with this Zebrasoma tangs period
are roamers... the Paracanthurus stay in about one area> Also,
if sexing the Yellows isn't possible - would a smaller Purple
work (I thought it was an absolute no, but have been reading
recently that if the Purple is smaller and they are added
together it would work)? <Should work out fine in this size
system... some jousting, chasing at first, but not likely any
real damage> We will take your advice and scratch the Yellow
Eye as a possible choice with the Yellow. Thanks!! Debbie
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Kole Tang and ich problems Hi WWM crew.
<Hello Joe> I have a new 55 gallon reef tank that I started
like 2 months ago. As of now I have 2 true perculas, Capnella
everywhere (It splits almost everyday), and green star polyps.
Last night my Kole tang lost the horrible battle with ich which
he caught Sunday night. I have no idea how it happened but it
did. On Saturday I added a plant bunch of Caulerpa and cleaned
out the canister filter. When I first added fish to my tank about
3 weeks after the crabs and snails I added a small True and a
yellow tang. The Tang came down with ich the first 2-3 days and I
was able to cure him of it. A week later it got it again and died
the night I treated it with freshwater and copper for about 5
minutes in a 5 gallon bucket. Foolish of me I added another clown
a week later and he had a minor case of ich but went away. I
waited 4 weeks with the temp. At 80 degrees to speed up the crypt
life cycle. One day at work (I used to work at my LFS) we got a
nice 2 inch Kole Tang in. He was there for 2 days at 30 bucks but
I was able to get him for $13. I took him right away because I
love these tangs. He was eating a bunch of stuff off my rock for
the first two weeks and then on Sunday he was hiding in his cave
during the day. I thought I spooked him because they are shy
fish. Well Monday comes around and when I got home from school he
was still in there so I pocked a brush inside to get him out and
I saw one big spot on his side with tiny white spots of ich. He
went back in and came out 2 hrs later and was lying against the
rock not moving but gilling. I filled a bucket of saltwater from
my tank in a 5 gal bucket with a teaspoon of stress coat and 3/4
teaspoon of MelaFix (the only medication <This garbage is
NOT a med. RMF>> I had on hand), I also
added an air pump and heater. Well he was floating around but
still alive and I went to bed. This morning I found him dead at
the bottom, another tang I lost to ich. What should I do to my
tank? I know I should take out my clowns and QT them and let my
tank fallow for 4 weeks. My clowns never get ich (knock on wood)
but if they do I will definitely QT ASAP. I'm about to run
out and buy a quarantine tank. What is a good size? I am thinking
of buying a regal tang in the future. How long should I wait till
I add more fish and what else should I do to it? <Joe,
your tank is not nearly aged enough for adding tangs. I might
point out that you will have better luck if you quarantine the
fish before adding into your tank. Also sounds like your adding
fish much too fast before the bio filter has a chance to adjust.
I will paste a couple of sites you should read on both tangs, and
quarantining. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tangs,.htm
and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/quaranti.htm
Better luck in the future. Another point...Your 55 will be too
small for the tangs. As they grow they will need a larger tank.
James (Salty Dog)>
Too Many Tangs in Too Small of a Tank
(2/2/05) Hi, <Hello. Steve Allen with you
tonight.> Nice to talk to you guys once again. I
have a 46 gallon bowfront with about 50 pounds of live rock and
some basic corals (polyps and mushrooms), 1 Naso tang (@ 7 or
8" long) and a yellow tang, full grown. <A Naso
Tang has no place in such a small tank. It will grow to 18"
and belongs in a tank of at least 240 gallons. It is already too
big for your tank and it is cruel to keep it there. A full-grown
Yellow is out of place too. No responsible aquarium book author
recommends anything smaller than 75 gallons.> Not too
confrontational with each other although the Yellow tang was
quite ticked off when I introduced the Naso tang. <Understood.
I've seen this. Be glad if they are actually getting along
now. I had to pull an Achilles from a 180 that my Yellow Tang was
unwilling to share.> The yellow tang tolerates the Naso
pretty well now. <At least while you're
watching.> I also have 2 percula clowns, one royal
Dottyback and a Sharknose cleaner goby. I also have recently
purchase 3 peppermint shrimp because I have a Aiptasia (I think
that's what its called)... <correct> ...
where some anemones have begun to grow on the live rock and on
the sides of the tank walls. I was told that the peppermint
shrimp would eat the Aiptasia, and unfortunately they have not
done anything since I bought them a last week. All the shrimps do
is hide within the live rock. <They are probably eating
something else, and may never eat the Aiptasia. Been there, done
that. Not all will eat Aiptasia, and many "Peppermint"
shrimps are actually not of the genus that eats it. They are
often misidentified at the store.> Anyway, back to my original
question. Two days ago I bought 3 small hippo tangs (beautifully
colored shocking blue specimens, that appear to be very healthy)
each about 4 to 5 inches long and put them in my ten gallon
Quarantine tank which I plan on keeping them in there for 4
weeks. (I wanted obtain either one large hippo or a small group
of smaller ones.) But decided on the 3 smaller ones.
