2-zebrasoma's in a 120?

[noobtothereef]

Ok, here goes, i dont want to get flamed like alot of folks do on here concerning tangs, The first tang i had was a yellow tank, i got rid of him to get a sailfin tang, then today i got a smokin deal on a purple tang. Its a very healthy fish but is the same zebrasoma. So far they are getting along well but i do know that means nothing, are there anybody here succesfully keeping these togeher in a 120? I do have a backup plan and a new home for the sailfin if they dont get along.

 

[RealReef7]

I have a purple tang and yellow tang in a 120g. The purple tang is a bully, will chase any new comers. I don't think it is a good idea to add a sailfin as they tend to get really big, fast.

 

[jaa1456]

You might get away with it and you might not. I had both of those fish along with a yellow,scopas and black tang in a 265. They all lived together for awhile. They had a few spats but nothing horrible.

 

[TBall]

Well you can either get a tank divider and keep them like that for a few weeks or only if you see aggression. Or you could put small cheap mirrors on both sides of the tank and they will be too concerned with chasing their reflections

 

[Toddrtrex]

IMO, it is a bad idea. Purples are fairly aggressive and even more so in small tanks -- I watched one draw blood on a Clarkii clown. In addition a sailfin is one of the biggest zebrasomas.

 

[tcmfish]

I think the purple would be fine in there, my bigger concern is your current sailfin. Like Todd said they are big fish.

As long as you know the purple will be aggressive to new additions I say go for it, and plan to find a new home for the sailfin. I think you should move the sailfin now because later you will be attached and it will grow bigger faster in a larger tank.

Purple tangs are one of my favorite tangs though, minus the aggression.

 

[Pallobi]

purple tangs are gorgeous, i love them...

 

[bryan007]

The purple and yellow would be fine in the 120 but not a sailfin as they just get to large up to 15 inches length/height. Just to big of a fish to put in a 120.

 

[Wolverine]

Agree with the others. Stick a dinner plate in your tank and move it around. That's the size your sailfin can get to.

 

[noobtothereef]

Agree with the others. Stick a dinner plate in your tank and move it around. That's the size your sailfin can get to.

How long would it take a sailfin to reach dinner plate size from 3"?

Ive read alot of posts when peopl say they are upgrading and people flame them bla bla bla, but we are building a new house in the spring and a 96x48x36 tank is being built in the basement.

 

[cakemanPA]

How long would it take a sailfin to reach dinner plate size from 3"?

Ive read alot of posts when peopl say they are upgrading and people flame them bla bla bla, but we are building a new house in the spring and a 96x48x36 tank is being built in the basement.

Mine went from 3" to a big fat 6" in 12 months. I moved it into a 96" and it still tries to bully others.

 

[TBall]

Mine went from 3" to a big fat 6" in 12 months. I moved it into a 96" and it still tries to bully others.

I had a red sea desjardin sailfin and he was the biggest bully. He would go out of his way to bother and harass everyone. I had to give him back to the store. What a pain in the butt!! Be very careful or at least make sure that it is the last addition to the tank.

 

[Wolverine]

How long would it take a sailfin to reach dinner plate size from 3"?

Ive read alot of posts when peopl say they are upgrading and people flame them bla bla bla, but we are building a new house in the spring and a 96x48x36 tank is being built in the basement.

Depends on how healthy he is, but they can grow surprisingly quickly.

As for the issue with upgrades, there are two problems. One is that the vast majority of upgrades that people plan never actually happen. There are countless reasons why. Keep in mind here that I'm not saying your's in particular won't, but I am saying that most of them don't. So I do tend to be skeptical when someone talks about getting a fish in anticipation of a future upgrade. Next thing to consider is that even if you do upgrade, now you have one more fish you have to uproot from one tank and transfer to another. If buying that sailfin were a once in a lifetime opportunity, I could understand it. But it's not. There will be sailfins available when your new tank is up and running.

 

[Brickyardgreg]

Those are two pretty agressive fish that both get good size one of which gets huge. Odds are they will fight for space. It's like putting two guys in a cage and not expecting a fight. IMO find a home for the sailfin, then you could add the purple and another zeb of your choice like a yellow or black. Or keep your sailfin singly

 

[MBVette]

I got my desjardini back in May and he was about the size of a nickel; at this point he is about 2'' nose to tail and growing rapidly.

In my tankn he was one of the first fish that was put in, and he is very doscile. I have never seen him attack anything and he swims around the tank with my Naso all day long. Great fish to add, but as said they do get large quickly.

 

[TampaReefer79]

I'd say no to the sailfin and a purple in a 120. If you really want a purple tang in a 120, I'd remove the sailfin. Actually, I'd remove the sailfin anyway. As others have pointed out, he's going to get huge.

Sailfin in a 120:

 

[noobtothereef]

I'd say no to the sailfin and a purple in a 120. If you really want a purple tang in a 120, I'd remove the sailfin. Actually, I'd remove the sailfin anyway. As others have pointed out, he's going to get huge.

Sailfin in a 120:

your photo is far from scale......