Tankmate for my achilles

[michealprater]

What tank are you upgrading to? Got pics? An achilles is an awesome fish, I hate to see it perish in a 65 gallon. I seen a Achilles freak out in my buddies 125 because he did not have enough room. If the Achilles ends up feeling cramped in the 65g, he will basically kill himself darting all over the tank trying to basically swim his way out of the tank.

BTW, just to play devils advocate. The size of the tank will not stunt a fishes growth. That is a myth, but all the more reason to get a large tank for this fish quick! I would recommend a 240 or 250.

 

[massman]

BTW, just to play devils advocate. The size of the tank will not stunt a fishes growth. That is a myth, but all the more reason to get a large tank for this fish quick! I would recommend a 240 or 250.

I think tampa was indicating that the fish will probably be dead from stress before it reaches the 4" mark, as opposed to its growth being stunted.

 

[TampaReefer79]

Tampa its good to see that youve subscribed to the thread apparently. Your advice is sound but your delivery and reading skills are flawed. read the entire post. All you do is pick out what you believe to be negative and refuse to acknowledge that there are good points in the post as well. Just to reiterate

THE 65 GAL IS NOT A PERMANENT HOME FOR THE TANG
IT IS DOING FINE IN THE TANK IT EATS FLAKES PELLETS FROZEN FOODS AND DRY NORI

JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ IT ONCE AND FOR ALL

ALL I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS SOME FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE THAT SOMEONE HAS HAD WITH ACHILLES TANGS

YOU SIR OR MADAME HAVE YET TO GIVE SUCH FIRST HAND ADVICE BUT THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US YOUR FANCY BOOK READING SKILLS

Thanks for so info that is actually on topic

Wooo saaaa. No, I haven't subscribed to the thread, but I think you should. I think it's a good thread for all newcomer types that would like to keep surgeonfish. And by newcomer types, I mean folks in the hobby a year or less. If you'd like to house tangs, it wouldn't hurt to thumb through it...it might even avoid threads like this.

Thank you for pointing out that I can't read. I can however. I know the 65 is not a permanent home for the achilles. That is irrelevant. A 65 is pushing it just for the QT process let alone it's home with other fish and corals and lr etc etc. It eats pellets so it's doing fine? :hammer: And I'm GIVING YOU first hand experience with achilles tangs...DON'T keep one in a 65 gallon tank! And to top it off, the thread is called TANKMATE FOR MY ACHILLES...meaning you want to add another tang to this tank. My FIRST HAND experience is, please don't. I don't understand how this is off topic to you. You really, really, REALLY shouldn't add another tang to the tank and should remove the achilles. Why cram him in there for a year or however long you plan on keeping it in there? When you upgrade you can aquire one then I'm sure. It's not a rare fish. If you can't house it properly out of the gate, then you should wait until you can. Don't punish the fish because you can't upgrade yet.

And I'm not saying that the fish will be stunted as in 'deformed', but I can GURANTEE from FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE that it won't grow appropriately in this tank. I've had to use this scenario about 100 times in the last few weeks but here it goes again:

If you took that achilles tang and it's twin brother...and put them in 2 seperate tanks, one in a 65 and one in a 300...then fed them the same diet (nori sheets, frozen cubes, mysis etc) at the same times of day and the only difference was tank size, the one in the 300 would be bigger and fatter faster. That's not something I read in a book, it's something I've had happen in my house. That fish could be 4" in less than 6 months. In the 65 it could take years.

 

[TampaReefer79]

I think tampa was indicating that the fish will probably be dead from stress before it reaches the 4" mark, as opposed to its growth being stunted.

Yeah, growth stunted as in deformed or something isn't what I meant. And you're right, it probably will be dead from stress before the 4" mark in that tank. But IF it did live long enough, it would take much much longer to reach the same size as it would in an appropriately sized tank.

