Tang Suggestion?

[d2mini]

Just wanted to bring this thread back.
My last post mentioned the yellow belly regal. He's doing great.
After him, someone was selling a powder brown so i got him. No problems.
After that, I tried to introduce a Purple.
Well, the PB made sure the Purple always stayed behind this one big rock. He was back there for weeks. Finally he started coming out for food but would always get chased back in there. He probably lasted a couple months before he just suddenly disappeared. No sign of sickness or anything, but i figure all that harassment just left him too weak.

So…. considering the PB seems to be a bit of a bully, are there any other tangs left that I could still add to the tank? I really want a blonde naso, but afraid to spend the big bucks if he's going to go the way of the Purple.

Again, my current list, from largest to smallest…

Desjardini Sailfin
Tomini
Yellow
Powder Brown
Regal Blue (Hippo)

 

[BlueMac92]

PBs can be nasty tangs. I've never seen a nice one, just ones that "Tolerate" other tankmates. I remember going to a petstore in Lansing, MI and seeing a 6-7" sailfin in one of their displays. His sail was all tattered and he looked pretty beat up. I was trying to figure out what happened when pretty soon out pops a 4" PB and just starts hammering him. Keep in mind this display was atleast 300g. Get an acclimation box and play it by ear. May have to remove the PB and let the new resident get acclimated then reintroduce him...

 

[CHSUB]

I'm not one of those "guys"; however, i would quit with 5.

 

[Bugboy9000]

Powder browns and blues are probably the nastiest tangs I've worked with. I've gotten all types of Acanthurus sp. to play well together, but these two seem to hate everyone and everything they come across. If added last, they still cause issues once in a while, but are absolutely calmer than if they were added first. I have a Powder Brown at work that for the most part leaves everyone alone, but will still have his power-trips once in a while, despite being the last fish added to this tank. I have a problem with bullies haha, I try to keep aggressive fish out of my tanks at work for this particular reason. You may want to remove the PB, despite the excellent color, it may just be a problem waiting to happen. There have been a few tangs suggested that are some of my personal favorites, including Atlantic Blue, Orange Shoulder, and Pyroferus, all of which I've gotten to play well with each other. Naso tangs are THE calmest tang I've ever come across, they don't care if you throw 10 other tangs with them, an incredibly peaceful fish (but they get HUGE). I will also recommend that 5 tangs in a 200g is probably the limit, especially with a PB in the mix. I only say this because of how large these fish will become, you don't want them to be cramped in your tank (that's a good way of starting fights between them haha).

 

[noy]

May have to remove the PB and let the new resident get acclimated then reintroduce him...

+1. I had a similar situation with a yellow tang which was probably the 2nd fish I introduced into my display. He would harass any new additions non-stop. Eventually I had to set up a qt tank with him and left him in there for a few months while the other fish adjusted.

When I reintroduced the yellow tang he became a model citizen.

 

[Curtispants]

I'm not one of those "guys"; however, i would quit with 5.

Absolutely my thoughts while reading this thread, and probably should have quit at before 5.

I have to say though, I love some of the advice here. The first few folks were suggesting an acanthurus tang which is great advice since you already had 2 zebrasoma - which might turn bad some day as is - but adding a 3rd zebrasoma will not only guarantee it, but speed up the process.

A question I wanted to ask while reading this thread was are you qt'ing your new arrivals? It didn't sound like it which worried me. You mentioned adding your hippo with ich already on it and hoping it would be ok. Not only would you have to worry about IT being ok, but you'd then have to worry about the rest of your pets. I wonder if the purple tang wouldn't have bit it had it been qt'd and had it's strength, immune system etc built up and THEN added to the dt, making it strong enough to fight back against the brown tang. Puprle tangs can handle their own, although being in a tank with a yellow and sailfin might not have been the best for it anyway. Then again, questioning a tang's strength for fighting back kind of answers the question of whether there's too many tangs already doesn't it?

 

[d2mini]

Tang Suggestion?

No I don't quarantine.

It's a 7' tank and when u look at it, it looks devoid of fish. They have tons of swimming room.

The yellow doesn't bother anybody.

I had the purple in an acclimation box but no one payed any attention to him in there and he was kinda stressing out in it.

 

[Rea17]

It seems like you are full on tangs, for aggression purposes not necessarily space. Consider adding several active smaller fish (anthias, wrasse, etc)?

 

[d2mini]

I have issues with Anthias because I'm not around to feed more than once a day. I have a couple wrasse already and 4 blue eye cardinals. Among other fish.
Open to other tang-shaped colorful fish suggestions. Already have a spot breast angel.
Still plan on getting a blonde naso, even if that means removing the PB.