LF Advice on bully tang

[Bzar]

My 90 mixed reef originally had 1 chromis, 1 royal gramma, 1 false clown, and 1 yellow tang. The yellow tang is LARGE and healthy.

I figured since there was so much real estate unused in the tank maybe I'd add some more fishes. So I added 3 barlett anthias, 2 more chromis, and a small kole tang.

As soon as I added them the yellow tang became an instant jerk. I've read how they can be "semi-aggressive" but this was insane. He would not let the kole out of it's cave...when it did get out the yellow would chase and swipe with its tail. He'd keep the anthias males pinned under a ledge (the female was allowed out)...and the chromis he didn't care about. The kole tang got the worst of it for sure.

So I rearranged the rocks and still no change in behavior. So then I actually caught him and put him in my QT tank.

Question I have now...what to do from here? Should I put him back in the display after a period of being in the QT? If so how long?

or

Should I just cut my looses with this BIG yellow tang and sell/trade him for a smaller one? or just no yellow tang at all?

thanks for reading/helping.

edit: for spelling wrote in a rush. Also I'm learning towards no more yellow tang...they seem like jerks, and a lil too big for this tank/rock setup.

 

[TampaReefer79]

You answered your own question about 3 times. lol

"Also I'm leaning towards no more yellow tang...they seem like jerks, and a lil too big for this tank/rock setup."

 

[nikon187]

yellow tangs can be very aggressive. I would stick to only one tang for that size tank.

 

[Bzar]

now, what if the wife get's super ****ed at the idea of getting rid of the yellow tang? :/

 

[TampaReefer79]

now, what if the wife get's super ****ed at the idea of getting rid of the yellow tang? :/

Ask her if she'd wanna live in the closet her whole life...

 

[AngelAddict]

Trade it in for a smaller yellow tang like you said. Or go back to how things were originally in your tank, when there wasn't any problems. Having "unused real estate" isn't a bad thing.

 

[Bzar]

Just a quick update. Well the wife was really ticked about me selling her favorite fish....so after a week in QT I took a gamble and put the yellow tang back in. So far so good. In fact the yellow has gone back to being his normal docile self. He's even friends with the kole tang..they were eating some nori together this afternoon (two days after re-introduction) which seemed like a pipe dream a week ago the way the yellow was treating the kole.

I moved some rocks around also....there's LOTS of full tank runs for the fish to take...kinda like a figure 8 now....minimalistic rock scaping.

 

[TampaReefer79]

I moved some rocks around also....there's LOTS of full tank runs for the fish to take...kinda like a figure 8 now....minimalistic rock scaping.

I'm sorry, but it's still only a 90 gallon tank. The 'full tank runs' are still pretty short for a yellow tang. I hope you plan on upgrading for it eventually, or trading it away to someone with a bigger tank.

 

[celamb89]

I'm sorry, but it's still only a 90 gallon tank. The 'full tank runs' are still pretty short for a yellow tang. I hope you plan on upgrading for it eventually, or trading it away to someone with a bigger tank.

+1

Tangs need a lot of space! so some empty real estate is just what they need and a long aquarium so they can swim as they wish. I guess 90g isnt bad for what u had first hand since it worked but now 2x tangs plus several fish.
Even if the tang is behaving he will eventually grow and start harassing again :S, so a trade or an upgrade will be needed eventually

Good Luck

 

[klepto]

Just a quick update. Well the wife was really ticked about me selling her favorite fish....so after a week in QT I took a gamble and put the yellow tang back in. So far so good. In fact the yellow has gone back to being his normal docile self. He's even friends with the kole tang..they were eating some nori together this afternoon (two days after re-introduction) which seemed like a pipe dream a week ago the way the yellow was treating the kole.

I moved some rocks around also....there's LOTS of full tank runs for the fish to take...kinda like a figure 8 now....minimalistic rock scaping.

You haven't seen the tangs dueling it out at all?

I made the mistake of trying to keep a 3 inch, juvenile Kole tang in my 55. It was healthy and got very aggressive within a few months. (even with consistent feeding). Since then, I have seen how cramped surgeonfish get in smaller tanks (even larger ones that aren't scaped appropriately). I plan to steer clear of them until I have a suitable tank.
Good call on opening up more swimming room for them. What are your dimensions?

 

[lostintheocean]

dont overstock your tank andyou will not have aggression, pretty simple stuff

 

[michealprater]

By far the best excuse I have ever seen for keeping a tang in too small of a tank. Fear of the wife! I hope she isnt beating you. I noticed you only used anger terms, not disappointment. I hope everything is ok.

 

[TampaReefer79]

By far the best excuse I have ever seen for keeping a tang in too small of a tank. Fear of the wife! I hope she isnt beating you. I noticed you only used anger terms, not disappointment. I hope everything is ok.

 

[michealprater]

Better than copy and pasting the same basic responce in every single thread that has the word "tang" in it...... right?

 

[dschnepf]

By far the best excuse I have ever seen for keeping a tang in too small of a tank. Fear of the wife! I hope she isnt beating you. I noticed you only used anger terms, not disappointment. I hope everything is ok.

Agreed!


No sense in posting it again:hammer:

 

[CorkPullerPHL]

Laughed so hard a i think a little p** came out.