 

[massman]

By stunted, I mean impaired/slowed/reduced/minimised etc. to the detriment of its well being. No deformity

 

[problemfixer]

I think it's a good thread for all newcomer types that would like to keep surgeonfish. And by newcomer types, I mean folks in the hobby a year or less.

What makes you think the OP is a newcomer, by his join date? In that case, Tampa is also a newcomer.

The OP asked for housing other tangs with an Achillies - no mention of them being in a 65g tank. How do you know if he's in the middle of a 500g build, and wanted to add the Achillies with another tang at the same time.

It amazes me how many times I read a thread where the same group of RC members have to chime in on a post, going off the specific topic or question, and explain why it won't work even though much of the information is being assumed.

I am curiuous about the question also: What other tang could be housed with an Achillies?

I'm not ready for an Achillies at this time, but at some point in the future I will be - and it doesn't have to do with the tank sizes I have at this time.

 

[Creetin]

What makes you think the OP is a newcomer, by his join date? In that case, Tampa is also a newcomer.

The OP asked for housing other tangs with an Achillies - no mention of them being in a 65g tank. How do you know if he's in the middle of a 500g build, and wanted to add the Achillies with another tang at the same time.

It amazes me how many times I read a thread where the same group of RC members have to chime in on a post, going off the specific topic or question, and explain why it won't work even though much of the information is being assumed.

I am curiuous about the question also: What other tang could be housed with an Achillies?

I'm not ready for an Achillies at this time, but at some point in the future I will be - and it doesn't have to do with the tank sizes I have at this time.

Well reading thru all his posts when i wanted to help him about the fish i seen that he announced he was new to all this.
I was not here to bash, I just see too many times people get a fish that they know nothing about and want to further subjest it to more streefull conditions. I wish the original poster the best. I dont think it will end well for the fish even if he does not add another tang. Too many people get on the defense about this kind of situations because it hits home and they are most likely doing the same thing to the fish they own.
Tampa means well, and i agree with what he posts.
Anybody can take a fish and throw it in a tank. Keeping it alive and thriving for many years is another.
Not stunted sick and or deformed.
Best of luck to the OP i hope it go's well. But if history repeats itself (Like it mainly does) it wont be good for the fish.

 

[problemfixer]

OR...

Get the achilles tang into an appropriately sized tank. (if it's in a 65 gallon, 3 foot tank)

I don't see where he announced he was new to all this: "looking for first had experience that someone has had with Achillies Tangs".
Nowhere in the original post does it mention keeping the two in a 65g.
I have enough experience to know that Achillies are difficult to keep, and that housing with another tang would probably not work. That does not mean there isn't another hobbyist out there who has had success.
However, it is entirely possible that the OP has planned an upgrade to a larger tank and wanted to know if it would be possible to keep another tang with the Achillies - the OP may want to rethink his upgrade planned size if it's possible to keep the two.
That being said, Tampa's first comment does not pertain to the original question, and is somewhat insulting to the OP.
Some people like to dish out criticism, but can't take it when they receive it back.

 

[TampaReefer79]

I don't see where he announced he was new to all this: "looking for first had experience that someone has had with Achillies Tangs". Nowhere in the original post does it mention keeping the two in a 65g.

Just for tampa's peace of mind
1 an achilles that size will do fine in a tank that size as long as it is under 4 inches
2 the 65g tank is not a permanent home for the tang
3 I did do all the research that is how i know that it is fine in the tank it is in
4 I already figured out that it is a fish that will not get along well with other tangs Yet this thread was still created
5 All I was looking for was some first hand experience with achilles from someone who is willing to share

Thanks to the tang police for showing up again. Yes i know the achilles will need a bigger tank. As it stands it is a very juvenille tang and it is doing very well in the current tank it is in. I am glad that there are so many people concerned with the conservation and well being of marine life like I am. All that i really was curious about was if there was any other tang or tang like fish that would be in any way compatible with the achilles. Yes I have read the primer. Yes I have looked into the fish and talked with my LFS. These forums are to share knowledge and experiences of the other people posting here. Thank you to the people who actually had some input that pertained to the topic of the forum it is greatly appreciated. A little bit of help will go quite a long way to building a solid knowledge base. Before trying to condem another person who shares the same passion that you do look into the situation and get some facts.

