Sohal tang

[bosborn1]

I am thinking of getting a Sohal to complete my reef. Does anyone have any experiance that they would like to share?

Current livestock is as followed
Hippo Tang
Yellow Tang
Russell's Lionfish (will be removed at the first sign of trouble sofar docile)
6-line Wrasse
Percula clown
Diamond Goby
Lawnmower Blenny
Domino Damsel (the most docile fish in the tank)

Tank is a 180 with a total water volume of 315 gallons

Corals are mostly LPS, SPS

Thanks
Scott

 

[condair]

I have a Sohal that i added after a Red Sea Purple. all was cool for awhile then the Sohal got happy with the tank. Its a 240 reef so he had plenty to do and eat. then he basically got tired of taking **** from the Red Sea and set down some rules. IE: stay out of my way. things are fine now but any attempt on my part to add anoter type of tang was a huge mistake. the Sohal wont allow it. The Sohal is very bossy. FYI he doesnt bother any other fish

Sean

 

[bosborn1]

Well that is god news for me. I am looking for this to be the last for awhile. I also need something to keep the other two tangs in check as they get out of hand. Believe or no the Hippo is the worse he always picks on the lionfish. Corrals him into one section of the tank

Also does anyone have any pics of the sohal in there reef?? I would love to see them
Thanks,
Scott

 

[t0mmy108]

more pictures on my www link

 

[LisaD]

Wow, Toml, is that a great looking tank! Are you happy with the Sohal? How long have you had it?

I have a yellow pictus angler just like the one you have pictured. Do/did you keep that in your reef too? I just banished mine to a 29 gallon reef/clam tank for eating a tankmate larger than himself.

 

[bosborn1]

t0mmy108

Thats a GREAT lookingl tank!!! Same size as mine gives me a good idea on the scaling.

Thanks
Scott

 

[t0mmy108]

thanks! the sohal has been with me for almost two years. he survived a tank crash last month that killed nearly all his other tank mates top off system malfunction while i was on vacation for a week). great looking fish. he's pretty much the biggest one in there. currently has 7 other tangs in there with him. he doesn't try to kill them but definately shows that he is the boss.

all my anglers were in a seperate 72 galllon. lost that tank to hurricane rita a couple months ago.

 

[marrone]

When you thinking about a Sohal tang think long term because what maybe a docile fish at 4"-10" will become a very aggressive fish at 10"-18"+. I've had mine for years, in a 260gal FO tank, and as time went on it became more and more aggressive as it got larger, 14"+, and start to attack my other tangs and rabbit fish.

 

[bosborn1]

We have a 14 inch Sohal in our zoo tank and its not agressive at all in fact it will take food from your hand.

Scott

 

[marrone]

taking food from people hand isn't a problem with a Sohal tang it's that it will attack other fish and usually will kill them. A larger size it can be kept with very aggressive fish like trigger, grouper and such.

 

[bosborn1]

Ours at the zoo hasn't been messing with any of the other tangs. Or even the foxface for that matter. I think that this is as usual a case by case basis. Everyones Livestock will behave different over a period of time. For instance I have a dominate over agressive Hippo tang, a vegitarian Russell's Lionfish, and a Damsel that thinks its a Percula clown. Not to mention the meanist Lawnmower blenny that you have ever seen

I am hoping that the sohal calms things down. Not to mention when the Sohal is 14 inchs that probably will mean that everything else suich as the tangs will be pretty big also. I am sure that the Sohal will be agressive but in a way I am hoping that it will help keep the other fish "strirred up" and actively swimming in the open water areas of my tank.

Thanks Everyone for there info
Scott

 

[marrone]

Sohal grow very fast, and get very large also, so you just can't say that everything else will grow at the same rate and match up with the Sohal. Sohal are usually very aggressive, specially when they get large, so yours is the more the exception to this as it's not a case by case with Sohal as with some other fish.

 

[bosborn1]

Well I guess ther is only one way to find out. Also what the metabolism like on these fish? How long will it take for them to reach max size. I noticed that t0mmy108 Sohal is two years old and judging by the pic its under 10 inchs.

t0mmy108

Does your Sohal bump into the rockwork? I ask because you have a very packed (And very beautiful) SPS tank, I know how these fish love to constantly swim.

marrone

I am not trying to contest what you are saying but how can you sugggest that placing a fish in a (gonna get flamed) non natural controlled enviroment and not say that its possiable that its a case by case basis to the long term behavior of a fish. Animals have natural instincts but those can be changed slightly due to external stimuli. It is natural to think that the Largest fish in a tank will be the dominate fish. That is normally true and if the Sohal has a high metabolism and grows at a faster rate it would seem that the fish woul become the dominate. However in 15 years of keeping both fresh and saltwater animals I have found that under certain circumstances this can change. It certainly not a rule but it does happen. When fish develop on the contrary to the common rule its not always an exception but mearly a animal developing according to its stimuli.

