achilles and Powder blue preview video...

[geaux xman]

A quick video I just shot.

Some quick info for those that might be interested.

4.5" Achilles from DD.
6" PBT from LA.

All fish QT 3-4 weeks .5ppm cupramine plus 1-2 one hr formalin dips. PBT has been in the tank about 6 months. Achilles introduced about 1 month ago with egg crate separating the tank in half for about a week.

For the most part, they exist very peacefully. Occasionally they will flash at each other, but nothing too serious.
The interaction between the two starts about mid video.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q7iXsWF4nCY?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[KingsFan]

Thats a tough combo. I hope that works out for you! Beautiful fish!

 

[jnc914]

From experience, the Achille's will be the boss of your tank. In the short term, they should be fine. Eventually there will be war. I had my Achille's, also from Diver's Den, in a 300 gallon tank with mostly angels and butterflies. I had to sell it because, even with all that real estate, it became an aggressive terror; and that was with no other Acanthurus in the tank. Btw, you have some healthy looking fish, continued luck.

 

[rpjaws74]

Nice fish! I have my achilies with a clown tang in my 500 glln and I couldnt be happier. There was hardly any aggression that I noticed and till this day they are model citizens. Ive had them for over a year now.

 

[geaux xman]

Thanks guys.

Well for now, the achilles and PBT each stay on their half of the tank about 95% of the day. They hardly ever roam over to the other half. I imagine once the achilles gets bigger, that'll change though.

@rpjaws - how big is your achilles and clown tang?

 

[Haffs09]

Great looking fish, geaux xman! I had an achilles and powder blue in my tank for 8 months before I had to start over. They were pretty much the same size and during that time, the PBT was the boss. He would occassionally instigate with the achilles. Generally, the achilles just swam away and that's where I saw the benefit of an 8' tank. There was only one occassion that the achilles ended up with a torn fin or two. Other than that, they typically minded themselves.

Starting over, I plan on giving it another shot with a small achilles and PBT.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Beautiful fish! I hope they continue to coexist peacefully for you.

 

[humaguy]

beautiful...my pbt was a real pita...so pretty, but so aggressive...she would swim these amazingly tight circles around my gh trigger and make the craziest sounds...like a really rapid vibrating sound...not at all like a trigger or angel "grunt."
she would also get those white vertical stripes when angry...a very pretty and tough fish...love the achilles too...used to kill me to see them wrapped in plastic and a styrofoam try like chopped meat when I lived on Kauai...a specimen that would easily fetch a couple hundred dollars on dd was sold for $10-15 for eating...blew my mind...

 

[geaux xman]

thanks for the comments guys(and gals). upgrading to a big tank isnt out of the question. max length i can do is 84" though. unless i break this 180g down, then i can easily do 96".

i'm thinking 84x36x30" or 84x48x30.

i really do enjoy seeing the achilles and pbt interacting. just so long as they dont get too aggressive with each other. the achilles eats frozens and nori. i feed a lot of PE mysis. the PBT will only eat pellets and nori.

 

[geaux xman]

Heres the achilles stakes out his half of the tank.

An unedited 2 minute clip.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rM9GNflQs9E?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[jnc914]

As I stated earlier in the thread, the Achille's will be boss, no matter what size your Powder Blue is.....Wait until the Achilles gets to be 5-6", then the party is really going to get interesting. My Achille's would go after some of the biggest fish in my tank, and all of them backed down. I still regret giving the Achille's away though. Keep us updated.

 

[Triton_Z]

As I stated earlier in the thread, the Achille's will be boss, no matter what size your Powder Blue is.....Wait until the Achilles gets to be 5-6", then the party is really going to get interesting. My Achille's would go after some of the biggest fish in my tank, and all of them backed down. I still regret giving the Achille's away though. Keep us updated.

I agree. Your 2nd video shows I think very typical tang aggressive behavior. Both tangs look very healthy (as well as the rest of your tank's fish) and hope they work out as they are both really cool fish. I've wanted an Achilles for a good period of time, but no more space in my tank for another big fish.

Keep us posted.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Beautiful, geaux xman! I have these same two fish together and the both know their territory. Before moving, I kept both for about 10 years and they completely ignored each other.

 

[geaux xman]

thanks for the comments guys. i'll give updates when i see something to make note of.

as for now, i think the achilles is the aggressor. he doesnt want the PBT anywhere near his half of the tank. whenever theres any chasing, its the achilles thats doing the chasing.

i've often read that when the other fish knows to back down and back away, then it could work out. when no one backs down, thats when bodily harm will likely occur.

 

[humaguy]

beautiful set-up...I see those white vertical lines on the pb that mine used to get when harassing my trigs...you have very beautiful fish!

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Is this a QT or your display? How do you keep the bottom of the tank and the rocks so clean?

 

[nonimmigrant]

I see this dance all day long... glad to see another fat PBT. I see way too many skinny ones that need to be de-bugged but no one does it...