3 inch clown tang keeps trying to nip at show size yellow tangs tail

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Is this going to eventually stop? Clown tang keeps harassing really huge yellow tang. Or am I going to have to remove the clown tang and banish him to the sump?
Any help appreciated. . .

 

[Politiceaux]

Is this going to eventually stop? Clown tang keeps harassing really huge yellow tang. Or am I going to have to remove the clown tang and banish him to the sump?
Any help appreciated. . .

From the species to be avoided page:
"Clown Tang (Acanthurus lineatus): VERY ich prone and a finicky eater, horrible survival rates, when they do live they are terribly aggressive and often take over a tank"

Clown Tangs are beasts. I wouldn't expect it to get better.

 

[DavidinGA]

Haha ya if get better means he is going to kill everything in your tank then yes it'll get better..... For him!

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Im banishing him to the sump!

 

[Rea17]

What size is the tank?

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

It's a 90g. Im posting him for sale or trade in the for sale/trade section

 

[RayL]

Your tank size is probably the problem, neither of those two tangs belong in a tank that size. I would recommend rehoming both fish or upgrading your tank.

 

[sandwi54]

A 90g is horribly small for any tang except for the smallest, let alone a clown tang, which needs at least an 8', 250g to be able to live long-term and not be overly aggressive.

 

[DopeCantWin]

A 90g is horribly small for any tang except for the smallest, let alone a clown tang, which needs at least an 8', 250g to be able to live long-term and not be overly aggressive.

Personally the Clown Tang really scares me. Very aggressive, even in tanks with thousands of gallons. Any time I see it at the LFS it's beating on the walls of its enclosure.

 

[Politiceaux]

Personally the Clown Tang really scares me. Very aggressive, even in tanks with thousands of gallons. Any time I see it at the LFS it's beating on the walls of its enclosure.

Agreed. They are terribly suited for captivity.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

It's unfortunate that this species of tang is still available for sale in the industry. They really are best left in the ocean.

 

[Dmorty217]

A 90g is horribly small for any tang except for the smallest, let alone a clown tang, which needs at least an 8', 250g to be able to live long-term and not be overly aggressive.

Seriously, I'm sure the 15g sump will be much better for the fish. Chaotic you should do yourself a favor and read a book or two on husbandry of fish because you clearly are seriously lacking knowledge along with the LFS you purchased the fish from. The thread started out bad with " show size yellow tang ", just didn't realize it was in a 90g.

 

[Politiceaux]

Im banishing him to the sump!

30g. Platinum Filtration Series Sump

clown tang

 

[OSTguy]

I have kept many clown tangs, and my current one has been with me over 5 years and is 9"+. I was told it was from Sri Lanka and has not been overly aggressive. It is a tough and bold fish, but not as bad as people online have made it out to be. With that said, the smaller ones in the 4" size have been much meaner than my big one has ever been. I have taken several 4"ish ones back to the store for being punks. Perhaps area collected matters, size matters (always does!) and individual fish personality matters. So, in short, take it back to the store.

 

[MrTuskfish]

A 90g is horribly small for any tang except for the smallest, let alone a clown tang, which needs at least an 8', 250g to be able to live long-term and not be overly aggressive.

This can't be said too often. Cramped quarters= increased aggression, especially in aggressive species. I have personally seen this with tangs several times in my house. Just a little research would have avoided this. LA; a good basic source suggests a min of 250 gals for a clown tang.....and they sell them.

 

[sandwi54]

This can't be said too often. Cramped quarters= increased aggression, especially in aggressive species. I have personally seen this with tangs several times in my house. Just a little research would have avoided this. LA; a good basic source suggests a min of 250 gals for a clown tang.....and they sell them.

+1. Anybody who keeps, say, a powder blue tang in a 4' tank, should come to my house and see how my 5" PBT swims in my 8' tank, and then he will realize how big of a mistake it is to keep a PBT in a 4' tank.

 

[OSTguy]

But if someone took you to a 20' tank and showed you how another 5" PBT was dashing around in a 4000 gallon tank, you'd feel bad about the 8' tank. Truth is, they were pulled from a really big tank (ocean) and we bought them for our tank for our own enjoyment. So I would rather argue that if the fish aren't getting along period, return the fish.

 

[DopeCantWin]

But if someone took you to a 20' tank and showed you how another 5" PBT was dashing around in a 4000 gallon tank, you'd feel bad about the 8' tank. Truth is, they were pulled from a really big tank (ocean) and we bought them for our tank for our own enjoyment. So I would rather argue that if the fish aren't getting along period, return the fish.

I'm not so sure. I watched how an adult Sailfin moves in a 400, 2,000 and 7,500 gallon systems. They were about the same. Granted it's a Sailfin and not a PBT, but still. I have a baby in my 210 and he moves differently. Still a baby though at 3-4". At some point I feel like the fish stops noticing and stressing out so much. The experts here say that number for a Sailfin is 240, so I'll have to give mine away soon.

 

[OSTguy]

Stops noticing or gives up.....I am sure if it had a vote, it would pick the biggest safest system it could get.

 

[sandwi54]

But if someone took you to a 20' tank and showed you how another 5" PBT was dashing around in a 4000 gallon tank, you'd feel bad about the 8' tank. Truth is, they were pulled from a really big tank (ocean) and we bought them for our tank for our own enjoyment. So I would rather argue that if the fish aren't getting along period, return the fish.

I was just trying to point out that when putting a fish in an tank that is small enough to notice a deviation from normal behaviors in the ocean, the tank is most likely too small. A PBT in a 3' or 4' tank does NOT display normal swimming behaviors, but one in an 8' tank does. I am not able to see a difference in behaviors between a PBT in a 20' tank and another one in an 8' tank, so I would argue that as long as the fish swims normally and achieves good growth, the tank is big enough regardless of how much bigger one is than the other.

The problem is, many new hobbyists do not know what "normal" is, so they place fish in tanks that are too small, and think that since the fish are still swimming, they should be fine.