Tampa its good to see that youve subscribed to the thread apparently. Your advice is sound but your delivery and reading skills are flawed. read the entire post. All you do is pick out what you believe to be negative and refuse to acknowledge that there are good points in the post as well. Just to reiterate

THE 65 GAL IS NOT A PERMANENT HOME FOR THE TANG
IT IS DOING FINE IN THE TANK IT EATS FLAKES PELLETS FROZEN FOODS AND DRY NORI
JUST TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE READ IT ONCE AND FOR ALL

ALL I WAS LOOKING FOR WAS SOME FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE THAT SOMEONE HAS HAD WITH ACHILLES TANGS

YOU SIR OR MADAME HAVE YET TO GIVE SUCH FIRST HAND ADVICE BUT THANK YOU FOR SHOWING US YOUR FANCY BOOK READING SKILLS

OR...

Get the achilles tang into an appropriately sized tank. (if it's in a 65 gallon, 3 foot tank)

Looks like pretty good advice to me! Don't be mad just because I knew the answer from the first post. And to clarify, there's nothing wrong with being newer to the hobby. I'm still 'newer' if you compare me to someone like...Paul B as an example. There's always someone out there that knows more. My point about being 'new' was pertaining to his keeping of tangs, not necessarily about how long he's been in the hobby. Someone familiar with surgeonfish wouldn't need to post this. Did I assume? Sort of. But I was spot on. These posts about 'what do I feed my tang', 'I just bought this tang, help me ID it', 'I have this tang in my 65 gallon tank and want to know compatible tang tankmates'...all sound like newbie questions to me. Again, not necessarily new to the hobby, but new to tangs. Or both. What I don't understand is when the OP gets sound advice from the jump, and argues with it. The folks that say 'oh god, here come the tang police' are themselves probably doing the same thing with tangs.

HTH

:wave:

 

[TampaReefer79]

I think it's a good thread for all newcomer types that would like to keep surgeonfish. And by newcomer types, I mean folks in the hobby a year or less. If you'd like to house tangs, it wouldn't hurt to thumb through it...it might even avoid threads like this.

And actually, I'll explain this direct quote a little further since problemsolver wanted to quote it as an example of 'something wrong I said'?

I think the 'What tang for my 30 gallon tank' thread is great for newcomers to the hobby, and newcomers to tang keeping. Tangs aren't exactly newb fish. (hence the year or less comment) They aren't damsels that can live through anything. They are pretty delicate fish, so anyone not in the hobby that long probably shouldn't be attempting them. Are people just starting out still going to try? Yep. But they can at least read through the primers, read the 30 gallon tank thread, read the ADVICE they are given...not argue with it saying their buddy down the street does it. If I gave the OP tang advice, it was because I myself was fooled by LFS's and saw friends doing things etc etc and did the wrong thing once upon a time. All the reasons he's giving that say it's ok, I used to use and now know different. I guess it's one of those things that you just have to learn for yourself.

 

[problemfixer]

Easy Tampa, please re-read the very first thread. There is no mention of a 65g tank until you dropped a bomb in your first reply. What is the original question?
Judging by your responses and uses of capital letters, you cannot handle criticism very well.
I guess the point I would like to make for you and certain others on RC, be alittle tactful when responding. You probably wouldn't have been referred to as the "tang police".
Yes, we are all still learning in this hobby. But the "join date" and "post count" is not a good indication of hobby experience or intelligence.

OT, I'll be moving to your area within the next few years. Can't wait until the club meetings.