<Bad choice. Minimum tank size is 125 for a single specimen.
Your purchases so far suggest that your eyes are bigger than your
tank.> I have had the hippos for about two days now and
they are mostly curled and wedging themselves within the live
rock. <They do this when scared and anxious.>
Once in a while they come out for a short time and then retreat
back to the rock. Is this normal? <Very common for new
acquisitions.> I'm not sure if they are eating yet,
but I think they pick at the food I put in not really chasing
after it. I'm feeding them frozen Mysis and Spirulina flakes.
I will also try the dry seaweed sheets that I use in my main tank
that my other tangs love. <These are reasonable things
to try and should work over time.> They seem to be quite
nervous about swimming around the tank like most other fishes do.
Is this normal? <Again, yes.> Now, my big
concern is the royal Dottyback. This little bastard of a fish has
already caused my green Chromis' to disappear one by one.( A
total of about 5) <Yes, very mean. They have been know
kill much larger fish by eviscerating them.> Also my
yellow tailed blue devil has disappeared and one of my percula
clowns also has vanished. I strongly believe that the culprit was
the Dottyback based on what I have read about this fish. I have
also witnessed him chasing my poor Sharknose goby
sometimes. <It will very likely eventually
"disappear" this one too.> Well, do you think that
it would be a good idea to bring this Dottyback back to the fish
store? I am quite concerned that he will harass the hippos once
they go into the main tank after quarantine. <You should
take the Hippos back. If the Dottyback doesn't kill them, the
Yellow will either kill them or scare them to the point that they
will starve to death. You also need to either return the Naso or
get him a proper-sized tank. You need to accept the fact that a
46-gallon tank is a small tank by marine standards and choose
only fish that belong in a small tank. Even your yellow tang
should not be kept in there.> I also think that he is
scaring the peppermint shrimp and causing them to hide.
<Possible, but these are timid shrimps anyway. I seldom see
mine, and it is the only motile creature in the tank. I thought
he was dead when I didn't see him for about 10 days, but
eventually came out again.> Also, do you think that the
size differential of the small hippos to other larger tangs will
be a problem for the smaller hippos? <Yes.> I
figured a group of 3 little ones is harder to chase than one
larger one, and they can school together for protection.
<I think you figured wrong.> Thanks again, Edward
K <I'm sorry to be the bearer of harsh and
disappointing truths, but if you study the Tang issues I brought
up, you will find that the overwhelming majority of marine
aquarium experts, including all of the marine aquarists advising
on this site, will agree with what I have said--that is, none of
the Tangs you own should be kept in a 46-gallon
tank.>
Ongoing A. japonicus review Thank you
Matt. My tank is 65g FOWLR with 70 lbs. of live
rock. Is my tank big enough to accommodate this tang
(Acanthurus japonicus)? <Not in my opinion, at least not when
full grown. This would also explain the aggression
between the tang and the wrasse.> If not, what is
the maximum size this fish can grow until I have to move him to a
larger tank? <Hmmm, good question. I would err on
the side of caution here. But it sounds like he (or
the wrasse) might need to be moved soon if things don't
change.> He is also changing color VERY often, he's
lighter brown far more than he is darker brown? Could
this be happening because my tank isn't big enough (keeping
in mind he's only been in my tank for four days so
far)? What color is this tang's natural color, the
darker brown or the lighter brown? <Surgeonfish (and lots of
others) will change colors in response to light, mood, feeding,
all sorts of things. It's hard to say why it's
doing it. Your best bet to see the 'natural'
color is to look at some online pics, or you could attach us a
pic if you can.> Thanks so much, Brett <No
prob! Glad to help, Matt.>
Tortured Tangs I just bought a Naso tang Saturday that
just past. He is being very selective to what he wants
to eat. I have recently over the past couple of days
started clipping algae in the tank 2 x a day. and its
get gone. First let me say I have a 55 gallon tank
with a purple and yellow tang. a fox, 2 yellow tail damsels and
couple of shrimps snails, star fish and
dusters. It is a reef and rock tank. he was
the last thing I add... the first day or so he was
harassed by the damsels but that died
out. Now he seems to be very mild and not moving and I
have noticed today the ick spot on him.. I am treating the tank
now with a quick ick cure. But I have not seen him eat
like the others...I am talking to him every day encouraging him
to eat and how handsome he is with a very quiet tone..
hoping he will pull thru this.. please help.. my ph is 8.0 and 0
on nitrate, ammonia/ I have a skimmer also and strong filtration
system....Please help I don't want to lose him.. J.T. Hagans,
>>>Hello Janerio, The minimum size for even ONE of those
tangs is 75 gallons if we're speaking of the yellow of the
purple tang. The Naso tang needs a 135 gallon tank or so. The
Foxface, again needs a 75 gallon tank. Your tank is overcrowded
in the extreme, and frankly I'm a bit disturbed that
you've stocked your tank in such a way, clearly not doing any
research as to the needs of your animals. You need to remove the
Naso tang, the Foxface and the purple tang. The yellow tang will
live for some time in a 55 gallon, but you will have to remove it
in a year or so. You're in for nothing but trouble if you
keep the things the way they are, including disease outbreaks.
