Are there any tangs found in same area as anemone and clowns?

sugartooth

Reef bully
Hello,
I'm trying to find out if there are tangs that are seen by divers/collectors in the same areas as S. Gigantea and clownfish?

I'm trying to see if I can put a small tang in a 150 gallon cube that houses anemones and clowns.

If not, then I will continue to manually remove macro.

Thank you in advance for the help.
 
Several (actually most) tangs co-occur with anemones and clowns. There are a few aggressive ones, like Acanthurus lineatus, but most medium sized tangs will do well in a 150g tank and won't harass your anemones or clowns.
 
Thank you very much Luiz. Are there any that you would recommend for personality (non-aggressive) and availability? It would be the only tang in the tank. The only other fish would be a pair of clowns and the rest would be anemones.
Thank you.
 
How about a Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) or Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus, A.K.A. Dory), both should do well and are readily available. But make sure you read about diets, they need a special vegetable diet in addition to the algae in the tank to do well.
 
Thanks Luiz. I do like the yellow belly Blue Tangs. Are there any others that are slightly more uncommon that would do well? I just want to compile a comprehensive list and go through them before my decision.

Thanks for your advice regarding the diet. I have seen pictures of lateral line disease so I will try to offer varied foods.
 
In that size tank and with nothing else to share it with but two clowns you could really put almost any tank in there and it will be find.

I would go suggest both the Yellow Eyed Kole and the Powder Blue/Powder Brown. Both are amazing fish and I have kept both successfully in tanks half that size.

Some will tell you that you need a 6" tank for tangs but considering that they will literally have free range of the entire cube you shouldn't have an problems.
 
Yes, a Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum) or Powder Blue (Acanthurus leucosternon) would be nice too, but they are harder to keep than the first two. There is a ton of info on the Powder Blue here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1668058

Another beautiful tang is the Achilles Tang (Acanthurus achilles), but this one requires an even larger tank, and I think a 150 may be a bit small for it. Info (and aquarium photos) here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1492655
 
Yellow Eyed Kole would be a great choice, and it would help some with your algae. My purple tang on the other hand has never touched hair algae. Still a very cool fish.
 
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. If too small for Hippo or Powder Blue, then the kole tang would be the choice to make? Are they hit or miss for macro? Are they the same as Bristletooth tang? I think I recall they don't really eat macro......


Also, if there are no tangs that would be good for the cube, then would a foxface be okay? Are they found in similar areas as the carpets and clowns?
 
I should add a picture of what anemones will be in there....I want to mainly get a fish that is familiar with these anemones and be able to avoid them.

4086577739_c2a526865f_b.jpg




They are currently in a smaller tank (2 ft. cube) and my questions are in regard to their upgrade. I purposely seeded macro in the tank and just manually pulling them out. However, I figure in the larger tank it won't be so easy.

Thanks again for the advice.
 
Thought all that macro algae provided homes for other little creatures. ;) ;)

Personally, I would get a fish that you like, and if it eats any of your algae -- that is a bonus.

When you are doing the upgrade, I would try to do your best to clean off each rock as you are moving it over. A lot of that red cotton ball type algae can be taken of with some Mexican turbos, but they seem to do better at keeping it in check, as opposed to mowing it down. Also, if you need any help cleaning off those rocks, just let me know -- I owe ya.
 
Heee!:wave:

Yes, they do make a good home for all those little creatures.....in moderation.

I know the algae can become toxic quickly if not kept in check, and in a 150 I would have to get very creative in order to try to keep this growth moderate.

Right now, I'm manually pulling and sometimes taking out one or two rocks and switching out cleaned rock from my other tank. I think the smallest 'type' of tang is the zebrasoma...so purple or yellow tang? (Or the rabbitfish?)

Also, surfing around I saw that Lavender tangs don't get as large? But the cube would still be too small, would it?

Sir creamy, the fluffy macro is pretty easy to pull off. It comes off in clumps. Maybe I will try to find another red type that grows a little tighter to the rock so it's not so wild looking. Thank you very much for your generous offer to help me, that's very nice of you. I should be okay because there aren't that many rocks.....partly why I have the algae hostel in place.
 
Oh, and your point about getting a fish I like, and the bonus being a macro eater......
Well, I originally wasn't putting anything except clowns in there. But I thought I should have 1 fish just to keep the algae trimmed, but want to have the bonus of an attractive one that would be alright in a 150. However, I'm feeling like there won't be a good match because the tank may be too small.....
 
Even if you do get a tang I would add a few pincushion urchins. They won't eat that macro when it's long but if you give it a hair cut by scrubbing the rocks first they will mow down anything.

There are quite a few colorful ones often available..........the all white pincushion urchins do the best & they cost like $8-9.

If you go with the urchins it would also allow you more options with the fish & maybe not the need for the tang.
 
sugar how about a rabbit-(Siganus) they willl certainly in time take care of your macro plus they are peaceful and stunning when grown.
 
Lavender tangs are really cool looking and less common. I think they stay a reasonable size, too.
 
Thanks for the great suggestions.

BigE: Will the pincushion hurt the anemones or irritate them in any way? I've never owned an urchin or really looked into them before. Also, I'm not going to add any other fish to the clowns if I can't find a suitable macro eater. I'll probably just add 1 more anemone. My main priority in the tank are the anemones, then everything else. So, I don't want to risk adding inhabitants that have even the slightest chance of damaging them. That's mainly the reason I haven't adding a copperband or peppermint shrimp. I'm chicken!

Gasman: That would be a great option. Which ones are the smallest? I only know of the gold spotted. I think those are nice.

anbosu: Yes, I think I will add Lavender tang to the short list as well. Unless someone with experience tells me my tank is too small.


As for the macro, I like to have it there. I just want something that will keep it under control so I don't have to. So, I don't want something that will completely wipe it out. Or will they do so no matter what? I am giving the tank and algae a few months head start before adding a tang.
 
I just had a thought, maybe my alternative may be to seed bare rock with the tighter macro and red grape such as in my Haddoni tank. These are very easy to grab and pull off, then I won't have to worry about providing enough space for a tang?

3868742398_4ba58c9a48_b.jpg
 
Back
Top