 

[dr.sinister]

My achilles is happy and satisfied in my 70g tank. Granted it is small (the tank and the fish) and I am prepaired to move it to a bigger home when nessesary. I also wanted to say that I read the primer on achilles too and never did I read that anybodies tang attached other fish including other tangs. Most of the post where people entered their direct experience stated that their achilles was peacefull and undisputed king. I'm going to guess that everyone has different experiences, some good and some bad. If there's something I dislike about these forums is peoples negativity. There isn't a fish or invert that is perfect and I think people should make decisions based on a variety of advise and francky if someone has a question then they should ask without fear of judgement.

 

[sanchoy]

Hi and welcome to the addiction if you are new to this forum. Weird, but you will notice that most people on here get offended or get super touchy on various topics. Don't take anything personal. :frog:

Now, back to the topic at hand. I have a 250 gallon plus tank along with a 75 gallon quarantine tank. The quarantine tank is set up specifically for my new tangs. So if you plan to upgrad, your small tang should be fine in your 65gallon for the time being. In my current display tank i have:

-Sohal 8 inches, Yellow 6 inches, Purple 6 inches, Achillles 9 inches, Tomini 4 inches, Blue HIppo 7 inches, Bariene 10 inches

I have been accused of overstocking in the past, however I believe the high stock helps reduce the aggression among my tangs from my experience. Because there is many tangs swimming around, the boss (Sohal) cannot target on one specific tang to harass. After awhile all the tangs become accustom to one another and learn to tolerate one another co-existing peacefully. The key to my success i believe is I tend to buy bigger , meaning that my new tangs has to be bigger than the boss of the tank to reduce stress pecking.

I also have a cleaner wrasse with a load of cleaner shrimps to aid in cleaning my tangs. Nutrition is also key. I find that the NLS pellets worked the best for me, supplemented by nori.

Whatever the case, good luck. And don't take anything personal on these forums. :rollface:

 

[StripestheEel]

Now that everyone has press the CAPS LOCK for the 2nd time and we are back to normal, I would not suggest any other similarly shaped Acanthurus tangs (Powder blues, Japonicus etc etc). Zebrasoma's should be fine, even the good old Blue Tang.

As others have suggested the 65gal isn't an appropriate size long term and I wouldn't be adding any other tangs in there until you get a bigger home for the Achilles.

I had my Achilles in my 700gal system and it loved it. Unfortunately it died when white spot hit my DT some 12 months ago and can't afford to buy another one ($600 here in Australia).

So my experience would suggest to do the fish some justice, get it into a larger tank ASAP because I would hate to see it live unhappily especially given the fact you guys get them alot cheaper than we do.

Good luck.

 

[TampaReefer79]

My achilles is happy and satisfied in my 70g tank. Granted it is small (the tank and the fish) and I am prepaired to move it to a bigger home when nessesary. So right off the bat you say that you know the fish is in a tank too small for it, but then say it's happy? THEN you say you are prepared to move it to a bigger home...if you can move it to a bigger home, why is it in a tank you said yourself is too small for it? I don't get it. I also wanted to say that I read the primer on achilles too and never did I read that anybodies tang attached other fish including other tangs. Most of the post where people entered their direct experience stated that their achilles was peacefull and undisputed king. I didn't memorize the primer word for word, but are you sure no one mentions that the achilles tang might not get along with other tangs (especially in small tanks) or that it can be aggressive?? I'm going to guess that everyone has different experiences, some good and some bad. If there's something I dislike about these forums is peoples negativity. When someone does something that is very advised against and is given the proper advice but does it anyway...how is it the advice givers that are negative? It's always the advice seekers that get negative...'here come the tang police' and all that nonsense. There isn't a fish or invert that is perfect and I think people should make decisions based on a variety of advise and francky if someone has a question then they should ask without fear of judgement.

