Lavender tang aggression

[ntropics]

I was considering adding one of these to my Hawaiian biotope tank (200 gallons). But after my recent trip to Hawaii, I have some second thoughts regarding aggression. These are supposed to be 'relatively' peaceful, but repeatedly I saw single lavenders harassing large schools of convict tangs. I'm talking a school of well over one hundred fish being driven away by one little lavender tang.

It' makes me wonder if these would be terrors in a 200 gallon tank, especially if I decide to put in convicts.

Any thoughts?

Bruce

 

[d-man]

Well if you can get a small shoal of convicts to live, then you are lucky.
Second, my lavender is pretty model, but that is in QT. I have a couple of friends that have them and they said the same thing, hence why I got mine.

 

[xanthurum]

They are very docile in my experience.

 

[isdaboy]

I saw that in Hawaii , too wile snorkeling . I think what was happening was the lavender defending its algae patch in the reef from the convicts, ver similarly to some damsels who "farm" algae in the reef and will go crazy when convicts descends down to harvest.

 

[Reef908]

I had one for about a year I had to rehome due to this exact behavior. He had his spot of the tank and didn't like the yellow tang in his grazing zone. Was just a chase and never any nips or sparring with the scalpel. I was sold these tangs for my 75 when I first started and both grew quickly and too large for the tank as one would expect. I moved on from them once I found this site and quickly determined that they showed clear signs of being cramped. I think you'll be ok in a tank your size. It was a great fish and had amazing coloration. I'll definitely be getting one again once I upgrade.

 

[ntropics]

I do love the colors of the fish. I WAS thinking of adding convict tangs as well. If it was one or the other, I am not sure which I'd pick. I like the fact that convicts shoal (or school, depending on your opinion), and thought two or three in the tank would be cool. I've got some time to decide, as I'm not planning on adding anything for a month or two.

 

[d-man]

Ntropics, convicts are very hard to keep alive from the beginning. Most starve to death. As you've seen in Hawaii they form large schools and go all over. In the aquarium, you will not have large enough space for them to shoal by any means. And they also need massive areas of algae to graze on the rocks, most of what you cannot have. Yes, some people have kept them successfully, however usually not without trying many times unsuccessfully first.

 

[ntropics]

Oh, so sad. And I thought they would have been good. Well, anyway, I will order the lavender eventually.