Aggressive Kole Tang- will he calm down?

[erinangele]

I have a 125 long tank with 2 clowns, 2 fairy wrasses, a starry blenny. My plan was to add a kole eye, yellow, and blue tangs. The LFS suggested putting the kole tang in first since they are "shy and less agressive" than the blue and yellow. So I bought a kole eye tang and quarantined it for a month, noticed ich, did the TTM and put it into the 125 three days ago.

I also have a 29 gallon biocube. I have had a yellow tang (bought it when it was the size of a quarter) in it for 6 months. This is the yellow I will move to the 125.

Here's the problem, as it turns out the kole eye tang is really aggressive! He charges (and mouths) my starry blenny every time he sees him. He also went after my fairy wrasses the first day but that seems to have called down for the most part. Once in awhile he will slowly chase one of them around the tank. He is not shy at all, and has claimed the entire tank. Now I'm worried about adding my yellow tang (who has never shown aggression to any fish in my 29), or any future fish for that matter. Its only been 3 days, should I give him a chance to settle down or just take him back to the LFS?

 

[Maaka]

I know with kole tangs you either get one that does not care about blennies, or want that has a vendetta against them for some reason. So to me the kole chasing the blenny is totally normal. But as for him beating up the yellow and blue tangs I can't really speak on that.

I'm sure someone else will know.

 

[CHSUB]

ime kole, yellow eye, etc. tangs are very agressive, i would have started with the hippo!

 

[alton]

My friends Kole was a killer, I also had a hippo that was the same. Sometimes you just have to roll the dice

 

[revstu]

I have a Kole tang in my 220. He is the most agressive fish in the tank. However his agression only last for a few seconds and then he is ok for a while. He doesn't do any damage to anyone.

 

[jedimaster1138]

My Kole is generally docile, unless one of my Chromis annoys her, in that case she has no problem chasing them around. I wouldn't call it aggressiveness though. More like "standing up for herself".

My understanding is that Yellow Tangs can be aggressive towards other Tangs of the same shape/species, unless added simultaneously. I too am interested in how this turns out for you though and what the experts here say...a combo of yellow/kole/blue hippo is one I'd like to entertain in my future big (and long) tank.

 

[DarthSimon]

He will be agrresive if he is the biggest fish in the tank. Drop a larger tang in the tank, and it will run and hide in the coner... It's just a dominance issue...

 

[erinangele]

Thanks for the replies. I was going to add all three simultaneously until the lfs told me to add the kole first. I wish i went with my original plan! The kole eye is a little bigger than my yellow. Do you think it will be ok? Should I get a larger blue and put it in at the same time as the yellow? (after quarantine of course, which gives the kole another month to "claim" the whole tank). Or do I put the yellow in now and the blue later? Or return the kole and try another???

 

[DarthSimon]

Fish usually have a way of working it out. Usually a day or 2 at most... You can always turn your lights off, or put up a few big pics of the aggressive fish..

 

[erinangele]

I put the yellow tang in the tank last night after everyone was asleep. The Kole does not care about the yellow at all! In fact they seem to enjoy swimming and picking at rocks together! Whew what a relief! I did see the kole go after the starry blenny today but that seems to have calmed down now that he is preoccupied with the yellow.

Thanks for your help! I'm really glad I gave it a chance before returning the kole tang ;-)

 

[CHSUB]

congrats, i will be adding 3 yellows to my kole and hippo...i hope it works as good as your's...