Achilles Tang Primer

[Tracey2]

Yes, I run filter socks and a large uv and I am consider adding ozone or a diatom filter, can't decide yet or bring myself to spend more money on filtration.

Do you have a build thread, I would love to see your 12 together. I thought I was doing good with 4, I think I could only keep 3 acanthurus together in my dreams.

 

[humaguy]

When I lived on Kauai I used to see Achilles Tangs in the supermarket daily...They were placed -whole fish intact- on those styrofoam trays and wrapped with saran wrap- just like hamburger meat...
A large one was like 7 dollars...
Beautiful fish...could not eat it...but the prices differences of the fish as a meal and as a pet are amazing...those darn shipping costs...

 

[padova335i]

Yes, I run filter socks and a large uv and I am consider adding ozone or a diatom filter, can't decide yet or bring myself to spend more money on filtration.

Do you have a build thread, I would love to see your 12 together. I thought I was doing good with 4, I think I could only keep 3 acanthurus together in my dreams.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1930420&page=5

there is my nightmare build! lol, last pix are newest and i dont have achillies in these pix, i will post more by weekend

 

[Tracey2]

thanks for the link Padova, love your tank, especially the 360 view of all those tangs.

Axel is still looking good.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

How big of a tank would I need for an Achilles and a powder brown? and a powder blue? all 3? thanks...

 

[padova335i]

How big of a tank would I need for an Achilles and a powder brown? and a powder blue? all 3? thanks...

hmmmm... well in my experience w tangs over 12 yrs, you never know what kind of personality each fish will have... I boiught my powder bigger than my powder blue, (usually blues are more aggressive).. In this case I had them in a 40 breeder with a screen separating them in the middle. The brown was beating him up bad... After 2 months of qt i dumped them in my 400 dt, never even bother each other at all.. I introduced the Achilles about a month later (smaller than them)

The brown chases him almost everyday, but seems playful.. No wounds or actually fight.. He really just sizes him up... Soon as My Achilles gets bigger I think he will rule the tank.

I think you did need a little bit of luck, but you also need a tank where fish can get away from a fight and never really be "trapped." I also feed 6-8 times a day and always have seaweed in the tank, I believe this makes them much less aggressive... The only issue I have is my purple tang beating on one of my yellows.. Soon as this one YT gets out of his reef cave, the purple chases/attacks him violently.. No idea how he knows the difference from the other two.. BTW, Ive had 3 PT's and this is my first to be a true bully.
I would introduce all three and powder brown slightly bigger, then blue a little smaller and Achilles same size or smaller than the blue. There are no set rules, but I have done a lot of research and so far so good. I could write a lot more but this is like a novel already lol! (sorry guys)
My stock list of my tangs: 11 total
3 yellows, 1 purple, 1 blonde hawaii male naso,1 orange shoulder, powder brown & blue, Achilles, blue hippo tang, 1 desj sailfin, I think thats all of them, its still early to tell if they will all make it and get along, I will update as time passes.

So, original question, tank size.. hmmm. I would think a 180 with good swimming room and hiding would b ok.. not sure though.. Keep trying them till it works all fish have very diff personalities.

 

[tcoral]

When I lived on Kauai I used to see Achilles Tangs in the supermarket daily...They were placed -whole fish intact- on those styrofoam trays and wrapped with saran wrap- just like hamburger meat...
A large one was like 7 dollars...
Beautiful fish...could not eat it...but the prices differences of the fish as a meal and as a pet are amazing...those darn shipping costs...

and the price of getting a good live specimen to you, they are amazing fish, I couldn't eat one either.

 

[gig]

So I finally got my Achilles yesterday from my lfs, about 2-3", he was qt'd in the store for over 2 weeks and he was eating flakes!

He's going in with a larger dejardini tang (6") and a juvenile orange shoulder who is a similar size to the Achilles.

It took me about 3 hours to drip acclimate last night to get the salinity matched as my lfs keeps a low salinity for it's fish tanks. The tank is a 6 ft standard 180.

Anyway, I turned all lights off and introduced him by scooping him into an acrylic container as not to use a net. Then let him go. There was ambient light from the other room and the sailfin was very aggressive with him, right off.

So all lights off as it was evening anyway and my tank is in the basement, so pitch black.

This morning went to check and turned a light on in another room so I could see a bit, and he was swimming around nicely, but had some split fins, but no body marks. I then decided I'd turn the actinics on to get a better look.

He looked good except for the split fins, the sailfin then awoke and started to be aggressive again...since it was morning, I decided to go lights out again until the lit come on at their normal time at noon.

Should the aggression calm down? I think it should, jus t worried as it is an expensive fish and really didn't think the current fish would be an issue due to the sizes and types. It would be Impossible to get him out. Thoughts?