Secondly, I'm not sure what you mean by "reef and
rock". Quick Cure is NOT a reef safe medication. In fish
only systems, it works just fine, however you have to be careful
with tangs as their skin is sensitive to the formalin in that
med. DO NOT overdose it. If it's a fish only system, treating
with hyposalinity is your best course of action. If you insist on
talking to your fish as a method of getting them to eat, make
sure you do so in an Arnold Schwarzenegger accent. But again,
very softly. This seems to work much faster than speaking
normally. Unless of course you want them to eat meaty foods such
as shrimp, then Christopher Walken works better. Regards
Jim<<<
Tangs in a 55 gallon, Part Deux Ok, I will get a bigger
tank, but how do I try to save him in between time. The yellow
Naso tang is not eating. What other types of food
should I consider feeding him... any suggestions. And
are you saying I should only house 1 tang with a tank of the size
I have? Oh I have a rock and fish only tank
sorry for the confusion. If I get a bigger tank will this prevent
disease outbreaks in the future...any
suggestions Janeiro J.T. Hagans >>>Hello
again, You can treat with Hypo salinity, or a commercial ich
medication. Naso tangs are on the hardy side, so you have that
going for you. Regarding tank size, I'm saying that your tank
is too small for even one tang, let alone all the ones currently
present. A 75 gallon is the minimum for even a yellow tang.
I'm not just spewing numbers from a book, that's hard
earned knowledge talking. Larger tanks do not prevent disease
outbreaks, but they minimize stress, which lessens the
possibility of a weakened immune response in the fish. Does that
make sense? Cheers Jim<<<
Marine tank with problem Update 30 Aug
2004 Hey, me, again...<Hi Again Lisa, MacL here with you
today.> I am beginning to get my tank back in order and start
up again...a few questions: first off, as you know I
had a Kole and yellow sailfin tang in a 46 gallon bow-front
aquarium.....after much reading, I know I should not have kept 2
tangs in such a small space (but they were small and did pal
around and seemed to adapt surprisingly well! <The problem is
that they grow so large.> Even when the one died, the other
huddled with it). My question is....could I have 1
tang (another Kole or a yellow, since they do not get as big as
others) with other small fish like clowns and gobies with the
intention of upgrading down the road? <It is my
personal opinion that you can. But always keep in mind it will
have to be upgraded or sold or traded in the future.> And how
soon would I have to upgrade? <That will depend on the growth
rate of your fish.> I would also add some neon gobies....they
are exceptional parasite pickers. <And very cute to
boot. Good luck, MacL>
Feeding and Tank
size follow up 5/30/04 What is a good size tank for a yellow
tang? <I generally consider about 75gal as a minimum, but as
they get larger a 6' long tank is really ideal to provide
them with adequate swimming room.> I always thought fish would
stop growing once they reached a suitable size for the tank. How
big do tangs get? <This is one of the most widespread and
unfortunate misconceptions in the hobby. All fish will
grow to their maximum size as long as they are provided with
enough food and good water quality. Yellow tangs will
quickly grow to 5-6" and can reach 8"!> Thanks!
<Always a pleasure! Adam>
Ideal Tang System 4/9/04 Hello,
Crew... I've been in the saltwater hobby now for
about a year and have found your site to be a goldmine of great
information. Thanks for all your
work. Here's my latest question... <Hi
Bob. Glad you have found WWM to be beneficial!>
After getting started with a small 37-gallon system I have at
home, I am now anxious to attempt a larger one in my
office. Since I was a kid, I have always enjoyed the
beauty of saltwater systems and creatures. My favorite
has always been Paracanthurus Hepatus (Regal/Hippo
Tang). I have known all along that my current system
was too small for such a great fish, and have not even attempted
or considered (dreamed, maybe) having one in my home
system. However, now that I am considering a tank for
my office, I would love to build one around the needs of a
Regal/Hippo. <Congrats on your patience and
commitment. Not putting an animal into an unsuitable
tank and waiting to establish the ideal environment are
commendable actions.> I have been reading everything I can
find on these guys but would really value your
thoughts. In your opinion, what would be a
reasonable-ideal setup? Any thoughts on setup, type of
live rock, substrate and tank mates would be greatly
appreciated. I know they can be ich magnets, so I want
to design a system that is as comfortable as
possible. So far, I am leaning toward a 90-gallon tank
with live sand bed. Also, I might consider a few
small, soft corals for color, but I would really like to focus on
an ideal environment for this fish. <This fish is indeed prone
to Ich. The key to minimizing this risk is to get a healthy
specimen and to employ careful and lengthy quarantine before
introduction. I am generally anti-drug, but in the
case of such an ich prone fish, I am inclined to employ a
treatment with a one time dose of 35mg/gal of Chloroquine
diphosphate if any ich or velvet is observed in quarantine. Other
than that, the specific requirements of this fish are pretty easy
to meet. These fish can and will grow to 12 or more
inches and their long term happiness is best met in a tank of
6' in length. If you establish the tank with live
rock and live sand, you will be providing an excellent physical
environment. This fish is safe with most corals, but
some have been known to eat Zoanthids and xenia when they get
large. As with most marine animals, water turnover of at least
10x the display volume will help ensure good oxygen saturation
and prevent detritus build up.> Thanks for your
input. It is GREATLY appreciated. Bob
Dearing <Best Regards and thanks for the kind
words. Adam>
Naso Tangs in a four foot aquarium is a NO
NO Hello I currently have a 110g reef that I will be
upgrading this summer to a 150 or 180 if my floors can handle the
weight. I currently have a white cheek tang and will be adding a
yellow tang after his quarantine period is over. Can I
keep a Naso tang as well? If not what are some other
tangs I could house with these 2
guys?<None> I have close to 200lbs of LR
so there are a decent amount of cave and hiding sports. <Naso
tangs do not need live rock, In the wild they inhabit open water.
