School of Blue Regals

[MrMikeB]

Hola amigos!

Recently I purchased a school of juvenile Blue Regal Tangs (aka Blue Hippo Tang, aka 'Dori'). They are all approximately the same size (approx 3"). I have 6 of them, and love to watch them school and take refuge in a large acro rock when they get scared. They are all acclimating well thus far, and eating voraciously a good mixture of seaweed, brine, and plankton.

I have them in a peaceful 80 gallon zoo/rics/rhodactus tank now, which I am sure they will outgrow eventually and I will move them to one of my larger systems.

Question for the group: Has anybody had a school of tangs like this long term? Any experiences/thoughts you wish to share on the matter?

 

[tfp]

pics mike, pics! that sounds sweet .

 

[MrMikeB]

Most definitely! I will post some upated shots on the tank too... the colors in that system are really taking off with all those zoas and rics contrasting with each other. With the regals now added, it sure is pretty amazing. They spend most of their time swimming in the current together, going nowhere fast.

Woo HOO 1000th post!

 

[juaninsac]

They will start to form a dominance hierarchy. We have a shoal of 5 adults in a 20,000 gallon tank and they beat each other up pretty good sometimes. They seem to get along just fine as juveniles. We have several smaller tanks (~100-200 gallons) with half a dozen 2" juveniles a piece and they seem fine. Watch out when they get bigger though.

 

[yoshiod9]

also, keep an eye out if you've got any prized zoas/rics in that tank. hippos are notorious for eating the expensive softies...

 

[MrMikeB]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10305790#post10305790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yoshiod9
also, keep an eye out if you've got any prized zoas/rics in that tank. hippos are notorious for eating the expensive softies...

Oh just great! I will be sure to give them plenty of seaweed to chew on. The tank is exclusively zoas/rics/shrooms.

I have never seen them eat these before. Just my luck, eh?

 

[MrMikeB]

Juan,

Thanks for the advice. At their current size I would imagine I have a year and a half before they reach adult size, and/or need a bigger tank to go in.

 

[BBishop]

juaninsac,

20,000 gallon tank? That's a medium sized pool!

 

[P.Kelly]

Great... I've hat my eyes set on a Blue Tang, which i just bought on Friday. It is the lone fish in my 92 gallon, which has nothing but mushrooms and ricordia....

Argh!

 

[juaninsac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10305790#post10305790 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by yoshiod9
also, keep an eye out if you've got any prized zoas/rics in that tank. hippos are notorious for eating the expensive softies...

That's odd, I had never heard that before although it wouldn't surprise me a bit. In our big tank the fish that are supposed to be "reef safe" like Siganus rabbitfishes and Naso tangs are nibbling on the soft corals while the typically "not reef safe" fish (lunare wrasse, emperor angel, clown trigger, harlequin tuskfish) are model citizens! Juveniles, adults, or does size matter?

 

[juaninsac]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10305943#post10305943 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BBishop
juaninsac,

20,000 gallon tank? That's a medium sized pool!

Yup! It's actually just a baby compared to the one we're building...180,000 gallons and 25 feet deep.

MikeB, sorry to distract from your topic. I just wanted to give you an idea of how big a space the adults will still fight in.

Cheers!

 

[robertloop]

Hey man.... If you find a fish that will eat shrooms. PLease let me know. The shrooms are a constant battle in my tank. I want them gone.

 

[yoshiod9]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10306687#post10306687 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by juaninsac
That's odd, I had never heard that before although it wouldn't surprise me a bit. In our big tank the fish that are supposed to be "reef safe" like Siganus rabbitfishes and Naso tangs are nibbling on the soft corals while the typically "not reef safe" fish (lunare wrasse, emperor angel, clown trigger, harlequin tuskfish) are model citizens! Juveniles, adults, or does size matter?

the ones i've heard of eating softies are always adults. however, this can very much be a fish-by-fish basis... that being said, if coral starts to disappear, you might know why.