My Tang 'Journey'

C

ca1ore

Grizzled & Cynical
Among my very favorite groups of fish, I have kept a tang in every one of my reef tanks since 1988. Always seems like there are many questions here on RC about keeping them, and I also get occasional questions via PM. Thought I'd share my approach with these fishes - not as the only way to keep them, but as one way to keep them. My Tang 'rules':

  1. Although I have pushed the limits a bit, the RC guidelines on tank sizes are reasonable. These fish need space, and while they can be 'crowded', problems usually result.
  2. I QT all Tangs, and treat them prophylactically for skin parasites with chloroquine phosphate
  3. Although I have kept multiple zebrasomas and bristles, I only ever keep a single acanthurus genus per tank.
  4. Not a big proponent of introduction order (with a couple of exceptions); proper QT conditions fish and enables it to survive most hazing.
  5. They need lots of food to remain healthy - they are not efficient metabolizers
  6. Tangs are never 'friends', it's tolerance at best.

Keep in mind that there are things you can control like tank size and tank-mates; but also things you cannot control like individual temperament. The latter can well dictate why some folks are successful with a particular mix while others are not. A friend of mine has an Achilles that will tolerate no new tangs, whereas mine is relatively accommodating.

I currently keep 8 tangs. Three zebrasomas (yellow, purple, desjardini), regal, chevron and Achilles in my main 265 display, a small scopas in my 60 frag tank, and a zebra in my 120XH refugium.
 
I dont have a tank large enough for a tang, but I like the write up. Thanks for sharing! I didnt realize they were so diverse in personality
 
ca1ore said:
I've tried small ones on two separate occasions without success. Never had a tank big enough for a big one. Maybe the 'next' tank :lol:
Click to expand...

Naso tangs seem to be a lot harder to keep than people make them out to be, any thoughts on this? I'm curious. Not planning on putting one in my 75 anytime soon though :lol:
 
If you like tangs, you'd like my friend Wayne's tank:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oO0rcvSlsA

watch
 
BigBlueTang said:
Naso tangs seem to be a lot harder to keep than people make them out to be, any thoughts on this? I'm curious. Not planning on putting one in my 75 anytime soon though :lol:
Click to expand...

I think it's diet, they mostly eat brown algae, I read on here I think where someone use to collect the brown algae/seaweed from his local pier to feed his morish idol who lived a long healthy life. They also eat the brown algae naso tangs do. I don't know but diet is so important to health in all life forms.
 
BigBlueTang said:
Naso tangs seem to be a lot harder to keep than people make them out to be, any thoughts on this? I'm curious. Not planning on putting one in my 75 anytime soon though :lol:
Click to expand...

Yeah, right!

I agree, have had more trouble with them than with Achilles curiously. My first naso, about 4", I got though 12 weeks of QT. It was eating just about everything and by all accounts seemed perfectly healthy. Put it into the display, initially in a socialization box then free; no observed hazing. Woke up the next morning to find it pinned to the side of my MP60. Second, also about 4", never ate anything ..... and I tried everything, including the brown macro that grows in my frag tank. There wasn't a third.

Even at 265, my tank is probably too small for a grown naso anyhow, but I'm 'planning' on getting a bigger tank :lol:
 
Hey Simon that is a zebra and not a convict right? What are the difference beside look that make the two cost so big from one another?
 
Yes, a zebra. They only are found as far as I know around Mauritius, so the $$$ is simply a result of scarcity in the trade. Behaves just like a convict, except with more expensive tastes :lol:
 
i kept 4 in my 180 for many years together, blue hippo, purple, yellow, and a large dejardini. The Hippo and purple would beef occasionally but they ran the tank, and never bothered the yellow or the fat slow grazing dejardini. I found as long as they were well feed and ample hiding space they did fine together.

That being said the purple and hippo did occasionally make adding any new tank mates a challenge the older they got.
 
I'm taking a week off before X-mas to get stuff done around the house - including redoing my sump room at which point the polyzona will go into the 120xh refugium. In the process of incrementally adding crap to my system, I've made it also it impossible to access the calcium reactor. Once it's in that tank, I'll post lots of pics.
 
FDshoes said:
i kept 4 in my 180 for many years together, blue hippo, purple, yellow, and a large dejardini. The Hippo and purple would beef occasionally but they ran the tank, and never bothered the yellow or the fat slow grazing dejardini. I found as long as they were well feed and ample hiding space they did fine together.

That being said the purple and hippo did occasionally make adding any new tank mates a challenge the older they got.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, and 'supports' my (and others) observations about individual temperament. My hippo both ignores and is completely ignored by the other tangs. My yellow and purple are always mixing it up, though not to the great detriment of either. The Sailfin is the largest and just does what it wants. The Achilles is too busy zipping around the tank. The chevron spends most of its time following the hippo hoping for an 'extruded' snack :lol:
 
ca1ore said:
That's interesting, and 'supports' my (and others) observations about individual temperament. My hippo both ignores and is completely ignored by the other tangs. My yellow and purple are always mixing it up, though not to the great detriment of either. The Sailfin is the largest and just does what it wants. The Achilles is too busy zipping around the tank. The chevron spends most of its time following the hippo hoping for an 'extruded' snack :lol:
Click to expand...


yea my dejardini didnt give a crap just went about his business grazing on rock and no one bothered nor did it bother anyone. i was fully expecting my purple and yellow to occasional beefs but never did. the yellow was also the last of the 4 that i added. but they all lived happily for almost 5 years until the giant mishap but thats another story for another day:furious:
 
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