3 yellow tangs!!!
- Thread starter CHSUB
- Start date
ThisCityIsDead
New member
I've had a hippo, purple, yellow and now a powder blue tang. They all got a long... I say this in passive voice because sadly, my purple and hippo both died to ich. The other two, powder and yellow, are doing great.
Perth_reefer
Member
Yeah.....I considered this in my 150 but decided against it. It's so hit and miss, if you can make it work then it would be awesome but I like a peaceful tank and don't want to see fighting all the time....shame because a small shoal of Yellow Tangs really do look good.
Atomic081
Member
I have 3 yellow, a purple, a sailfin, and a hippo in my 220g. The tank is just big enough for it in my opinion. all the tangs pick on one yellow tang. He hid under a rock for almost 2 months after getting beat up pretty bad. now he is out all the time, but still gets picked on occasionally.
o2manyfish
o2manyfish
8 Yellows, 1 Purple, 1 Chevron, 2 Hippos and an Achilles. The Purple has the most attitude - But with bigger numbers there is more chaos and nobody gets picked on. Everyone has fat bellys and full finnage.
Dave B
Dave B
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
not sure i agree, i think larger numbers are the key and not even or odd numbers..imo, 2 is a bad number for yellows.
i hope this is the case, more tangs being better than less...
i ordered 3 from LA; QTing together, i think is best???
With the previous posters I don't feel quite so bad, but I have 3 yellows with a purple, regal, power blue, naso, kole and most recently a sohal. Yes, there is a lot of chaos but all are out and mostly getting along. I have a lot of other fish too and a fairly large tank (350G) so that helps, and I feed a lot.
I didn't have so many when I introduced the three yellows. I really wanted a small school but knew I couldn't add any with the nasty large yellow I had at the time. Also wanted a purple, so I caught the yellow and brought him back to the LFS, and added three smaller yellows and a purple at the same time. I as surprised at how everyone adjusted. I recall I added a small school of anthias too, so even though the system was stressed with so many fish added at the same time, I think it helped diffuse the aggression. I'm pretty much at my max now, although I would love to add a copperband. I have a large one that is eating flakes in QT, but am nervous about introducing him to such a busy tank with what I have read. I know my window isn't large because the fish are starting to settle down into their pecking order after the recent introduction of the sohal.
Andrew
I didn't have so many when I introduced the three yellows. I really wanted a small school but knew I couldn't add any with the nasty large yellow I had at the time. Also wanted a purple, so I caught the yellow and brought him back to the LFS, and added three smaller yellows and a purple at the same time. I as surprised at how everyone adjusted. I recall I added a small school of anthias too, so even though the system was stressed with so many fish added at the same time, I think it helped diffuse the aggression. I'm pretty much at my max now, although I would love to add a copperband. I have a large one that is eating flakes in QT, but am nervous about introducing him to such a busy tank with what I have read. I know my window isn't large because the fish are starting to settle down into their pecking order after the recent introduction of the sohal.
Andrew
I started with 3 yellows, and they were fine at the LFS. I tried to pick the mellow ones and was hoping that would work out. They were approx 4" when started and coexisted in the QT tank for about 2 weeks. Then one day, one of them became very aggressive and I had to give him away.
The remaining two were alright throughout the 5 weeks of QT and they each took one size of the QT tank. When they got introduced to my 180 gallon tank, one was obviously dominant and chased the other one for weeks. The aggression was quite bad until I started to up my daily feeding. After 3 months, they are finally getting along and no more nipped fins or chasing. But you can tell the dominant one gets everything it wants and the other one always yield to the dominant fish. (everything from food, hiding space, swimming path etc)
So as funny as it sounds, I now have a pair of yellow tangs in my 180. There were many nights that I was sure that I'll wake up with only 1 yellow tang left in my tank until the aggression subsides.
The remaining two were alright throughout the 5 weeks of QT and they each took one size of the QT tank. When they got introduced to my 180 gallon tank, one was obviously dominant and chased the other one for weeks. The aggression was quite bad until I started to up my daily feeding. After 3 months, they are finally getting along and no more nipped fins or chasing. But you can tell the dominant one gets everything it wants and the other one always yield to the dominant fish. (everything from food, hiding space, swimming path etc)
So as funny as it sounds, I now have a pair of yellow tangs in my 180. There were many nights that I was sure that I'll wake up with only 1 yellow tang left in my tank until the aggression subsides.
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
Got my 3 yellows from Live Aquaria today: YIKES, they are small. I guess my idea of small/medium is a lot different from LA. I would guess my medium purple tang is at least 5 times bigger than the yellows. These guys are not much bigger than my chromis. Not sure what I'm going to do, but I can't see how they would survive in my DT. I do, however, recall many years ago adding an orangeshoulder to a group of much large tangs and the other fish never bothered him. For now I have them in QT so I have time to at least get some weight on them, as they are skin and bones. Any ideas???
[URL=http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CHSUB/media/image.jpg2_zpszdmquzut.jpg.html]
[/URL]
here is the pt, many times larger!!!
[URL=http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CHSUB/media/image.jpg1_zpsmcor9niv.jpg.html]
[/URL]
[URL=http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CHSUB/media/image.jpg2_zpszdmquzut.jpg.html]
[/URL]here is the pt, many times larger!!!
[URL=http://s1294.photobucket.com/user/CHSUB/media/image.jpg1_zpsmcor9niv.jpg.html]
[/URL]
ReefPharmer
Active member
I tried 3 yellows and it didn't work. I have a pow blue, achilles, blonde naso, yellow, purple and chevron in a 30. All have been together for 2 yrs or so except for the yellow who is 3 months or so in. His two cousins didn't make it. Other than an occasional nip on the pow blue (once every few months) the pow blue and achilles get along fine in case anyone wondered. Purple and yellow don't bother eachother either
Deinonych
New member
In a 30? Hoping that's a typo...
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
much less aggression between the 3, even in a 20 gallon, as QT'ing continues. they are eating well, as i am feeding heavy. all 3 look a little "fuller", no more pinched stomachs. i'm feeling they will, at least, make it through QT; when they arrived i was not so sure!
Perth_reefer
Member
I've got a bad feeling that your purple tang is going to rip into them once they go into your display. Of all the established tangs to add more tangs to, the PT has got to be one of the worst!
CoralsAddiction
Active member
Hopefully the fact that OP is adding three tangs will prevent the purple tang from being aggressive. If only one yellow was going in then I would be worried. But three should make things a little better.
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
Yes, PT seem to have that reputation, however, my experience with them is very different. The two that I've had have been very peaceful, including my current one. Yellow tangs, ime & imo, are much more aggressive. My failures with multiple yellows are always the yellows killing each other. When I added a smaller chocolate tang to my PT there was little aggression. I'm more concerned how the yellows treat each other then the PT aggression, despite its larger size. Feeding time could also be an issue? Imo & ime, yellows do better in groups and purples do better single; which is how both are generally found in the wild. Imo, a single yellow tang can be a very mean fish.
i hope this will be the case. Also that there will be no dominate yellow, keeping the yellows from killing each other. i have seen many examples of this.
CHSUB
"Certified Hobby Expert"
QTing finished today...i have the 3 yellows in a 20 gallon ready for tranfer to the DT. i'm going to put them in Sat am, while it is still dark. the yellows are doing well and eating aggressively: nori, brine, mysis. they fight a little but not bad. i think adding 3 will keep the PT from harassing one.
