Achilles Tang Primer

[reefslugs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15593234#post15593234 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eho72
I saw this at divers den just 30 minutes ago. I thought I was one of the first person to see it. By the time I asked my wife if I should order it, I got back click on it and it said "sorry, sold". Great! Such a beautiful specimen too. Oh well, back to searching for the elusive achilles tang.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=69869

That to me, is high in price. $200 for a 4 1/2. The same size fish here in St. Louis sells for $90. No guarantee. What kind of guarantees do they give you?

 

[Mike de Leon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15591198#post15591198 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by FiReBReTHa
Ah. I thought it was ick and he did get bumps a cple of times like ick so I had assumed.



Hey guys, kratos has a "fuzzy" eye. I am not sure if its an abrasion if he accidently crashed into something etc.

Or something else. I wanted to see if anyone had annnny suggestions or possibilities of what it could be.
I did a garlic. Vitaminc, iodine dose on the tank to start. Any suggestions is appreciated it! Danke danke. I will try to snap a photo. But those of us w an achilles know what its like to take their photo. Lol. [/QUOTE

Keep up the clean water and vitamins. It will go away. Mine had it..

 

[FiReBReTHa]

thanks so much for responding! a few typed letters from you makes me relaxed. im fearful with this fish!

 

[ryshark]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15593234#post15593234 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eho72
I saw this at divers den just 30 minutes ago. I thought I was one of the first person to see it. By the time I asked my wife if I should order it, I got back click on it and it said "sorry, sold". Great! Such a beautiful specimen too. Oh well, back to searching for the elusive achilles tang.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?c=2733+3&ddid=69869

I saw that one too when it first popped up on DiversDen. I think it is one of the best looking Achilles I have seen and exactly the size I will be looking for. The only reason I didn't get it is because I just added 5-fish from Liveaquaria this past Saturday and I want to upgrade my skimmer before I get the Achilles.

 

[eho72]

Ryshark, I was thinking the same thing. It has to be the best looking achilles tang I have ever seen. I really regret not pulling the trigger faster. Should have bought it and ask the wife later. I know she'll get work up that I spend this much for a fish, but I always tell her it's better than me going to the bar with my buddies to blow the money.

 

[ryshark]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15595312#post15595312 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eho72
Ryshark, I was thinking the same thing. It has to be the best looking achilles tang I have ever seen. I really regret not pulling the trigger faster. Should have bought it and ask the wife later. I know she'll get work up that I spend this much for a fish, but I always tell her it's better than me going to the bar with my buddies to blow the money.

Thats funny, I missed one a couple weeks ago because of the few minutes it took for me to tell my wife i was going to spend $179 on a fish (it was one of the juveniles) By the time I got back to the computer I tried to finalize the order, the achilles was gone from my "shopping cart." They go really fast.
A week later I ended up getting 5-other fish from liveaquaria/DD
I do need to be patient and wait until I upgrade my skimmer and make sure I won't be adding anymore fish after the Achilles. Although DD labels them as "peaceful" I have heard they can be aggressive, particularly towards other tangs.
I can't wait, but when I am ready I want an achilles exactly like the one which sold today.

 

[DeepReefExotics]

I have a question.

I am setting up a 200g tank and just wanted to know if you guys think it will be big enough for one of these beauties.

The tank is the marineland deep dimension so though its 200g its only 4ft long but it is 3ft deep.
Also what size would you recommend i purchase??

 

[AuroraDrvr]

It's not so much the volume that's important, its swimming room, and distance they can travel in a straight line. That said, a 4'x3' is not a sufficient size for an Achilles. I'd recommend a minimum 180, preferably 240 or larger.

 

[ryshark]

What size achilles is suposedly the best size to buy for acclimation purposes etc?

 

[Mike de Leon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15598586#post15598586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ryshark
What size achilles is suposedly the best size to buy for acclimation purposes etc?

Min 4 inches. The bigger the stronger they are

 

[eho72]

I am getting a mixed message on whether to quarantine an achilles tang or put it directly in the DT since I have great flow in the DT, but very little flow in my QT. The decision whether QT is needed is even more complicated when buying from Diver's Den or Liveaquaria. If it's already quarantine, do I need to quarantine again once I bring it home?

 

[DeepReefExotics]

So the 3 ft depth with the 4ft of width would not be sufficent space for him.

Also the tank will have a very large amount of current as the tank is an sps dominated and ill have 4 mp40w in there.

 

[DrBegalke]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13885061#post13885061 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by zemuron114
If you've ever dove with achilles, you probably couldn't concentrate on them since you were to busy getting your butt kicked by the surf!

they are in extremely well oxygenated water with heavy heavy flow. They roam up and down with the surf as it crashed against the reef.

+1

They move fast and over large distances... I'd say they easily swim a hundred feet or more in a minute or they swim against very heavy currents as noted above.

 

[FiReBReTHa]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15601274#post15601274 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by eho72
I am getting a mixed message on whether to quarantine an achilles tang or put it directly in the DT since I have great flow in the DT, but very little flow in my QT. The decision whether QT is needed is even more complicated when buying from Diver's Den or Liveaquaria. If it's already quarantine, do I need to quarantine again once I bring it home?

I reserched quite a bit and most cases i came across everyone went DT to avoid QTing and stressingthe fish.

 

[DrBegalke]

Here are some pics of Acanthurus achilles in nature swimming through and near the reef crest @ Molokini:

 

[ryshark]

Cool pictures, and it shows how much oxygen in the water they are used to.

 

[DrBegalke]

Thanks, it was fun trying to stay in position to take them... especially without touching the corals below... Achilles are amazing fish, maybe someday I'll have a system I'm comfortable putting one in.

 

[ryshark]

It looks like lots of stylophora below. Whats wrong with keeping an achilles in your current 180?

 

[DrBegalke]

I have a blue tang, sohal tang, and naso tang in the 180... Great fish! After seeing Acanthurus tangs in nature, I would like to build a larger system for them... I would need a much larger system before I were to attempt to kept an achilles with a sohal...

 

[ryshark]

Yeah, I think you would have to have a HUGE tank to keep an Achilles with and established Sohal.... from what I hear the Sohals are very mean fish.
I am going to put an Achilles in my 180, as far as tangs go, I dont have any acanthurus. I have a sailfin and a hippo tang which are about 2.5" and I will probably get a 4"-5" achilles right after I upgrade my skimmer.