My new friend, wish him luck.

[t5Nitro]

Here is my new friend in the tank! He is a powder brown tang (A. Japricornis). I cought the yellow tang in my 46 gallon after destroying the tank to acclimate both fish at the same time to the new tank (as suggested by everyone, tangs all at once). Well, now the yellow tang (smaller than the powder brown) constantly chases him if he sees him and once in a while gets a slap in. The powder brown being bigger, does not defend himself, even though he has a bigger scalpel too!

Reminder: They were put in the 125 on Tuesday, so maybe this isn't enough time yet, am I worrying too soon? Also, I was told by Live Aquaria that this was normal, but when I got him, he did not eat any food including: formula 2 flakes, formula 1 pellets, zoo plankton, algae sheets, and brine soaked in garlic xtreme. Yesterday and today I noticed him eating more on the algae clip, but still no other foods listed above. So at least the eating algae clips is a good part I think, even though he doesn't eat a whole lot of it. I was told by Live Aquaria it takes them a few days to acclimate themselves to the new tank before they start eating, so it has been 3 days and nothing yet but some algae sheet pieces.

I was wondering if this was the yellow tang making him not eat since he was harrasing him, but I tried what Steve made for his fish (syringe with tube) to target feed him, and he still didn't eat. I think he actually tried one piece of the formula 2 flakes but spit it out. I will try it again with the shrimp later with target feeding.

Pictures of the new powder brown tang, Stealth!

Full Tank shot:

Bubbles:

So, what do you guys think, 3 days not enough time yet? If not, then the eating part just worries me. I tried catching the yellow tang today again twice with no luck. Destroying a 46 gallon to catch him was hard, the new tank with epoxied rocks with a lot more rock is even harder :lol:

I did ask the other forum and 2 people told me theirs took a few weeks after adding a purple tang, and it beat up a purple one! So, maybe not enough time yet, but I hope he starts eating more than a few bites off the algae clip occasionally.

Steve, to let you know, the valida I got from you, it was brownish with yellow polyps probably from the frag cut when I recieved it if you remember, well it is getting purple hues in it all over, I will get some pictures up of the corals to show you, they are doing nicely.

Let me know what you think.

 

[t5Nitro]

Update: 2 more bites off the algae clip

Any of you have cleaner shrimp? Do you suggest getting one for an ich problem if it ever happens?

 

[Barky]

Nitro if you can put a couple more clips in the tank. will give the tangs multiple places to feed. I have a powder brown that i put in with a Shoal tang took a couple of weeks but he settled in.
good luck!! Brian

 

[t5Nitro]

New pictures after the water cleared up:

Those were earlier today, the yellow tang is now seperated with eggcrate, leaving the powder brown 5 feet of swim space. He is much more calm, he was always calm around people, not skiddish at all, but the yellow tang just 'tale gates' him and really started to slap him today, so the eggcrate fixed that for now.

What do you think of him?

 

[TIMMYE]

I would add more feeding clips and I would give it a few more days. Where in the cheese state are you?

 

[t5Nitro]

At least he eats some of the algae clip. Do you know if powder browns like the other colored algaes over the green? I would think the stress caused by the yellow tang maybe made him not come out a bit too. I haven't been trying the new mysis I bought, just brine. I will try mysis soaked in garlic.
is eating better.

Nice Barky, you have a sohal tang? What size tank is it in? I wanted one but was talked out of one from the fish forum.

 

[Barky]

Right now he is in a 75 i am in the process of building a 240 built in, he is the dominate one of the tank, I have read add one if you want one but be sure it it is the last fish in you add.

I do have a mixture of algae colors and found the green is eaten by far the most, by all of my tangs.

 

[t5Nitro]

What size is your sohal? I read at 4" he would pace my 6' tank and at 6" take out everything, and that they grow fast, such as in 6 months from 6" to 8", or was it 4" to 8"? Also, how long has it been in the tank? Probably best to keep away from it from what a lot of people have said. You have a 240 for him, I won't be upgrading.

 

[Barky]

I want to say I had him for over a year. He has not grown that much, colors are awsome. I would say its about 4" and your right he does pace the tank, very active.

 

[t5Nitro]

I am really interested in the sohal tang. I just don't know, maybe you got lucky and got a peaceful one. If any, I will wait for a while and try to get a 2" one.

 

[t5Nitro]

Barky, can I get a picture of your tank by chance to get an idea of the swim space the sohal has, like how to rockwork is? Is the powder brown about the same size as the sohal and the sohal took a few weeks to settle in? I would like to get a real small one maybe, and maybe he wouldn't try to slap any fish then.