They need swimming room and a four foot aquarium will most
definitely not be enough, IanB> Thanks Chris
The Difference Between Tangs, or Opinions?
2/2/04 Hey, <Hey to you too!> One quick
question. How come the hippo tang which grows to a foot is
suitable for a 75 gallon and up tank, and other tangs e.g. powder
blue which is about 3 inches smaller has to be homed in a much
larger about 125 gallon. I always thought the bigger the fish
bigger the tank. Thanks Akira <Either of these fish
could be housed in a 75g when small, but both will out grow it. I
would consider 125g to be a minimum for either of these fish once
they have reached about 4-5 inches. HTH. Adam>
Tang tank size requirement follow up
2/3/04 Hey, Very interesting because on many sites it
is 75 gallons and up for the hippo. Thanks Scott <I
think in most cases, these are the most liberal recommendations,
and should be considered an absolute minimum. I think
recommendations run higher for powder blues just because they are
so delicate. Best Regards, Adam.>
Yellow and Blue Makes Green..? Nope,
Trouble >Hi I was wondering if you could give me a little
help. >>Hi, I hope so. >I currently have a 3"
yellow tang in a 30 gallon marine aquarium. I really would like
to buy a Blue tang (Paracanthurus hepatus). I know from past
experiences that Tangs usually don't really get along to well
in a small aquarium, but I also heard that tangs of two different
"shapes" circular and oval will not harass each other
as much. Please help me. Is there any way I can keep these too
fish? At least until they grow out of my tank? >>This is
difficult, because it sounds as though you're going to try to
wait on *them* to let you know when it's time to move to a
bigger system, and a yellow in a 30 is a squeeze
already. I honestly cannot, in good conscience, even
encourage you to keep the yellow in there. However, if
you want good blue color, activity, HARDINESS, and
pugnacious-ness, I strongly suggest going with the diminutive
little beauty, Centropyge argi. However, to better
answer your question on mixing tangs (who knows, maybe
there's a 200 gallon in your future, eh?) - dissimilar
species OR dissimilar size. So, let's assume you
had a tank that's on the order of 75 gallons. You
could safely add a hippo tang that is larger,
4"+. Since the yellow is 3", you want enough
disparity in size. Another method is to stock with so
many that there is displacement of aggression, however, this is
really only done in shop and wholesaler's tanks, because the
animals are moving in and out of the system rather
quickly. I ask you, though, PLEASE don't try
either technique in your tank! Thank you for asking
*first*, though. Marina
The Six Foot Solution? (Proper Tang Housing)
Hi, <Hey there! Scott F. at your service!> We have a half
round tank that is 28" high and 48" across the back
with about 75 lbs of live rock. Current inhabitants
are 2 cleaner shrimp and a green Chromis. A yellow
tang and a 2 tank raised false perculas are in quarantine (will
be added in a few weeks). <Excellent procedure!> We'd
like to get a small Hippo (Regal) Tang to introduce at the same
time as the yellow tang. However, we understand they
need a 6' long tank to be happy. Since the rounded
portion of our tank would equal a little over 6 feet - would the
hippo tang be happy in this tank when it gets larger (with the
other inhabitants)? <Well- it's tough to say...I am
partial to the minimum 6 foot theory...Also, I think a 150 gallon
plus is a good start. Waste dilution is as important as physical
space...I suppose you could start the two in this tank, but a
larger tank is really necessary, IMO, if the fish is to live out
a full (and happy!) natural life span in captivity...> Also,
would you recommend a captive raised hippo tang or wild caught
yellow bellied hippo for hardiness? <Well, depending on the
handling and care the fish received from the
collectors/wholesalers/retailers along the way, either can do
well, if selected properly...Captive-raised will probably be a
bit easier to acclimate to aquarium life, but many wild-caught
specimens adapt just fine...> Thanks! Doug <My pleasure,
Doug! Regards, Scott F.>
The Six Foot Solution? (Proper Tang Housing)-
Pt. 2 Thanks Scott! <You're quite welcome!> Since
the tank is a little tight for a Hippo Tang, is there another
species of Tang you would recommend that would get along with the
Yellow Tang and work with the 116 gallon half
round? We do water partial changes every week - so, I
think we can handle the bioload. Disappointed about
the Hippo, but we don't want an unhappy fish! Doug <Well,
Doug- I'd highly recommend a Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus
strigosus). They are very peaceful (as tangs go), hardy, and are
an interesting "niche feeder", being detritivorous.