These have just been my observations I am certainly no expert in Reef Fish Husbandry. I am just trying to make sense of the husbandry of animals that in most tanks would never see each other in nature. I appreciate the feedback both postive and negative but you don't need to try to deter me..Its not like I am trying to put a Sohal in a 29gal and have just gotten into the hobby. I myself have been guilty of being quite negative on topics of this nature. Sorry if I am being offensive. Things have kind of been on pins and needles on the board lately. I am sure that the mods monitor every thread with the word Tang in the Subject.

Thanks
Scott

 

[marrone]

Scott

I think people get caught up in this fanasty believe that they can take a fish, that gets very large and is very aggressive, and place it in a tank with other fish and expect all to be fine, even under the best conditions. Now with certain fish you can make this work but in most case with fish that get very large and aggressive this doesn't work in the long run and people should know and think about this before purchasing a fish like this.

People get caught up in this same type of thinking when they get a small trigger fish that is fine in the tank for quite some time then all of a sudden when the fish starts growing an gets to get 6" then 8" then 10" and now the fish is attacking and kills everything in the tank. You have to know what your getting into with a fish and take into account your placing a large, or will get large, aggressive fish into a small tank with other fish. Now it may work in the short term but as these fish get larger problems will develop and to think that you can train a fish not to be aggressive it's just a pipe dream. Yes you will fine some people who have done it but you'll fine a lot more who have had fish kill other fish or had to get rid of a fish because it was either killing everything in the tank or they couldn't place any thing in the tank because of it.

People need to be made aware of what they're getting when they buy one of these fish or any other fish for that matter. This would lead to a lot less fish dying and everyone having a better tank in the long run.

Michael

 

[t0mmy108]

i think mine is healthy but not fat. I'd say that his size now is double of what he was two years ago. I purchased him as a 4" baby. swims very gracefully....always in control and doesn't seem to bump into anything accidentally. there's about 12 inches of open water twoards the front /top half of the 180. there was a time when he was VERY aggressive. bit my arm and fingers everytime i put it in the tank. he minds me more now and leaves me to rearrange the rocks and corals. he's gotten better with new tankmates. more forgiving than most sohals. There may be the day that he goes psycho on me though. you never know i guess. they can be like some women i know.
In the end, he may be the last fish standing. just like he was the last survivor of the great 2006 New Years tank crash.

 

[Kent E]

Bosborn, I wouldn't do it and I have a large tank. Do a search.

Believe me, I would love to have one but I don't belive it is the responsible thing to do. A 180 will be far too small for this fish in the long run. It will get incredibly agressive in the long run.

If you don't mind these risks than go for it.

 

[t0mmy108]

i think most owners of sohals end up donating them to the city aquarium or local zoo when they outgrow their home tanks. I plan on doing the same. these fish are probably meant to be enjoyed in our home aquaria for only about five years, then it's your duty to find them a larger home. I think i may have another three years before i have to say goodbye. until then, he's happy at home. just keep in mind that one day, you'll also have to say bye. if you are going to try one, then start out small, you will have more years to enjoy it.

this pretty much applies to all my fish. eventually, one day they will hopefully all have a chance to go to a 20,000 gallon tank.

 

[bosborn1]

marrone,

I certainly hope that yo don't think that I was attempting to say that I plan to train a fish to not be agressive. All I am saying is that I would like to try one in my reef. I have seen others with this fish in the same size tank be sucessful for a peroid of time. I am not quite sure how long you normally keep fish or if most people would keep a fish past its comfort level. I am just stating what I think and what I plan to do. No offense but I don't need to be lectured in proper treatment of animals. Read my Sig I have been doing this for quite a while. I have had very large fish in the past and I know exactly what to do to avoid keeping a fish pass there comfort level. I am simply trying to find info about keeping a specific fish. Truth be told I will probably not keep this fish. There seems to be a problem with what to do with large tangs once they mature. I always see Large Nasos at the LFS with no home.
I guess I thought that it was common sense that you can't keep a 14"+ Tang in tank less than 500 gallons. Apparently marrone doesn't think so.

But then again I was just dealing with a kid who wanted to put a Volitan's in his 55 gallon reef

I appreicate the input

Probably going to go back to the idea of a Achillies Tang....That is if marrone doesn't have anything negative to say about that as well.

Kent,
Have you seen the Sohal at the zoo lately. Man its big. Really pretty though. I guess that eliminates the ability to donate a large sohal to a local municipality.

Thanks
Scott