Powder Blue more aggressive then Powder Brown??
- Thread starter urbor
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MrTuskfish
Team RC
IMO, this is the classic "its the individual fish question". Outside of a Sohal and a Clown; the nastiest Tang I've ever kept was a powder brown. (A. nigricans, not A. japonicus) Both are sold as poder browns, but A, nigricans is much hardier. There has been a lot said lately about powder blues being "mean"; IMO & IME, they are usually fairly civilized if housed with the proper fish and plenty of room. If its the most aggressive fish (especially the most aggressive tang) in the tank, it will gladly take that role.
Toddrtrex
Premium Member
I have read that too, but the A. nigricans that I had many many years ago was very hardier and a pig (( granted, that is only one fish )) and, IMO, a wonderful looking fish. If I every get a proper sized tank, I will get one again.
To the OP, is this for this tank?
MrTuskfish
Team RC
I took a quick look at Bob Fenner's and Scott Michael's books...they disagree. Who knows. I usually double check this kind of stuff if I'm not sure; in this case, it wouldn't have helped anyhow.
geaux xman
New member
are powder browns less prone to ich?
i would love a powder blue, but am just afraid it shows ich and take the whole tank down with it.
i have a 4" powder brown, but hes been alone in hypo for about 6 weeks. i just started bumping up the salinity today.
i would love a powder blue, but am just afraid it shows ich and take the whole tank down with it.
i have a 4" powder brown, but hes been alone in hypo for about 6 weeks. i just started bumping up the salinity today.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
I don't know if either is more prone to ich. I doubt it, blues are far more common, so we hear more about them. If you QT, ich is easy to treat. If you don't, ANY fish (or coral, snail, piece of LR, etc) can bring ich into your DT.
Chris27
New member
In all reality, no one tang is more susceptible to Crypt then another, at least to any measurable degree. They all have smooth scaleless skin, and all have the ability to be affected by crypt at the drop of a dime.
QT and active treatment is the only surefire way to ensure a tang, or any other fish, has a fighting chance when pulled from it's home ocean, flown across the world and dropped into your tank.
Choosing a fish based on what other reefers have posted about parasite resistance on an internet forum is a bad way of doing business....
QT and active treatment is the only surefire way to ensure a tang, or any other fish, has a fighting chance when pulled from it's home ocean, flown across the world and dropped into your tank.
Choosing a fish based on what other reefers have posted about parasite resistance on an internet forum is a bad way of doing business....
MrTuskfish
Team RC
This pretty much sums up this whole topic. "Internet Ich" has, IMO, become the biggest source of mis-info I've ever seen in the hobby. Too bad ich info can't be run through Snopes. I think its become a great place to shop for the answer you're looking for. These forums are opinions and experiences and no more. If you need real expert advice; find a real expert with real credentials. People like Fenner, Goemans, Burgess, et al.
The real "Powder Brown Tang" is Acanthurus japonicus.
The Gold-Rim Tang is Acanthurus nigricans.
That is when you see hybrids of achilles and powder blue tangs they say they are hybrids with gold rim tangs.
That being said the Powder Blue is more aggressive than the Powder Brown tang. The gold rim and powder blue are very similar in size and I could see how your Gold-Rim tang was aggressive mrtuskfish.
The Gold-Rim and Powder Blue are very similar fish and hybridize regularly in the wild. They both get bigger than the Powder Brown too.
The record has been set straight many times so I don't know why there is still confusion, but whatever. Also the Powder Brown is much hardier than the Gold-Rim. I also think it looks better and is more peaceful and stays smaller.
The Gold-Rim Tang is Acanthurus nigricans.
That is when you see hybrids of achilles and powder blue tangs they say they are hybrids with gold rim tangs.
That being said the Powder Blue is more aggressive than the Powder Brown tang. The gold rim and powder blue are very similar in size and I could see how your Gold-Rim tang was aggressive mrtuskfish.
The Gold-Rim and Powder Blue are very similar fish and hybridize regularly in the wild. They both get bigger than the Powder Brown too.
The record has been set straight many times so I don't know why there is still confusion, but whatever. Also the Powder Brown is much hardier than the Gold-Rim. I also think it looks better and is more peaceful and stays smaller.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Lots of fish have common name problems, but these fish are really impossible. Scott Michael says A. nigricans is hardier, Fenner says the opposite. Fenner also implies that A. nigricans is the original powder brown. DD has a A. nigricans now and they refer to it as the "whitecheek tang", as does Michael. Michael does call A. japonicus, the powder brown. Fenner calls A. nigracans the powder brown (priority) or the gold rimmed; and A. japonicus is the white face tang, as does LA. Now, I'm ready for a very early, very large, Cork Gin Gibson (Martini, but tiny onion, no olive).
I've seen plenty of A. nigricans refuse food. Whenever they would come into the stores I worked at it was hard to get them to eat. A. japonicus on the other hand fares much better. Its from personal experience, and I'm sure if you look around you will find similar accounts.
Also do a google image search. "Powder brown tang" will yield mostly A. japonicus pics, and a search for "gold rim tang" yields mostly A. nigricans pics.
A. japonicus is the powder brown tang. Period.
Also do a google image search. "Powder brown tang" will yield mostly A. japonicus pics, and a search for "gold rim tang" yields mostly A. nigricans pics.
A. japonicus is the powder brown tang. Period.
Toddrtrex
Premium Member
Google image search isn't the end all be all.
There is no "Period", it is a common name that SOME people use, not all. The only thing that is "period" so that an A. japonicus is an A. japonicus and an A. nigricans is an A. nigricans.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Exactly. That's why scientific names are there.
I wasn't trying to start an argument; just commenting on the contradictions with this fish. I didn't know that the hobby had a "Common Name Czar". Maybe the Czar can now proclaim the correct common names for other fish. Emperor or Imperator Angel? What is the real "Blue Tang", period? Maybe the Czar could correct the term "False Percs" too. JEEEZ! What a dilemma; well-published author and recognized SW authority, Bob Fenner calls A. nigricans the Powder Brown Tang. Do I dare defy the Czar and go with Fenner? I'll chance it! A. nigricans is THE powder brown tang, period!
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MrTuskfish
Team RC
Hey I wasn't trying to argueJust if everyone on here keeps flip flopping then there will always be this dilemma.
I mean shouldn't a powder brown tang be brown?
Well, sure. Kind of a powder brown, like this one:http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+43+391&pcatid=391
You really like to stir the pot...
The fish in the link you provided looks black to me, as have other specimens I've seen in person. Also under your link the colors listed are black. Also LA lists A. japonicus as the powder brown tang and lists its color as tan.
I'm done though. Keep on confusing everyone...
The fish in the link you provided looks black to me, as have other specimens I've seen in person. Also under your link the colors listed are black. Also LA lists A. japonicus as the powder brown tang and lists its color as tan.
I'm done though. Keep on confusing everyone...
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Actually A. nigricans is usually a purplish blue. The whole point of my posts on this thread are to show how confusing common names for this fish are. I'm quite sure most readers got that. Lighten up. Period.
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