They'll do a great job keeping rocks and substrate clean in
your tank, and they have an endearing personality. They stay
quite a bit smaller than the other tangs you are considering. As
an added bonus, they have an endearing personality and
appearance, so they are one of my favorite tangs. Try to get a
Polynesian one, if possible. They have a striking white tail
which is pretty cool. Good luck! Regards, Scott F>
- Powder Blue Tang, Shoehorn Style - Hi, I currently
have a regal tang about 2 inch, and am thinking of purchasing a
powder blue tang. Will they fight or will they just mind their
own business, as I would really like to keep one of these fishes.
<Depends on the size of the tank.> My tank is 23 gallon,
and has a 100 gallon protein skimmer, 55 gallon canister filter 6
pieces of live rock on the bottom, which takes up around 3
gallon, and the other 20 gallons is remaining for the fish.
<This tank is much to small for the regal tang let alone a
second one. I cannot recommend that you keep any more fish in
this system.> Baring in mind I will have a new, and bigger set
up for Christmas to move the tang(s) into. <I'd wait until
you actually have the system set up and running for a couple of
months before attempting a powder blue - these fish on average do
quite poorly in anything but the largest systems. Please read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/badacanthurusaq.htm
> I do know that they may be aggressive towards each other,
but I don't think this will be a problem, as I have seen many
different species of tang in the same tank. <Well, that
doesn't make it a smart or good long-term choice. I would not
place a powder blue tang in a tank of this size - please
don't put this fish in your tank at this point.> Please
could you fill me in on these questions, I would very much
appreciate it. Regards Aaron. <Cheers, J -- >
- Regal Tang, also Shoehorn Style - Hi, I've heard
that it would be possible to keep a regal tang juvenile in a 23
gallon tank, and if it is possible providing its needs are met
hence algae, and how long would I be able to keep one in that
tank size? <Well, 'can' and 'should' are two
different subjects. I 'can' shove you in the trunk of a
car and keep you there, feeding you McDonalds through a hole in
the trunk - doesn't make it 'right' and it certainly
won't make you healthy or happy. So no, you 'should'
not, and I would not recommend that you put any size regal tang
into a 23 gallon tank - it would be outgrown within a year.>
Regards Aaron <Cheers, J -- >
SeaScope article on purple tangs. Robert Fenner I read
your recent article which I must say was well written and
informative. However, you ducked the most obvious issue which is
the minimum tank requirements for keeping the purple and other
Zebrasoma species. <Yeeikes. Really? Will have to check,
amend> My first question is why did you do this? <Mmm,
simple (and all too often nowadays) omission> My second
question is what in your opinion is the minimum recommended tank
size for keep Zebrasoma species like the purple all things being
considered? <Mmm, have you seen my review piece on the genus
posted on WetWebMedia? Here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/zebrasom.htm
As stated, a fifty gallon size system is the smallest I would try
a specimen in. Please see the other articles linked (in blue,
above) on the site as well re these fishes. Bob Fenner>
Stocking A Tank In A Sensible Way! Good afternoon
Scott, <Hello again!> Thanks for your quick reply! I have
another question for ya'.... I would like to get a yellow
tang, do you think it will be too big for my 44 gallon tank?
I'll be housing a Royal Gramma, two Percula Clowns, a Flame
Angel and my Yellow Tang. All in that order. <That's
plenty of fish in a 44 gallon tank! A good mix, with the
exception of the tang. I'm most concerned about its need for
lots of space- especially for the long run. A larger tank will be
required for the tang to live a long, healthy life...> My
first is my Royal Gramma that I have in QT right now. I'm not
to sure it will be happy with the space....I read that they are
strong swimmers and they need lots of space for them to be happy.
