Poll: who DOES NOT have a Tang in their tank and why?
- Thread starter Cancun
- Start date
I have 3 in a 225 (6ft long) with a Bi-color rabbit fish and a Blue throat trigger who actually eats nori (which is almost like having 5 tangs). I have found this tank needs both continuous ozone through a reactor and a nitrate reactor to keep the water quality at a level I am happy with (crystal clear with slow algae growth and low nutrients).
Rules of thumb are stupid.....
Here are my rules of thumb:
(All of this assumes pristine water and husbandry)
Standard:
75G Tank: A tommi or kole only
90G 4 ft Tank: 1 Small Tang (Kole or Tommi...bristle tooth family)
Risk Taker: Add a Yellow for a total of 2
Risk Taker Level II. Add a Rabbit Fish
6ft tanks and up: Can do about 1 tang for every 2 feet but with some rules.
Don't put tangs of the same family or colors in.
Risk Takers: 6ft: Put in 4 tangs but have at least one of them be a kole or tommi and do not put in any sohal, clown, powder blues or Achilles if you are going 4.
Extreme Risk Takers: Have one of your 3 be a powder blue or Achilles.
Extreme Risk Taker II: Add a rabbit Fish
8ft Tanks and Up: 5 Tangs are ok, one of them doesn't have to be a bristle tooth (if one of them are from the zebra family which is the sort of the next size up), you are safer with a powdererblue or Achilles .
Risk Takers: Try a clown or sohal (prepare for them to be extremely dominate and possibly end up reducing the total number of tangs you can actually keep from 5 total down to....who know)
10ft Tanks and up: 6 or 7 tangs are okay and you can put in pretty much what ever combo you darn well choose.
None of this is a guarantee that your specific fish will have personalities that will get along with each other. They may not. The may fight at first and work it out....they may be ok at first and start fighting later...you never know. These are all assuming you are in the lucky 80% bell curve...that still means you have a 20% chance of problems even at the levels I am putting in above.
Rules of thumb are stupid.....
Here are my rules of thumb:
(All of this assumes pristine water and husbandry)
Standard:
75G Tank: A tommi or kole only
90G 4 ft Tank: 1 Small Tang (Kole or Tommi...bristle tooth family)
Risk Taker: Add a Yellow for a total of 2
Risk Taker Level II. Add a Rabbit Fish
6ft tanks and up: Can do about 1 tang for every 2 feet but with some rules.
Don't put tangs of the same family or colors in.
Risk Takers: 6ft: Put in 4 tangs but have at least one of them be a kole or tommi and do not put in any sohal, clown, powder blues or Achilles if you are going 4.
Extreme Risk Takers: Have one of your 3 be a powder blue or Achilles.
Extreme Risk Taker II: Add a rabbit Fish
8ft Tanks and Up: 5 Tangs are ok, one of them doesn't have to be a bristle tooth (if one of them are from the zebra family which is the sort of the next size up), you are safer with a powdererblue or Achilles .
Risk Takers: Try a clown or sohal (prepare for them to be extremely dominate and possibly end up reducing the total number of tangs you can actually keep from 5 total down to....who know)
10ft Tanks and up: 6 or 7 tangs are okay and you can put in pretty much what ever combo you darn well choose.
None of this is a guarantee that your specific fish will have personalities that will get along with each other. They may not. The may fight at first and work it out....they may be ok at first and start fighting later...you never know. These are all assuming you are in the lucky 80% bell curve...that still means you have a 20% chance of problems even at the levels I am putting in above.
Last edited:
anthonys51
New member
I have 3 in a 225 (6ft long) with a Bi-color rabbit fish and a Blue throat trigger who actually eats nori (which is almost like having 5 tangs). I have found this tank needs both continuous ozone through a reactor and a nitrate reactor to keep the water quality at a level I am happy with (crystal clear with slow algae growth and low nutrients).
Rules of thumb are stupid.....
Here are my rules of thumb:
(All of this assumes pristine water and husbandry)
Standard:
75G Tank: A tommi or kole only
90G 4 ft Tank: 1 Small Tang (Kole or Tommi...bristle tooth family)
Risk Taker: Add a Yellow for a total of 2
Risk Taker Level II. Add a Rabbit Fish
6ft tanks and up: Can do about 1 tang for every 2 feet but with some rules.
Don't put tangs of the same family or colors in.
Risk Takers: 6ft: Put in 4 tangs but have at least one of them be a kole or tommi and do not put in any sohal, clown, powder blues or Achilles if you are going 4.
Extreme Risk Takers: Have one of your 3 be a powder blue or Achilles.
Extreme Risk Taker II: Add a rabbit Fish
8ft Tanks and Up: 5 Tangs are ok, one of them doesn't have to be a bristle tooth (if one of them are from the zebra family which is the sort of the next size up), you are safer with a powdererblue or Achilles .
Risk Takers: Try a clown or sohal (prepare for them to be extremely dominate and possibly end up reducing the total number of tangs you can actually keep from 5 total down to....who know)
10ft Tanks and up: 6 or 7 tangs are okay and you can put in pretty much what ever combo you darn well choose.
None of this is a guarantee that your specific fish will have personalities that will get along with each other. They may not. The may fight at first and work it out....they may be ok at first and start fighting later...you never know. These are all assuming you are in the lucky 80% bell curve...that still means you have a 20% chance of problems even at the levels I am putting in above.
size of tank is only one factor in fishes aggression. tank sizes are a general rule of thumb, then can be broken, but be prepared to act if or when trouble starts. but rockwork and layout, feeding, when you add the fish, and what age you add the fish are also other factors.
even if i had a 300 gallon tank i wouldnt add most fish in with a clown trigger who been in the tank for years. not to jump into triggers so size is only one factor in fish behavior. its a very important factor but its not the only one
Similar threads
