Small blue tang stays by powerhead

[steallife904]

I purchased a blue tang from LFS on black Friday. Its a smaller one, maybe 2in or just under. He has been eating and everything, he just will not leave the area of my powerheads (gyre XF150). He hides behind it and just stays by it all the time. Saw him out by rocks maybe one time. Can tell if anyone was bullying him, only other tang is a yellow tang. Should I be concerned or try to do anything to move him. Just don't want him to get sucked into it.

 

[Uncle99]

I have a blue and yellow in a 70g, sometimes the blue hides behind the powerhead, sometimes behind a rock......can't see that being abnormal......maybe that's "his" territory, if he always comes out to eat.....he's fine...

Now if he was swimming "into" the powerhead or wavemaker, that might be a different story....

 

[Aquavaj]

Perfectly normal and just give it time, especially if you have other tangs in the tank. They're very skittish fish and often will wedge themselves into gaps you never thought would fit. Once it becomes more comfortable it'll come out further and more often.

 

[mattgumaer]

I'm 99% sure yellow tang is bothering him. Unless there are a lot of tangs in a really big tank, I think it is probably inevitable that the tangs will establish a pecking order, with one being dominant and the others submissive. I think this is natural and o.k. so long as the submissive fish isn't getting beat up and is still eating. Once they are used to one another, the blue tang will likely come out more, with the yellow only occasionally demonstrating its dominance to make sure the blue knows whose boss.

Matt