achillies & pb can it be done?????

neilbowden

New member
Hi, ive just been reading on ur, that someone is considering adding a pb & achilles to a 60x33x24 tank......is this a dream is the tank large enough? i would luv to do this but as i understood it, its a no no........I believe they have also mensioned a yellow tang already in place who is quite agressive, whats the best way to add them, together at nite, using mirror etc....you thoughs please
 
You might have a 200 gallon tank but tangs of the Acanthurus genus get large and need lots of swimming room. A 6 foot tank is generally regarded as the minimum length for Acanthurus tangs.
 
I have a 200 gal 84x24x24 with a Purple Tang, Yellow Tang, and a Clown tang. All are in the 5"-6" range. The PT and YT have been together for over 3 years and swim together constantly. The Clown Tang is a new addition last month and at first tried to bully them, but has given into just swimming back and forth. He has a seperate hiding hole that he has claimed as his own, but with 7 feet they all have plenty of choices. Makes for a nice show with a Koran, Emperator, 3 clown fish, Bi-Color Blenny, Royal Gramma big enough to eat, and a Blue Chin Trigger that acts like a dog instead of a fish. Needles to say I have no more room and am figuring out how to get permission to do a 11' x 30" x 30" tank from the Missus. I have to kind a fish that she says we have to have, then tell her okay, but we have to get a bigger tank first. LOL.

Bill
 
41406Web_Tank4.jpg
 
Acanthurus Tangs in same system = bad idea

Acanthurus Tangs in same system = bad idea

I have a Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
and a Mimic Tang ( Acanthurus pyroferus) in separate aquariums (emphasis added). I would never consider adding two Acanthurus Tangs in the same aquarium. The Powder Blue Tang is recommended for experts, so unless you really know what you are doing, adding two Acanthurus Tangs in the same system is not a good idea in my opinion, unless you have a very large system (1000 gallons) with plenty of live rock and great water quality.

Just to let you know, if you really research Powder Blue Tangs (highly recommended), you will discover that up to 90% die within 3 months of capture (citations omitted). Even though this fish may be readily available, very few people are successful at keeping this fish alive.....which suggests that this fish should be left in the ocean to begin with. In other words, most Powder Blue Tangs will not live more than a few days to weeks in captivity.

But if you insist, do not keep more than one Acanthurus Tang per aquarium, and do not house the Powder Blue with other Acanthurus Tangs of similar shape or color such as the Powder Brown Tang, Achilles Tang, or Gold Rim Tang. This fish prefers a large aquarium, with plenty of live rock and high current/flow. Excellent water quality and a proper diet is a must.

Please refer to the article listed below before purchasing a Powder Blue Tang. Good Luck,


Tim

http://www.marineland.com/seascope/ss2004_issue1.pdf
 
HDTVguy on this board has a 300 gallon tank. he has 5 large angels and 8 tangs, including powderblue and achillies. he is keeping a lot of fish in that tank with excellent success.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6997651#post6997651 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by I like Triggers
HDTVguy on this board has a 300 gallon tank. he has 5 large angels and 8 tangs, including powderblue and achillies. he is keeping a lot of fish in that tank with excellent success.


My response to the above question was based on endless research and personal experience with Powder Blue Tangs. Your response is not based on research or personal experience, which is troublesome. The sad thing about people like you is that other less informed people may rely on posts like yours and suffer negative consequences.

Powder Blue Tangs SHOULD NOT be placed with other Tangs of similar shape or color such as the Powder Brown Tang, Achilles Tang, or Gold Rim Tang because other tangs will often be challenged, sometimes to the extreme (emphasis added). Powder Blue Tangs require a high level of care and anyone who is seriously interested in purchasing this fish is advised to research the care level and compatibility issues first.
 
Well
I have kept ,and have all in the same tank , 2 powderblues , 1powderbrown , 2 goldrim , 4 valliamin ,cant spell that . 4 purple , 8 yellow , 6 coles , sohal , 3 orange sholder , 6 sailfins and a boat load of angles . Non of these fish is a small fish , one of my gold rims is about 13 inches . They all do fine togther . I hate when people say you cant put a certine combination of fist toghter , Did the fish read that book maybee someone shoul let them know .
 
