Tang Dispute

[chiton]

I've had 3 yellow and 1 purple tangs in a 280g for ~1yr. The purple seems to be the leader, as the 3 yellows follow. They have been a happy schooling bunch up until about 2 wks ago when 2 of the yellows turned on the 3rd. The purple could care less about all the drama. The 3rd yellow spends his days up in a corner and gets chased by the 2 yellows (one is a lot more persistent about chasing than the other). Odd this comes after such a long time of peaceful behavior.

So what should I do? I realize 3 is usually the minimum number for tangs to get along, but now I've got 2 vs 1 (not counting the purple). Should I try to add a 4th or 5th yellow? Could the 2 yellows have mated and thus I've got a 3rd wheel now?

Chiton

 

[CHSUB]

i had a similar dispute, in a smaller tank; i ended up with one yellow and one purple...however a fellow reefer had a better ending; he kept a constant supply of food in two places and the fighting stopped after about a week...good luck