Help me pick a Tang

[Stevenliu9]

Hopefully no Tang police needed for this decision.
I had a disease break out and killed just about all fish a month ago.
The tank has since stabilized and I'm looking to restock. I will keep it "light" this time with:

Tank size: 180G RR + 75G sump
QT 75G RR+29G sump

existing:
2X cleaner wrasse
2X baby maroon clownfish

planned:
1X sand sifting goby + pistol shrimp
1X mystery wrasse
3X bartlett anthias
2X watanabe angelfish (F)
1X Tang

Since I plan to house only ONE tang, I'm having a hard time narrowing it down.
I would love to hear your opinion on the best tang I should keep based on compatibility, hardiness, aesthetics, and terminal size vs. tank size.
My wishlist:

Kole
Mimic
Purple
Chevron
Yellow

And in case one of the zebrasoma species or the Kole tang wins out, how likely would the tang police approve housing 2-3 in a 180 based on my list of planned fish?

Thanks!

 

[snorvich]

How did you treat the survivors? If you did not treat them, the likely still carry the parasite which ever one you had. And how long was the tank fallow?

 

[mattgumaer]

If you were going to do just one, I be tempted to try a purple and add it to the tank last (or maybe second to last with the anthias going in last). I have three tangs in a standard 180, powder blue (my favorite), a kole and a yellow. I've had them in there about one year. The powder blue is clearly the dominate tang but doesn't seem too concerned with the smaller kole and yellow. The Powder Blue and my couple of year old foxface argue more than the tangs, nothing too serious though.

Matt

 

[Moort82]

As above would love to know the fish isn't going into potential parasite problems fish but my personal choice from your list would be either kole or mimic. They are both pretty peaceful and the mimic is especially interesting to me due to the change. You would probably have few issues adding them both tbh.
I'm not a fan of purples as I find them very aggressive for a zebrasoma.

 

[Stevenliu9]

Thank you guys. The surviving fish went through hypo salinity and praze-pro treatment. The tank went through fish-less treatment. And I'm hoping that would eliminate the ich's return. I do love the changes and even the adult colors of mimic. My wife loves the golden eye for kole tang. These two are definitely moving up on my list for now.

 

[snorvich]

Just as an FYI: hyposalinity (if done properly) only affects cryptocaryon irritans (ich) and will not affect any other parasite. It is, IMO, unlikely that the parasite involved was ich as it does not normally have a mortality time line that quick. The fallow period for the tank should be much longer than a month to eliminate cryptocaryon. However, if it were velvet, which I suspect, the fallow period would be six weeks. In that case, the treated fish are likely still carriers.

 

[Perth_reefer]

I'd go for the Purple Tang. In the past I've always tried to add a couple of tangs into my tank, this time I decided just to stick to one in my 150 and went for a purple tang, great fish, I've heard of them being one of the more aggressive tangs but having no other tangs in the tank I've seen no aggression at all. I've probably kept almost every tang that is readily available over my 10 years in the hobby (with the exception of the Black tang and Achilles tang due to crazy prices here in Australia) and have to say the Purple is now my favourite, closely followed by the Yellow tang....wish I could have both!

 

[nuxx]

Chevron hands down.

GREAT FISH... LOVE OURS!

 

[Stevenliu9]

Thank you everyone for the input. And thank you Steve for the suggestion on velvet. The attack seemed like a combination of ich and possibly velvet. And actually a bacterial infection took most of them while in hospital tank. That said I am planning to be patient and not introduce any new fish until there is no sign of disease for at least six weeks, and to quarantine new fish for another additional six. And at this point it seems purple tang is what everyone is recommending. I know i plan to keep one tang only. Just curoius to know if the purple tang will also be aggressive to non-tang fish In my wishlist?