I do agree that not everyone should try keeping powder blue tangs , They are hard to keep . It took me awhile to finally get the hang of it .
You just have to tank everything slower with them .
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6999578#post6999578 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bill Wann
Well
I have kept ,and have all in the same tank , 2 powderblues , 1powderbrown , 2 goldrim , 4 valliamin ,cant spell that . 4 purple , 8 yellow , 6 coles , sohal , 3 orange sholder , 6 sailfins and a boat load of angles . Non of these fish is a small fish , one of my gold rims is about 13 inches . They all do fine togther . I hate when people say you cant put a certine combination of fist toghter , Did the fish read that book maybee someone shoul let them know .

Bill:

Most of us don't hav ethe 1500g of volume to keep them in.

I kept a PBT and an Achilles along with a powder brown in a 360g reef. There was scuabling almost daily. The powder brown was later killed by a bristle worm the size of a small buick. The other two got along mostly, but the achiles can be one nasty fish even to ther tangs that are twice as large. I have one now that is gorgeous and eats well. Getting big and will be giving it away as soon as I figure out a way to get him out of the tank.
 
i had a pb and an achilles tang both got along at first but trouble shortly after one day the pb would chase the achilles next day it was the opposite.i would not keep them together again and they where in my 250 with lots of rock
 
I have a Powder Blue now, I have had him since October, eats like a pig is very active... never shown signs of any disease.... I also have a purple tang that has been in there since the PB was added. Anyhow, I would not think about adding another LARGE tang... I wouldnt want antything to happen to my PB
 
not the best picture
180035.jpg


180fulltank.jpg


anyway I know that the posts got this a little off topic.... but if done carefully... I think it can be done keeping the PB that is
 
jjackson,

That's your tank these days! Wow! I am so going to invite myself and a six pack over if I ever get the chance.

-speakerguy (from pernelf)
 
I have seen these 2 fish in conbination in a few aquariums, the key is to add them at the same time, but if you dont one factor that will help if you add them at different times, make sure you feed that fish when you see any sign of aggression. They mainly go after oen another because they see each other as a theat to their food source, but if you feed while they fight eventually you will see less and less aggression as the fish realize there is more then enough food.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6999578#post6999578 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bill Wann
Well
I have kept ,and have all in the same tank , 2 powderblues , 1powderbrown , 2 goldrim , 4 valliamin ,cant spell that . 4 purple , 8 yellow , 6 coles , sohal , 3 orange sholder , 6 sailfins and a boat load of angles . Non of these fish is a small fish , one of my gold rims is about 13 inches . They all do fine togther . I hate when people say you cant put a certine combination of fist toghter , Did the fish read that book maybee someone shoul let them know .


Bill--you are missing the point of this thread, which is whether you can keep a Powder Blue Tang with an Achilles Tang in a 200 gallon system, not 1,000 gallons or 50,000 gallons or 1 million gallons. The amount of water volume makes a big difference and I even previously stated that you could keep multiple Acanthurus Tangs together in a very large system, over 1,000 gallons. But as previously stated by others, most people will not have success keeping Powder Blue Tangs together with Tangs of similar shape or color (i.e, other Acanthurus Tangs) such as the Powder Brown Tang, Achilles Tang, or Gold Rim Tang because these Tangs will be challenged to compete for limited territory and food, which usually results in injury or death, unless one of the Acanthurus Tangs is removed.

As for your comments about how you "hate when people say you can't put a certain combination of fish together," well, I am sure people who smoke cigarettes feel the same way you do. Sure, the Surgeon General says you shouldn't smoke cigarettes because they cause cancer. And every year, millions of people die from lung cancer. But you know what, some people ignore all the research, personal testimonials and warnings and go ahead and smoke anyway. And there are a few success stories along the way as well. Like adding Powder Blue Tangs with Achilles Tangs, some people smoke cigarettes without ever becoming sick or dying of cancer. This is called the "exception," and not the rule.

In my opinion, if you have to go through multiple fish losses to finally get a Powder Blue and Achilles Tang to peacefully live together in captivity, I hardly call this a success story.
 
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I am sure people who smoke cigarettes feel the same way you do. Sure, the Surgeon General says you shouldn't smoke cigarettes because they cause cancer. And every year, millions of people die from lung cancer

I agree.....

In EUA most os people are very FAT because american people eat junk food like Mac DonaldÃ"šÃ‚´s every week....

So....warning is not enough in most of cases....

Some people will kill a lot os fishes because they donÃ"šÃ‚´t believe in reasearch an warnings....

I think Powder Blue and Achilles together is not impossible, but not the best idea to keep the fishes health and happy

Regards
 
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