<Actually, this would be a fine fish for this sized tank! They
really tend to hang in and around rockwork, as opposed to
swimming actively in the water column...If you can create an
overhang or open cave in the rockwork for the Gramma to inhabit,
you'll get to see the fish hang around, often upside down, in
a very natural way. It's pretty cool to watch> Last thing
I want is an unhappy tang in my main tank, (after QT of course) I
don't want him to be unhappy and stressed out
and get THE ICH! <Yep! I love tangs, but I really
think that it would be better suited to a larger tank...Lots and
lots of other choices that will be very cool, and much better
suited for this tank!> Oh, and by the way, I have about 25lb
of live rock. I would like to buy more, but I don't want to
use all that space. I would love my tang to have lots of space
and be happy. <A good attitude! Again, I would still recommend
against purchasing a tang, unless a much larger tank is available
in the very near future> Thanks again Scott. I hope you have a
GREAT DAY. <Thanks! And I hope you have a great day, too. And
much success with your tank! Feel free to shoot us an email again
any time! Regards, Scott F>
Tang tank size Hello crew, <Right back at you from
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.> Greetings from the Netherlands and
thumbs up for the service you provide. <Thank you for the kind
words> I have a question for you that I couldn't find here
or elsewhere answered to my satisfaction. I'm in the process
of starting a reef aquarium and I think I've nailed down most
of the questions I had when I started this endeavour but my
beloved wife gave me a headache ;) I'll explain why. <Hmm,
just one? Lucky man! (Um, er, headache that is <G>)>
After we moved to another house I decided to get back to my old
love (hobby, addiction..) of keeping an aquarium. After years of
freshwater I decided I wanted a reef aquarium this time,
especially since there is a lot of progress made in cultivating
livestock (corals, some fish species). My wife and I decided to
start a 52,5 gallon (200 liters) reef with the following
dimensions 80cm*50cm*50cm (31,5" * 19,5" * 19,5"
). I figured this would be a nice tank size and my wife could
live with this too, so far so good. Since I've been keeping
aquariums for years, I know how important it is to have a
detailed planning and think things over before doing anything. So
I've been researching the livestock etc.. etc.. I can have in
a tank this size and I almost ordered the tank (since I have the
rest of the equipment already) and now my wife (got to love
her...:) ) has set her mind (and I mean really set) on a yellow
tang. So I went back searching and I read that a 50 gallon tank
is the minimum tank for a yellow tang. But, what about
dimensions? Is the tank I described good for a yellow tang ? I
like the fish too, but I want to be sure that it can live a
healthy, happy life. I can also buy a tank with other dimensions
(36" or 40" long) but I don't like that since
I'm using only one 150 watt AB AquaLine pendant for lighting
(and actinic TL8 lighting, but that is more for aesthetics (sp?)
) and I don't like the stray light with these bulbs on a long
tank. Off course I can landscape to maximize swim space, but
still... I'm looking forward to here from the crew. <Well,
Timo, my recommendation for this fish would be a tank with the
D/W you describe and a length of 122-155cm (48-60" if my
conversion is close). This would certainly call for another
light.> Oh, a quickie, is it possible to get away with, lets
say, 10-15 pounds of LR in this tank when using good quality base
rock and give everything the time to get "live" <Yes
this is a sound approach. The rock will become live with critters
and such very quickly (given good seed live rock). Coralline
algae growth will take time and depend on calcium, alkalinity
values. Hope this helps, Don> Best regards and TIA, <You
are very welcome. BTW, if you need any aspirin, I could air
freight it to you!> Timo
More fish? Hey guys, <Hey Tommy, Don with you this
AM> Just found this
web site and been reading way too much. Lots of great
info. Once upon a time I had a beautiful powder blue
tang in with my yellow tang and a Kole tang. After
about 2 or 3 months, the powder blue started swimming real fast
and into the glass and rocks. He tenderized his head
in two days or so and died soon
thereafter. (That's where it hit me that a fish
this big won't fit down the toilet, much to the delight and
ridicule of my wife, sister, neighbors, etc.) No one
at the LFS had a clue. You seemed to have the answer
as pasted below: "the powder blue is probably pacing in your
tank (common behavior in small tanks where they swim back and
forth against the glass)... or will be
soon." "My strong advice is to pull the
powder blue soon as it is the most likely to suffer in the short
run 12-18 months for a mere 4 feet of swimming space. Its just a
needy/sensitive fish."
My first question is
this. I have 75 gallon oceanic
tank. The dude was only four or five inches
long! How much room does one need? <6' min,
8'-10' would be appropriate for this fish, depending on
other inhabitants. Still, a very sensitive fish. While you
brought this up, ponder this: The powder blue was 5" that is
about 10% of the length/height of the tank eh? If you are 5'
tall consider living in a 48x18' box (pretty close to a 3
bedroom/2 floor house). You might think, not bad eh? Now add
furniture taking up 20% of that space. Add 17 other individuals
of varying size that are taking up maybe another 30% of that
space (and are CONSTANTLY on/around you, literally in your face
as it were) Throw in a dozen or two little lap dogs running
around. All of this only getting worse as everyone grows and
competes over time. See what the powder blue tang was up against?
