How many yellow tangs?

[justa210]

In a 210G 6ft long tang how many yellow tangs can be kept together? I know they say to introduce them together and to put them in odd number pairs. They would be joining other fish such as clowns, drogonets, a powder blue, mask and gobys

 

[ca1ore]

I never could get a group of yellows to live long-term. Always seemed to end up with just one. So now, one is all I try.

 

[justa210]

That seems to be the answer I've gotten from majority of the folks I have asked but then I see LFS tanks with 5 or so together and see other tanks on here with multiple as well.

 

[ca1ore]

Well, not saying you can't, just that I haven't been able to. Trouble with a picture, or a tank you don't live with, is you never really know whether something is long-term stable or not, versus just 'staged' for the photo.

 

[justa210]

This is very true. Before my move I stocked a hippo, purple, scopas all together with our any issue but before that I had a yellow, blue and powder brown and the brown picked on yellow and the blue picked on the brown. Which drove both my powder brown and yellow to death. Granted my hippo and purple we're considered large

 

[nikon187]

i would say one also, mine picks fights with my clown tang

 

[Rea17]

I successfully kept 5 together in a 210 for over a year, 4 were added after 1 was already established and they did fine. I did this with a backup plan ready, and with a pending upgrade. I had a very open aquascape with lots of flow and coral structure.

 

[eatbreakfast]

In a 210 i would only do 1. The only time i have seen multiples kept together long term is in a 10ft 1000g tank. 1 started in the tank but it has been 8 that have formed 4prs for about a year now.

 

[danimallaminad]

That seems to be the answer I've gotten from majority of the folks I have asked but then I see LFS tanks with 5 or so together and see other tanks on here with multiple as well.

the reason pet stores have alot of yellow tangs in one tank is because they are selling them quickly. The same tang isn't in that tank for more than a month or so.

 

[E36328i]

A service account I work with has a 400g display and there's 6 or 7 yellow tangs in it. They are all fine. The key to adding them is to add them simultaneously with other fish already established in the tank. We added them when they were fairly small as well. As long as all of them are approximately the same size and you add them at once you should be good. They had their occasional spat for the first 6 weeks but after that they all school together now. They have been together over 3 years now.

Good luck...

 

[Akrite]

A service account I work with has a 400g display and there's 6 or 7 yellow tangs in it. They are all fine. The key to adding them is to add them simultaneously with other fish already established in the tank. We added them when they were fairly small as well. As long as all of them are approximately the same size and you add them at once you should be good. They had their occasional spat for the first 6 weeks but after that they all school together now. They have been together over 3 years now.

Good luck...

+1. This is exactly what I was going to say. Start with small tangs, odds numbers 3 5 or 7 and most importantly established fish. It's easier for them to join a group of established fish preferably other larger tangs of a different body shape. Takes about a month to 6 weeks to establish the pecking order and with a already establish dominate tang the new additions just fall in line. My dad had some for several years before selling his tank.

 

[trae]

Wild caught yellow tangs if you can tell the difference anymore, do NOT like small spaces where they see other yellows on a daily basis that means a huge tank where they meet in the corner and try to kill each other. Maybe something to do with food availability. Had three small ones and a medium. Witnessed them whipping at each other. Lost one to stress and the other to a split gut. Not saying it can't be done. I have had other tang species that play well. JMO

 

[ilikefish34]

That seems to be the answer I've gotten from majority of the folks I have asked but then I see LFS tanks with 5 or so together and see other tanks on here with multiple as well.

To add to danimallaminad... If you look at yellow tangs in the lfs that are kept together for more than a few days, they are tattered and beaten up (by each other) whereas, tangs that are separated and kept with ideal tank-mates appear to be in much better health. I used to work at a lfs many years ago and we kept them separated for this reasons and other health reasons... when the same species of fish are housed together in large numbers, disease seems to run rampant. This could be due to them being susceptible to viruses that spread more easily amongst a single species rather than from a Tang to an Angel but more likely, I believe the fish have simply put undue stress on each other by means of aggression and then fall victim to disease and parasites.

I have an upcoming 210 build and plan on only housing one for a couple reasons.... I believe that one will be better choice for compatibility and, in-tern, health. Secondly, the extra tangs would keep me from having other, different, species of fish. Just my 2 cents.

Good Luck and Happy New Year!
Mike

 

[EddieJ]

I have a Hippo, a yellow Tang and Powder Blue Tang in my 210. I pulled the yellow and put her in a QT tank for 8 weeks and re-introduced her with the Powder Blue. She was way to nasty to introduce anything even remotely similar to her. It worked out well, but her and the Power Blue still go at each other. Both are equally as aggressive towards each other but everyone eats well and is healthy. I would do 3 or 5 all at once keeping them on the small side. It's a gamble with fish no matter which way you look at it.

 

[nikon187]

Wild caught yellow tangs if you can tell the difference anymore, do NOT like small spaces where they see other yellows on a daily basis that means a huge tank where they meet in the corner and try to kill each other. Maybe something to do with food availability. Had three small ones and a medium. Witnessed them whipping at each other. Lost one to stress and the other to a split gut. Not saying it can't be done. I have had other tang species that play well. JMO

Is there any other kind of tang. To my knowledge there are no tangs have been bred in captivity, regals have been captive raised from very tiny but not bred as far as i know.

 

[trae]

captive bred

captive bred

Is there any other kind of tang. To my knowledge there are no tangs have been bred in captivity, regals have been captive raised from very tiny but not bred as far as i know.[/QUOTE

Maybe I should have been very meticulous in the wording I chose and said "captive raised" or "caught and then raised from larvae in tank"That way it does not take away from the key discussion. :thumbsup: