Powder blue tang primer

HEy guys just wanted to share, I have been qting / conditioning a PB for one of my fellow reefers, the PB is on his 4 tank transfer , eating pretty well - got him from petco and he has really turned around. was very thin. he eats nore mysis and brine well

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Read the thread start to finish as the PBT is one of my favorite tangs and one I ultimately wish to keep. I understand the tank length vs. tank volume argument as these fish are more distance travelers as opposed to pacers which brings me to my dilemma. I have a 200DD which IS a four foot tank. I realize people have, do and will continue to keep these fish in smaller conditions even with moderate success so....is a 48x36 footprint too limiting to even consider a PBT?
 
I think the best you can do is read the PERSONAL experiences of those with long-term succes, with consideration given to the generally recommended tank size for these fish. I would prefer that this thread not devolve into a tank size debate.
 
I think if there is lots of free swimming room it will be fine. Swimming space is what they need and as far as i am concerned 200 gallons offers more space than a 180 even though its 6 feet long. Lots of swim room created by an open aquascape with still plenty of hiding areas to qual aggression is best.
 
BrianD, I understand and I definitely don't mean to derail to devolve the thread into another one of "those" threads. I just wanted an honest opinion from those that have had time to really get to know the character of the fish and could "imagine" that same fish being in a tank size that is slightly out of the ordinary. My apologies if I have mistaken the goal of this thread for anything other than trying to help those with aspirations of owning this fish.
 
No, you were completely fine in your line of questioning. I didn't phrase that very well. My concern was that people who actually have experience with your question respond, as that is the best source of information.
 
I have read most of this all the way through. This along with the Naso are my must haves. After 3 previously failed attempts with a PBT from LFS, I went the route of Divers Den and could not be any happier.

I don't QT and know there is some ich in my tank, however as noted in some earlier comments, the best way I have seen to combat a few spots is to keep feeding and keep your hands out of the tank as much as possible. He had a couple of spots on his fin, but they are gone now.

A stable and established system makes keeping these much easier. they are sensitive to swings. My sailfin was all over him for the first day but has since really mellowed and now swim together.

From everything I have read and watched on this species, their aggression in the wild comes from protecting their algae covered home, or forming a posse with other PBT's and taking over an area covered in algae from other fish. It's all food related. IME, keep them fed and their aggression drops to nothing.

I feed my tank about 3-4 times a day. Flakes, frozen, and some LPS food. Also my tangs and foxface go through about 2 sheets of nori a day. Trying to get them to eat pellets, but no luck. I guess I spoiled them.
 

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I have mine for 4 plus years, a very active swimmer like everone says. Also agree they need to be fed often and a lot, I find they need equal amounts of high protein meaty foods and not just algae based foods, this seems to really help curb aggression! I got mine from DD, but I use a QT for all new additions and he did fine in a 30 gallon QT for 8 weeks. He will eat everything mysis, Live Black worms, clams, nutra ova, oyster, any pellets, nori, he loves spectrum pellets. He eats out of my hand anything I feed him. He is a beautiful and fun fish!
 
I would like to jump in with Pastey...I'm building a custom 48x36x24 tank. Primarily for SPS, so flow is going to be In the 60-65 turnover per hour so about 11,700gph. I think that this tank would be a better home for aPBT than a 6 foot fowlr tank, simply because it is 6 feet long.

However, I have never attempted to keep one (I knew that I didn't have the space) so my logic could be flawed.

Please chime in.

Thanks
 
coming up on the one year mark for me, got rid of the yellow tang because it started to constantly chase the pbt, that was last summer, since then only the occasional white spots from time to time, ive had pbts in the past and they all have gotten it at sum time, but he eats like a pig, pellets nori, frozen, flake. hes about the size of your hand now and prob one and a half to two inches thick, will eat nori out of my hand. so so far so good.
 
I forgot to say that my powder blue eats everything!! A very bossy fish!! Lol!!
I mostly feed spectrum pellets once a day... He would actually eat from the surface! Then he drops down to the sand and blows the sand to free up the sunken pellets!! Yellow tang follows him when he does that!! Lol!! Tank mates are 1 yellow tang, 1 filiment wrasse (male), 1 yellow wrasse, and 1 yellow watchman goby.. That's all my fish so far
 
He's in the FO now. Doesn't bother anyone. A little mean to some new additions, but that passes after a few days.
 
How is this fish doing now?

Great!

And I have to admit, after quite some time now, seeing the way he acts in this tank definitely has me thinking he was a bit neurotic in the 150g 4' reef :o
 
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