I won't even start on the polluted atmosphere/environment
that you would have to live in <G>>
Ok, here is the
rest. I have: 75 gallon tank w/sump about to be out of
bio-balls as per your site. three 96w PCs (two daylight and one
true actinic) 1200 gph Mag drive with a creative multi output so
I have no power heads in the tank, but good movement/stirring of
water 1.023 salinity 79-81 degrees 85 ph, (might remember wrong,
but in the recommended range per test) <Will assume a missing
decimal here 8.5> 0 ammonia 0 nitrite > 20 ppm nitrate for
the first time EVER, yeah <Again, I am thinking < 20ppm>
350 ppm calcium about 30 - 40 pounds live rock <all sounds
good, maybe more live rock as you can afford it> beautiful
yellow tang, 2 in. when I bought it almost a year ago, now 4+ in.
mean as hell yellow damsel, too quick for me to catch, but leaves
familiar neighbors alone. i.e. hard to add new fish
very docile blue damsel two awesome fat-faced (good eaters) true
Percs. Love these guys pajama cardinal two Banggai
cardinals Firefish goby pistol shrimp (aka bulldozer) watchman
goby (These two are the coolest thing in the
tank. SO entertaining!) handful of hermits (Scarlets,
Hawaiians, blue legs, etc.) three Mithrax crabs (very cool) two
starfish (one brittle, black hairy thing and one serpent, neat
when you can see it) various snails (Nassarius, turbo, Astreas,
etc.) one pink poo (pink and brown cucumber) two Hawaiian feather
dusters one skunk cleaner shrimp two peppermint shrimp and some
slowly dying green star polyps
I have had my tank set
up for a couple of years. Ok, I'll admit, I am a
real slacker. I am terrible about water
changes. I do 25 - 33% once every two or even three
months. Go ahead let me have it, if you want. <No
need as you already see/understand the problem here. BTW, you
(and you fish) have been pretty lucky too! <G>> But
especially after adding my protein skimmer, water seems to be
great. Even my nitrates that were 80 + is down to
>20ppm and has been for a month and I have not changed my
water recently. I use a mechanical water filter when I
add tap water, no RO/DI. I never quarantine, but am
considering doing so after the scare tactics used on this site.
<Believe me, not scare tactics at all. Soooooo many times a
new fish is added to an existing tank and before you know it,
everybody is being flushed. Tried and true, success speaks for
itself> That's
about the history. Now, I can't and never could
get coralline algae to grow. Any guess as to
why? And I get a light coating of red or brown algae
on the glass that has to be cleaned every three to five days. I
think this is normal, but would like to hear that from
you. Comes off easily enough with my magnet cleaner,
but clouds the water for about 10 minutes or so afterwards.
<You don't mention Alkalinity, could be a factor stifling
coralline if too low. Do you have a lot of other algae? This
would 'choke' the coralline out. Look for BGA and diatoms
using the Google search on WetWebMedia.com. This is what you
describe. Regular water changes (like 10% weekly) would help (but
then you already know that eh?), reducing Nitrate more would
benefit as well. Removing the bio-balls will help as well (in
removing nitrate). High nitrate is causing the demise of the
coral. Needs to be at 0 to keep any>
And lastly, what other
types of fish might be agreeable to add? Or do you
think I have enough. I case you lost count, I
currently have nine fish! My Kole tang died after
several months, so I was thinking about adding another, since
everybody seemed to get along with him. My goal is
more fish, not a reef style. (cheaper) And
I really like the Firefish, so was thinking about adding another.
<I would not recommend another tang of any type. One tang to
75G is plenty (too much IMO in the long term). Firefish have been
known to battle each other (to the death) as well. The yellow
damsel is going to be a problem, unless you add something
bigger/more aggressive, again not recommended with the other
peaceful/number of inhabitants you have. The aggressive damsel is
a concern. If you cannot remove and find a new home for this one,
I would recommend you stay where you are at as the aggression
will likely stress the new fish to death. If the yellow damsel
can go then maybe a canary wrasse would be a good addition. Would
fit well with the other fish as it is peaceful. I would consider
the swap but not an addition. BTW, the yellow tang is likely to
become more and more a bully. May have to make a decision about
this fish in the future as well>
Thanks for the help,
and great site!! <You are very welcome, Don> Tommy
Tang fighting its reflection Dear Robert Fenner We
introduced a 4 inch powder brown tang (Acanthurus Japonicus) two
weeks ago in our reef setup. The only other fish in the tank are
five blue damsels. The Tang is eating very well, both seaweed and
brine shrimp. But whenever the light is on in the tank the fish
sees its reflection in the tanks front glass and spends the WHOLE
time charging up and down the glass trying to fight off its
reflection, biting and thrashing like mad. This is severely
stressing the fish as well as us. When the tank lights are off,
the tang cant see its reflection and is totally calm, picking and
eating well. Is this something that is common with tangs or this
particular species? <More per individual.> Will the fish
ever stop behaving like this? Would it be better to get a younger
tang (providing its eating in the shop)? Is there anything we
could do to calm it? <Can you cover up this one viewing panel
for a few weeks? Either dark paper or water-based enamel paint
that can be removed.> Would it help to introduce other similar
sized fish to keep it occupied? <Perhaps other fishes presence
will help> Can you help us?? <Sure. Bob Fenner> Thanks,
Patrik Hey there Bob, everyone at WWMedia, long time no post.
