Atlantic Blue Tang and a Sailfin Tang

[Tbcrow]

I'm very curious about the compatibility of these two fish. Both will start at around 1 inch long, so I won't have any issues with variance in size.

The Atlantic Blue has been in the tank about a month, and recently just turned yellow. I got him SUPER young, he was still clear.

Tank size is 110 gallons, 6 foot long. I'm just curious if a Sailfin and an Atlantic Blue will fight. I was told a good indicator would be similar colors, or similar mouth shapes.

Tang compatibility seems to be something of a voodoo art.


Footnote, I will only have them in this tank for another 6-8 months. Currently working on upgrading to a 300 gallon in wall setup, once we close on our new house.

 

[Rea17]

They ought to be just fine together. They each belong to a different genus and have very different shapes, plus the factor of tiny size and a decent size tank. Make sure you quarantine the new sailfin. Good luck!

Side note, as adults they are both huge, so be prepared for that.

 

[humaguy]

I would wait until you get the big tank...

 

[Tbcrow]

They ought to be just fine together. They each belong to a different genus and have very different shapes, plus the factor of tiny size and a decent size tank. Make sure you quarantine the new sailfin. Good luck!

Side note, as adults they are both huge, so be prepared for that.

That is why planning is already in the works! The 110 was always an experiment. The final form will be a monster, requiring floor braces and more money than I'm willing to admit....

How do you discover what Genus they belong too, Live Aquaria has failed me in this regard.

 

[Rea17]

How do you discover what Genus they belong too, Live Aquaria has failed me in this regard.

Liveaquaria has the information, sailfins are Zebrasoma and Atlantic blues are Acanthurus

 

[humaguy]

their latin names are listed near their common names on most sites...
if you are really very close to a big tank, I recommend holding off on buying anything new...
less things to move, less things to go wrong, and less things possibly to lose...

 

[Tbcrow]

Liveaquaria has the information, sailfins are Zebrasoma and Atlantic blues are Acanthurus

Beauty, I browsed right over that.

their latin names are listed near their common names on most sites...
if you are really very close to a big tank, I recommend holding off on buying anything new...
less things to move, less things to go wrong, and less things possibly to lose...

That will probably be the final result. The only part that I am wary of is trying to find a sailfin to match the atlantic in size when the time comes. Building a fish list ahead of time and making sure they will interact well is a habit of mine.

 

[RayL]

Building a fish list prior to buying fish is a great idea

 

[Rea17]

less things to move, less things to go wrong, and less things possibly to lose...

While I think that the two tangs would be fine together short term in your current tank, I agree with humaguy. Make sure to quarantine the new tang and time it so that the two fish are introduced to the larger tank at the same time. If neither fish has established territory it makes introduction easier on both.

 

[humaguy]

and bear in mind there is a 2 month qt period...

 

[lucky_snapper]

I would wait until you get the big tank...

Sarcasm ? I hope.....


Suggesting that 1 inch fingerlings would somehow be cramped or hindered in a 6 ft 110 tank is rather absurd. You could keep those fish in that tank 5 years and probably many more with out any problems..

 

[Dmorty217]

Sarcasm ? I hope.....


Suggesting that 1 inch fingerlings would somehow be cramped or hindered in a 6 ft 110 tank is rather absurd. You could keep those fish in that tank 5 years and probably many more with out any problems..

Not sure that's what was meant. Less fish to move is less stress all around, and until the 300g is up and ready for fish it is useless. Most everyone buys a fish that will be too big for their current setup and talk about the new big tank that never is setup and then someone will post a question as to why their two 10" tangs are fighting and getting diseases in a 110g tank:headwally:

 

[Dmorty217]

Oh and unless your not feeding them they will be much too big for the current tank in much less than 5 yrs. My Desjaradini was just under 1" a year ago, now he is 6"

 

[Tbcrow]

Oh and unless your not feeding them they will be much too big for the current tank in much less than 5 yrs. My Desjaradini was just under 1" a year ago, now he is 6"

Sounds like a beauty.

I'm sure there are many "wishful thinkers", fortunately not everyone is entirely irresponsible Honestly raising them in a smaller tank has a sense of security for me, as they will be easier to observe and much less likely to get lost or have afflictions that I will miss.

I will probably not pull the trigger on him until I get the 300 up to speed though, and the tangs will be the last members added at the same time.


NOW, I have a very specific question about QT. You've got a new member in the QT for a while, as standard, but what the hell are you looking for? Are you just waiting to see if he breaks out in ICH (insert generic disease here) within the time frame?

 

[humaguy]

:idea:

Sarcasm ? I hope.....


Suggesting that 1 inch fingerlings would somehow be cramped or hindered in a 6 ft 110 tank is rather absurd. You could keep those fish in that tank 5 years and probably many more with out any problems..

lol, you silly goose, did you read the entire thread?:reading:

I would recommend delaying any livestock purchases until the new tank is up and running.:idea:
I would then take the current tank, 110 gal?,and make that a qt...:dance:
If I was about to move and potentially double or triple the volume of my tank:celeb1: I would hold off doing anything on my current tank and focus on getting the new tank running...:bounce2::bounce3:
A lot can go wrong during a move :headwally:..

I was in no way referring to the size of any fish or the tank they live in...

:wavehand:

 

[humaguy]

Not sure that's what was meant. Less fish to move is less stress all around, and until the 300g is up and ready for fish it is useless.:

Thank you...

 

[humaguy]

NOW, I have a very specific question about QT. You've got a new member in the QT for a while, as standard, but what the hell are you looking for? Are you just waiting to see if he breaks out in ICH (insert generic disease here) within the time frame?

great question...you are looking for anything that looks wrong or off with the fish. Are there any spots, cut, lesions, fungus or anything on the body that looks wrong. Is the fish eating, breathing, swimming, and acting like a happy and healthy fish. Is the fish flashing or rubbing its body on the rock or sides of the tank. In addition to observation, medication should be a part of most qt regimens. In order to be truly effective, a qt protocol should last for a min of 8 weeks...a 2 week observation period, 4 week med period, 2 week observation period works well for some...there are some, myself included, that qt for a longer period of time, perhaps 10-12+ weeks...the goal of all this is not only to keep our fish healthy but also to keep disease out of our dt...once it is in there really, really bad things can happen...