 

[mcoomer]

I have a Yellow and Desjardin Sailfin in my 180 and they both tried to bully the Achilles when I added it to my tank. That calmed down after 2-3 days and about 3 weeks later the Achilles started whooping some butt and now is the obvious master of the tank. It's been in my tank for about 2 months now and looks phenomenal.

Good luck with your, gig.

Mike

 

[Yurivd]

after last time i decided to get one more so i got a achilles hybrid this time
it is 3"
currently it is in quarantine and doing good

here is a photo's of when it landed

 

[gig]

I have a Yellow and Desjardin Sailfin in my 180 and they both tried to bully the Achilles when I added it to my tank. That calmed down after 2-3 days and about 3 weeks later the Achilles started whooping some butt and now is the obvious master of the tank. It's been in my tank for about 2 months now and looks phenomenal.

Good luck with your, gig.

Mike

Thanks Mike

I decided to put up a mirror to distract the sailfin, it seems to have worked, the attacks are subsiding and the Achilles is picking at rocks, will try and feed him some rods and or nori tonight, when I fed a little rods earlier, he was too stressed to take interest in it.

He seems to be acting more naturally now, so we shall see, the picking gives me hope, if I get him to eat rods and or nori, I'll feel better. Like I said, he ate talked in the lfs.

 

[Matt G]

About time I posted some updated pictures of mine, been in the tank for 3.5 years now, the marks on it are on the glass, didn't do a great job of cleaning the outside of the tank first!

 

[gig]

Thanks Mike

I decided to put up a mirror to distract the sailfin, it seems to have worked, the attacks are subsiding and the Achilles is picking at rocks, will try and feed him some rods and or nori tonight, when I fed a little rods earlier, he was too stressed to take interest in it.

He seems to be acting more naturally now, so we shall see, the picking gives me hope, if I get him to eat rods and or nori, I'll feel better. Like I said, he ate talked in the lfs.

just an update...

Tang has been in since Friday night, so last night was day 7, no eating yet, but the picking on rocks and glass are increasing, yesterday (day 7) the picking really picked up, but he ignores rods food, mysis and even Nori. I've been dosing kent garlic X to keep his slime coat up and try and jump start appetite.

some spots did appear 3 days ago, not sure if it's full blown ich, but a parasite, but he's not scratching, acting normally, he's settled into a cave area in the center of the tank, swimming around confidently with a rare interaction with the sailfin. Even saw the blue eyes the other day.

going to get some spirulina flakes (this is what he ate at the LFS) today and try to tempt with live brine too if I can find some to hatch today.

If my acclimation went wrong, he'd be dead by now from my experience(osmotic shock), so I think that went fine.


here's a video from the 12th, you can see his back fin is ragged from the sailfin, but it's growing back now and in the video you can see there's no real aggressision anymore

http://youtu.be/wcYtRaUB6OA

 

[geaux xman]

maybe try some spirulina enhanced frozen brine shrimp. i've seen chris(600g) saying that it saved his behind a couple of times. most times, it has worked well for me too.
worth a try.

 

[Yurivd]

My Achilles hybrid is doing good he likes mysis shrimp
He has completed the bucket method and is now in my quarantine tank I will treat him for flukes in the quarantine tank

 

[gig]

maybe try some spirulina enhanced frozen brine shrimp. i've seen chris(600g) saying that it saved his behind a couple of times. most times, it has worked well for me too.
worth a try.

Ok, getting there, bough some flake food, no dice, then put some of the Julian sprung purple seaweed, finally he took some bites! This evening I grabbed some spirulina enriched brine...for the first time he attempted to eat a few pieces, but not sure he ate any...but trending up!

 

[Didac]

About time I posted some updated pictures of mine, been in the tank for 3.5 years now, the marks on it are on the glass, didn't do a great job of cleaning the outside of the tank first!

love it!! but scared to get one .... :headwalls:

 

[padova335i]

qt and start w nori, these fish are great, no idea why they are "harder" than others... maybe it depends where you get it from as well

 

[ryanrid]

im at week 14 of QT now and starting to prep to release to DT, yes i am paranoid about infecting my fish with anything.

i did 1 month getting to feed with no signs of ich
then 1 treatment of prazzi
2 more weeks observation then

hyposalinity
another prazi treatment

will start brining out of hypo then observe 2 more weeks with one last prazi treatment.

.

 

[lhm nole]

im at week 14 of QT now and starting to prep to release to DT, yes i am paranoid about infecting my fish with anything.

i did 1 month getting to feed with no signs of ich
then 1 treatment of prazzi
2 more weeks observation then

hyposalinity
another prazi treatment

will start brining out of hypo then observe 2 more weeks with one last prazi treatment.

.

Better safe than sorry