<Cheers!> I'm just glad to have found the above post,
Patrick's post regarding his TANG FIGHTING HIS
REFLECTION. Our achilles tang who we are immensely
proud of having kept for now over 18 months started swimming
madly in circles in one of our reef caves, causing him much
distress, charging in the rocks constantly, leaving pretty awful
looking scratches over his face. All sorts of ideas came to mind,
I even thought of HLLE disease, I wasn't' sure and was
getting worried until I read the above article. I removed that
part of the dark background with a white one and his behavior
reversed immediately so it's funny how much of a change
little details can make. I feel silly not to have thought of that
myself, so thank you forever for your great website. Stefi/
London <Glad to hear this. Bob Fenner>
Tangs and Space Requirements First: I have read,
several times, the Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Have loved it
and suggest others to get it - and they have. Thanks for the
great book. <Bob's work is truly an inspiration to those
of us in the industry/hobby.> I am in a bit of a quandary
regarding stocking my 30x30x30 cube tank,115gals. This is my 4th
and final tank for a while. This tank is intended for display, as
opposed to study or experimentation. I had always planned on
having a single tang for both beauty and algae control (I am
skimmer less with a 55 gal DSB and refugium). I grow a lot of
macros - from 3 different Caulerpas, Dictyota, monkey tail, and
about 5 others I have yet to identify despite trying. My stocking
list includes many docile species: Pearly Jawfish, a purple
Firefish, a school of Chromis viridis, neon gobies, and a 6 line
wrasse. Everyone is happy and gets along. I would like to add a
tang that fits the requirements of being a heavy grazer, as small
as possible, and a minimal threat to the other fish. This is by
far the most active fish I have planned for the system and plan
on only one other addition - a pygmy angel that will get along
with the rest of the fish. As I said, the tank is a 30"
cube, it has heavy circulation 1200gph+. The rock is placed in
such a manner to imitate a vertical setting - with a lot of open
water higher up in the tank and a channel that goes from the
front to the back. A fish can swim from corner to corner without
obstruction, or front to back in the channel without obstruction.
The Question? Which tang, if any, is suited to my tank? My LFS
says "They all are" my fellow Aqualink members say
"none are", and most books, including Mr. Fenner's
usually speak in gallons. <I would fall somewhere in between.
Any of the Zebrasomas at small to medium size would fit your
tank, but do not really blend well with the current fish or
future dwarf angel. The fish in the genus Acanthurus and Naso get
too big, are too delicate, or aggressive. Your best bet is
Ctenochaetus strigosus, the Yellow-Eye or Kole Tang.> Thank
you very much for your time. ~Bill Roh <You are welcome.
-Steven Pro>
Tangs Good Morning! (UK time) I am impressed by your
FAQ's page. <Keep looking... there are a few tens of
thousands of FAQs on the site... the "worthwhile"
queries get posted to their relevant topics areas, in association
with articles, book sections that they relate to... and soon,
images and products as well...> I maintain a 6ftx2ftx2ft
Natural reef tank containing a small button reef and a bar with a
drop-off onto coral rubble, with a 50 gallon sump beneath. The
system is driven by three Eheim 1060 pumps. Illuminated by Metal
Halide marine lamps (6500K) and skimmed with a Shuran Jetskim 200
(Magic device). Particle filtration is by heavy duty pond filter
material via the water return system to sump. In this system, I
keep an A. pyroferus, A. scopas and a Ctenochaetus strigosus and
several other fish with specific duties, i.e. Blue cheek Gobies
to keep the coral sand well stirred and clean (& aerated)
Also, a gang of cleaner shrimps, inverts. and Caulerpa
prolifer(a) (rather tougher than prepared American seaweed
sheets) . I am not convinced that the present system satisfies
the needs of my marine friends ,who are yet only half-grown. The
aim is to double the size of this system to improve their
lifestyle. <Good ideas> Why are marine keepers
encouraged to keep potentially large fish in small systems?
<You've got me... human nature as individuals? Madison
Avenue: sold to them? Ignorance?> Such confined environments
encourage dangerous concentrations of toxins and the development
of diseases, through stress. I know of several erstwhile keen
fish keepers who have given up totally. Polite enquiry revealed
that they were operating small systems. Sure, costs come into it,
but scrimping on the set-up never pays. <Couldn't
agree with you more... This has been a rallying point for me for
decades... in the trade and as a hobbyist, scientist...>
Regards, Anthony Barden >> <Thank you for writing,
sharing your thoughts, experiences. Bob Fenner>
Tangs Hi Bob, I have a 7 week old 75gallon setup with
LR/LS. Cycling is over now and I'm beginning to see all sorts
of "life" in both the sand and on the glass. My
question to you is, I am assuming from my reading that I'll
only be able to put one Tang in a 75. Is this true?? If so which
would be you choice??? I have been looking at and reading about
Hepatus Tangs and Hippo Tangs. TIA, Gerry Brierley
<<Actually, with some care in selecting species, starting
with smaller specimens, you could have three tang family members
in this size system... The one you mention (Paracanthurus
hepatus) is a good choice, as are the Sailfin Tangs (genus
Zebrasoma) and the Combtooth Tangs (genus Ctenochaetus)... These
are great looking, hardy, and utilitarian species (great algae
eaters). A review of these species, with notes on their husbandry
can be found on my site: www.wetwebmedia.com. Bob
Fenner>>
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