 

[OrionN]

In a 180, you likely can keep two maybe three tangs. I have keep all of the tangs you listed above. I had a 450 gal tank before and a 320 gal tank at this time.
Of these fish, I would recommended against Mimic tang. They are large tang and often like large open water. I had mine for several years and I always that they pace the front of the tank all the time when light is on. He was healthy and fat but does not seem natural or happy in a 450 gal tank.
Chevron will get rather large, I would recommended against him also. Any two or three of the rest of the tangs would be fine. I love the yellow of the yellow tang and the purple of the purple tang. I would recommended either of these and a Powder blue tang. You did not have a PBT in your list, but they are beautiful. A little more difficult then the rest of the tangs you listed but not impossible by any mean.

 

[Stevenliu9]

Thank you for your input OrionN. It seems the vote indicates purple tang so I guess I should begin searching (or waiting) for a healthy one to pop up in the market. I do love the PBT's coloration. But like you've said it is a bit more challenging to keep, and from what I've heard they tend to be on the aggressive end of the scale even among the acanthurus family. I think I will go for a purple tang. I know they are bit more on the expensive side now, but what is everyone's opinion of a "reasonable price" for a healthy specimen between 3-4"?

 

[CoralsAddiction]

i would recommended either of these and a powder blue tang. You did not have a pbt in your list, but they are beautiful.

+1

 

[Stevenliu9]

Since Powder blue tang is beginning to surface, just for the benefit of doubt, how many of you would say a 180 is safely large enough for PBT once it's fully grown? and how compatible will it be with any other fish (especially Watanabe angel since they are similar in color)?

 

[OrionN]

While a PBT may be aggressive toward any new large fish added to a tank, once they get use to a fish they will be fine especially if they are not cramped in. Three tangs in a 180 is fine especially not the species that will not grow out of hand. I would add the PBT in the tank last. Just meme sure that he is QT, and trained to eat well in captivity. He will be fine as long as the is not a great deal smaller than the other tangs. BTW purple tang can be aggressive also.
When I added new tangs to the tank I always QT them first then keep them in my sump for several months. There I trained them to eat Nori from a clip. On e they are in the DT. The older tangs will chased them into the rock. I put nori on a clip on a stick and put it behind the rock where the new tang can eat. This is the best way to add new tangs into DT.
After a few months they will be fine with each other

 

[jason2459]

PBT would be my choice for a single tang and I think it would be fine with your fish list. I've got three and would much rather have two. I've got an A. pyroferus lemon peel/chocolate tang. So far the opposite experience from what was mentioned above about mimic Tangs but I could be a one off outlier I don't know as I don't have any experience with them other then the one I have.

He's probably the most peaceful fish I have and never paces. Always slowly gliding around which is quite nice to watch. He's the only fish my other bully tang doesn't mess with though. He's not fully grown yet but at least 6". I do love his colors and he changes from a bright yellow to a very dark yellow depending on whatever. And I like the highlight look around his body made by the fins.

 

[OrionN]

My Mimic tank is not very aggressive but he got big really quickly and developed streamers on his tails. As he got bigger he started to pace the front of the tank. It was an 8 foot tank with a lot of open swimming room, still he paced against the glass to the right then to the left all day.
The pacing was what I did not like. He was fat, healthy and big. Biggest of my tangs.

 

[jason2459]

Yeah I would not like that at all. I wish I never got a group chromis as they make the tank to busy.

 

[Stevenliu9]

Wow haha now I am torn! it just seems like any tang can have any personality. I really love the Mimic tang coloration and I think streamers are so cool! But again I love the public opinion on a purple tang as well and that they don't get too large. Lastly the powder blue tang, what a gorgeous fish! but still I have heard too many scary stories of them I am really scared to get one. OrionN your method of QT and get them to feed in sump is a really cool method. I did that for the longest time and then the one time I skipped that seeing the fish healthy and eating at store for so long is the one time that killed everything in my tank.

 

[jason2459]

You really should base your decision on your preference and not popular opinion. You have to see the fish every day we don't.