Hi and welcome to the addiction if you are new to this forum. Weird, but you will notice that most people on here get offended or get super touchy on various topics. Don't take anything personal. :frog:

Now, back to the topic at hand. I have a 250 gallon plus tank along with a 75 gallon quarantine tank. The quarantine tank is set up specifically for my new tangs. So if you plan to upgrad, your small tang should be fine in your 65gallon for the time being. In my current display tank i have:

-Sohal 8 inches, Yellow 6 inches, Purple 6 inches, Achillles 9 inches, Tomini 4 inches, Blue HIppo 7 inches, Bariene 10 inches

I have been accused of overstocking in the past, however I believe the high stock helps reduce the aggression among my tangs from my experience. Because there is many tangs swimming around, the boss (Sohal) cannot target on one specific tang to harass. After awhile all the tangs become accustom to one another and learn to tolerate one another co-existing peacefully. The key to my success i believe is I tend to buy bigger , meaning that my new tangs has to be bigger than the boss of the tank to reduce stress pecking.

I also have a cleaner wrasse with a load of cleaner shrimps to aid in cleaning my tangs. Nutrition is also key. I find that the NLS pellets worked the best for me, supplemented by nori.

Whatever the case, good luck. And don't take anything personal on these forums. :rollface:

This tank sounds great. I'd like to see pics! Lots of nice tangs in there. What's the footprint of the tank? What order did you add your tangs?

 

[prickles]

I also wanted to say that I read the primer on achilles too and never did I read that anybodies tang attached other fish including other tangs. Most of the post where people entered their direct experience stated that their achilles was peacefull and undisputed king.

I got a different feeling from the achilles primer. I interpreted the thread as saying that they were about as aggressive as powder blues, and should be the last tang added unless you were going more aggressive later on...I shudder to think! In my opinion when people say "king" in reference to a fish, they mean it's the most aggressive fish in the tank.

OP, I would hesitate from adding another tang to your tank for 2 reasons. The first one you can guess from the other posts, but the second reason is that you would likely be adding a less aggressive tang to an established territory of an achilles. I would think it very likely the achilles would try to kill the newcomer.

 

[cubsFAN]

I am not going to add anything constructive. the op will fail. that's that. i commend tampareefer for trying to point people in the right direction over and over again because they are incapable of doing the research themselves. setting up a new large tank that will accomodate that fish will be a major endeavor. shame on those who have defended the op. bad info.

 

[SMOOTHIE]

It really should be the last tang added. Since you have it first why not check out some dwarf angels?

 

[problemfixer]

I am not going to add anything constructive. the op will fail. that's that. i commend tampareefer for trying to point people in the right direction over and over again because they are incapable of doing the research themselves. setting up a new large tank that will accomodate that fish will be a major endeavor. shame on those who have defended the op. bad info.

Nobody defended the the OP's decision to house the Achillies in a 65g - one person mentioned keeping one in 70g. The original question asked - can other tangs be housed in the same tank as an Achillies - the very first post. The thread quickly went away from that post.
Why would you want to stir the pot? Shame on you.

 

[cubsFAN]

im stirring the pot because people attacked tampareefer when his post should have put this thread to a close. in an attempt to attack the "tang police" a few of you are condoning adding another tang to his 65 gallon which already houses an achilles tang. do you think this is ok? thats clearly bad info and is given out of spite of the "tang police". the original question did not provide the necessary info. of course you can house other tangs with an achilles. you cant in a 65 gallon tank though. sorry. now fix this problem problemfixer. your post is less constructive than mine. there has been a recent onslaught of new members with very few posts that are posting bad answers. This website is supposed to be giving valuable information which can be found if you take the time to look around for it. the tang police are right almost every time. when i started I made mistakes. I'm willing to admit it. I've learned a lot from this website. It seems to me that a lot of people trying to up their post count so that they can see the for sale forums and in turn post outrageous things. we made it to page 2 arguing if it's a good idea to add a tang to a 65 gallon tank that already contains an achilles tang. no shame here pal.