powder brown vs. powder blue

[rgentry123]

ok, i started the thread and havent been able to catch back up with it since it started. thanks for all the info guys(and gals if there were any) so, is everyone in agreement that a 110 is to small for either a powder blue or a powder brown? i do plan on upgrading w/in the next 6 mos to a year and would really love to get one of these. i know patience is one of the keys to this hobby but when you go to your lfs and see one of these fish there it's almost impossible to listen to reason and leave it there! how fast do they grow? would it be reasonable to think that if i got a juvenile and was to upgrade in6 mos to a year i would be ok? as always all opinions are welcomed and appreciated.

 

[jnarowe]

I think so...but the best laid plans...

 

[SeeDemTails]

The fish will be fine in that size tank for the time being, especially if its juvenile.

 

[Amoore311]

You might want to research where your supplier is getting Powder Blues from as well.

There was a neat thread a long time ago about why Powder Blues are so "hard" to keep. The director of Live Aquaria attributed it to the area of collection. In short, you want a Powder Blue collected from the Maldives, the problem ones are from Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan ones were such a problem that Live Aquaria won't even sell them. They sell Maldives Powder Blues exclusively.

I took the advice and went with a small one from the Maldives (from Live Aquaria) in my 90 Gallon. In a few years I'll have a 6 FT tank for him. I haven't had a single problem with him in the month+ I've had him in the tank so far.

 

[rgentry123]

so, a maldives powder blue is what i want if i go with the powder blue, what about the powder brown? any specific location to go with for powder browns?

 

[rgentry123]

ok, another question about a similar species...what about the goldrimmed tang? is that species any less aggressive than the powder brown or powder blue?

 

[Amoore311]

I'm not familiar with the areas the powder browns or goldrim are collected.

Just stay away from Sri Lanka in general. The fish can sit on the collection vessel for up to a week before they even get to the transhipper, which is why Powder Blues from there are so weak and disease prone once we get them.

 

[Amoore311]

The Gold-rimmed or Whitecheek I see is collected in Hawaii (the ones from Live Aquaria are anyways), don't worry about Hawaii Collected Fishes too much. The capture procedures and standards the collectors must adhere to are very strict there.

 

[Amoore311]

Oo also forgot to mention:

The powder blue is commonly known as the most aggressive of the 3. I haven't noticed any problems with mine at all. He is the biggest fish in the tank though, and there are no other fish that even closely resemble his body shape.