Curbing Tang Aggression?

kouma

New member
I have a 320Gal (6ftx3ft) tank with 3x yellow tangs and one recently added purple tang. Usually when I add fish, there is aggression the first a few hours or even a day at most, but its been two days and the aggression specifically between the biggest out of my yellows towards my purple hasn't settled. The purple is always in one corner at the top. Thanks to QT and a long acclimation process, my purple was introduced strong and fights back. He eats and even competes with food. However, every day I see more and more war scars - I can see cuts on other yellows (from the tang's spine) and I see fin nips on the purple.

When I introduced the purple, I added 30lbs of LR and rearranged a good part of the LR. I also have been feeding at least 5 times more than usually with Nori. I thought this was sufficient, but I was wrong. Any advice I can try to curb this aggression before I lose someone. Thanks!
 
You can try and put a mirror on the side of the tank, sometimes works that fish attract to it, taking the attn off of the new tank mates


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I have had to remove tangs before either the one doing the beating up or the one being beaten up.

Tangs are just aggressive to each other.. Sometimes you can mix them and sometimes you can not. Sometimes they are fine for a while and one tang reaches a certain size and it becomes a threat and the violence starts.

Usually having allot of tangs can disperse the aggression and certain tangs like powder blues are just terrors.

I have found most of the time keeping 2 or 3 tangs can be the hardest.

Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not and sometimes it does for a while.

Purples are usually more aggressive than a yellow and it may eventually turn the tables.
 
IMO, I think you should have waited and maybe introduced 2 tangs at the same time. With 3 already YTs established, you asking for trouble introducing a PT, same fish different color. If it doesn't stop, you have to decide which one you want YTs or the PT. Honestly, you may have a hard time introducing any Tang with those tangs in the tank. For future additions, maybe look into using a acclimation box.
 
Thanks all for the replies.

I tried the mirror trick, I place a big mirror on one end of the tank. It freaked out everyone and all my fish stayed at the other side of the tank..still the big yellow kept harassing the purple :( The purple is strong though and doesnt take ****, but it is resulting in both getting beaten up.

I have all the fish I will ever need and probably much more, so I am not worried about adding anything else...I just want whats currently there to get a long:

3x Yellow tangs 3-4"
1x Purple tang 3"
1x Vlamingi tang 12-14"
1x Blue/Regal tang 5"
1x Powder Blue tang 4"
1x Flame hawkfish
1x Flame angel
2x clowns
 
may take a few days for aggression to stop, but imo it will. i would feed often and alot; as long as no one is getting seriously hurt, i would leave them alone.
 
Thanks all for the replies.

I tried the mirror trick, I place a big mirror on one end of the tank. It freaked out everyone and all my fish stayed at the other side of the tank..still the big yellow kept harassing the purple :( The purple is strong though and doesnt take ****, but it is resulting in both getting beaten up.

I have all the fish I will ever need and probably much more, so I am not worried about adding anything else...I just want whats currently there to get a long:

3x Yellow tangs 3-4"
1x Purple tang 3"
1x Vlamingi tang 12-14"
1x Blue/Regal tang 5"
1x Powder Blue tang 4"
1x Flame hawkfish
1x Flame angel
2x clowns

Did this work out for you or did you have to remove?
 
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