 

[sticky]

Beware of the Sohal.. What works for one may not work for others. I have found that some fish can be more difficult than acros. I have lost my fair share of fish. When I added my pbt, the sailfin was pretty nasty towards him for about a week. Now the pbt is the king of the tank.

 

[Barky]

The rock work runs the length of the tank, from the center it is built slanted up towards the top leaving plenty of swimming room around the back, and in front.

I have openings in and out of this wall for the fish to swim in and out of and for hiding purposes, but he coral are starting to enclose some of these areas. Dam corals

The powder brown is a medium size when I bought him a couple of weeks ago, so both him and the sohal are the same size. but the sohal is the king of the tank, they do not tail fight but the sohal swims with a dominance.

I can try for a picture but i have never had good ones turn out.
Brian

 

[t5Nitro]

Mmm, so encouraging. I want to get a sohal, but something says not to in the same way. I asked Thor about it, he is the expert on the tangs, so I will see what he thinks.

I was told in the fish forum that this guys yellow tang did the same thing until it bit a chunk out of his powder brown and then he got rid of it. He put a naso in with the powder brown in his 120 6 foot long tank and everyone gets along I guess. I may go with a naso, sooner or later it probably will outgrow it, but that may take years.

How long can a tang go alone in a tank and still add another tang with having them be OK? The powder brown is very very passive and I guess if it gets established they can be just like the yellow, so I would rather QT the naso since I have a lot of fish in there now, which leaves the powder brown in there over a month anyway.

That is why I figure if I can find a 2" sohal, that way those should go in last anyway. By the way, Steve, do you mean more hard than acros for hardiness or just guessing what they will be like toward others? I don't think a very small sohal would be too aggresive since it does have a lot of swim space in the 125. If you mean hardiness, the sohals are suppose to be a real hardy fish. Check out the full tank shot above Barky, is that looking like a lot of open caves and swim space to you for a sohal? The whole tank is basically wide caves, the whole top half is open of no rock, and the front has maybe ranging from 3" - 6" of space. I will try to get a sideshot.

 

[Barky]

I have to tanks currently a 90gl,and a 75. This is why i'm going to a 240gl. In my 90 I have a Purple Tang the oldest, yellow, sailfin, powder blue, and a blue Hippo Tang who all get along well.The Purple is the boss and a good one. Some day they all will be together in the 240.

I believe it is all about personality and when I added each fish it was never bigger than the tank occupants, if that means anything. I guess thinking it has to know its spot int the tank by age!

 

[t5Nitro]

Do you think you would try one in my tank or keep it to one tang only and go with some other larger fish?

 

[Barky]

I guess no one knows that answer but yourself. If you did get one buy a small one, i have read that if you add this fish it should be the last one for dominance purpose.

other large fish that are very interesting is an Emperator or Blue face angels.
I have a juvenel emperator but I think it will be a long time before it changes.
It is hard to give advice here because everyone has different expierences. I have been alright but the next person could have troubles.
Like I said if you add one start with a small.

 

[t5Nitro]

Barky, is your sohal and powder brown still in the same tank together in the 75 or 90 gallon? I really do want one, just don't know if I want to risk the powder brown. I guess small sohals are rare, but guess where I found one earlier this year? Key West :lol: Figures, coastal areas get all of the 'rare' stuff.

My yellow tang really settled down after the eggcrate, that was about a month ago now, he still is kind of aggresive at night if the others pass by his cave.

If I did try one, (would you?), would you add more LR to the tank or just keep it as is and put him in so the others still have their territory?

I do have 2 algae clips in there now. I have 3 larger fish in there now, 2 being tangs. The powder brown at 4", the yellow at maybe 3 or 3.5" and then a 6" other fish.

 

[t5Nitro]

Oh, does the same family of the fish really matter that much? If you look at reefvideos.com and the top left one, he has many tangs in his 150 4' long tank. 2 being sohal and achilles in the same family and I think 4 in the zebrasoma family. Wouldn't a sohal and powder brown do better in a 6' tank than a 2' one? Although the 150 tank has 12" more width too, unless length matters more?

In that video, he says the more aggresive tangs in his tank and he never said anything about his sohal, it is smaller than most of his other tangs too though. If I did get one, a small one would be able to defend himself against a yellow tang right, or powder brown even?

You can always remove the fish too.

 

[Barky]

you have a large tank with plenty of swimming room, when you are looking to purchase the sohal see if you find out if they have housed with other Tangs. You always take a chance on any fish when you purchase one, not knowing its temperment with the fish they are housed with.
I think of it as its personality.
My Sohal is the boss right now and the brown has its own area now in the tank, and is not pestered by the sohal.
I guess you will not know until you add one and hope for the best.
Brian